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 History of the Magic Kingdom 

The Magic Kingdom park opened Oct. 1, 1971, and soon after was dedicated on Oct. 25. Many celebrities were on hand for the festivities, as well as Walt Disney’s entire family. Arthur Fiedler conducted the World Symphony Orchestra at the base of Cinderella Castle. Roy O. Disney stood with Mickey Mouse in Town Square and read the dedication plaque. The park opened with six themed lands: Main Street, U.S.A.; Adventureland; Frontierland; Liberty Square, a land originally planned for Disneyland; Fantasyland; and Tomorrowland. (Mickey’s Birthdayland was created in 1988 to honor Mickey Mouse’s 60th birthday, and eventually changed its name to Mickey’s Starland in 1990. In 1996, the land changed again to Mickey’s Toontown Fair.)

Eventually, all the lands came together with their own unique themes. Ordinary buildings were cloaked with intricately designed exteriors and interiors. Details were installed and the final coats of paint were put on. Imagineers used an architectural trick called “forced perspective” to make buildings look taller than they actually are. They shrunk windows, balconies and even furniture on the second floors and shrunk any third floors even further to achieve the illusion of tall buildings climbing far into the sky. To complete the feeling of being in a three-dimensional movie, background music was created for each particular land, as if it was part of any film’s soundtrack. In the end, it took more than 9,000 workers to build the world’s most famous vacation resort.

 
 About the Magic Kingdom 

Magic Kingdom sits on 142 acres with the towering Cinderella Castle at its center. Similar to Disneyland in California, the park is divided into seven themed lands -- Main Street, U.S.A.; Adventureland; Frontierland; Liberty Square; Fantasyland; Mickey's Toontown Fair; and Tomorrowland

Popular attractions include Pirates of the Caribbean, The Haunted Mansion, Space Mountain, Splash Mountain, Stitch's Great Escape!, Monster's Inc. Laugh Floor, "Mickey's PhilharMagic," Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, it's a small world, Jungle Cruise, Hall of Presidents, Mad Tea Party, Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin, The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, Country Bear Jamboree, Tom Sawyer Island, Peter Pan's Flight and Dumbo the Flying Elephant

Cinderella Castle, the park's icon, stands 189 feet tall and includes 18 towers. Inside its main hall, five glittering mosaics created under the direction of Dorothea Redmond and Hanns-Joachim Scharff tell the story of Cinderella in 500 brilliant hues of glass

 More Popular Attractions 
  • Walt Disney World Railroad (1971): A grand circle-tour of the Magic Kingdom park aboard an authentic steam train.
  • Mad Tea Party, Dumbo the Flying Elephant, Snow White’s Scary Adventure and Peter Pan’s Flight (all 1971): Attractions inspired by animated Disney film classics.
  • It’s a Small World (1971): Hundreds of doll-like figures sing and dance in their native costumes.
  • Jungle Cruise (1971): Board from a last-outpost river landing to observe curious gorillas, playful Indian elephants in their daily bath and frolicking hippos created in life-like realism by Disney artists.
  • Country Bear Jamboree (1971): The zaniest troupe of singing bears ever assembled celebrate old-time music with a foot-stompin’ beat.
  • Haunted Mansion (1971): The liveliest collection of ghosts ever assembled for all to see as they travel through ancient rooms.
  • Pirates of the Caribbean 1973): Aboard buccaneer launches, adventurers travel through mysterious grottos, then plunge down a waterfall and into the midst of a pirate battle for control of a harbor town.
  • Tom Sawyer Island (1973): Log rafts take guests across the river where Injun Joe’s Cave, the Magnetic Mystery Mine and old Fort Sam Clemens await exploration.
  • Space Mountain (1975): Action, speed and perpetual motion await as guests “blast off” into night skies for a twisting, diving “return-to-earth” aboard miniature space-shuttles.
  • Big Thunder Mountain Railroad (1980): A wild ride on a runaway mine train.
  • Splash Mountain (1992): A log-flume ride with one of the world’s longest flume drops -- a five-story, 47-degree descent reaching speeds of nearly 40 mph.
  • Mickey's Philharmagic is a 12-minute 3D movie starring Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck that features scenes from classic Disney films projected on one of the largest seamless screens in the world.
  • Stitch's Great Escape: report for duty as a Galactic Federation Security Agent recruit to help guard Experiment 626.
  • Monsters Inc Laugh Floor: The Laugh Floor at Monsters, Inc. has been transformed into a comedy club for visiting humans.
  • The Barnstormer (1996): A kid-sized roller coaster zips and zooms through Goofy’s Wiseacre Farm in crop-dusting biplanes.
  • Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin (1998): Board your star cruiser, grab hold of your laser cannon and help Buzz defend the universe from the Evil Emperor Zurg.
  • The Enchanted Tiki Birds -- Under New Management (1998): Hollywood featherweights Iago, from Disney’s animated feature “Aladdin,” and Zazu, from “The Lion King,” have become the new landlords of this classic attraction, creating a witty, upbeat show filled with old and new choreographed musical numbers.
  • The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (1999): The whole gang’s here, joining guests on a journey into the Hundred Acre Wood.
  • The Magic Carpets of Aladdin (coming summer 2001): Genies, flying carpets, magic lamps and Middle East mystique inspires this new attraction.
 
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 Attractions 
Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse See where Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse is on a Map
Pirates of the Carribean See where Pirates of the Carribean is on a Map
Enchanted Tiki Room See where Enchanted Tiki Room is on a Map
Jungle Cruise See where Jungle Cruise is on a Map
The Magic Carpets of Aladdin See where The Magic Carpets of Aladdin is on a Map
Cinderella's Golden Carrousel See where Cinderella's Golden Carrousel is on a Map
Dumbo the Flying Elephant See where Dumbo the Flying Elephant is on a Map
Mad Tea Party See where Mad Tea Party is on a Map
The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh See where The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh is on a Map
Peter Pan's Flight See where Peter Pan's Flight is on a Map
Snow White's Scary Adventure See where Snow White's Scary Adventure is on a Map
Mickey's Philharmagic See where Mickey's Philharmagic is on a Map
It's A Small World See where It's A Small World is on a Map
Country Bear Jamboree See where Country Bear Jamboree is on a Map
Splash Mountain See where Splash Mountain is on a Map
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad See where Big Thunder Mountain Railroad is on a Map
Haunted Mansion See where Haunted Mansion is on a Map
Hall of Presidents See where Hall of Presidents is on a Map
Mark Twains Riverboat See where Mark Twains Riverboat is on a Map
Stitch's Great Escape See where Stitch's Great Escape is on a Map
Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin See where Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin is on a Map
Astro Orbiter See where Astro Orbiter is on a Map
Laugh Floor See where Laugh Floor is on a Map
Space Mountain See where Space Mountain is on a Map
Tomorrowland Transit Authority See where Tomorrowland Transit Authority is on a Map
Tomorrowland Indy Speedway See where Tomorrowland Indy Speedway is on a Map
Carousel of Progress  See where Carousel of Progress  is on a Map
Toon Park See where Toon Park is on a Map
Donald Duck's Boat See where Donald Duck's Boat is on a Map
Goofy's Wiseacres Farm See where Goofy's Wiseacres Farm is on a Map
Goofy's Barnstormer See where Goofy's Barnstormer is on a Map
Minnie's Country House See where Minnie's Country House is on a Map
Mickey's Country House See where Mickey's Country House is on a Map
Under the Sea ~ Journey of the Little Mermaid See where Under the Sea ~ Journey of the Little Mermaid is on a Map
Enchanted Tales with Belle See where Enchanted Tales with Belle is on a Map
The Seven Dwarfs Mine Train See where The Seven Dwarfs Mine Train is on a Map
Princess Fairytale Hall See where Princess Fairytale Hall is on a Map
Dueling Dumbos See where Dueling Dumbos is on a Map
The Great Goofini See where The Great Goofini is on a Map

 

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Video: Main Street Electrical Parade

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