Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom is the most popular theme park in the world, measured by attendance. Around 17.5 million guests visit the park every year, making operating it a vastly complicated task. There are some pretty astonishing numbers and facts associated with the Magic Kingdom. The next time you visit, why not impress your friends and family with your knowledge by memorising these 20 fun facts about Walt Disney World's first theme park.
20. Larger than the original
The original Disneyland in California covers around 85 acres. The Magic Kingdom features the same basic layout, but is considerably roomier at 107 acres. Despite this, it's still the smallest of Walt Disney World's four theme parks!
19. An enormous parking lot
More than 12,000 cars can park in the Magic Kingdom's sprawling parking lot, which is larger than the theme park itself at 125 acres.
18. Lots of characters
More than 1,000 audio-animatronic figures are spread across the Magic Kingdom's various different attractions.
17. The nerve center
Located roughly underneath Cinderella Castle, the Digital Animation Control System is responsible for controlling the animatronics, doors, lighting, sounds and vehicles for the most complicated attractions.
16. Just tall enough
Cinderella Castle stands at 189feet tall, compared to Sleeping Beauty Castle at Disneyland which is just 77 feet tall. This is just short enough to keep it below the Federal Aviation Authority's 200-foot limit, beyond which buildings must display a flashing red light at their top. Both castles used "forced perspective" techniques to make them appear larger - as each gets taller, its width gets smaller. This has the added effect of making fireworks that explode behind them look larger and more impressive.
15. "Stonework"
No stonework was used to create Cinderella Castle, despite its appearance. The building's shell is made out of fiberglass.
14. The castle mosaics
Image: Disney
The mosaic murals in Cinderella's Castle were designed by Dorothea Redmond. There are 500,000 tiles in 500 different colors, including some made of 14 karat gold.
13. A LOT of water
The moat surrounding Cinderella Castle contains approximately 3.4 milliongallons of water.
12. Bang!
More than 1 millionfireworks are used annually in the displays above the Magic Kingdom.
11. The trash system
The Magic Kingdom's trash collection system can handle up to 50 tons of trash per day. This is sent through the underground Automated Vacuum Assisted Collection System (AVACS) at 60 miles per hour to a central location for processing.
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I love Disney World and I love to hear the story's about Walt Disney
Everyone always talks about the trash system in the Magic Kingdom, but what about the other parks. Do they just use regular old bags emptied every night?
Yes, the other parks use ordinary disposal systems. I may be wrong, but I think that the waste from Magic Kingdom is also bagged before it's dropped into the duct. I'm assuming that because the sound it makes when it passes you is as if one large item is moving down the system. I would think that dumping a bucket of loose trash would give you the sound of several objects clanging their way down the pipe.
The other parks (and parts of Magic Kingdom) are surrounded by a perimeter road that really resembles the back side of a strip mall or shopping center. It's just a road with random/nondescript buildings, loading docks, delivery trucks, dumpsters, recycling bins, golf carts, and wigless princesses on a smoke break.