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Mickey's Magic Kingdom Tour through Time

1971


MK MAP
Hi Folks, this is Adam, your tour guide! Before we get started I'll tell you a letter history about The Magic Kingdom (MK). MK opened October 1, 1971 and has been running everyday of the year ever since. The Magic kingdom took 2 years to build and Walt disney had been planning on it ever since he saw all the cheap enertaiment businesses that surrounded Disneyland in California. Although Walt never got to see Walt Disney World, he had picked the location and was well in the planning process. Walt Disney died in '67, 4 years before the Walt disney World Resort opened with the Magic Kingdom. The Magic Kingdom is very similiar to Disneyland but in many ways different. The Walt Disney world Resort was originally just going to be called Disney World. But not too long before opening, Walt's brother Roy, changed it in memory of his brother.
When the Magic Kingdom opened in 1971, it had the following attractions:
Main Street U.S.A.
Fantasyland
Adventureland
Frontierland/Liberty Sqaure
Tomorrowland*
Parades/Events
*=Attraction is now gone or has been updated so that attraction is pretty much a different ride or show
Well, now that we know what was in the park in the year of '71 we can talk more about it. The first thing you see as you enter the park is the beautiful Main Street U.S.A. Main Street is based on small American Turn-of-the-Century Town, not neccesarily any one in paticular. Such things you may remeber that are now gone is the Penny Arcade, House of Magic, and the omnibus. The Omnibus was replaced by "Horseless Carriages" about 10 years later. As you walk down Main Street, look at the second story of the building and you'll see names and the businesses they run. The businesses are fake but the people are real. Walt Disney's name faces Cinderella Castle above the Ice Cream Parlor. The Main Street Cinema used to be just a quiet place to watch Mickey's early movies. But it was recently changed into a shop. The name still remains and you can still see movies there.
Adventureland was based on a Disney/ABC show called Walt Disney's Truelife Adventures. Adventureland is no where in paticular but it is in everywhere wild animals live. The Tropical Serenade (Enchanted tiki Room) closed in 1997. It has been updated now and the original songs are all but forgotten. The Jungle Cruise and Swiss Family Tree House have been enertaining guest ever since they opened in 1971! The Swiss Family Tree House has 1,400 branches, 300,000 artificial leaves, and it weighs 200 tons!
Frontierland, the old west, is the home of Splash Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain, and Tom Saywer Island. But when it opened it had none of these attractions. The Country Bear Jamboree, has 20 audio-animatronics and the show changes seasonally. The Diamond Horseshoe Saloonn Revue was an old west dinner show. It ran for exactly 15 years, it was then changed to the Diamond Horseshoe Jamboree. The Davy Crockett Canoes is also another attraction that is now gone. 12 Guests (and 2 Cast members) could fit on each canoe as they paddle through the Rivers of America. Mike Fink Keelboats still roam The Rivers of America today. There is two boats. Each have there own name, the Gullywhumper and the Bertha Mae.
Walt Disney probaly created Liberty Sqaure for his love of America. At The Hall of Presidents you can see every Presidents of the United States since 1776, all audio animatronics that is. When this attration opened Abraham Lincoln was the only president to speak while the others listened and looked around. Now, Bill Clinton also has a speaking part. Bill Clinton's actual voice was used for the recording. The Haunted Mansion also opened in Liberty Sqaure and has been a bone-chilling hit ever since! Also worth mentioning is the Liberty Tree. This tree was found on the wdw property, it is said to be over 100 years old. Disney re-planted it in Liberty Sqaure.
Fantasyland is for the young and young at heart, Fantasyland's small atrractions are some of the most popular in the park. If your going from Main Street to Fantasyland then you'll enter through Cinderella Castle. The Castle is double the size of Disneyland's Sleeping Beauty Castle. Inside of the Castle is a mosaic mural of the story of Cinderella. It features 500 colors including 14 karat-gold and real silver. Tokyo Disneyland also built a Cinderella Castle in 1983, it looks very similiar to Walt Disney World's version. As pass through the castle you'll see Cinderella's Golden Carrousel, which is over 80 years old. Disney has refurbished the ride twice that they found in Maplewood, New Jersey. If you notice it, no two horses are the same. The Mickey Mouse Revue, which is now in Toyko Disneyland, feautured many of the favorite Disney characters all in a musical orchesta. Dumbo, the Flying Elephant, takes the kids up in the air on an elephants back. In the middle of the flying elephants is Timothy Mouse, not Mickey! The Mad Tea Party re-creates the scene from Alice in Wonderland. The cups spin in a big circle and you have the choice of spinning while your spinning, confusing? dizzy? You deicde when you get there! Hop on a "flying pirate ship" and join Peter Pan, Wendy, and Tinkerbell through an adventure from the night lights of London to the gilmmering of tinker-dust in Neverland! The atrraction is still one of the busiest in Fantasyland. Snow White's Scary Adventures seemed to be too dark for the young children so 4 years ago they changed it to Snow White's Adventures, which is not as scary. Mr. Toad's Wild Ride took guests through the winding road of Mr. J. Thaudeus Toad, the attraction recently closed last September. It's a Small World originally opened at the New York's World Fair where Walt Disney was testing his new ideas for attractions. It was later moved to Disneyland, Magic Kingdom recreated the ride in there park but one thing remains missing. The huge entrance the Disneyland had to It's a Small World. 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea closed in 1994, the subs never actually went fully under water. It created the illusion by shooting bubbles by the window or entering the dark cave which made it appear as though you wear deep in the depths of the ocean where no sunlight crept trough. All the submarines were built in Tampa, Florida. The Skyway, which is now gone in Disneyland, still send guests through a scenic trip to Tomorrowland.
Tomorrowland took you to the future, that never became the future. It was updated in 1994 to create a sci-fi look. The Grand Prix Raceway later changed it's name to Tomorrowland Raceway, no changes were made in the ride. In Disneyland, the ride is called Autopia. Disneyland's Autopia is being updated with a new look, it will even have a new preshow. Flight to the Moon took guests to the Moon until it was later changed to Mission to Mars. Now the attraction is Alien Encounter. ONe thing to notice is, if you ever rode Flight to the Moon or Mission to Mars then you'll see that they still use pretty much the same room. The seats all still forms a circle in 3 rows. America The Beautiful later changed to American Journeys. Both were Circle Vision Films that took you across our beautiful country. The theater remains, now Timekeeper.

1970's


Throughout the rest of the 70's came many more additions. The following attractions and parades opened from 1972-1979:
Main Street
Frontierland
Adventureland
Tomorrowland*