Magic Kingdom
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- This article is about the Magic Kingdom, a theme park. The Magic Kingdom is also a reference for every Disneyland Park around the world. For the band Magic Kingdom, see Magic Kingdom (band).
| Disney theme park | |
  Cinderella Castle is the icon of the Magic Kingdom | |
| The Magic Kingdom | |
|---|---|
| Location | Lake Buena Vista, Florida, USA |
| Opening Day | October 1, 1971 |
| Resort | Walt Disney World Resort |
| Theme | Magic Kingdom |
| Website | Magic Kingdom Homepage |
| Operator | The Walt Disney Company |
The Magic Kingdom is a theme park covering 107 acres (433,000 m²) at the Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida, near Orlando. It is owned and operated by The Walt Disney Company, through its Walt Disney Parks and Resorts unit. Opened on October 1, 1971, it is the most famous Florida theme park and is credited with beginning the Floridian tourism boom. Its layout and attractions are generally similar to those of Disneyland Park in Anaheim, California, and the park was designed and built by WED Enterprises.
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[edit] Dedication
Walt Disney World is tribute to the philosophy and life of Walter Elias Disney... and to the talents, the dedication, and the loyalty of the entire Disney organization that made Walt Disney's dream come true. May Walt Disney World bring Joy and Inspiration and New Knowledge to all who come to this happy place... a Magic Kingdom where the young at heart of all ages can laugh and play and learn -- together.
[edit] Areas of the Magic Kingdom
The park contained twenty-three attractions on the day it opened, twenty of them copies of attractions at Disneyland. Today the park map lists forty-eight attractions (though several of these, like the Guest Information Board, probably shouldn't be included in the number) in seven themed "lands."
The Walt Disney World Railroad runs along the perimeter of the park and makes stops at Main Street, Frontierland, and Mickey's Toontown Fair.
[edit] Main Street, U.S.A.
Main Street is lined with shops selling merchandise and food. The decor is early-20th century small-town America, inspired by Walt Disney's childhood. City Hall contains the Guest Relations lobby where cast members provide information and assistance. A real working barber shop gives haircuts for a fee. The Emporium carries a wide variety of Disney souvenirs such as plush toys, collectible pins, and Mickey-ear hats. Tony’s Town Square and the Plaza Restaurant are sit-down restaurants. Casey's Corner is at the end of Main Street and sells traditional American ball park fare including hot dogs & fries. In the distance beyond the end of Main Street stands Cinderella Castle. Though only 180 feet (55m) tall, it benefits from a technique known as forced perspective. The (fake) second stories of all the buildings along Main Street are shorter than the first stories, and the third stories are even shorter than the second, and the top windows of the castle are much smaller than they appear. The resulting visual effect is that the buildings appear to be larger and taller than they really are.
Main Street is considered the opening credits for the Magic Kingdom. You pass under the train station (the opening curtain), and then you view the opening credits on the upper stories of the main street buildings. Each window has a business name on it , such as "Seven Summits Expeditions, Frank G. Wells President", each of these people has a connection to Disney. The windows/credits are ordered as they would be for a movie.
In addition to the bronze "Partners Statue" of Walt Disney and Mickey Mouse in front of Cinderella Castle, there is also a bronze statue of Roy O. Disney sitting with Minnie Mouse near the park's entrance. Surrounding the "Partners Statue" at the central hub, are several iconic Disney characters featured throughout the park. Some of these include; Minnie, Donald, B'rer Rabbit, etc.
[edit] Adventureland
Adventureland represents the mystery of exploring foreign lands. It is themed to resemble the remote jungles in Africa, Asia, the Middle East, South America and the South Pacific. It contains classic rides such as Pirates of the Caribean and Jungle Cruise.
[edit] Frontierland
Frontierland is where guests can relive the wild west -- from cowboys and indians, to exploring the mysteries of the Rivers of America. Frontierland contains classic attractions such as Splash Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Tom Sawyer Island and the Country Bear Jamboree.
[edit] Liberty Square
This area of the park is based on an American Revolutionary town. The Magic Kingdom's Rivers of America hosts the Liberty Belle river boat.Liberty Square is home to the Haunted Mansion and the Hall of Presidents.
[edit] Fantasyland
In the words of Walt Disney: "Fantasyland is dedicated to the young at heart and to those who believe that when you wish upon a star, your dreams come true."
Fantasyland is themed in a medieval-faire style.
[edit] Mickey's Toontown Fair
An expansion of the expansion Mickey's Birthdayland and Mickey's Starland, this area is the location of Mickey's Country House, Minnie's Country House, and Donald's Boat.
[edit] Tomorrowland
In the words of Walt Disney: "Tomorrow can be a wonderful age. Our scientists today are opening the doors of the Space Age to achievements that will benefit our children and generations to come. The Tomorrowland attractions have been designed to give you an opportunity to participate in adventures that are a living blueprint of our future."
Tomorrowland is themed to be a futuristic bustling spaceport.
[edit] Trivia
- "The Magic Kingdom" is also a nickname for the Disneyland theme park itself. This usage predates the Florida theme park, but Disneyland never officially bore this name. While Disneyland's official nickname is "The Happiest Place On Earth," the official nickname of the Magic Kingdom is "The Most Magical Place On Earth." This led to the common use in Disneyana literature of the term Magic Kingdom-style, to describe the classic Disney park - with the castle, Main Street, etc.
- Up until the early 1990s, the Magic Kingdom was officially known as the Walt Disney World Magic Kingdom, and was never printed without the Walt Disney World prefix. This was to differentiate between the park and Disneyland in California, which was and is also commonly referred to as the Magic Kingdom. Between the opening of the Disney-MGM Studios and Disney's Animal Kingdom, Disney acknowledged the growing need for consistent theme park names - EPCOT Center was renamed in 1994 to Epcot, and gradually the Walt Disney World Magic Kingdom dropped the prefix and became the Magic Kingdom Park.
- Cinderella Castle, along with the entrance plaza in front of the Main Street Train Station, are two of the most photographed icons at Walt Disney World. At one time, it was said that Sleeping Beauty Castle at Disneyland was the most photographed building ever, but that designation is open to debate, with Big Ben, the CN Tower, and the World Trade Center also laying claim to that title in various online discussions.
- 2005 saw the release of a novel set inside the Magic Kingdom, The Kingdom Keepers by Ridley Pearson. The novel is authorized by Disney, and sees a group of teenagers searching for treasure in the park following clues laid by Walt Disney and his Imagineers. Another novel that takes place inside and around the Magic Kingdom is Cory Doctorow's 2003 science-fiction book Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom.
- The Magic Kingdom park is constructed above a series of tunnels called utilidors, short for "utility corridors," used by park employees (cast members) to reach areas inside and outside the park without being seen by park Guests. This means that Cast Members in Adventureland outfits never have to be seen in Main Street, USA, for example - this comes from an occasion in Disneyland when Walt Disney spotted a Frontierland cowboy strolling through Tomorrowland. The utilidors were built at ground level (due to Florida's high water table) and the area around them was filled in with dirt from the "Seven Seas Lagoon" which was being dug in front of the park, and the Magic Kingdom itself was built on top. This means that, technically, ground level inside the Magic Kingdom is actually on the second story. These tunnels do not extend to areas constructed after the park was originally built. The utilidors were originally planned to be used for every park, but due to financial constraints they were not used in any of the other Walt Disney World theme parks, except for a small network of utilidors in the Future World area of Epcot and under Pleasure Island.
- The Magic Kingdom itself is the setting for the Disney on Ice play, Disney Presents Pixar's The Incredibles in a Magic Kingdom Adventure.
[edit] See also
- List of current Magic Kingdom attractions
- List of past Magic Kingdom attractions
- Magic Kingdom entertainment history
[edit] External links
| Roller coasters at Walt Disney World |
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Barnstormer - Big Thunder Mountain Railroad - Expedition Everest - Primeval Whirl - Rock 'n' Roller Coaster - Space Mountain |
es:Magic Kingdom fr:Magic Kingdom he:ממלכת הקסם nl:Magic Kingdom ja:マジック・キングダム
