Magic Kingdom

"Fantasy Reigns"

- Magic Kingdom Motto

The Magic Kingdom is one of Walt Disney World's four theme parks and stands as the heart and soul of the resort. The park was the first to be opened and stands as the most visited place in the world.

The layout of the Kingdom is that of the central hub (Cinderella Castle) surrounded by six "lands" that are based around different themes--Main Street, U.S.A., Adventureland, Frontierland, Fantasyland, Tomorrowland and Liberty Square. Each land is home to different characters who do their best to show guests a good time.

Dedication
"Walt Disney World is a 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."

- Roy Oliver Disney, October 25, 1971

Construction
Although Walt Disney himself had been highly involved in planning The Florida Project, the Walt Disney Company began construction on Magic Kingdom and the entire resort in 1967 following Walt's death in 1966. The Magic Kingdom park was built similarly to the existing Disneyland Park in California. The Florida park, however, was built in a larger area and improved upon Disneyland's design.

There are several anecdotes relating to reasons for some of the features of Walt Disney World, and the Magic Kingdom specifically. According to one story, Walt Disney once saw a Frontierland cowboy walking through Tomorrowland at Disneyland. He disliked how the cowboy intruded on the futuristic setting of Tomorrowland and wanted to avoid situations like this in the new park. Therefore, Magic Kingdom was built over a series of tunnels called utilidors, a contraction of the words "utility" and "corridor". These tunnels allow cast members to move through the park out of sight from guests, maintaining the illusion of the show.

Because of Florida's high water table, the tunnels could not be constructed underground, so they were built at the existing grade. This means that the park itself is actually built on the second story, giving Magic Kingdom an elevation of 107 feet (33 m). The area around the utilidors was filled in with dirt removed from the Seven Seas Lagoon, which was being constructed at the same time.

The utilidors were built in the initial construction and were not extended as the park expanded. The tunnels were only used in Magic Kingdom because of financial constraints, but they were meant to be employed in all subsequent Walt Disney World parks. Epcot's Future World and Pleasure Island each have a smaller network of utilidors.

Opening
The Magic Kingdom opened as the first part of Walt Disney's planned Florida Project on October 1, 1971. It was the only theme park on the resort at the time and opened concurrently with two hotels on the property: Disney's Contemporary Resort and Disney's Polynesian Resort. The park opened with 23 attractions, three unique to the park and 20, often somewhat different, copies of attractions at Disneyland. The Walt Disney Company promised to increase this number with more attractions like those in Disneyland as well as more unique ones. The attractions were split into six themed lands. Five of these lands were counterparts to those at Disneyland and the sixth is the unique in name, Liberty Square, it is unique because it shares the same attractions as Disneyland's New Orleans Square.

While there is no individual dedication to Magic Kingdom Park, the dedication by Roy O. Disney for the entire Walt Disney World Resort was placed within its gates.

''Walt Disney World is a 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. Dedicated this 25th day of October, 1971. Roy Oliver Disney''

History
Some of it is from "The Hidden Magic of Walt Disney World" by Susan Veness.

1971-1972
The Magic Kingdom opened on October 1, 1971, to a crowd of 10,000 visitors.

Attractions open that day were:
 * Cinderella's Golden Carrousel
 * Country Bear Jamboree
 * Diamond Horseshoe Revue
 * Dumbo the Flying Elephant
 * Frontierland Shooting Gallery
 * The Hall of Presidents
 * The Haunted Mansion
 * It's a Small World
 * Jungle Cruise
 * Mad Tea Party
 * Mickey Mouse Revue
 * Mike Fink Keel Boats
 * Mr. Toad's Wild Ride
 * Skyway
 * Snow White's Adventures
 * Swiss Family Treehouse
 * Tropical Serenade
 * Grand Prix Raceway
 * Walt Disney World Railroad

During the other three months of 1971, other attractions opened, including:
 * Admiral Joe Fowler Riverboat
 * Peter Pan's Flight
 * 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea: Submarine Voyage
 * Flight to the Moon
 * America the Beautiful

In 1972, the If You Had Wings attraction opened in Tomorrowland. During the park’s first anniversary, 10.7 million guests had passed through its gates.

1973-1974
In 1973, many new attractions opened that later turned into timeless classics:
 * The Walt Disney Story
 * Tom Sawyer Island
 * Plaza Swan Boats
 * Richard F. Irvine Riverboat
 * Pirates of the Caribbean

In 1974, America the Beautiful closed and reopened the next day with a new film called Magic Carpet 'Round the World, which closed after a year and America the Beautiful returned. Star Jets opened.

By the end of 1974, the park’s popularity was so big that on December 29, a record 74,597 day-guests passed through the gates and, for the first time in the park's history, closed due to over-capacity.

1975
In January 1975, the long-awaited Space Mountain attraction opened in Tomorrowland.

After some time, when travelling to the Moon lost its mystique, Flight to the Moon became Mission to Mars.

In June, America on Parade debuted to honor the United States Bicentennial.

The classic Carousel of Progress was moved to the Magic Kingdom, after having concluded a seven-year run at Disneyland.

1976-1981


Although 1976 was quiet in terms of new attractions, the Magic Kingdom hit a milestone when Susan Brummer passed through the gates as the park's 50,000,000th visitor. Three years later, another, even more momentous milestone occurred when Kurt Miller became visitor number 100,000,000.

In June 1977, the Main Street Electrical Parade premiered.

The period between 1978 and 1981 was quiet at the Magic Kingdom as a second gate, EPCOT Center, broke ground in preparation for its October 1, 1982 opening.

In 1978, as part of Mickey Mouse's 50th birthday, a special parade debuted in his honor. A similar parade also debuted at Disneyland.

The Mickey Mouse Revue closed in September 1980, followed by the retirement of the Admiral Joe Fowler Riverboat. But big news came in November of that year with the opening of Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.

A film titled "A Dream Called EPCOT" began playing at the park's EPCOT Preview Center, generating excitement for the new park.

1981 focused on the Magic Kingdom's 10th Anniversary. The stage show Disney World Is Your World opened and the Tencennial Parade started running. Disney World welcomed its 126,000,000th guest during the tencennial celebrations.

1982-1983
Most of Walt Disney World's energy was focused on EPCOT Center through 1982 and 1983. The Plaza Swan Boats no longer swam the park's island waters as of August 1983.

1984
A change of power occurred in 1984, with Michael Eisner becoming the new chairman and chief executive officer of The Walt Disney Company.

In July 1984, the stage show Show Biz Is opened, only to close two months later.

1984 was the year of Donald Duck's 50th birthday. In honor of that, a special parade debuted in his honor (an identical parade was also used at Disneyland).

America the Beautiful was replaced by American Journeys and the Frontierland Shooting Gallery reopened as the Frontierland Shootin' Arcade.

1985-1987
After the upheaval of 1984, it would be another four years before any new developments would occur in the Magic Kingdom. Time and money were being used to expand EPCOT Center and develop the resort's third gate—the $300 million "Hollywood that Never Was and Always Will Be" which would open as the Disney MGM Studios on May 1, 1989.

On October 1, 1986, Walt Disney World celebrated its 15th anniversary, and ran until September 30 the following year.

Merlin's Magic Shop was closed and the Diamond Horseshoe Revue was renamed the Diamond Horseshoe Jamboree. If You Had Wings was renamed If You Could Fly. Magic Journeys, the first 3-D attraction in the park, debuted in the former Mickey Mouse Revue theater.

1988-1990
In honor of Mickey's 60th anniversary, a temporary land called Mickey's Birthdayland opened. The area consisted of Mickey’s House, Grandma Duck’s Petting Farm, Mickey’s Playground and three circus-style tents housing character meet-and-greets and two live shows including Minnie’s Surprise Birthday Party. One of the prime attractions was a cow living at the petting farm named Minnie Moo, born with the classic tri-circle Mickey head on her side.

In January 1989, If You Could Fly closed and was replaced by Delta Dreamflight.

Due to its enormous popularity, Mickey’s Birthdayland was kept and renamed Mickey's Starland in 1990.

1991-1993
In September 1991, the popular Main Street Electrical Parade ended its run and was replaced by SpectroMagic. The Surprise Celebration Parade debuted in September as part of Walt Disney World's 20th Anniversary celebration.

It had been 12 years since the Magic Kingdom welcomed a major new attraction.

In 1992, Splash Mountain opened.

The Walt Disney Story closed in October 1992 followed by Mission to Mars in October 1993. The Hall of Presidents and Carousel of Progress both underwent huge refurbishments. In December, Magic Journeys closed. A month later American Journeys closed, followed by the Surprise Celebration Parade and Star Jets.

1994
In 1994, Tomorrowland received a major refurbishment—it had begun to look dated, so the Imagineers gave it a general design, creating a City of the Future. In the process, the WEDway PeopleMover was renamed the Tomorrowland Transit Authority. Later that year, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea closed.

1994-1995
In 1994, The Legend of the Lion King opened in the former Mickey Mouse Revue theater. In November, The Timekeeper opened. Star Jets reopened as Astro Orbiter. Snow White's Adventures underwent an extensive upgrade, toning down its scare factors and adding the character of Snow White herself to the ride. The Mickey Mania parade debuted.

Main Street's Penny Arcade and House of Magic closed in 1995.

In June 1995, The ExtraTERRORestrial Alien Encounter opened, adding a slight touch of terror to the Magic Kingdom.

1996-1997
Mickey’s Starland was transformed into Mickey's Toontown Fair, enjoying an expansion in June 1996 with the additions of the Toontown Hall of Fame and kiddie coaster The Barnstormer at Goofy's Wiseacre Farm, which replaced Grandma Duck’s Petting Farm.

The Grand Prix Raceway's track was shortened to make room for the new Toontown Fair attractions. It was later renamed the Tomorrowland Speedway.

Also in 1996, the Richard F. Irvine riverboat was renamed the Liberty Belle and Delta Dreamflight was renamed Take Flight. As part of Walt Disney World's 25th Anniversary celebration, the Remember the Magic Parade debuted and Cinderella Castle was transformed into a giant birthday cake.

In 1997, King Stefan’s Banquet Hall was renamed Cinderella's Royal Table.

1998-1999
In April 1998, Tropical Serenade reopened as The Enchanted Tiki Room: Under New Management with Aladdin’s Iago and The Lion King’s Zazu as hosts.

In October 1998, Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin replaced Take Flight.

The beloved Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride closed in September 1998, reopening in June 1999 as The Many Adventures of Winnie The Pooh. SpectroMagic went on hiatus in the summer of 1999 and the classic Main Street Electrical Parade returned for a limited engagement.

2000-2002
2001 added new entertainment to the park. This included Cinderella’s Surprise Celebration, the Share a Dream Come True Parade and the return of SpectroMagic. 2001 also saw the opening of The Magic Carpets of Aladdin and the departure of the Mike Fink Keelboats.

On October 1, 2001, Disney's 100 Years of Magic celebration began, honoring the 100th anniversary of Walt Disney’s birth.

2003-2004
October 2003 saw another period of great change in the park—the 3-D film Mickey’s PhilharMagic replaced The Legend of the Lion King, an all-new fireworks spectacular called Wishes: A Magical Gathering of Disney Dreams lit up the sky for the first time and The ExtraTERRORestrial Alien Encounter closed. Alien Encounter's replacement arrived more than a year later with the scary but friendly Stitch’s Great Escape.

2005-Present
Disney could not ignore the 2003 blockbuster film Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, so in 2006, the classic Pirates of the Caribbean attraction was refurbished to add the characters of Jack Sparrow, Barbossa and Davy Jones to the ride. Also in 2006, The Timekeeper closed and reopened as the Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor the following year.

It's a Small World, The Haunted Mansion, The Hall of Presidents and Space Mountain all underwent huge refurbishments.

In 2010, SpectroMagic departed yet again for another return engagement of the Main Street Electrical Parade.

In 2011, The Enchanted Tiki Room: Under New Management closed following a fire and the Tiki Room was restored to its original show. In 2011, Mickey's Toontown Fair closed as construction was beginning on the expansion of Fantasyland. The expansion's first phase, Storybook Circus, opened in the former site of the Toontown Fair in the spring in 2012, featuring a newly-relocated Dumbo the Flying Elephant and a rethemed version of The Barnstormer. In May 2012, Snow White's Scary Adventures closed to make way for Princess Fairytale Hall, which opened the following year. The New Fantasyland officially opened in November 2012 with the additions of Enchanted Tales with Belle, the Be Our Guest Restaurant, Gaston's Tavern, Under the Sea- Journey of the Little Mermaid and a new Ariel's Grotto.

2012 also saw the debut of the interactive game Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom.

In 2014, the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train opened, completing the Fantasyland expansion, as well as the Festival of Fantasy Parade debuted.

In February of 2015, the park unveiled an expanded Central Plaza area, proceeding Cinderella Castle, as the first phase in an ongoing hub expansion to include new pathways and sculpted gardens, among others.

That same year, Pirates of the Caribbean closed throughout the summer season to undergo refurbishments, reopening a few months afterwards in September.

Also in 2015, turrets with a matching color scheme of Cinderella Castle were added; surrounding the park's physical icon.

Main Street, U.S.A.

 * Main Street Vehicles
 * Walt Disney World Railroad - Main Street Station
 * Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom
 * Town Square Theater
 * Night of Joy

Adventureland

 * Walt Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room
 * Pirates of the Caribbean
 * Jungle Cruise
 * Swiss Family Treehouse
 * The Magic Carpets of Aladdin

Frontierland

 * Splash Mountain
 * Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
 * Country Bear Jamboree
 * Frontierland Shootin' Arcade
 * Tom Sawyer Island
 * Walt Disney World Railroad - Frontierland Station

Liberty Square

 * Haunted Mansion
 * The Hall of Presidents
 * Liberty Belle Riverboat

Fantasyland

 * Cinderella Castle
 * Dumbo the Flying Elephant
 * It's a Small World
 * Mad Tea Party
 * Peter Pan's Flight
 * The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
 * Mickey's PhilharMagic
 * Prince Charming Regal Carrousel
 * The Barnstormer featuring Goofy as The Great Goofini
 * Casey Jr. Splash 'n' Soak Station
 * Ariel's Grotto
 * Enchanted Tales with Belle
 * Princess Fairytale Hall
 * Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
 * Under the Sea: Journey of the Little Mermaid
 * Pete's Silly Sideshow

Tomorrowland

 * Space Mountain
 * Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin
 * Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor
 * Stitch's Great Escape!
 * Astro Orbiter
 * Tomorrowland Speedway
 * Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover
 * Walt Disney's Carousel of Progress

Planned Film
Director Jon Favreau and Walt Disney Pictures plan to produce and release a film concerning a family at Disneyland which finds the theme park characters and attractions coming to life.

Favreau, who said "the Disney iconography was probably the first set of archetypes that I was exposed to" and that Disney movies and attractions "made a deep impression on me as a child", noted that, "When I first heard about the Magic Kingdom film project, I was on my way to visit Disneyland with my family. I took notes and had no problem filling a book with all the ideas that this concept offered, even on first blush."

Marc Abraham and Eric Newman of Strike Entertainment are scheduled to produce the film. Writer-producer Ronald D. Moore had previously written an original script for the project, which the studio eventually declined to use, stating that Favreau and a new screenwriter will develop a new script. On June 20, 2011, Spider-Man 2 story contributor, Michael Chabon signed on to write the film's script.