Walt Disney World

Atualizado: 25 de fev. de 2021

Since we'll be leaving the 70’s behind soon, I chose to speak about one of the greatest and most successful companies in the world! And what could be better than the Disney Empire?!

One of their most ambitious projects was the Walt Disney World, named after sir Walt Disney by his brother to make sure that the man who started it all was remembered! Interested? Come with me to this amazing adventure in "The Most Magical Place on Earth"!

It all started in 1964... displeased by the numerous businesses that had sprung up around his California park (Disney 's first park) and the lack of control he had over developments near the resort, Walt Disney set out to control a much larger area of land for the second park. And so, sir Disney began his search for the perfect location!

One day, he flew over a potential site near Bay Lake in Orlando, Florida (one of the many locations he was reviewing) in November, 1963. The site was attractive for its proximity to Orlando International Airport and the well-developed road network, which was set to be strengthened further with the construction of Florida's Turnpike and Interstate 4.

To avoid unwanted attention and press speculation, the early development of Disney 's second park took place in complete secrecy - with even the notion that a second park was being considered being kept under wraps!

As vast areas of land were purchased at remarkably high prices, rumors eventually flew as to who needed so much land and had the money to acquire it. And to no surprise! Disney World is not small. Not even close. In fact, it rivals the size of San Francisco!

Some thought it was Howard Hughes, Henry Ford, the Rockefellers, or even, NASA who were behind the purchases! Speculation was rife almost to the very day, November 15, 1965 ("D" Day for Orlando!), when sir Walt arrived in town and announced his plans to build the world's most spectacular theme park, "bigger and better than Disneyland"!

Unfortunately, just over a year after announcing the development, our beloved Walt Disney passed away from lung cancer - he couldn't see his dream come true! But that reminds me of a text I wrote recently in school... it was about dreams and their role in our lives. Although you might not fulfill your visions, you tried! And I truly believe that the path you make trying to bring that dream to reality is more important than the dream itself... that's exactly what sir Disney did! He worked so hard, and besides all the adversities, he made it! After all, it was his vision that laid the groundwork for the company to become the media giant it is today!

Coming back to the main issue... in a 2-year construction effort, Disney employed 9,000 people! Land speculation reached unprecedented heights, as hotel chains and restaurateurs grabbed up property near the proposed park. Mere swampland sold for millions! The total cost of the project by its opening (October 1971 - it's been almost 50 years, already!) was $400 million!

And boom! The opening day arrives... it must have been crazy! I learned that Mickey Mouse ITSELF escorted the first visitor into the Magic Kingdom (lucky guy! I wish it was me) and numerous celebrities, such as Bob Hope and Julie Andrews, took part in the opening ceremonies.

In Walt Disney World 's first 2 years, the attraction drew 20 million visitors and employed 13,000 people! The sleepy citrus-growing town of Orlando had become the "Action Center of Florida", and the fastest-growing city in the state! See? Magic really is the solution for everything (or maybe it's just Disney?)!

Anyway, as the business started to grow (yes, even more!), additional attractions multiplied faster than fruit flies and hundreds of firms relocated their businesses to the area! SeaWorld, a major theme park, came to town in 1973. All the while, Walt Disney World continued to grow and expand, adding Epcot in 1982 and Disney-MGM Studios (now Disney's Hollywood Studios) in 1989, along with water parks; more than a dozen "official" resorts; a shopping, dining, and entertainment district; campgrounds; a vast array of recreational facilities; and several other adjuncts. In 1998, Disney opened yet another theme park, this one dedicated to zoological entertainment and aptly called Animal Kingdom.

Financial history is full of outsized personalities and towering figures! Many of the richest people in history got there by building empires of fur, oil, steel, rails, and, yes, software. All of these are tangible products with a simple formula: keep the costs down and sell more. Disney, the man and the company, were birds of a different feather!

Only by constantly innovating and pushing the boundaries of not just animation but also what Disney became as a business was the company able to go from a moderately successful animation studio to a complete entertainment experience – with theme parks, merchandising, cruise ships, and so forth!

In a quote often attributed to Walt Disney, a Disney Imagineer once said, "If you can dream it, you can do it". The story of Walt 's life and the creation of his company reminds us that once you dream it, you must continually re-dream and re-imagine it to succeed.

Walt Disney World is now immortalised as one of the world’s largest and most visited attractions! And Disney itself as the Biggest Entertainment Empire that ever existed!

(And probably the only one too!)

Curiosities:

- In keeping with the historical accuracy of the colonial time period, there are no bathrooms at Liberty Square. However, restaurants such as Liberty Tree Tavern and Columbia Harbor House do indeed have bathrooms. How do they get away with it? Technically their bathrooms are in other lands.

- We’ve all heard there is a secret network of tunnels throughout Disney World. What you may not know, though, is that in order for those tunnels to exist the Magic Kingdom is actually built above ground level. Florida is at sea level, which means you can’t dig down; the only way to go is up!

- There are almost 30,000 Disney World hotel rooms throughout Disney Resorts. As a result, it would take nearly a lifetime to spend the night in every room.

- One of the most disappointing Walt Disney World facts is how little there really is to Cinderella’s Castle. From the outside, it’s opulence is without question. On the inside, though, it merely features a restaurant, Cinderella’s Table, and the Bibbidi Bobbiddi Boutique, as well as highly coveted hotel room that’s nearly impossible to reserve. (The hotel room was originally designed to be Walt Disney’s apartment).

- At Disney World, you’re never more than 30 steps away from a trash can. As a result, it’s one of the cleanest theme parks in America.

- Have you ever lost a pair of sunglasses at Disney World? You’re not alone. An average of 200 pairs of sunglasses turn up at the lost and found daily.

- Sure, a lot of sunglasses get lost at Disney World but what are the oddest items to get misplaces? Try a glass eye, prosthetic leg and potty trainer. Believe it or not, all were claimed!

- At 5.7 million gallons, Epcot’s Aquarium of the Seas is second only to the Georgia Aquarium in terms of sheer size.

- If you’ve ever ridden the exceptional Kilimanjaro Safari, you’ll no doubt have seen exotic species like on the move and in easy-to-view places. How do they always cooperate with guests so easily? The naturalists on staff use a few tricks, such as shooting raisins towards the gorillas and putting honey on the top of safari vehicles for elephants. And that rock the lion is leisurely enjoying? It’s air-conditioned. The zebras and giraffes, however, are free roaming and even cause road blocks at times!

- A lot of Walt Disney World facts are impressive. However, this one might take the cake! Did you know when the park opened it welcomed an average of 10,000 visitors a day? These days, the park sees upwards of 50,000 a day.

- Sadly, when the Pirates of the Caribbean was being built, an Imagineer named George was killed. Legend has it his ghost haunts the ride to this day. Cast members say “Goodnight, George” at the closing of each night as a superstition to prevent ride closures the next day.

- One of the odder Walt Disney World facts is how many people wish to have their ashes spread at the park. It’s such a common phenomenon Disney World has cleaning protocols in place for this exact occurrence.

- During the holiday season, more than 1,500 Christmas trees are on display throughout Disney World Theme Parks. In addition, there’s miles and miles of garland used to turn this park into a winter wonderland.

- Epcot is more than just a theme. In fact, it’s a real working garden producing over 30 tons of fruits and vegetables each year for park visitors.

- Disney World has only closed four times since opening in 1971. The first was for Hurricane Floyd in 1999. The second was for the terror attacks on 9/11. And the third was a power failure in 2002. The fourth was for Hurricane Matthew in 2006. Interestingly enough, it took less than 30 minutes to evacuate thousands of guests on 9/11.

- Another of the Walt Disney World facts related to 9/11 involves Epcot. It’s American Adventure Pavilion is home to an American flag taken from the rubble of the Twin Towers from the 9/11 attack.

- Did you know U2 was the original choice for Hollywood Studios’ Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster? They declined the offer and the rest is history…err…Aerosmith.

And finally, here's some information about Disney's more recent acquisitions:

In March 20, 2019, Disney officially acquired all the media assets of 21st Century Fox for $71.3 billion, making it the largest media powerhouse on the planet.

Pixar, Marvel, and the Star Wars empire were already a part of Disney's stable of mega-brands, but the acquisition of 21st Century Fox brings the rest of Marvel Entertainment into the Mouse's house, including the X-Men, Fantastic Four, and Deadpool franchises. The deal also gave Disney former Fox television networks such as FX Networks and National Geographic, in addition to Fox's 30 percent ownership of the streaming platform Hulu, which gives Disney a controlling share of 60 percent.