Magic Kingdom Park is a theme park at the Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida. It opened on October 1, 1971, and is owned and operated by The Walt Disney Company through its Experiences division. The official park name has changed slightly over the years, from Walt Disney World Magic Kingdom (1971–1994) and The Magic Kingdom (1994–2017). The park was initialized by Walt Disney and designed by WED Enterprises. The park layout and attractions were based on Disneyland in Anaheim, California, and are dedicated to fairy tales and Disney characters.
The park icon is Cinderella Castle, inspired by the fairy tale castle featured in the 1950 animated film. In 2023, the park hosted 17.72 million visitors, making it the most visited theme park in the world for the seventeenth consecutive year and the most visited theme park in North America for at least the past twenty-three years. The park has become a cultural touchstone and symbol of modern American pop culture.
Walt Disney was highly involved in planning the Walt Disney World resort complex and park, coming to Florida in person to survey the land, meeting with local officials and announcing the project to the media. But he died in 1966, before he could see the vision through. After Walt's death, his brother Roy Disney took over the project. Walt Disney Productions began construction on Magic Kingdom and the entire resort in 1967. The park was built as a larger, improved version of Disneyland in California.
Magic Kingdom was built over a series of tunnels called utilidors, a portmanteau of utility and corridor, allowing employees (called "cast members") or VIP guests to move through the park out of sight.[1]
Because of Florida's high water table, the tunnels could not be put underground, so they were built at the existing grade, meaning the park is built on the second story, giving the Magic Kingdom an elevation of 108feet. The area around the utilidors was filled in with dirt removed from the Seven Seas Lagoon, which was being constructed at the same time. The utilidors were built in the initial construction and were not extended as the park expanded. The tunnels were intended to be designed into all subsequent Walt Disney World parks but were set aside mostly because of financial constraints.
Magic Kingdom Park opened as the first part of the Walt Disney World Resort on October 1, 1971, commencing concurrently with Disney's Contemporary Resort and Disney's Polynesian Village Resort. It opened with twenty-three attractions, three unique to the park and twenty replicas of attractions at Disneyland, split into six themed lands, five copies of those at Disneyland (Main Street, U.S.A., Adventureland, Frontierland, Fantasyland, and Tomorrowland) and the Magic Kingdom exclusive of Liberty Square, rather than the Disneyland New Orleans Square. The Walt Disney Company promised to increase this number with a combination of replicas and unique attractions. While there is no individual dedication to Magic Kingdom, the dedication by Roy O. Disney for the entire resort was placed within its gates.
The only land added to the original roster of lands in the park was Mickey's Toontown Fair. The land originally opened in 1988 as Mickey's Birthdayland to celebrate Mickey Mouse's 60th birthday. Later the land was renovated as Mickey's Starland and eventually to Mickey's Toontown Fair. The land was home to attractions such as Mickey's Country House, Minnie's Country House, The Barnstormer at Goofy's Wiseacre Farm, and Donald's Boat. It closed on February 12, 2011, to make way for the expansion of Fantasyland. The Walt Disney World Railroad station in Mickey's Toontown Fair, which opened with Mickey's Birthdayland in 1988, was closed for the duration of the construction. In 2012, the space where Mickey's Toontown Fair sat reopened as a part of Fantasyland, in a sub-section called the Storybook Circus, where an updated Dumbo the Flying Elephant attraction was relocated. The Barnstormer was retained and was re-themed to The Great Goofini.[2]
Since opening day, Magic Kingdom has been closed temporarily because of eight hurricanes: Floyd, Charley, Frances, Jeanne, Wilma, Matthew, Irma, and Ian.[3] The first non-hurricane related day the park has closed is on September 11, 2001, due to the terrorist attacks that day.[4] Walt Disney World was closed from March 15, 2020, to July 11, 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[5] [6] [7] In addition, there are four "phases" of park closure when Magic Kingdom exceeds capacity, ranging from restricted access for most guests (Phase 1) to full closure for everyone, even cast-members (Phase 4).[8]
"Magic Kingdom" was often used as an unofficial nickname for Disneyland before Walt Disney World was built. The official tagline for Disneyland is "The Happiest Place On Earth", while the tagline for Magic Kingdom is "The Most Magical Place On Earth". Up until the early 1990s, Magic Kingdom was officially known as Walt Disney World Magic Kingdom, and was never printed without the Walt Disney World prefix. This purpose was to differentiate between the park and Disneyland in California. In 1994, to differentiate it from Disneyland, the park was officially renamed Magic Kingdom Park.
Alcoholic beverages had been prohibited from the park since its opening, but this policy has gradually changed. In 2012, the Be Our Guest Restaurant opened selling wine and beer for the first time. This was the only place in the park where alcohol was permitted until December 2014 when four additional restaurants began selling beer and wine including Cinderella's Royal Table, Liberty Tree Tavern, Tony's Town Square Restaurant, and the Jungle Navigation Co. Ltd. Skipper Canteen.[9] [10] And finally in 2018, the park officially became the second Magic Kingdom-style park to serve alcohol at all table service restaurants, after Disneyland Paris in 1993.[11]
Early in 2024, a Disney executive confirmed that the park will expand with the addition of a NaNacres land located “beyond Big Thunder.”[12]
See also: List of Magic Kingdom attractions.
Magic Kingdom is divided into six themed "lands." The center of the park in front of Cinderella Castle is designed like a wheel with a hub and spoke design. Pathways spoke out from the hub across the of the park and lead to these six lands.[13] The Walt Disney World Railroad circles around the 1.5miles perimeter of the park.
See main article: Main Street, U.S.A..
Main Street, U.S.A. is modeled after an idealized early-20th century American town, inspired by Walt Disney's hometown of Marceline, Missouri. Main Street features a train station, town square, movie theater, city hall, firehouse, restaurants, emporium, shops, arcades, and several varieties of horse-drawn and motor-powered vehicles. Guests enter the park underneath the main station of the Walt Disney World Railroad and into the town square. At the far end of Main Street, U.S.A. is the park's hub, anchored by Cinderella Castle and the Partners statue.
Symbolically, Main Street represents the park's "opening credits", where guests pass under the train station (the opening curtain) at left or right, then view the names of key personnel along the windows of the buildings' upper floors. Many windows bear the name of a fictional business, such as "Seven Summits Expeditions, Frank G. Wells President", with each representing a tribute to significant people connected to the Disney company and the development of the Walt Disney World Resort. It features stylistic influences from around the country. Taking its inspiration from New England to Missouri, this design is most noticeable in the four corners in the middle of Main Street, where each of the four corner buildings represents a different architectural style. The second and third stories of all the buildings along Main Street are designed with forced perspective, and are actually shorter than the first stories. The musical soundtrack played at the entrance includes musical selections from the 1943 Broadway musical Oklahoma! and the 1957 Broadway musical The Music Man.[14] The Dapper Dans, a men's a cappella singing group, typically perform throughout Main Street.
See main article: Adventureland.
Adventureland represents the mystery of exploring exotic lands and features several attractions themed to resemble the remote landscapes of Africa, Asia, the Middle East, South America, the Caribbean, and the South Pacific. Jungle Cruise is a comedic riverboat cruise attraction that travels along wild waterways from around the world. Pirates of the Caribbean is a dark ride depicting the exploits and plundering of a pirate siege on Caribbean island town featuring several characters from the subsequent eponymous film series. Walt Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room is a Polynesian musical Audio-Animatronic show drawing from American tiki culture in the Sunshine pavilion. Swiss Family Treehouse is an interactive walk-through treehouse attraction based on the 1960 film, Swiss Family Robinson. The Magic Carpets of Aladdin is an aerial carousel-style ride based on the 1992 film, Aladdin.
See main article: Frontierland.
Frontierland is a romanticized portrayal of the American frontier, particularly elements from the American Old West, including cowboys, Native Americans and Western saloons.
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad is a mine train roller coaster featuring a runaway mine train through mine shafts and canyons of the American Southwest. Tiana's Bayou Adventure is a log flume ride inspired by the 2009 film, The Princess and the Frog. Tom Sawyer Island is inspired by the literary characters and stories of Mark Twain's The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, featuring interactive trails and scenic outlooks. Surrounding Tom Sawyer Island is the Rivers of America, an artificial waterway based on the untamed rivers found across the United States, that flows through Frontierland and Liberty Square. Traversing through the Rivers of America is the Liberty Belle Riverboat, a steam-powered riverboat attraction themed to a 19th-century sternwheeler. Other attractions include the Country Bear Musical Jamboree in the Grizzly Hall Theatre.
See main article: Liberty Square.
Liberty Square is inspired by a colonial American town set during the American Revolutionary War. The land contains recreations and replicas found in Philadelphia and Boston such as Independence Hall, the Liberty Tree, and the Liberty Bell. The Hall of Presidents is a film presentation and stage show themed to the American presidency and featuring all 45 individual American presidents in Audio-Animatronic form. Tucked away in a desolate corner of Liberty Square is The Haunted Mansion, a dark ride omnimover attraction themed to a haunted New England manor. The Liberty Belle riverboat's dock is located on the shores of Liberty Square.
See main article: Fantasyland.
Fantasyland is themed to Disney's animated fairy tale feature films. Depicted in a medieval-faire style, Fantasyland features multiple attractions featuring various Disney characters and stories, including Peter Pan's Flight, It's a Small World, Mickey's PhilharMagic in Fantasyland Theatre, Mad Tea Party, The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, and Prince Charming Regal Carrousel.
Outside of the castle courtyard is Fantasyland Forest, featuring attractions based on other Disney princesses and heroines: Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, is a mine cart roller coaster based on Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs; is a dark ride omnimover attraction based on The Little Mermaid; Be Our Guest Restaurant is a themed restaurant with character dining themed to Beast's castle in Beauty and the Beast; Enchanted Tales with Belle, and Ariel's Grotto.
Storybook Circus is a subsection of Fantasyland, themed to a traveling circus stopped along a railroad route just outside of Fantasyland Forest. The land's marquee attractions include Dumbo the Flying Elephant, an aerial carousel-style ride based on the 1941 film Dumbo; The Barnstormer, a family roller coaster featuring Goofy as a daredevil stuntman; and Casey Jr. Splash 'n' Soak Station.
Originally, Storybook Circus was the location of Mickey's Toontown Fair, which closed permanently on February 11, 2011. Some elements of Mickey's Toontown Fair were demolished, and others were re-themed to fit the circus concept. An expanded Dumbo the Flying Elephant ride was built, with an interactive queue, and a second Dumbo ride was built next to it, in order to increase capacity. The Barnstormer at Goofy's Wiseacre Farm was re-themed to "The Great Goofini". A big top area was built for meet-and-greets, called Pete's Silly Sideshow. This attraction features Goofy as a stuntman, Daisy Duck as a fortune-teller, Donald Duck as a snake-charmer, Minnie Mouse as a magician, and Pluto as a special performer. Storybook Circus opened with a "streetmosphere" circus act called The Giggle Gang, which had a two-year run from 2012 until 2014.[15]
See main article: Tomorrowland.
Tomorrowland is themed to the concept of the future inspired by the optimism and scientific advancements of the Space Age and Atomic Age.[16] [17] Several attractions include Astro Orbiter, Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin, Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor, Tomorrowland Speedway, the PeopleMover, and Walt Disney's Carousel of Progress, except for Stitch's Alien Encounter Character Greeting! as a meet and greet location. A pair of thrill ride roller coasters are located on the western edge of Tomorrowland: Space Mountain, themed to space exploration through the cosmos; and TRON Lightcycle / Run, based on the digital software world of the Grid from Tron.
See main article: Transportation and Ticket Center. Magic Kingdom lies more than a mile away from its parking lot, on the opposite side of the man-made Seven Seas Lagoon. Upon arrival, guests are taken by the parking lot trams to the Transportation and Ticket Center (TTC), which sells admission into the parks and provides transportation connections throughout the resort complex. Guests using city buses, non-Disney hotel shuttles or ridesharing services are also dropped off at the TTC.
To travel between the TTC and the Magic Kingdom, guests have their choice of taking a ferry boat or the Walt Disney World Monorail System.
The three ferries are clad in different trim colors and are named for past Disney executives: the General Joe Potter (blue), the Richard F. Irvine (red) and the Admiral Joe Fowler (green). The main monorail loop has two tracks. The outer track is used by the Express Line with direct service between the TTC and Magic Kingdom, while the inner track is the Resort Line with additional stops at the Contemporary, Grand Floridian and Polynesian Village resorts. Epcot is also accessible from the TTC on a spur monorail line that was added upon that park's opening in 1982.
The hotels in the Magic Kingdom Resort Area are connected to the park by walking paths, ferry boats, or the Walt Disney World Monorail System.
Disney-owned hotels in other resort areas have Disney Transport buses to the Magic Kingdom, but these do not serve the TTC. Instead, they operate from three bus loops directly adjacent to the park's main gate.
| Year | Attendance | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 15,400,000 | 1st | [18] | |
| 2001 | 14,700,000 | 1st | [19] | |
| 2002 | 14,000,000 | 1st | [20] | |
| 2003 | 14,040,000 | 1st | [21] | |
| 2004 | 15,100,000 | 1st | [22] | |
| 2005 | 16,100,000 | 1st | [23] | |
| 2006 | 16,640,000 | 1st | [24] | |
| 2007 | 17,060,000 | 1st | [25] | |
| 2008 | 17,063,000 | 1st | [26] | |
| 2009 | 17,233,000 | 1st | [27] | |
| 2010 | 16,972,000 | 1st | [28] | |
| 2011 | 17,142,000 | 1st | [29] | |
| 2012 | 17,536,000 | 1st | [30] | |
| 2013 | 18,588,000 | 1st | [31] | |
| 2014 | 19,332,000 | 1st | [32] | |
| 2015 | 20,492,000 | 1st | [33] | |
| 2016 | 20,395,000 | 1st | [34] | |
| 2017 | 20,450,000 | 1st | [35] | |
| 2018 | 20,859,000 | 1st | [36] | |
| 2019 | 20,963,000 | 1st | [37] | |
| 2020 | 6,941,000 | 1st | [38] | |
| 2021 | 12,691,000 | 1st | [39] | |
| 2022 | 17,133,000 | 1st | [40] | |
| 2023 | 17,720,000 | 1st | [41] |
In 2012, Jon Favreau announced he was planning a film called Magic Kingdom.[42] The film was described as “Night at the Museum at Disneyland,” meaning that the film would tell a story where all the characters at Disney come to life at night.[42] Marc Abraham and Eric Newman of Strike Entertainment were scheduled to produce the film.[43] Writer-producer Ronald D. Moore had previously written an original script for the project, which the studio eventually declined to use, stating that Favreau and a new screenwriter would develop a new script.
In 2021, it was announced that a new project, now developed as a television series for Disney+. Moore was brought back to develop the series which will see that the various lands in the Magic Kingdom are actually gateways to alternate worlds, thus setting up a shared universe. The first in the series will be The Society of Explorers and Adventurers (SEA).[44]