Today we're pulling back the curtain on the invisible magic
of Imagineering. We're talking about the secret
paint colours designed to make massive buildings disappear, the
historical reasons why the shutters in Liberty Square are
wonky, and the market size details currently appearing over
at The Rock and Roller Coaster. So grab a cuppa, settle in,
We're about to show you a side of the park because you've
probably walked past thousands of times and never even noticed.
Welcome to the great British Mickey Waffle.
Now my wheels in motion and my windows open with the wind
blowing in my hair, I'm driving down the highway.
Gonna do this my way. I can feel in the air.
Here I go. Hello and welcome to the show.
It's the 1st of May 2026 and her spring has officially turned
into summer at the parks. So before we start a massive
happy 37th birthday to Disney's Hollywood Studios, today I'm
Becca. And joining me to uncover the
secrets hidden in plain sight, we have Simon.
Hello. Ben.
Hello everyone. John and Claire.
Hi, Becca. Hi, everyone.
How? How is everyone?
Looking forward to going to Walt Disney World.
I knew you. I knew you were going to say
that, not. Much longer.
And there's a reason Robin's not with us.
Can anyone guess what it is? I wonder where she is.
Today. Yeah.
Where's Robin? Which which Kingdom is she in?
Not this one, no. Lucky lady, yeah.
Do you know what? I just, like you said, summer.
I'm like, Oh yes, it's finally here and I know it's in Florida
and then especially in Disney summer kicks off a little bit
earlier on so but. Weather's starting to warm up a
bit, so I'll take that. Through the April showers and
into May sunshine. And also storms coming like
that's. Way to keep the positivity going
so. Welcome to welcome to the chat
depression mode we. Get one week for that where it's
like hot. And that's it for the year.
We look forward to the following year.
Yeah, but that usually doesn't get here until about July.
Yeah. So we're OK at the minute.
And by that time, we'll we'll Claire be on another trip at
that point. And I know we're all looking
forward to the summer. And it's just, yeah, I'm excited
to talk about what we're talking about today.
Because I think, like you said, how many times we walked around
Walt Disney World and that you just don't see things.
And I remember a couple years ago, we did the Keys to the
Kingdom tour and that we'd walk in and we did that tour.
And now every time I walk into the Magic Kingdom, I'm looking
at the park in a different way. And there's so many different
aspects and things that the Imagineers have put in that are
on so many different levels. So whether it's your first trip
or your 50th trip, I think you get everyone gets a different
experience. I think it's similar to, I mean
last summer we did well. I think it's about 5 months.
We did the walk around World Showcase where we did deep dive
into every World Showcase pavilion.
And I think today's shows a little bit like that in terms of
looking at the other parks and some of the other hidden
details. And, you know, if you haven't
listened to the World Showcase series from last summer, do you
go back and have a listen if you're heading out there this
year? And I think this is one of those
podcasts. Hopefully you can listen as you
either on the plane on the way over and get excited, or perhaps
even when you're there, you could have a little listen
before you go to the park in the morning and then look out for
the things we talk about. That's a good idea.
I think as well. It might also save you having
keys to the Kingdom talk because I'm pretty, I'm pretty sure
we'll probably point out one or two things that that do appear
on keys to the Kingdom as well. So say saving your money as as
as you listen to a polygamist. The other way around with this
podcast. That that's a change for this
end up costing us money, VIP doors and everything else.
No, no, no, there's a there's a reason why we haven't we haven't
looked into it. And also going on to when we
spoke recently about California, it's like I know that we now
have a a few plans for a couple of years time to what we want to
do when we hopefully visit the other coast.
Exactly. Costing more money again so.
Shall we? Start with What's your favorite
hidden detail? Going the introduction order,
Simon, what's your favorite hidden detail?
Right. I, I love the detail in Magic
King. Magic Kingdom for me is like my
first foray into that. That was the first park I
visited when I first went to Disney World, aside from going
to Disneyland Paris. It's a little bit different
there, but it was Main Street for me at Disney World and it
started from being outside the park and almost like the reveal
of the castle. But it was everything that is
embodied on Main Street about bringing that the castle to
life. And it's all the little bits
that you don't really realise when you're in there about
giving you the the wow factor of the castle.
So it's, it's just that the fact that there's a slope upwards
towards the castle that that forces your eye and the
perspective to make the castle seem even bigger than it is.
So that slight uphill on your way in.
So Main St. as a whole for me was what it was all about, the
magic of the castle and seeing that and making the castle
appear even more grand when you first walk onto the end of Main
Street. That force perspective that
they've used to build it. So much so that you don't really
even notice it when you're there.
You don't really, your eyes don't really gauge that.
It's all out of proportion intentionally so.
And it just makes the the wow factor I don't think ever goes
away either. I think every time you go in
Magic Kingdom, whether it's your 100th visit in there, it's still
has that same wow factor that's accentuated by how good Main
Street is. And there's so many details on
Main Street that it's like it's hard to pick some of the other
little bits along there. That's just a sense of show.
Just just like you said on Main Street, I think for me it's when
you're walking back up at the end of the day and it's the walk
down because it's it's on incline and it's like, OK, it's
a slide downhill. So just like makes it easier on
once you watch the fireworks to get out of the park.
Even the other bit of the footpaths, when you walk in the
footpath on the right hand side's wider so because that's
where people tend to walk. So then they put all the coffee
shops and food and the bakery on the right hand side as you walk
down on your way out, when you gravitate towards the right hand
side and you're walking downhill, narrow footpath, but
one giant full length shop that they force you into all of that.
Is that what makes Main Street the best bit of like
Imagineering? Because it's just all bits of
Disney's stuff all rolled into one.
The castle, but with the commerce.
So that is Disney all over. Ben, what's yours?
John, there are so many in all of Walt Disney World, but.
I've stolen the best. One, yeah.
And yeah, I think, I think that's the thing for me, it's
the windows in Main Street, but also the one as you before you
even get into the park, if you glass up, look at the train
station and it's every time. Once we did Keesley Kingdom
tour, we just exited the park, sat outside, watched the train
go past and just seeing the sort of the window where it says
keeping dreams on track. And it's just every time sort of
I look at that in the park and you go like, yeah, this is just,
this is Walt's park. This is just what he wanted.
This is just for me, it's just it just a sign that every time
we get back to Florida, we're going to the park in an home
home. It's just that little reminder
of just something that just is a really good memory that I have.
He's the only imagineer with two windows it.
Is generally. One at the beginning of 1 Main
St. on the end, yeah. And that's.
Generally the first picture I take now, it's really good
because actually when you when you arrive, and I don't know why
this, this, this has become like a tradition as a family, but
that is always our first photograph, first born in Magic
Kingdom. And that keeping dreams on on
track is just such A and I'm such a poignant reminder.
It really is. John, what's yours?
Isn't it mine? I think of another one.
Yeah, so, but well, I'm actually, I'm actually going to
go a little bit further up Main Street because actually this is
a bit, and I think this is this is the one where I think if you
go back again, going back to podcasts, what you've done in
the past. I know that I, I did a feature
on Bob Gehr and the basically we did loads and loads of different
Imagineers, but knowing how each of them has a different window
on Main Street, but if you look carefully enough, you actually
begin to see them. And this is because of the
height of them. I think a lot of people when you
come into the park are captivated by the sight of the
castle as as Simon mentioned, you'd kind of drawn into that.
So I actually feel from again, from doing Keys to the Kingdom
tour and having just time to explain exactly the meaning and
actually the little side street to the right when somebody's
practising the piano. This, this whole thing is, it
can be often missed by people who are just, they've got the
phone out, they're looking at what ride that they're going to
be riding. And it's, it's sort of rushed
towards the hub and you're missing that detail.
You're missing the you're missing the history of the
place. And that for me is, is one of
the most beautiful parts of actually just taking your time,
just looking at exactly who who got given a window, but how they
actually encrypted some of them as well.
So it is it is brilliant. You could actually spend a good
couple of hours just walking up Main Street looking at each
window, probably Googling it as you go, which is probably the
quite the handiest thing now, rather than there used to be a
really good book called Windows and Mainstream.
Yeah, it is absolutely. Yeah it.
But it's so it is such an amazing detail within I just
think within any theme park that is under appreciated and
actually under seen because you just assume it's just that he's
just there for a bit of a bit of atmospheric look and things like
that. But it's not it's very
deliberately it's to honour certain imagineers certainly
there to to honour Walt and to honour Roy as well.
And I just think it's one of those things that for me, it is
the stand out detail that what it is, the literal, literally
the one that when you know it's there, you don't walk past it
anymore. You you're going along Main
Street and you're looking up and you're bumping it, bumping into
balloon Cellars and things like that because you're not looking
where you're going. Claire, what's yours?
I I think that you can probably all guess what mine is going to
be concrete it's. Not is it more toilets?
I'm I'm going to. Start.
Oh, there you go, concrete. And pavements.
So I think this is for me, this is this moment where, you know,
when you're in a Disney park anywhere in the world, you see
what's directly in front of you. If you make the effort to
actually look around, look up the town, look everywhere around
you, just like John was saying about the, you know, the sound
of the, the piano lesson, singing lesson and things going
on. You'll see all sorts of hidden
details that the Imagineers have put there without intentionally
trying to draw your eye to it. But it adds to the story.
And I think that's what makes the difference between for me, a
Disney park and other parks is that this story, you are 360°
surrounded by story. And it all adds subconsciously
to what you're seeing and what you're feeling.
And so for me, there's something about the fact that they
haven't, they have bothered to theme what you're walking on.
You know, how easy would it be just to lay a slab of concrete
and go, great, yeah, people are just going to walk on it.
So we're not going to worry about it because all it's going
to do is seep at traffic and no one's going to care.
But actually, if you think about Magic Kingdom as a starting
point, right over in Frontierland, you'll see cowboy
boot prints, you'll see wagon tracks, horseshoef marks.
And then as you go over to Tomorrowland, there's like
mechanical and geometric shapes on the floor.
There's abstract sort of tire Marks and then over if you go to
the back of Fantasyland and I love round the circus area,
there are peanut shells and there's popcorn and, you know,
all sorts of, you know, there's the the tracks going into the
bathrooms that we talked about on the previous show.
You know, it is all adding to that story over in, if you think
about in Hollywood studios over in Galaxy's Edge, you know,
you've got Droid marks on the floor where the droids have
driven around and toy storylines.
You've got the massive footprints because you're the
size of a toy. So you know, the, the adult size
shoe or Andy's footprints, they're huge and you just walk
across it and sometimes you don't even realise they're
there. But when you clock what they
are, you go, oh, OK, I'm the size of a toy or oh, that's a
Droid that's gone past. And I just, I think it's so the
fact that they bothered to do that is a thing that I love and
the fact that it's so clever. You know, when you see the
horses hoof prints out travelling from, you know,
Haunted Mansion up to the Tangled toilets.
And there are the different size ones that have got Maximus
stamped in them so that you know that you know he's been there.
I just think that it would have been so easy just not to bother.
But they did, and I love it. It would.
Have been cheaper than not to bother, right?
It totally would. So that that the fact that they
spent the money and the time and the thought process behind it
all. And I know you will laugh at me
because I love the concrete, but that's why it adds to the
feeling of completeness of story.
Yeah, I. Think Animal Kingdom's Animal
Kingdom does a really good job of that Pandora it is.
I I always think. One thing in the day and
completely transformed at night. And I always look at that going,
why is it not washing away? Because it kind of looks like
paint during the day, but then when you're there at night and
it's glowing and you know, it's amazing.
And then they like Asia, that area where it's tyre tracks,
like I lived in village, it's like.
The bike tracks and yeah. If if you were, you don't notice
it. But like you say, it's not like
an invasive part of the story, not at all.
But it it, it's not like your eyes are completely drawn away
to that one thing, but collectively with every other
part of the surrounding. It just complements everything
else. So it all just all fits together
when you look at all the different parts that go into it.
And I know we've, we've said before in a previous show about
the brown floor in Liberty Square and the reason behind
that. And there, there there's so many
different bits to that they didn't have to do and they
didn't have to put into all the parks.
But we're so glad that they did because it gives you that, that
that sort of thing where you are surrounded by everything, where
we always say we go to Walt Disney World to forget what's
happening outside, to just be able to live in a bubble, to be
just switch off from the outside world.
I think all the everything we can talk about to start with
what Imagineering have done for the parks really helps and aids
that. I think absolutely, Ben, I
think, you know, this is the stuff that we're talking about
today that adds to the story that if you if you were in a
rush and you were just going attraction to attraction to
attraction, you might not, you might not see, you might not
want to see. You might not care actually that
they'd bother to put peanut shells in, you know, the circus
area at the back. And I just think if you spend
that extra 10 seconds just looking around, if you're in the
queue line, you know, have a look on the floor like in the in
mine train queue line, there's gems in the floor and various.
It's really like it would have been.
I think what I love about it is it would have been easy not to
bother, but they did. Yeah, biggest tip, put your
phone away and just take in the. Soundings or take photos of it
and then send it to your friends and go where am I?
Yes, which I've done many times we've had certainly during COVID
when we were doing like family quizzes every weekend, one of
the rounds was Disney Pictures. Where are you in Walt Disney
World? Because we.
Just look through all your pictures and just like you
realise what zoomed. In to something every time that.
We've gone to Disney. We've always taken, well, at
least I've always taken about 1000 photos every trip.
So there's there's probably so many different things that I've
taken pictures of just by just by just.
Pure accident. Yeah, just by just taking a
photo or a selfie and then not realising what's in the
background. And then actually that's part of
the story. That's part of the sort of the
land we're in and. And I love it.
But. It's so easily missed and that I
think that that's the bit that. You all love the concrete too,
because I love. Concrete, this is true.
Yeah, yeah. But but it's really weird
because actually you think that, you know, you think that kids
don't notice it. And yet last summer, because
they weren't with us, we, you know, we thought of being a bit
smart and all that. And we'll send them a picture.
Where are we, you know, and they were right on it, you know, even
down to the even down to the mosaic floor as you're getting
into going through the single rider line for rock and roller
coaster. They knew, they knew exactly
where it was. I was just like, because
they've, they've actually taken the time themselves to actually
absorb this, this hidden detail. And I think that's the key thing
is if you, if you go as a family, don't allow your kids to
just be on the phone and, and just check your stuff and get
them to soak it all up. Because I know both, both of my
labs have had great fun over, over many years with Reese and
Katie, who are Neil and Karen's kids, because they, they'll
always, if we're not there at the same time, they will always
exchange those photographs asking where are we?
And, and it really, it does not sharpen.
It sharpens your mind, but it really sharpens your eyes the
next time you go because what it does, it makes younger people
look that little bit more. And I think it, it, you know, I
certainly feel for, for a lot of young kids today.
I don't think they're opened up to that enough because they kind
of, you know, I'm even talking about in my my job, they have
very much a tunnel vision of I want to go from here to there.
And yet my app says it's 15 minutes, I'll just hold the
phone. And I'm basically just like,
they lose what's actually, yeah, but what's been deliberately put
there. And that's the thing.
I think we can't say this enough.
Close, you know, I think you hit the nail firmly on the head is
the fact that there are other theme parks.
It is just like either grey concrete all the way through.
And yet all of these things have been put in for a reason and to
to give you that extra sort of just to take over your your
whole experience like hair. And theme parks actually,
because everything's got its own thing, but actually Universal,
if you look at Universal Studios.
And actually, how much concrete is in there from the beginning
to excluding the Harry Potter area?
Because that is incredible, that is.
Concrete. But the rest of it pretty much
is. You walk around from Men in
Black to Simpsons to The Mummy. It's like, OK, it's a.
Walkway, yeah, but. It reminded me of what Hollywood
Studios used to be the first time I remember going, but also
our first few trips. You're in that thing of I want
to go to the attractions. I'm not really thinking about
anything else. But it's when you revisit, when
you get the opportunity to go back and actually get to do it
at a different pace. Because on your first trip,
you're trying to fit and cram everything in to two weeks.
You've got the tickets for everything.
You want to do everything. Your focus is try and get on all
the attractions. You don't think about slowing
down, but then you realise Florida heat hits you and
actually the parks and everything's a lot bigger than
you think when you when you're booking it for your first trip.
So it's something that even if you are listening to this,
watching this and planning your first trip, think about slowing
down and as much as you can and just trying to take all of it in
because there's a lot of hidden detail.
Or just be prepared to go back again and again and again just
like that. I think this this desire to look
for stuff. It does end up at the point
though where you get fan created stories related to things that
are unintentional as well. And like the most important
story is the ring on the Haunted Mansion that.
Was. Nothing to do with back story,
purely A stanchion that got cut off at the ground level.
It left that metal ring behind. Guests then went and created
their own back story legend about this ring, so much so that
then Disney had to acknowledge it when they got rid of the
stanchion. They then put an actual ring.
In the queue line, it's really funny to maintain the story so.
I think it's sort of like there there is that thing that people
go looking for it and then they create the stuff and then Disney
have to acknowledge it and go, yeah, actually that is the back
story and we like that so. Thank you very much for that.
Yeah. Thanks for creating a fantastic
back story that we didn't have to think about.
I, I think you're on to something that Simon and I think
as well, if you listen to this and as a family, whether you've
created your own story as well, then share it with us in the
waffler's arms. Because actually, I'm pretty
sure things become legend that I've got nothing at all to do.
It's just becomes family tradition.
And it is, it is actually one of the most amazing things because
you can make it up if you, if you're that type of, if you're
that type of person, things become sort of embellished and
embroiled and, and suddenly the next time you go, they've
remembered the story and you think, Oh dear, I'm in trouble
here. Because it's actually it was it
was it was one of those things that you kind of just tried to
make something to make make them interested while you as an adult
were either one having a having a drinks break or two, just
trying to keep the kids kind of entertained while they were
younger. And then they they've kept on
with the story as well. We've.
Had something similar to remember.
It's it's really what I think I've mentioned this before.
The first time we ever did Pirates back in 2013, we queued
up for ages of half an hour I think it was.
Did the ride got off? That was fine.
A year later we went on the same attraction, same park, Magic
Kingdom, Pirates Caribbean. Where did the drop appear from?
Because the first time we went on that ride there was no drop.
We were adamant where there wasn't a drop it it.
It was really weird. There was most people in the
boat but for some reason not sure what, not sure why because
at the time I was scared of most rides that had a drop or or was
anything. So it was something completely
different. But the next time we went on it,
I needed like less than 18 months later.
It was like where did this come from?
Because it was a completely different experience.
And I like the fact you mentioned Pirates of Caribbean
because there is some really cool hidden details there.
One I think is my favorite, which was a bit of a mash up
between Mark Davis who was the main imagineer on Pirates and
also Blaine Gibson who who did most of the audio animatronics.
And that is the I love the two pirates that are sitting playing
chess because if you have ever played chess and you have time
in that area as you are standing in the line, there are still 2
pirates playing chess in the underground bit isn't there?
They the chess board is at stalemate.
So they're just sat there. They can't make any more moves.
No one's going to win and they die.
So that's I'll just say it'd be so easy not to bother with the
thought process behind put where the chess pieces are, but they
did they they. You just think that just I was a
chess board set up as it. Is just stick it out, you know,
a couple of pawns and a king and a Rook and whatever, and that no
one's going to care. Yeah, but they cared.
And that's the bit that all of these things, it's the little
bit of extra effort that just makes.
It's like the little, little sprinkles on the icing on the
cake. Yeah.
So Becca, I'm not sure you said what your favorite one I.
Didn't was. That's because you stole mine.
So mine's actually. I really like the attention to
detail on the Imagineering that goes into the queue lines and
attract of most of the attractions.
I mean, some of them are boring switchbacks, but some of them
are Expedition Everest or Pandora, Flight of Passage or
Big Thunder Mountain. And where they add so much to
the story of the attraction. Add to the attraction so many
little hidden details and hidden fun things.
I love walking through big the queue of Big Fan Mountain and
just reading all of the posters and signs.
Even though I've read them dozens of times before, each
time they still make me smart. Listen to the Canaries.
Yes. Next month's episode, yeah.
Do you think anything's going to change?
Because obviously we know this month Big Thunder Mountains
reopening. I'll let you know when I'll be,
yeah. Be very interesting to see
because this is the big month of the year for Disney World to
reopening because we'd mentioned earlier that Rock and Roller
Coaster is opening later this month with The Muppets.
And I'm looking forward to how they've reimagined in that queue
as well. Yeah, I think there's only so
much you can do. I was really surprised to find
out it's closed. Was it 3 months?
Yeah. So.
I hope the Springsteen T-shirt's still there, though.
I've got with me. I'd be really disappointed
because actually I want to know where that T-shirt's gone.
If it's not there, I I would love that T-shirt.
Disney Antique Mall coming near to you soon?
Yeah, or Carl's Creek. Yeah, I think so, yeah.
Was it Carl's connections? Yeah, up on the.
Cash connections somewhere, yeah.
Yeah, it's, it's interesting, some choices and I'm looking
forward to getting there and, and trying to avoid some of the
songs because I don't think I, I, I, I'm surprised, I'm
surprised does. The goal?
To avoid sunshine. Yeah, Soak it up, Ben.
That's it. Just soak it up.
That's it. You're on, you're on holiday.
That's it. No, I don't think we'll have a
choice, will we? Just going back back and I'm
going to pick up on a couple of rides that you, you previously
mentioned. If anyone has never done the
standby queue for flight A passage, go and just go and, and
just endure an hour. Whatever, whatever you do, you
will not be disappointed. It is the most, I I just find it
the most amazing and most sort of engaging queue where you go
from the outside part of it where where you've got that
complete natural beauty. Everything's kind of rope
crafted. It's got all that Avatar sort of
beauty. And then by the time you get
further in and you've got that industrial concrete, you've got
just. Yeah, just the surprise towards
the end of the queue. I'm not giving it away.
Go and queue up and go and see it go and just just absorb it
because, and again, it's another one you need to be looking up
and you need to be looking down because there are little Easter
eggs throughout the whole of that, that cube that really just
sort of bring the whole avatar thing together.
And, and I must admit, I'm not, as we've mentioned over the
years of doing this, I'm not a big filming fan.
However, it kind of draws you in and it makes much more sense of
some parts of the films. There's seven different phases
to it. So you've got the bit when
you're outside and then then John, as much as as you go
through, you're in the forest. And then how it just it, it's
just that build up of just watching.
And sometimes if you're in the queue for it, it feels like you
are watching Avatar because it's taking that long to get through
the queue. But then you've got the pre
show. It just fits perfectly into the
into the story. And I don't think many other
attractions has that full length of cue that goes into that, then
the pre show and then the feeling once you are off the
attraction. And the continued details and
the way out as well if you're on the right floors be.
Careful if you're walking down the stairs as you're looking at
the walls because there are certain things to see.
But yeah, how many times that I've maybe missed a step when
I'm trying to look at all the details that are around?
And when you do get and it's only if you come out with
certain parts of the ride, but there's three red handprints in
in the in the wall and it's just etched in there with basically
JL next to it and things like it is it is everything that the
whole thing was all about is is cracking.
I think the. Thing that always strikes about
Disney's park is there's depth to the experience and the
immersion. So you can look at it as surface
deep, but there's multiple layers to all the immersive
parts of that experience. And that's what sets
Imagineering apart from me is you can be that person that just
revels in generally what you feel like in that land, or you
can be that person that says, I'm going to go and find that
one detail on that one bit of the wall that's hidden around
the corner that nobody's looking at and that those bits are there
as well. If you want to go and find that
detail in the story and you see that in so much of it, even
things like the Jungle Cruise link with traders with like
Trader Sam's to Indiana Jones and Jock Lindsay's bar, there's
like that unification of those, the universes that they exist
in. They just highlight those little
bits that to the layperson who just looks in from the outside,
doesn't perhaps get those. But the person that's been an
experience each of those rides being in the bar understands
Indiana Jones can look at it with a different perspective.
And that, that's the thing that for me sets Disney's parks just
that that step above is there's thought and and an experience
there beyond just the IP of what you're what you're there to see.
And I haven't, I haven't been to Epic yet to know whether that
exists in quite the same way, with hidden details and and
depth of experience in what they've created with that part.
I think you're right, Simon, and a bit, you know, you're quite
right in terms of the fact that if you, if you've been and
you've experienced multiple things and you sort of make
those connections together, you go, ah, I get it.
But if you don't or you're not interested, it doesn't detract
from your experience at all. You still have an amazing
experience whether you've linked Jock Lindsay's and Indiana Jones
together or whether you've linked this, you know, Skipper
Canteen in the Jungle Cruise. And if you haven't been to one
of them, it actually doesn't matter.
It just if you have and you you like that level of connectivity
between the different worlds, then brilliant.
That gives you something else to think about, talk about, immerse
yourself in, but it doesn't detract from it if you don't.
So if you are there on your first time, you haven't noticed
those things. You're still having an amazing
time. You're still in an immersive
environment within the thing that you're in it.
You know it. I think that it brings such a
diverse opportunity for lots of people with lots of different
interests. It doesn't exclude anyone, and
if anything, it just includes more people.
The more you get into it, the more you look at it.
And you know, this is like peak Disney geekiness for me.
And I think anyone listening to the show is going wow you.
You people really need to get a lies.
Well, I don't realise this is. This is when people say to me,
oh, you're going back to Disney again?
I'm going, yeah. Because this is the stuff that,
like, absolutely ticks my boxes and makes me go, wow, I didn't
see that last time I was here. Every time I go, I try and
notice something new, something that I've missed, something that
I perhaps somebody else has told me about, and I've gone.
I did not know that and so I I just think it the fact that it
doesn't ever exclude, it only includes and that's what I love
about it too. Well, we talk a lot of time on
our our Wednesday live show about when we do the news.
We do like construction updates. But something that always makes
surprises me every time that over the years that Disney have
announced new things that are coming to the park.
And it's how they not try and hide, but sometimes how they
blend in some of the things that they're building, especially
when, what was it, the gardens, the Galaxy Show building when
that was being built and they're trying to make it the same sky
blue to try and blend that in. Yes, it didn't.
It's not exact as the sky, but I think they did a really good
dense process. Don't notice it.
You really don't notice it if you're looking across World
Showcase Lagoon. It's not the thing.
You're your eyes still drawn to Spaceship Earth far more than
that enormous warehouse. And we've said Riviera, which
like where we have the view of Epcot and then when we're
looking across, it's like, what can we see?
It's like I would see I can't, I can't focus on the building of
Guardians of the Galaxy and focus on spaceship Earth.
You know, this this thing is enormous, far bigger than
anything else. And yeah, you don't, it's not.
It doesn't jump out at you. Don't go.
Wow, what is that great big box over there?
And when they're quite, they try and hide as much stuff for
construction when things are happening, because there's a lot
of things that happen in the park, as I mentioned, only about
Big Thunder Mountain as we're opening this month, that's been
closed for over a year. But there's certain things
during construction that they're very clever about that they're
not, not everything's on show where some other theme parks are
quite obvious when things are being rebuilt or changed.
And I think Disney just seem to generally, or I I I find that
they hide it quite well, but usually for a particular reason.
And they protect the story. And and so.
The idea, you know, we've all seen the pictures of Rock'n'roll
Earth and RIP Ride Rocket being dismantled within about 3 days
of it closing and digging out the front of Universal Studios.
And there's literally no shame in that.
It was just like RIP it down and dig the hole.
Whereas and it's in a location it's quite hard to hide.
But I think that Disney absolutely would have covered
that over. You would have had high walls,
you wouldn't have seen all that destruction and then
construction afterwards. So it would have been and I
think preservation of story is really important to the company
and to Imagineers. So they do try really hard to to
hide that bit that and then suddenly it's like the wind, the
curtains opening on da da. Here's what I made earlier.
Yeah, Andrew. Peter.
Was very good at generally announcing what they're doing so
we will find out at AD 23 that so much things change because
when you think of the last. 18 years time you will get yes.
It's Monstropolis and it's like. We.
There's there's enough thing to where they talk about and things
will obviously things change and that where sometimes with
universal, we didn't know. We knew they were changing Fruit
Bride Rocket, but we didn't know that it was going to be fast and
furious until like. It started ripping it down 6.
Months well after it after it that.
And it was like a lot of coast, yeah, we're not building
anything. There's nothing being built as
this huge roller coaster. You can see the top part of it,
so there's nothing there. Really.
It's very interesting to see how different companies operate in
that and how I think it protects the story, like you said,
Claire, and how a closure of an attraction or an update for an
attraction impacts the land around it.
So when we had like Splash Mountain turning into Tiana's
bio Adventure and does that have that impact like Frontierland
and how how different Frontierland looks now with no
Tom Sawyer Island? Yeah.
Yeah, that would be intriguing. I can see what I have noted the
past year or so is that Imagineering is moving very
quickly on a lot of their attractions.
Obviously we mentioned rock and Roller Coaster managed to turn
it around in like 3 to four months on such a small scale,
but riots in Animal Kingdom are just going up at a pace for
Tropical Americas I. Think dinosaurs Only will be
will probably be closed. Yeah, I think they already know
what. They're doing with that though.
Yeah. True, and they closed it last.
Yeah. Shouldn't need too much work,
thankfully, but they've with the work they're doing over on
Tropical Americas on the construction walls that they've
got around. They've put little Indiana Jones
and Encanto themed kind of artwork in the woodwork.
And they've got quotes as well from the film.
So you sort of, you know, even if it's your first trip going
there, you're not sure what it is.
They've got a concept art on the walls as well as sort of these
sort of clues and sort of what what is to come next.
I I remember when they did that with 7 dwarfs mine train and
they had they even built it in that they had lower level site
holes. I.
Remember that for dwarf level site holes to to look in on the
construction. Like it only dawned on me after
I'd walked away from it. I thought, oh, that's kind of
part of the story of what Rd. they're building.
My big dwarf holds to you, but for some of us they were at the
perfect height I. Was.
I thought they were the kids. So, you know, I didn't even
think about. The theming aspect I just
assumed they were for. Children to look there.
Was one for Snow White and there was like 7 for the dwarfs.
I think as well, while we're on that same subject and, and
actually hopefully not insulting people who are short, but if
you, if you go to Epcot and you go to Moana and the journey of
water that exists on so many different levels.
And, and again, if you've got a child and you're taking a child
either in a pushchair or you take a child who's who's quite
young. There are things at their level.
And I forgot about this time until you mentioned this about
the about the mind crane. But this, this things are at
their level that you as an adult, you can't see and yet
they're captivated by it in the same way that, that, that you
are. And then you're suddenly
realising that you've missed our whole layer of the detailing
that's gone into the imagineering of, of that
walkthrough. You know, it's, it's, it's one.
And and again, if you've not done that before and you've only
just walked through and you've looked at that, you've looked up
and you've basically looked all the way, go and have a look at
it through the eyes of like a toddler.
Because they've got things that have been designed within that,
within that just that whole area that I found absolutely
scintillating to just to just see that old fashioned
Imagineering has has is still there, you know, for something
that's relatively brand. New just covers so many ages.
But someone's actually. Thought I think when we, we went
there one time and the first time we did what was out of that
and I've gone like that really belongs in that park because
leading up to it, we all thought why are they putting this in, in
Epcot? It felt more like you should
belong in Animal Kingdom, but actually going through, as you
go through the there are signs at different heights so people,
so people can understand because it's like the water cycle Moana.
You can see there's a a lot of focus on how educational it is,
but also how entertaining. And what I did find funny for us
when we went through it, as you said about different heights,
there are some things that I was able to get to work from the
water and there are some things you wouldn't because of height,
height difference. But it's something that I think
is accessible to everybody. And it's just something that
when we walk through and there are just so many surprises in
there that you just have to just put your phone away and just
enjoy it and just take it all in.
And I do like that they are doing new things in Disney that
we've said the past few years that and there's been lots of
budgetary sort of focus and the even in new attractions.
And I know when I know we weren't the biggest fan of the
update for test track last year, but in there, there are sort of
cues to and a ritual attraction. So in in the queue and and there
are nods to that. So even though right has been
updated, it's still not ignoring its previous sort of iterations.
One one thing I I do like, and it is one of those hidden story
things that is more about the history of the park itself, is
the nods that they put from previous rides into rides that
subsequently replace them. And like the late the probably
the most recent example is the Tiana's Bio Adventure and that
has references back to Splash Mountain to a rabbit in the in
the ride. I think the 50 foot plunge signs
still there. There's there's those bits even
on the references to Mr. Toad and they are blinking.
You missed them. Details of like the handover of
the deed of the the land in the portrait photo.
I think there's a Mr. Toad statue in the pet cemetery at
Haunted Mansion and it's like those are are things that are
specific to the the park. That park itself that is not you
won't find the same thing at Disneyland.
That'll be specific to Disney World.
But they are blinking. You missed them details.
There's a etching of neat Captain Nemo's ship in the
Nautilus to. Yeah, in the entrance to Winnie
the Pooh. So yeah, it's very cool.
Yeah. I have to look for it, though.
I know that it's there. I'll have to have a hunt next
time. I'll be.
My my new fact to look out for. I don't think there's anything
over in the. Storybook circus about Mickey's
Toontown, though I've never found anything back there.
Maybe I'll have to ask a House member and find out.
I'll have to keep a look. The only reference.
There is. About, I think the railroad, the
Casey Junior Railroad, yeah, I think the numbers there
reference something about the original opening years of of
Disneyland. And Walt Disney World rides.
So I think that's the only little, little reference.
What I do love about the Casey Junior bit, especially at Disney
World, is the the track lead it, it directs back to join the rest
of the railroad, but it's fenced off.
Yeah, I'll, I'll. And those are things that you
could quite easily miss that. But then you think somebody's
put thought into putting that detail in that, well, the
railroad must connect him with the rest of the railroad, right?
It's not just a, it's not just a blank piece of track.
And even if we go back to last month's.
Podcast here we were talking about restrooms as well.
If and and again, it's one of the little hidden details that
are there that actually I don't know what the lady is like.
I've not been in there for obvious reasons, but in the in
the gents, the actual tiling actually reenacts.
There is a train track right down the centre of the gents
toilet when you go into there. So I don't think we mentioned, I
don't think we mentioned that last month.
So again, it's one of them things that, you know, were
again, linking back both this podcast and last month's
podcast. It is that absolute detail that
when you see it, it's there for a reason and it's actually it is
very clever. It's very subtle, but actually
your eyes aren't deceiving you. It it, you know, just just go
with it and actually begin to understand that these things
actually happen. I think you've hit something
there really interesting is. That that every single thing
that you see is there for there's a purpose behind it and
whether that's the interior of the emporium and the various
things in inside there and that, you know, thinking about the
different light fittings. And next time you go to the
Emporium, find a cast member and ask them to tell you all about
the story of the Emporium and the secrets that are in there.
They will walk you from front to back and tell you about the
evolution of that store and how it grew and what it started as.
And as you walk through the store, all the changes, and even
though they've changed some recently with different
flooring, the story is still there.
And you know, it isn't just a store.
It's not just there to take your money.
It is themed. It is part of the story of Main
Street. It's fascinating.
If you sometimes on keys to the Kingdom, they take you through
there. Not always and talk you through
the the you know, the story of Main Street and and the the
owner of the store and all of the things inside something I do
not know. So I'm going to have to do that.
Yeah, find. Find the cast member who's.
And say, you know, can you talk to me about the the Emporium
story? If you get the right person, if
they don't know, they'll know somebody who's working who does.
It's, it's fascinating. You could then spend like an
extra 2 hours in the store. Yeah, so Gilsey have to buy
something at the end, Will. Too Probably buy something at
the end anyway, told. You.
It's great. But I.
Think that that's the thing, isn't it, that even the like the
door numbers around Liberty Square, they all mean something.
They're not just random numbers that have been picked.
You know, they are they they refer back to the the year in
which that particular building. It's like the, the back of the
UK pavilion, each of those areas has an age on it.
You know, there's the Regency bit, there's the audience bit,
there's a Georgian bit and they've all got reference number
doors. You know, all of that stuff
isn't just, they haven't just stuck a #4 on the front and
gone, oh, that'll do. They've gone.
OK, we'll put a 32 and that means 1832.
And that's what it would have looked like.
You know it it's, it is intentional and in Toy Story.
Land, I remember there's a couple of references to A113 so
and I just love that for anyone who's watched any Pixar film,
that is in every film. But I love that it's gone from
being in a film to being as part of all Disney World, as being
part of the park. And some of those bits are like
if you know, you know. Kind of things.
And I can't wait to see what happened to the Monsters Zinc
coaster and how many 23 nineteens they're going to be
and how many socks, right? How many?
Socks are you going to find in places.
And it's, I can't wait. Do you think you're going to be
in the restaurant and it's going to be themed and.
They have to like there's going to be some sort of show or
interruption, you know, like in was it Woody's Roundup, Woody's
Roundup where they have to stop because the toys are, they're
coming. They're coming and he's coming
in. The toys have to.
Stay still. Yeah.
So that's be interesting to see. See.
What they do, Yeah, A lot of screaming and a lot of laughing,
probably in that. I hope so.
Yeah. One, one bit.
I. I think that is less obvious,
maybe, maybe quite a subtle thing that you you won't.
It's more about a sensory perception of your, your
experience as you walk through the park is the, how they apply
a sense of transition from one place to another and the the
kind of multi facets that that has on your, your transition
from one place to another. And there's, there's so many
different approaches that they use to that, whether it's like
an abrupt hard division line, like the tunnels in when you go
to Star Wars, which is almost like a reset of your, your
senses between where you've come from the baseline tap house into
a completely different land and a completely different place.
So it's, it just resets your just zero in there when you're
in the tunnel. And then you emerge somewhere
different. And there's elements of that in
how you move through Liberty Square to Fantasyland.
The, the, the Columbia Harbour House is almost like a tunnel
that you pass under and it's, you don't, they are so subtle
that you don't even really recognise that you, oh, I've
just transitioned from one place to another and the music
changes. They've got a really great way
of may of you go from one place to another place very quickly.
And all of a sudden it's like the music's different, the
architecture's different, and I've got, no, I've got no
reference to the bit I've just come from.
It's completely changed. And then they've got those other
more gradual ones where you walk through and the architecture
changes on the buildings from being stone buildings at Liberty
Square to timber buildings at Tianas.
And you don't even, you don't really even notice that that
change is happening because it's just gradual.
And it doesn't like that's an experience that is completely
just absorbed subconsciously that all of a sudden you're
like, oh, we're we're in a different place, but how did we
get here? Yeah.
It's a bit more obvious when you're going through like like.
You said through to Galaxy's Edge because you've got the
tunnel, but then actually when you leave Galaxy's Edge to Toy
Story Land, it's like from 1 Core, one corner going round.
It's like I can see buzz in the distance, but I'm still in
Galaxy's Edge and it's just such a gradual bit where you just
feel like, am I still in Galaxy Edge or am I in Andy's backyard?
Which, which one am I? I'm with you there, Ben.
I. I spent about half an hour one
day because I'm boring like that just trying to just trying to
get is, is there a point where the two parts of the the studios
kind of come? Yeah.
And and you can't find it. It is absolutely, it is
absolutely impossible to find. And it is one of those things
that when you when you're there, you realise that is the true
magic of, of how, like you said, Simon is, is that transition
from different lands into into something else that is, is
quite, you know, quite marked. But you, you suddenly you're
aware that you're made aware that it's changed.
And yet there's loads and loads of little subtleties.
And, and yeah, once you start looking, it takes me back
Claire, because I know a couple a couple of years ago we did, we
did a bit of, we did a bit of promo with married to a Disney
couple. And we, we spent, we spent a
rather long time talking in the UK.
Yeah, yeah. In the UK.
In the UK pavilions. But actually when you're there,
there is so again, just historical differences.
Again, you walk through a shop and you you would never give it
a second thought, but it's like different ages in time and it's,
it's incredible. Looking you go, oh, OK, no, that
that's really clever 0 And now it's changed and now this is
what we're looking at. And when you're trying to
explain it to someone who's doesn't know and you're just
like, this is genius. You know, the ceilings have got
lower. We started in an Edwardian
building with a beautiful chandelier and now we're in, you
know, a cottage with a very low ceiling and beans.
And how did I get here? Because I was, all I was doing
was looking at the cost of Quality St., you know, $20 plus
tax. What happened?
Yeah, and and the fireplace, but the fireplaces in each of them.
And again like you, like you said about Emporium, if if you
ask the cast members, they will actually guide you through as
well because they actually they know the back story, they know
the history to it. But once you see it, you become
quite embroiled within that whole magic that is actually did
again deliberately there, which otherwise you would do to us.
It's like being back in You Tell when you told me you were doing
that podcast. I have just going to spend a
couple of hours in. The Rose and crown.
I had Nicks, certainly we. We're going to go through
everything that's, well, maybe. You and that'll be done.
That's what we. Thought we were doing and
definitely. We did end up there, but that it
took a long time to get there. We'd earned our memory.
We needed a drink after realising.
Talking and realising it was. But it was.
Again, it was. Yeah, there was more detail than
even we thought before we even started it.
Just kind of, it kind of took a completely different life
because we took the time to actually to actually unpick and,
and to actually look at what was in front of some of my favorite
transition points. And I, I guess one of the ones
that, now you've mentioned it, Simon, now my brain's going
through all of Walt Disney World thinking, what about that one?
What about that one? The one of the ones I absolutely
love is in Magic Kingdom, and I'm always honest, the Magic
Kingdom's not my favorite park, but I think some of them really
clever imagineering happens there.
And it's if you stand and look at the front of the Crystal
Palace restaurant and it's this beautiful restaurant and on the
left hand side where you've got the covered seating area and the
gardens around that left hand side of the main door are
beautifully manicured. You know, they are Edwardian
gardens. It's all in fitting with a
beautiful Main Street and everything's perfect.
As you start to migrate your eyes to the right, what you see
is the plants start getting much more overgrown a bit, you know,
a bit bigger and a bit slightly more tropical in nature because
that is your transition point into Adventureland.
And as you move across that bridge towards Adventureland,
those bit the, the, the planting and the, all the part, the
plants on in that section between Crystal Palace and
Adventureland, they just change really gradually and it's so
clever. So by the time you're walking
across the bridge into Adventureland, you can't see the
Crystal Palace because they're overgrown.
And that is just like, it's so you don't, you just don't notice
it, but all of a sudden you're transported magically into this
new place that was, it's just there.
It's like 20 steps away, but I'm in a different place.
I think. You've heard of that one.
Yeah, it's. Really clever and.
As you cross that bridge, you get, I know we're going to talk
about sound transitions and stuff in another show, but you
start to get the drums coming in and then yeah, I love that bit.
It's that it's that multi sensory bit that you.
Are the smell of the foliage and yeah.
You know, citrus world. The other bit.
The other bit, the is the distinct.
Change not just the foliage, but the architecture of the
building, the the very. Victorian.
Left hand side and as you move towards the right you get the
canopies then that are brought in on the front of the building.
And it is just that it's, it's not obvious unless you look at
it and go, those don't really match, but it does in the
context of the park transition itself.
And those I think is that's the detail that for me as somebody
studied architecture, that that was the stuff that made me
obsessed with Imagineering was that type of instruction detail
and architectural thought that went into what creates your
experience in the past. And if if anybody looks at my
bookcase, it stacked with books about the imagine naming in the
parks alongside a load of my architecture because I just see
it on that. Same that same.
Input and thought process. That's exactly, yeah, it's
exactly the. Same.
I think one one of them that stands out for me and and this
again is how things get built. And I know we mentioned, we
mentioned about how building that massive show building in
Epcot for gardening is a Galaxy impacted.
But actually within Epcot, you've got that view across
across the lake and then you've got the Moroccan pavilion.
And then behind there, and I know, I think we mentioned this
last year when we we talked about Epcot, but behind there is
actually the show building for Tower of Terror.
Now when they built that, I'm pretty certain somebody thought,
Oh yeah, we've made, we all know you can see it from Epcot.
We've made, we've made a huge error here what we're going to.
And actually it was to again, they've taken it, they've put
like the minarets on and and and it's probably best viewed if you
do the mini golf at fairways and you actually get to see it a
little bit more close up, close up the back of the back of tower
to Terra is a completely different colour than the front.
It's got a completely different feel to it, but it's there as a
backdrop for Morocco. And when you you actually you
actually look at it and you're thinking, Oh my word, how, how
does someone go to that length of detailing to ensure that that
was right? And and partly still wishes that
they'd done the same for Everest when you were at Blizzard Beach
and you get to the top of summit Plummet and you get that flat,
flat back of Everest. But that's probably cost costing
A prohibitive as well. But the one the one for tower of
Tara, I thought was absolutely a magnificent way that you can
actually turn a right building into a backdrop for an Everest.
Everest good building. It's like creating your, your
scenery, or your. Stage in backdrops in theatre
and and you can actually get a cracking view from the sky
liner, which is the other place you can see that if you you get
to see what you saw on the skyline.
If you're looking for you want to see what the backstage area
of Epcot looks like, jump on the sky liner from the Riviera.
Because you get the. Awful.
It's maybe. Yeah, it's.
And some of it's not that pleasant either.
I hasten to ask. I mean, to be clear, yeah.
It's interesting. To see if that's if that's.
Your bag if you're if you're if you're happy to look out the
window and see it if you're not hanging onto the sky liner, you.
Mentioned it up, John. And and then I thought you were
going somewhere else with that. I thought you were going to talk
about the Land Pavilion because this is a recently discovered
little bit of secret imagineering for me.
So I hadn't recognised for like a million years until I went
probably two years ago, that as you walk up the slope into the
land pavilion and you see all that beautiful brown and red
mosaics on the side, you know, the stripy bits, that's the
earth striations and you're into a volcano.
Because when you look. At the land pavilion from behind
it has this like it's almost like funnel shaped roof.
That's a volcano and what you're seeing is the lava flow from the
volcano. That's why you go down the slope
at the end to get in and out. And then the ground is different
colours and you've got all those earth striations and stuff.
So and the rocks are there because that's the lava that has
hardened. I had no idea.
I missed it completely, but it's just so brilliant.
I didn't know, but look at. But look at.
Again, as you walk up the slope, look at the actual.
It is basically the formation of Earth.
What was really fascinating, I missed, I missed a couple of
Wednesday shows last month because I was away in Lanzarote.
But actually I, I actually walked up and it what was an
extinct volcano. Not a very big one, I hasten to
add. But from the outside, it just
looked like a hill. And when you get to the top, you
then have the walkway right round the ring, the ring of this
volcano. And you know when you're there
and you think after all these years of this being extinct and
you still see this in real life, that is taking Epcot back, too.
That's why when you walk into the land, you walk.
Round it is so exciting. Oh, that's the.
Crater of the volcano who? Knew right?
Yeah, it's. Genius.
That's brilliant. Oh, yeah.
Well, there you are. Every day's school day, Ben.
Yeah. Oh yeah.
But it but it's so subtly done. And I think that's the thing,
Claire and I know, yeah. And, and I certainly know it's
not something unless it's pointed out to you that people
know about, you know, and again, it's that bit of, again, I'll
say it for the umpteenth time, just take a little bit more time
on your next visit and soak these things up because
actually, you know, even start looking at carpet.
You start looking at carpet, not just but.
Yeah. But again.
But again, when you even when you go into the land, into the
land land pavilion as well. And the little film on the right
hand side has got the most beautifully textured carpet, but
it's on the wall and it it just begs you to just just brush your
hand against it. It's it's well worth going while
we're taking the picture. It's well we're sending back to
the kids. And yeah, where am I?
There's some funny bits of. That carpet on the wall as well,
which make me giggle. I, I always think about the old
Lou Mongello like walkthrough podcast that he did like
probably 20 years ago and he he walked around each area, I think
each land of Magic Kingdom and you can probably still find them
on Spotify as the they were brilliant.
And some of the shows that Lou's done previously with, you know,
sadly missed Jim caucus. They're all still available on
WWE radio. If you go back to the website
and then search Jim caucus. Some of those shows are
unbelievably brilliant and I, I do go back and listen to them
and you know, some of the detail that just you miss because it's
not spoken about, you know, it's one of those myths or legends
kind of thing. And I know we've got friends of
the show who tell us stuff about things.
And, you know, we've got Mark Sheffield, who is an absolute
Oracle on all things and is so generous with his, his time and
his videos for us that he sends over to us.
And, you know, we've got Katie and we've got Zach and Jason,
all these people that contribute to the show that know stuff.
And I think if you, if you want to hear it, then the, the, the
information's available. You just have to ask.
And the cast members often are the best people to ask about it
because they know the details. I know someone took Morgan into
creations. They go tell me all the secrets
of creations. He would be there for hours, go,
well, this does this and this does this.
And did you know that that and and that's just in a store that
looks like a, you know, like a regular store, by the time you
start looking at attractions and various things, those cast
members know everything. So when was the thing actually
you mentioned like? Carpet on walls and how things
are like decorated. I I was just going straight to
like the Polynesian islands. How how the actually if you get
a chance to speak to a cast member there and they talk you
through the design and what thought went into, into
everything that that was in there.
And when you look at any other recent someone's like Riviera
and Grandiosina Tower, if you just talk to a cast member there
and talk to you about it, why it's designed that way and what
what is representing, it's incredible the amount of detail
from they could have easily just put in a standard hotel those 4
pillars in the island. Tower there in the lobby.
They could have just been plain, but there's not there's fire,
there's earth, there's water and there's air and they're all
there. All the elements are there to
support you and hold the tower up.
Genius. I love it.
Yeah, it. You've hit my peak, I think as.
Well. No.
And that's the thing though, but but again, you talk about that
hotel, if you go to Animal Kingdom, if you go to the Sanaa
at Sanaa restaurant at 4:00 PM every day, there is a there is a
free tour that a cast member will give you.
And it's basically a cultural tour of the restaurant.
And it's very usually it's hardly anybody goes.
I've no, I've got this off Twitter.
And so I do, it's on my list of things.
I have to do Wilderness Lodge as well because I know they can do
a lobby tour. Of Wilderness Lodge, again, if
you go to the front desk and ask them, they do it every day.
I think they do like at 11 in the morning or something.
Most of the time people are in the parks, but if you go to the
lobby they will do. And they talk about all the, the
earth levels in terms of that beautiful fireplace and the
water and the, you know, there's one thing at Wilderness Lodge.
Where I think there's a boulder Ridge where they talk about the
trains and the focus on on. So yeah, if you're.
If you're staying in a resort, ask the information's out the.
Information's out there, and I think that's that if nothing
else from this podcast that you take is 1.
Don't be don't be very British and don't don't say, Oh, I'll
just I'll just check on me phone.
I'll just Google it. Don't because actually you won't
get the the full detail. Just go and politely ask a cast
member. They will be absolutely if they
don't know, able to tell you. Who does know?
There's. There's probably.
A story behind everything. That's nothing.
Nothing is really by accident in a Disney park.
Everything ultimately they tried to link to back to the story.
I'm very much looking forward to stay at Animal Kingdom Lodge
now. I'm sorry, I'd be looking
forward to going to Sonora. At 4:00 PM while we're there and
here on the tour and then you. I want to go to cast members now
I feel oh. Yeah, when I'm there in a
couple. Of weeks time I'm going to be
just. Going round asking, I'll be like
that perpetual 4 year old, why is this here?
Why is this here? Tell me about that.
Yeah, they're going to be really annoying.
More annoying than I. Already am, but actually that's
a. That's that.
That's a really good thing though, because actually that
but yeah, not judgmental Ted Lasso approach.
Yeah, I, yeah, I think. That's exactly a good roads lead
back to Ted Lasso. Let's face it.
Yeah, certainly do. Any others that we've missed
that we? Want to talk about?
I could literally talk for ages about details.
That are in every bit of building, like the top, the
tops. Of.
Some of the post areas in Animal Kingdom's shops, they're merch
stores. There's so many.
Details that are. Relevant to that type of
architecture. It's for me animal Kingdom, the
depth of the stuff there is is is brilliant, even the one that
that it creates, it almost creates a sense of like realism
about that place having just come back from India.
It's sort of like you look at you look at animal Kingdom and
go, wow, that is incredibly accurate.
And it's the, the, for me, the bit that that was one of the
things that made me interested in looking at loads of imaginary
things was the rucksacks and the climbing gear at that, at the
store. They are genuine artefacts that
were imported over to, to add a depth of realism to the
experience. And again, it's it's something
that you wouldn't necessarily think about, but you see it and
you you automatically know that it's a climbing store and
climbing gear. But the fact that they went to
the time and effort, instead of going, we'll just buy some new
replica stuff. Yeah.
No, we'll buy the stuff from a genuine store and import it
over. Yeah.
Level of realism that that you don't find in most of the parks.
I know whether that was Joe Roddy's.
Yeah. Yeah.
I mean I. I agree with you, Simon.
I think that animal Kingdom if anyone's ever eaten in Tusker
house yes, inside tusker house the.
Theming. Round the walls is and the
artefacts up there again are genuine.
Some of them are manufactured, but a lot of them are genuine.
Again, ask your server, ask the house member who's seating you
to tell you about it. They know all of the stuff and
all the details and they love talking about it because nobody
ever asks. They just sit down, eat the, eat
the breakfast, say hello to, you know, Mickey and, and Goofy and,
and off they go. And actually, if you do that,
you've missed some of the story. So I just, I genuinely think
animal Kingdom is next level. And I know people go, it's 1/2
day park. It's only 1/2 day park.
If you're not looking at the right stuff, in my opinion, and
you're not going to know. Mad Lounge, which is a musty.
That's the other one of. The day three to four hour
experience it was. Last time I was.
There, Yeah, but again and I think I.
Know that people will go to animal Kingdom and you and you
sort of. Oh well, yeah, I've seen this
tree life. Yeah, I've seen some of the
animals that are there, but actually there's other parts to
that which are not visible immediately and, you know, as
you walk in into the park. And so and this only Cambridge,
I just when he when he was working there, he actually went
for his lunch. If you imagine where the pathway
is to the right and you've got Starbucks on the left, if you go
down to the right, there's a big rock and the rock has got little
circles in it. Now the little circles in the
rock are actually magnifiers for the detail that's actually in
the tree of life that you can't actually see from because this
big rock's in the way and you can't get a decent picture.
I've tried. But if you actually look with
with just with your plain eyesight, even with my glasses
on, you can actually see animals on the tree that aren't visible
from any other part of the park. And it was just one again, just
one of those little bits of magic, but animal kingdom's full
of it. And I think I think the nail on
the head, it's it's it's Joe Rodia is absolute finest.
He's, you know, giving carte blanche to to design the place.
He really has absorbed so much of the world.
And I know Simon, when you you were in India, you've actually
come back into somewhere like animal Kingdom and actually you
begin to understand why it's there because it is truly
authentic of of different places throughout the world.
And I think I, I find it quite magical.
I actually, I really find it one of those things you go to
Harambe and you look at some of the things that are painted on
the walls and some of the sayings that are on the walls
and the, and it's, it is truly there for a reason.
It's just like so this is one of my.
Favorite bits? So when you're standing in the.
The Lightning Lane queue to get into Festival of The Lion King.
On the wall, there are things painted sayings in Swahili.
You can translate them on your phone.
You can put them into your phone, like Google Translate,
whatever. And they're fantastic.
They're brilliant. Things are like, you know, the
Tiger's coming or the lions coming, you know, just comedy
phrases that have been written up in Swahili on the wall or the
toilets to the left and things like that.
It's they're great. Yeah.
Oh, I love that. Yeah.
To do that next time we're in. The queue, I think ultimately we
could. Do half a day of talking about
totally good. Yeah, this is.
Sorry, that should be the That should be the name of the show,
Ben. Next level Disney geekiness.
Yep. No, we can't do that actually.
I'm I'm one of the things as well, and I think for for long
time listeners and long time viewers.
If if you've listened this far into the show, Many thanks for
that. But the second bit is, if you've
missed all this detail, go find it.
Because actually, once you start, once you start to get
into this bit of of noticing, you begin to want to find out
more. And when you start to find out
more, you don't start to question.
You question so much. A bit like Claire said before,
you become like that person you want.
Is that there for a reason? And that the answer will
inevitably be yes. And then you get into that bit
of why are the trash cans all a different shade of different
design, different colours, different trash can designs.
And you suddenly that's a whole other show all of its own.
And thankfully we're going to go a step further in the future and
we're going to talk music because actually that is one
thing that we we've we've only scratched the surface of of.
And again, it's there deliberately and hopefully we'll
be able to talk about just just how that.
Enriches. What you're seeing, and again,
it's that whole sense, whole enrichment of every one of your
senses whilst you're at Walt Disney World.
It's not just a theme park where you go for go for the rhymes,
you scream your head are things that we can do smells and you
scream it doesn't smell stuff. We can do taste.
Yeah, but you have. Yeah, you do.
All I think I we're on to something.
Here, Claire. That's it.
Yeah, I'm sure we can find some interactive things.
Can do. Let's keep it.
Let's leave it there for. That I think.
No, I, I think. I think there's quite a few in.
Magic Kingdom, when you think about queue lines.
So let's just hold that door straight.
But I think yeah. The same thing.
Of Walt Disney World Yeah yeah, my my only other thing the.
Thing. That got I'll say the thing that
got me really interested in this stuff was I think I'd picked up
what was the Imagineering field guide books and I'd I'd picked
up all four of those. Oh, and.
We all. Got.
Them because we are all same level geek and and it was it was
seeing those that drove my interest in what was going on in
the past and then I couldn't put the bugs down.
I've forgotten about those. Yes, I've got them on my my.
My Disney shelves as well as we don't have them most of us we
didn't even know they. Existed yeah, you can they are
you can pick them up on you the. Thing.
Is yeah, yeah, but. I think this is that old now.
It'd be fascinating to see. How?
Yeah, but to go back to the old stuff that's not there anymore
and got my words. Oh, we're onto, we're onto
something. Yeah, I'm.
I'm looking over my shoulder. I'm sure it's on the bookcase
that's behind me. Less than 5 lbs ago.
Yeah. So for historical.
Context and stuff that's still there, they're amazing.
Those were the thing that gave me like, it made me want to then
go back again to see the things I've been reading about.
Even if I'd seen it once I I looked, I looked at the story
and went, I need to go back and look at it again.
The big thing for us was the Imagineering studio.
In Disney Plus, when they come out in 2020, it was just like,
we couldn't go to the parks all the time.
It's like, I need to know more about the parks.
And it's like what? I've never been to Thomas Soy
Island, what's all this about? And it was just so much chat
about so many things that we've realised we've been going to
Disney World for years and not actually sin or pay that much
attention to. And then actually seeing it from
a different point of view. And then seeing how sort of
Disneyland was put together Walt Disney World and and and other
parks as well. And you just like, you just make
maybe just like so excited to go back and then would it keys to
the Kingdom. So and now I just want to know
even more. Might do another one one day,
yes. We've started.
Something. That's it.
I'll talk to the. Other point of my my that
drives. My interest and that's I have
books that are specifically about the back story of Epcot
and its original ideas and the ideas of that time period that
it relates to as well in architectural terms.
And that entire mid century period of architecture is a big
a big interest for me. But that is there's books there
that have got no photos. They're not really talking about
Epcot. They are talking about
architectural ideas. And that is that is stuff that I
love that that bit of architectural history I did it
was instantly bridged when I went to around Disney parks.
And then seeing that that that gave me a massive enthusiasm to
want to go back probably is the root cause of why I've been to
Disney World so much in reality. I think we should do a show
about maybe. We should talk about Disney
books, Disney literature at some point and the stuff that we've
got that we love and the stuff that we've read that is
brilliant and maybe the stuff that might not be so good.
Just thinking about some recent things, you know AJ Bull from
Disney food blogs, Disney adults book which is incredible if
anyone. Hasn't listened to.
Buy get the audio book and she reads it herself and it's
brilliant. Food for thought.
I thought it was doing well buying the actual proper.
Book Claire don't don't start again.
Don't start me on the audio 1 and it was it was eye.
Opening a little confronting at times, but also fascinating.
But I've got, I've got several shelves of Disney literature,
often Simon, you've got architecture, I've got
Imagineering. But I've also got tons and tons
of stuff about Disney history of leadership and leadership.
Yeah, leadership stuff as well. Right, we're on.
To we're on to something. There we go.
I think I've. I think I've got.
Some it's certainly it's because I experience it's.
Probably 1 of that sort, right? Lee Cockerel.
We're looking at you. Yeah, Yeah.
It's almost like. Just like that.
Looks like he's probably got something to do.
With the Disney experience, I'd better buy I I have a book on my
shelf at work. Disney ran your hospital.
I work for the NHS. So.
Yeah. And that is absolutely
brilliant. And all my all my colleagues go,
what is that? I'm like, this is like the
Bible. This is so clever.
Yeah, there's. There's a whole nother.
Story in there? Yeah, I have two on my desk
here. The portrait of Walt Disney.
World 50. Years of Disney World and I also
have the arts of Disney costuming.
Oh, amazing. I don't have that one.
OK. Well, let's do a story, let's do
a show about books, and we can all compare and contrast and
then go and buy loads more. I can't.
Reference the other books Can I palm?
Springs Tiki and Palm Springs Architecture Nice are the other
two that I have and and the Back to the future.
There we go, obviously, just for good.
Measure just covering universalism 88 miles.
Down it. Goes with my.
Cupboard with two shelves full. Of models, of back to the future
of my life. We're all learning something.
About Simon today I have. A replica of each of the number.
Plates of the De Lorean from the 1985 and 2015 plates I have.
I have 3 metal models of each of the De Loreans from the from the
three movies I have. The large Lego De Lorean I have.
The small Lego de Lorean. I have the Playmobil DeLorean
with all of the Playmobil men of of like Marty and Doc in the.
Different movies. There's like Biff in the 1950s.
There's Bench Rucksack, the the save the clock tower thing.
Oh my goodness, they were from an.
Advent and back. To the future Playmobil advent
calendar. So I'm just going to do a do a
show about. That, yeah.
But I think. That is definitely on the cards.
And also made a clock tower front.
So in the cupboard there is a cardboard cut out of the clock
tower, and then I've got all of the Playmobil miniatures in the
in there as well. It's next level geek.
The thing though, I've got to admit.
Simon at the moment, Ben's feeling really pleased that he's
only got Lego Becca's even more Becca.
'S even more please. What I'll do?
Probably more Lego. In random.
Pieces. Wow, Simon.
'S got. All of his back to the features
I've I'm interested to know what our.
Listeners, but Sam. Sam will have a flux.
Capacitor, capacitor somewhere, yeah, he'll have, he'll have
that. Yeah, that little box that'll be
seen that you can get a time. Circuits Replica of the three
time circuits from the DeLorean. I don't believe this.
I don't know, I'm just. Supposed to store this stuff
that's. I want I'm limited to storing
things on the shelves. Only.
I'm interested to know from people who've.
Listened to the show? If you've listened this far,
what are you geeky about? And are you like Simon?
Are you a big fan of Back to the Future?
I quite like The Princess Bride, so I've got a few things for
Princess Bride and obviously Ted Lasso stuff.
But yeah, what? What's your secret geek thing?
We can talk about it in a future show because we've all we've all
got them. So we hope that this is giving
you a. Few things to hunt for on your
next trip. And if you've spotted any hidden
details that we've missed today, come and tell us in our Facebook
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And drop a comment below to tell us what your favorite hidden
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It helps us to reach more listeners.
More is. We will be.
Back soon with a episode, All That was The Sounds of the
Parks, and you can always catch us on our Wednesday shows as
well. So for now, we will see you
soon. We'll see you real soon.
Now my wheels. In motion and my windows open
with the wind blowing in my head.
I'm driving down the highway. Gonna do this my way.
I can feel it in the air.