Disney’s Magic Kingdom is the most popular theme park in the world, having attracted some 17.5 million guests in 2012. The vast majority of those visitors are completely unaware that a hidden underground complex lies beneath their feet. Most Disney fans (and Theme Park Tourist readers) will know about the “Utilidor” tunnels that are located underneath the park – but even they may not realize the staggering scale and scope of this subterranean world.
Walt Disney planned to locate many of the roads and utilities at his never-built Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow (EPCOT) below ground, to avoid its residents having to deal with typical urban problems such as traffic and smog.
After Walt died, his successors failed to fully deliver on his dream of a futuristic city. But they did incorporate elements of it into the design of Walt Disney World – including the creation of the utilidors at its first theme park. The utilidors were among the first elements of the Magic Kingdom to be constructed, and are actually located at ground level (placing them lower would have caused many issues, due to the water table in the Orlando region). They were covered over using seven million cubic yards of earth that was excavated during the creation of the artifical Seven Seas Lagoon that is located in front of the park.
The underground tunnels span an incredible 392,040 square feet. They span most of the park, with the exception of the part of New Fantasyland that was previously Mickey’s Toontown, as this was added as an expansion in 1988. You can get an impression of their scale by looking at the (possibly outdated) map below:
A whole range of infrastructure and support functions are hidden away from guests’ eyes in the utilidors. Here are 15 examples of things that Disney conceals so they don’t spoil the fantasy world that it has so carefully constructed.
15. The “nerve center”
Located roughly underneath Cinderella Castle is the Digital Animation Control System, a computer system that monitors almost everything in the park. This includes lighting systems, stage curtains, fire protection systems, security systems and power systems. It also controls and sychronizes the movements of hundreds of audio-animatronic figures that feature in the park’s attractions.
14. Cast Members
Legend has it that Walt Disney once spotted a cowboy from Frontierland wandering through Tomorrowland at Disneyland. He was incensed at this breaking of the “reality” of the futuristic land, and this is frequently cited as one of the motivations for the construction of the utilidors. Every day, the thousands of Cast Members that work at the Magic Kingdom park in a dedicated lot around a mile away from the entrance to the utilidors, catching a bus the rest of the way.
13. The Character Zoo
Until 2005, the entire costuming department for the Magic Kingdom was located in the utilidors, housing over 1.2 million outfits and dispensing them to Cast Members. Since then, the department has occupied a large building in the Cast Member parking lot. However, Mickey and the other characters still “live” in the Character Zoo, located underneath Fantasyland.
12. “Pargos”
Naturally, Disney wants to keep the air in the utilidors as clean as possible – and that means keeping gas-powered vehicles to a minimum. Instead, Cast Members and goods can get be ferried around using golf cart-style electric vehicles that are known as “Pargos”.
11. Cash
One type of gas-powered vehicle that is allowed into the utilidors is the armored cars that come into pick up the mountains of cash generated by the park every day.
10. Kingdom Kutters
Disney famously enforces the “Disney Look”– a strict set of guidelines for Cast Member appearance. Although it has been relaxed over the years, Disney is still keen for its employees to match its clean-cut image. To help them achieve this, it runs its own hair salon, known as Kingdom Kutters and located down in the utilidors.
9. Underground cafeterias
The above-ground dining outlets for visitors to the Magic Kingdom are, of course, heavily-themed restaurants that typically benefit from plenty of natural light. Cast Members, though, can eat at one of two subterranean cafes – one underneath Fantasyland, and another underneath Adventureland.
8. The Automated Vacuum Collection System (AVAC)
The Magic Kingdom’s garbage disposal system is legendary. Developed in Sweden, AVAC uses compressed air to propel garbage at 60 miles per hour to a central collection point behind Splash Mountain where it is processed (and much of it recycled). There are access points located all over the park, which can be used to “suck” trash into the tubes. The tubes themselves are 20 inches in diameter, with the vacuum being created by a system of motors and exhausts.
7. Break rooms
When Cast Members want to take a break or visit a restroom, they need to head down one of the many stairwells into the utilidors. They can also store their belongings in underground locker rooms.
6. Food and other supplies
Food and other goods are delivered into the park via the utilidors, where they are received, processed and stored until they are needed. That means that delivery trucks don’t need to roll through the park, and Cast Members don’t need to parade around pulling trolleys full of goods.
5. Kitchens
Next time you tuck into a meal at the Magic Kingdom, spare a thought for the Cast Members that toiled away in underground food preparation kitchens to get it to you. You can learn more about what happens in Walt Disney World’s kitchens by reading our recent interview with a former cook at the resort.
4. Security
Disney likes to keep security relatively low-key, with Cast Members in plain clothes hanging out in its stores to spot shoplifters. Little wonder, then, that it hides away security offices beneath the Magic Kingdom, at the front of Main Street, USA.
3. Color-coded walls
Learning their way around the utilidors can be something of a challenge for Cast Members when they first start their jobs. To help them, Disney has color-coded the walls of the tunnels to help them get their bearings.
2. Utilities
Plumbing, power lines, networking cables and other utilities are housed in the utilidors – making them easily accessible if any maintenance or repairs need to be performed.
1. Tour groups
The utilidors are generally off-limits to guests, and most visitors to the Magic Kingdom don’t even know that they are there. But it is possible to explore them as part of an organised tour. The Keys to the Kingdom tour, which includes visits to several other backstage areas, features a trip down into the utilidors. Want to check out what’s underneath the Magic Kingdom? You’ll need to call (407) WDW-TOUR to make a reservation. Expect to pay nearly $80 per person, with discounts for Annual Passholders.
What have we missed?
We know that many current and former Cast Members are among Theme Park Tourist’s readers. What else is tucked away down in the utilidors that we have missed?
