>The Men behind the Magic

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109 years ago today, Walt Disney was born. In the 65 years that he was alive, he created some pretty magical things and none greater than the Walt Disney World Resort. But Walt Disney World was just being started when Walt passed away in 1966. The Magic Kingdom and the first two resorts in Walt Disney World didn’t open until 1971. Almost a full five years after Walt’s death. When it did open, the biggest part of Walt’s Florida project, the Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow, wasn’t part of the Walt Disney World Resort yet. EPCOT as it was called wouldn’t open for another 11 years, and when it did it wasn’t what Walt had presented in a video made before he died. Walt’s plan for the Florida project didn’t include A Movie Theme park, or an Animal Kingdom. So, how did these things come about? These other Parks and Resort Hotels, as well as most of the rest of the Walt Disney World complex, were created by wonderful people that understood Walt’s original plan and tweaked it to make it more Magical for many more people. Today, on the 109th anniversary of a visionary’s birth, I give you the Unknown Magic of the people that made Walt Disney World what it is today.

The first of these great people would be Joe Fowler. Joe Fowler was a Rear Admiral in the United States Navy who held a naval architect degree from MIT. The Admiral was responsible for “all U.S. Navy work conducted in the West Coast shipyards during WWII.” After retiring in 1948, Walt asked him in 1954 to lead the building of Disneyland. After Walt’s Death, when Disney World was being built, Joe was senior vice president of engineering and construction for the Walt Disney Company he was also the chairman of the board of Walt Disney Imagineering and director of construction for Disney’s Buena Vista Construction Company, which was the company responsible for building the Resorts. The Admiral is honored for his part in the creation of Disney World by having one of the Ferry Boats that carry people from the Ticket and Transportation Center, named after him.

Marty Sklar is another name that many people may have heard of, but may not realize that without him, Epcot wouldn’t be what it is today. Marty Sklar worked as Walt’s Personal writer, when Walt was alive. He would later become President and principal creative executive for Walt Disney Imagineering. While in this role, he would oversee the opening of Epcot, Disney/MGM Studios (which is now Disney Hollywood Studios), Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Disney’s California Adventure, Disneyland Paris, Tokyo Disneyland, the Walt Disney Studios Park in Paris and Hong Kong Disneyland. He was able to make Disney World and the others what they are today, because he learned from Walt himself and has kept Walt’s vision alive.

Another man that usually doesn’t get the credit he deserves for the growth in Florida is Michael Eisner. Many Disney fans see Eisner as someone in Disney’s recent past that almost ruined the company. Before his falling out with the company, though, Michael Eisner was the savior that brought Disney World back to life with a lot of growth. In the early 1990’s while Michael Eisner was the CEO of the Disney Company, Disney announced the Disney Decade. This wasn’t just for new Films and purchases of television rights and companies, it would also include Theme parks being built and expansions to the Walt Disney World Resort. Disney/MGM Studios was opened during Eisner’s time as Disney’s CEO and he was the one who green-lighted the plans for the Animal Kingdom Theme Park. Also during his period in office, Disney opened both Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach Water parks. Pleasure Island and eleven Resort Hotels were also opened during this time.

I have written in the past about how Walt’s brother, Roy dedicated the “Florida Project” to Walt by naming it Walt Disney World and if it weren’t for Roy, the Dreams and plans of Walt Disney may not have been realized in Florida, but if it wasn’t for the three men listed above and many other wonderful people, the Walt Disney World Resort wouldn’t be what it is today, The Happiest Place on Earth.

So, now you know, on the anniversary of Walt Disney’s 109th birthday, we can’t just celebrate this great man, but we also have to celebrate the others that carried on his dreams and added their own ideas, that made Walt Disney World what it is today, a place where Magical Experiences happen.

Some of the finer points for this article were found at:
 http://legends.disney.go.com/
and
from Windows on Main Street by Chuck Snyder,

>A Show of Love

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In our hallway above the stairs, we have a print called the Disney Kiss. It shows all the different Disney Kisses throughout the years. I love this print. It shows everything from the romantic, to the silly and everything in between. It got me to thinking about the ways that Love is presented in the Walt Disney World Resort.There are many ways that love is presented in the parks and throughout the Disney World Resort; there are some very big displays toward love and some smaller ones. So, today I present the Unknown Magic of Love in Disney World.

One of the biggest displays of Love is in Town Square in the Magic Kingdom. It can be found inside of Tony’s Town Square, the restaurant based on the movie Lady and the Tramp. In the middle of the Dining room, there is a statue of Lady and “Butch” (which is what Tony calls Tramp, when they show up at the restaurant). This is an amazing statue/fountain, but not the only show of Love for these two characters, the other is on the ground outside in the sidewalk, where there is a heart in the cement with Lady and Tramp’s names in it.

Another show of Love in the Magic Kingdom can be seen during the daytime Cinderella Show at the castle. Mickey and Minnie share a quick smooch during the show. Mickey and Minnie are always showing love when they are together though, holding hands and once we saw them skipping hand-in-hand together.

A few years back as part of the Epcot flower and Garden Festival, they had postage stamps, which were just being released from the United States Postal Service, made out of flowers. All of these showed a scene of Love between two Disney Characters, Beauty and the Beast, Cinderella and Prince Charming, Lady and the Tramp and Mickey and Minnie. It was a very neat way to present Disney Love.

Even the Spirit of Aloha Luau presented at the Polynesian Resort has two Love story themes. The first is that one of the Island girls is leaving home and her beau throws her a luau to show her how much he will miss her and the other comes in when two of the characters start out  being semi-playful with each other. As the show moves along they find that are smitten with each other, and they fall in Love. It is a back story that plays well with the luau.

In Disney Hollywood Studios you can see different example of Love in the Great Movie Ride. There are different scenes of Love presented throughout the ride. But of course of the best ever is from Casablanca, when Rick watches Ilsa fly off on a plane in the most unselfish act of Love ever.

The neatest show of Love in all of the Walt Disney World Resort is shown in a mosaic under the Castle where the Love story takes place, if you go through Cinderella Castle, her Love story with Prince Charming is shown in mosaic tiles. It is a very neat way to tell a Love story and it is a great Magical Experience that many people miss, because they don’t realize what they are walking past, when they are cutting through the castle to get to Fantasyland.

But the biggest show of Love in all of Walt Disney World can be seen when you first drive onto the Disney Property. The big sign across the road that says, “Walt Disney World” sums up the Love for one brother from another. Originally the Florida Project that Walt Disney designed was to be named Disney World. After his death, people weren’t sure what to do about the Florida Project. Walt’s brother Roy decided that the Show must go on and then changed the name of the project to Walt Disney World, to honor his brother’s life and vision for the Happiest Place on Earth.

So, now you know, there are many ways that Love is shown throughout the Walt Disney World Resort, everything from Special Event Displays to Mosaic Tiles, but the biggest show of Love is the name itself.

>A Tale of Two Brothers

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Originally the Theme park Walt Disney planned on building in Florida was supposed to be called Disney World. But after Walt passed away in 1966, Roy Disney came out of retirement to make sure the Florida Project known as Disney World would be completed. It was Roy that said it would be called Walt Disney World, in honor of his late brother. Without Roy Disney, some people speculate that Walt Disney World would not have been completed as Walt had dreamed it. But this was the story of the Disney Brother’s lives. Roy made sure all through Walt’s life, that what he wanted to do, from making cartoons and starting a movie studio to making themes parks, he could do. While Walt was the idea man, Roy was the money man. As Walt was the dreamer, Roy was the business man. Without both of the brothers, Walt Disney World would not have been. So, Walt Disney World could be considered a testament to two brothers. And throughout the Magic Kingdom, both of the brothers are honored. I present for you today the Unknown Magic of  Recognizing the Disney Brothers.

There are two ways in which you can recognize someone in Walt Disney World. One is by erected a statue to them, this is evident in Disney Hollywood Studios, at the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Hall of Fame Plaza. Both Roy and Walt Disney have statues of them in the Magic Kingdom. Roy’s is in the Town Square Park,

 and he is sitting with Minnie Mouse. This statue is called “Sharing the Magic”. Walt’s is in the Hub in front of Cinderella Castle. His is called the “Partners Statue”, and he is holding hands with Mickey Mouse.

Another way to honor someone in Walt Disney World is by putting their name on a second story window on Main Street USA in the Magic Kingdom. Honoring someone in this way started in Disneyland and has been carried over to Walt Disney World. Originally to get your name on a window, you had to have been instrumental in helping to create the Magic Kingdom.

Walt Disney has two windows with his name on them in the Magic Kingdom. One is in the Walt Disney World Railroad Station, this window has Walt as the Proprietor. The other one is above the Plaza Ice Cream Parlor. This window faces Cinderella Castle, it is said he is listed here so that he always has a great view.

Roy Disney has two windows on Main Street also. One under his own name and he has another one under the pseudonym Roy Davis (this window has the name Pseudonym Real Estate Company on it). Roy Davis was a name he used when purchasing the land for Walt Disney World in the early 1960’s.

When Roy Disney Changed the name to Walt Disney World, He made sure that Walt would be honored for all time, you can read his dedication speech made on October 25, 1971 on the plaque in Town Square Park.

The plaque states:

“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.”

In this speech, he made sure everyone understood why the Magic Kingdom was made. But what is not known by many people is that without Roy, Walt’s Dreams never could have come true.

So, now you know, when you are in the Magic Kingdom, there are two men that are responsible for Walt Disney World, not just one. You can see the honors to them on the windows and the statues on Main Street USA, but the best way to honor them is to enjoy as many Magical Experiences as possible.