Backstage tours of Walt Disney World

Cory Doctorow 12:19 am Sat Jun 17, 2006

The Washington Post has a great feature on the Backstage Tours at Walt Disney World. I took several of these when I was researching my novel Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom, and they were always fantastic. If there's anything cooler than seeing the masterful illusions created in Disney World's parks, it's seeing behind them and watching them being created and maintained.

Our private boat through the venerable Jungle Cruise revealed stagecraft secrets such as the hidden heaters used to warm the tropical plants and the actual words uttered by the animatronic cannibal ("I love disco," believe it or not).

And that doesn't even count such sworn-to-secrecy dish as how they keep the Safari Adventure lions on that viewing rock (air conditioning), what employees really think of certain daily performances ("Cinderellabration, the Loudest Show on Earth") and just who that is in the Mickey costume (a petite woman, most likely).

Link

(via The Disney Blog)

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