Walt Disney World is an extraordinary place, and there are some genuinely extraordinary stories associated with it. There are also many myths and legends, some of them with a basis in fact, and some that are simply complete fantasy. In some cases, these myths have come to be accepted as the truth by many visitors to the resort. Let’s take a look at 8 such legends, which are in fact completely false!
8. Cinderella Castle can be dismantled if a hurricane is approaching
The legend: In the event of a major hurricane, the Magic Kingdom’s iconic Cinderella Castle can be quickly broken down and safely stored away. 
The truth:Dismantling Cinderella Castle would be a major operation – and certainly not one that could be undertaken quickly before a hurricane struck. The castle took 18 months to construct. The inner structure consists of a 600-ton steel-braced frame, while a 10-inch-thick reinforced concrete wall encircles it to the height of the outermost “stone” walls. Most of the exterior of the building was built using fiber-reinforced gypsum plaster, with fiberglass being used for the walls of some of the ornate towers. The towers consists of plastic attached to a cone of steel, and were lifted into place by a crane before being bolted onto the main structure. In short, Cinderella Castle is a sturdy beast that can (and has) withstand a battering from hurricane-force winds.
7. The plane in the Great Movie Ride is the actual one from Casablanca
The legend: The Lockheed Electra 12 plane that is seen in the Casablanca section of the Great Movie Ride at Disney’s Hollywood Studios is the actual one used in the movie. The truth: It can’t possibly be the same plane. The plane seen in the movie was not, in fact, a real one – instead, it was a combination of half-size and quarter-size models. Disney’s plane is real, and the back half can be seen in the Jungle Cruise over at the Magic Kingdom.
6. The Magic Kingdom’s Space Mountain decapitated a rider
The legend: A panicked guest stood up while riding Space Mountain. He was struck by a low-hanging metal ridge, and he arrived back in the station with his head missing. The truth:This is an urban legend, most likely created by adults to discourage children from attempting to stand up on roller coasters. Standing up on Space Mountain would actually be a difficult thing to do. There are suggestions that this myth derives from Imagineering discovering a decapitated test dummy during the ride’s creation, but even those are unproven.
5. A welder died during the construction of Pirates of the Caribbean…and now haunts it
The legend: At the Magic Kingdom, Cast Members working on Pirates of the Caribbean warn newcomers about the ghost of George, which supposedly haunts the attraction. George is said to have been killed during the construction of the ride, either by electrocution or by a falling beam. The truth: The reality is that there was no George, and that nobody died during the construction of Pirates of the Caribbean. In the excellent Realityland, author David Koenig speculates that he is probably an amalgamation of two workers who actually died in the years following the attraciton’s opening, elsewhere at Walt Disney World (one was killed during the construction of an aluminium boat for the Seven Seas Lagoon, while another was electrocuted while working in a tunnel).
4. The first three theme parks opened on the date that Walt Disney was kicked out of the army
The legend: It is said that the first three theme parks at Walt Disney World all opened on October 1, because that was the date that Walt Disney was dishonorably discharged from the U.S. Army for drawing cartoons on Army trucks. Walt is said to have been so proud of this event that his successors felt the date should be used for future park debuts. The truth: This one is total garbage. For starters, Walt Disney was never actually inthe U.S. Army. When the US joined the fighting in the First World War, he was too young to enlist. Instead, he joined the American Ambulance Corps of the Red Cross, lying about his age in the process. He left the service in October 1919, but not on the first of the month. On top of this, while the Magic Kingdom and Epcot officially opened on October 1 in 1971 and 1982 respectively, Disney-MGM Studios actually opened on May 1, 1989.
3. Toy Story characters react to “Andy’s Coming!”
The legend: If you yell “Andy’s coming!” at Toy Story characters at Walt Disney World, they will stop what they are doing and lie flat on the ground. The truth: The Orlando Sentinel tested this one out, and was informed by a Walt Disney World spokeswoman that yelling the phrase won’t lead to the comedic sight of the characters flopping to the floor. However, that doesn’t mean that it has neverhappened. Videos posted online suggest that it has, but that Disney has stamped out the practice for safety reasons.
2. The Contemporary Resort rooms are designed to be replaceable
The legend: The rooms at Walt Disney World’s Contemporary Resort were designed so that they could be removed at any time, allowing a new one to be slotted into place. However, the steel frame settled, trapping the original rooms in the structure. The truth: Yesterland has helpfully debunked this one. The United States Steel Corporation, which built the Contemporary, diduse it as a proving ground for modular construction techniques. Finished rooms (with utilities such as plumbing already installed) were slotted into the steel frame, having been manufactured on an assembly line. However, there was never any mention of the rooms being replacable.
1. EPCOT was to be enclosed under a vast, weather-controlled dome
The legend:Walt Disney planned to build a futuristic city dubbed the Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow (EPCOT) at his Florida resort. The 50 acre city center was to be fully-enclosed inside a giant dome, enabling Disney to control the weather.
The truth: Like most myths, there is of course a hint of truth to this one. The original version of Walt Disney’s Carousel of Progress debuted at the New York World’s Fair in 1964. One of the many predictions that the show made for the future was that cities would be enclosed in climate-controlled domes, ensuring that the weather outside was always comfortably warm and dry. Disney looked at the feasibility and cost of just such a dome when considering plans to open a theme park in New York. It was deemed far too expensive. But Walt still hoped to ensure that residents and visitors wandering around the center of EPCOT would be not be exposed to rain or excessive heat. Since Walt Disney first announced plans for EPCOT, many people have assumed that the entire city would be enclosed by a giant dome. However, that seems unlikely. Instead, the famous video in which Walt outlines his plans suggests that the entire 50 acre city center will be enclosed, but not necessarily by a dome. It was more likely to be tucked away under a conventional roof, with enormous skylights to allow natural light in.
