It’s all about perspective…
Cinderella Castle gives a really massive and towering vibe particularly because of its use of forced perspective in its architecture and its rather subtle incline. Fun fact: the structure is actually built higher than the rest of the park.
Hidden basketball court
A hidden single-hoop basketball court was built at the top of the 147-foot mountain of the circa 1959 Matterhorn Bobsleds especially for Disney’s employees! As the roller coaster makes use of only the bottom two-thirds of the mountain, it makes sense to place the court at the peak in order to fill the void.
A hidden club in Disneyland has an 18-year waiting list
Club 33 is a prestigious hidden gem located in Disneyland’s New Orleans Square.
Look for a particular door near Blue Bayou restaurant that says “33”, but don’t expect much as you need a reservation to be able to enter the premises.
There’s reportedly an 18-year waiting list and $10,000 initiation fee to get in. It is the only such place within Disneyland itself where alcohol is allowed.
Where The Beatles bid farewell
The Beatles officially broke up at Disney’s Polynesian Resort. While on vacation there on December 29, 1974, John Lennon signed the papers confirming their break-up. Ouch!
French fry oil as fuel
The steam engines of the Disneyland Railroad run on old French fry oil. After a few days’ use in kitchens throughout the park, waste oil is stored in tanks and then shipped off-site to be converted to a biodiesel the trains can run on. Every time guests order fries, they’re helping to reuse 200,000 gallons of fuel a year.
Most of Magic Kingdom is actually the roof of a two-storey building
The corridors beneath Magic Kingdom is wide enough to admit vehicles and holds wardrobe, break rooms, and the Digital Animation Control System (DACS) – that serves as the nerve center for the park’s effects – from the currents of the flume rides to the soundtrack of the Haunted Mansion. Some 30 hidden stairwells and elevators connect it with the “upstairs” of the park.
Disco Yeti
When the Expedition Everest opened in 2006, the largest audio-animatronic Yeti had a problem functioning and it lunged menacingly at every passing train and had to be turned off due to the high intensity.
Parade floats
The floats in Disney’s signature parades stay on track and in sync with the help of quarter-sized sensors embedded in the pavement.
Magic whip?
Timothy Q. Mouse, who presides over Dumbo the Flying Elephant (Magic Kingdom and Disneyland), once brandished a training whip to make the elephants soar. Times changed, and the whip was quietly replaced with a “magic feather.”
