WDW Untangled - Myths Debunked

I recently came across a number of pages claiming things like "6 Secrets Disney doesn't want you to know", or "Disney's Dirty Secrets". While there may be truth to some of what is said, in a lot of cases it really isn't likely - or a secret for that matter. Here are some of them - and facts to go along with them.

There are corridors under the Magic Kingdom

Does anyone not know this now? Although it may have been somewhat secret in the early days, the fact is that it is pretty widely known to anyone who's read about the creation of the Magic Kingdom, and you can actually take a tour of the Utilidors as they are known. Hardly a secret then.

The truth behind them is that after seeing cast members from one are of Disneyland having to cross another area to get on and off stage, Walt wanted to make sure that couldn't happen. So when the Magic Kingdom was designed he wanted to make sure there were hidden passages by which cast members could reach their areas without being seen. To accomplish that, they actually build the corridors at ground level - and then filled in the land to put them underground. The Magic Kingdom was actually raised up higher than the original ground level - what you see as the first level of a building is actually the second floor! Now THAT is something fewer people know about.

Flash Mountain

So, if you've been to WDW or Disneyland you know that on Splash Mountain as you start going down the big hill for the splashdown, there is a picture taken - like on a lot of rides. Well, Splash Mountain developed a reputation for a place where people would give obscene gestures for the camera, and women would flash their, um, upper half, earning the ride the name "Flash Mountain".

Go ahead, if you really want, do a Google search. Take a close look at the pictures. No, not there...but look at the ride itself. Very few, if any, of the rides are actually Splash Mountain, but flume rides from various other parks. Fact is, this occurs in many places. "Flash Mountain" was just a catchy name. Also, Disney knew this would occur, and to maintain the family-friendly environment where all pictures are displayed (albeit briefly) to the public, a cast member was assigned to "filter" the pictures. Anything remotely obscene (even a guy showing a bare chest) would not be shown and not available for purchase.

No one has died on Disney property

While there is some uncertainly as to whether there were certain policies in the past that allowed Disney to claim such in the past, in some cases it depends on what you mean by "died". In the U.S., usually someone needs to be pronounced dead by an appropriate medical professional. As such, most people are declared dead at a hospital. Also, some regulations dictate that if rescue personnel begin resuscitation procedures, they cannot stop until a doctor has evaluated and pronounced.

However, many people have essentially died at WDW - notable incidents revolving around Mission: SPACE were widely publicized as well as a few cast member deaths. And people have in fact been pronounced dead on property, as early as 1984 with a small plane crash in the EPCOT Center parking lot (New York Times, Nov. 22nd, 1984)

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