From: CHRIS@MIAMIU.BITNET (Chris Allison) Date: 10 Oct 91 13:49:33 GMT Newsgroups: rec.arts.disney Subject: repost of a series of behind-the-scenes tour posts ======================================================================== 25 Organization: Miami University - Academic Computer Service ~Date: Friday, 28 Dec 1990 16:03:23 EST ~From: Chris Allison Message-ID: <90362.160323CHRIS@MIAMIU.BITNET> ~Newsgroups: rec.arts.disney ~Subject: WDW Innovation In Action Seminar - getting started About 3 months before my wife and I went to WDW we started kicking around the idea of getting a tour of the underground at the MK. After some Compuserv plexes on the Disney forum she called the Seminar Productions number (407) 363-6666 and began the process of setting up the tour. Now before you run to the phone let me tell you some of the rules. Disney does not coordinate setting up the tour - You do, and they have restrictions. The tour is for 15 or more people. It costs $50 per person. The people MUST be staying on Disney property. The tour must be paid for 30 days in advance. They ask for names and reservation numbers at that time. The tour goes to the flood control gates, the nursery, past the waste water plant, the power plant, the fireworks launch site, the fire station, into productions, past the laundry facilities, the dry dock area, and finally into the tunnels and last but most magical ON-STAGE in the middle of Fantasyland with a short tour of the castle and main street. For $5.00 extra per person one additional stop can be added. I believe the optional locations are the power plant, Laundry, and Central Shops. We choose Central Shops. A very good choice as it turned out. More latter. From: CHRIS@MIAMIU.BITNET (Chris Allison) Date: 10 Oct 91 13:51:07 GMT Newsgroups: rec.arts.disney Subject: repost part 2 ======================================================================== 41 Organization: Miami University - Academic Computer Service ~Date: Friday, 11 Jan 1991 09:22:08 EST ~From: Chris Allison Message-ID: <91011.092209CHRIS@MIAMIU.BITNET> ~Newsgroups: rec.arts.disney ~Subject: Innovations In Action seminar Our tour started in the Poly with a 20 minute orientation session. A film of Walt talking about EPCOT (Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow) and some information on WDW and its efforts to be an environmentally good entity. The guide told us EPCOT stands for Every Paycheck Comes on Thursday and confirmed that they are paid on thursday. From the Poly we boarded a bus and stopped for a moment at one of the 22 flood control gates. These are designed to automatically adjust themselves to maintain the water levels throughout the property. They work by a counter weight system that allows the gate to open when the water pressure incresses and close as it falls. This allows them to work without supervision or power. You can see one of them from the access road to the MK parking lot. The system is designed to handle a 50 year storm of 5 inches of rain in one hour or 12 inches in a day or 17 inches in 5 days. Our next stop was the Tree farm where we learned that there is one tree for every three "on stage", currently there are some 1500 hanging baskets, they employ 800 holteracultursuts(sp) and it takes 1 and a half years to get a planting from the conceptual stage to being placed in the park. We stopped at the topiary farm so we could see several topiaries in various stages of development. It takes 7-9 years for these to grow to the point they can be used. They are trimmed every 3-4 days by a man who is blind. Behind the topiaries was a large green house. We were warned not to enter this area as the automatic sprinkler system uses waster that comes from the waste water plant. Our next stop. The waste water treatment plant converts sewage into two parts, sludge and water which still has a lot of organic materials. This is the same as any neighborhood sewage treatment plant. The water is processed through the tree farm, a percolation pond system and finnally the wetlands area of the park. Flow rates approach 7 million gallons a day. The sludge is composted and mixed with sawdust to form a material similar to potting soil. There are 42 lift stations. Not show to us was the Water hyacinth filtration facility, a 100,000 gallon a day experimental facility which removes 90% of the organic material. More latter From: CHRIS@MIAMIU.BITNET (Chris Allison) Date: 10 Oct 91 13:51:53 GMT Newsgroups: rec.arts.disney Subject: repost part 3 ======================================================================== 40 Organization: Miami University - Academic Computer Service ~Date: Friday, 11 Jan 1991 16:11:32 EST ~From: Chris Allison Message-ID: <91011.161132CHRIS@MIAMIU.BITNET> ~Newsgroups: rec.arts.disney ~Subject: Innovation in Action seminar - part 2 After leaving the waste water treatment plant we drove on to the production center. Along the way we passed the power plant, the compacting station, the fireworks launch facility, the fire station and found ourselves behind Big Thunder Mountain. Some more trivia. Disney's electric bill comes to over $2 million per month. They also generate steam and electricity using a co-generation plant. This plant uses a modified GE LM5000 aircraft engine. This engine has been used on such aircraft as the 747, DC-10 and the A-300 Airbus. The plant generates an average 37MW of electricity with a peak demand capacity of over 80MW. The plant provides about 50% of WDWs electric needs. (this comes to over $4 million per month if they bought it all) The waste heat from the plant is used to produce over 27.5 million BTU/hr of hot water and 2000 tons per hour of chilled water. They have another water chiller which generates 17,330 tons using centrifugal chillers. The plant can burn natural gas or #2 fuel oil. Solid waste from the Magic Kingdom(MK) is collected from 15 collection points to a central compacter station. The collection points are connected using 20" pipes and use a vacuum system with moves the trash at speeds approaching 60 MPH. Trucks are used to move the trash to the Osceola County Landfill. An average of 90 tons per day is collected. ( I asked about re-cycling. It is being done by the cast members but they have not yet decided on a way to keep the magic and recycle the guests trash. Chip and Dale are the mascots for company re-cycle plan) (source: Document titled Reedy Creek Energy Services,Inc. dated March 1989 available through the EPCOT outreach center) As an aside If you look under the fence hiding splash mountains construction or look back at the enterance to Big Thunder Mountain you can see the production center. This is the staging area for the parades as the floats are stored here. Next up the production center. From: CHRIS@MIAMIU.BITNET (Chris Allison) Date: 10 Oct 91 13:52:24 GMT Newsgroups: rec.arts.disney Subject: repost part 4 ======================================================================== 39 Organization: Miami University - Academic Computer Service ~Date: Monday, 14 Jan 1991 15:29:52 EST ~From: Chris Allison Message-ID: <91014.152953CHRIS@MIAMIU.BITNET> ~Newsgroups: rec.arts.disney ~Subject: Innovations is Action seminar - part 3 The Production Center is a large warehouse type building where among unknown other things the parade floats are stored. We were able to look at, touch, and explore the floats used in the electric light parade. Elliot the dragon had his lights turned on and the tea pot from Alice in Wonderland was open for close examination. Throughout the room the hum of charging batteries could be heard. We were told that each string of lights is doubled so that no one lights failure would show. At the top of each float is a radio antenna which receives the music for that float from a transmitter located at the top of the castle. Still at the production center we walked to a practice room and were able to see a rehersal of the Starland show. Imagine seeing Characters out of costume but in character. Another short walk took us past a room that had what looked like a player-violin down to the canal used to store the electric water parade. The barges used for the parade are connected together each with its own motor. During the show only the lead and trailing barges motors are operating. The trailing barges motor pulls back to keep the whole thing taunt. Next it was back to the bus for the trip to Central Shops. This trip took us past the laundry facilities where 69 tons of laundry are processed each day. They use 900 pound driers. This area is beyond and behind the Small World and 20k rides. When the trip was arranged everyone was looking forward to being in the tunnels. After the seminar everyone agreed that the Central Shop was the high point of the tour. This is were almost everything in the parks is made. From boats on the lagoons to the $200 trash cans, Small world dolls to dinasours at EPCOT. They have 300,000 sq feet of space and operate with an annual budget of $35-70 million per year. The average worker has been here for nine years and completed a four year apprentice ship learning his trade. The from looking at the bulletin board it was obvious that the area is unionized. When we went through the shop they were working on things for Euro Disney Land (EDL) Next Central Shop From: CHRIS@MIAMIU.BITNET (Chris Allison) Date: 10 Oct 91 13:53:47 GMT Newsgroups: rec.arts.disney Subject: repost part 5 ======================================================================== 72 Organization: Miami University - Academic Computer Service ~Date: Wednesday, 16 Jan 1991 14:49:03 EST ~From: Chris Allison Message-ID: <91016.144903CHRIS@MIAMIU.BITNET> ~Newsgroups: rec.arts.disney ~Subject: Innovation in Action seminar - part 4 Outside the central shop is a large parking lot type area covered with old conveyor rollers, bent trash cans, motors and various other electical and mechanical devices in need of repair. Steam cleaning and sand blasting areas were also visible. Before we entered the building safety glasses were issued. We entered the building at a large metal shop and passed the cafeteria. Union and company notices were plainly posted for all to read. - Pictures - We were told before the tour began and at almost every stop that we were entering "pixy dusted" areas. If we tried to use our cameras the film would be confiscated. If ever there was a place of temptation.... At the end of the metal shop was a large mostly empty area with a heavy traveling crane. We were told that this area was used to build the passenger boats used at EPCOT. When we went through the area it was being used as a holding area for several partially finished Euro Disney Small world exhibits. The dolls on these exhibits were wrapped in plastic and had signs attached describing what still needed to be done. We found out that the dolls spin and dance at the edge of bicycle wheels. Next we entered a area with a sign over the door "Alligator Alley". In this room they were in the process of assembling S-figure animatronic figures. I remember seeing a bird in the Walt Disney story area in the MK several years ago. This was the ??first?? audio-animatronic figure. I remember seeing a tape lots of cams and very complicated mechanical linkage from the motor area in the base to the bird figure. The tape controlled both the sound and the movement. These figures were completely different. The figure itself was a pirate from the "Pirates of the Carabian" (again for Euro Disney). The basic structure was a very human looking a steel alloy skeleton. The joints have hydrolyic actuaters to make the figure move. Hydrolyic lines run very much like blood vessels from the cavity/base/support area to these actuaters. (for under water figures air is used instead of oil.) The figure is "fleshed out" with a plastic skin molded to look like the body part. The only S-figure at Walt Disney World is the witch in the Great Movie Rides Wizard of OZ. We were told the S-figure was a result of a University Prosthetous(sp) research project Disney had funded. I got the impression that not only were the animatronics figures significantly more life like, but handicaped people were now able to get much more realistic prosthetic devices as a result of this project. We were fortunate enough to be able to see figures in various stages of assembly. At one station a man was having his metal skeleton assembled. At another the hydrolyic lines were being carefully run. In the middle of the room a plastic leg part was being heated and molded to match a drawing for that figure. We were told that Disney had to use a different kind of plastic as the European fire laws would not allow the plastics used in the states. Another station was testing a fully assemble figure. This figure was connected to a computer which ran full range of motion tests. This was the only station that seemed to be turned on for us. It is amazing to see these figures move. Their movements are so smooth and life like that it is almost spooky. Around the room were several figures assemble, tested and awaiting shipment to Europe. Even though we were told not to touch, the room was so crowded and we had to pass so close that... After several minutes we moved on to an area where we saw the jail from pirates, a Small World harp bird being painted by a artist who was concentrating so hard she looked like a maniquin. Figure heads were being molded, stitched to harnesses, painted and outfitted with hair. At the woodworking shop we saw several items waiting for shipment to europe. Several Carousel hourses, and a chariot were there. We were told the gold and silver on the horses is real. Disney strips and repaints the horses so you will not see paint chips. Signs were being painted for use in the park. It was pointed out to us that Walt Disney wanted a carousel and not a merry-go-round because he would always get the stationary animals whenever he took his daughter to the fair. We also learned that carousels go counter clockwise and merry-go-rounds go clockwise. That the hourses get smaller and less ornate as you move from the outside of the ride and that they are less ornate on the inside side of the figure. This is the type of tour it was. Our guide knew more than we could think of questions. But like all good things this one ended here. next under the MK. From: CHRIS@MIAMIU.BITNET (Chris Allison) Date: 10 Oct 91 13:54:21 GMT Newsgroups: rec.arts.disney Subject: repost part 6 ======================================================================== 52 Organization: Miami University - Academic Computer Service ~Date: Thursday, 17 Jan 1991 16:03:28 EST ~From: Chris Allison Message-ID: <91017.160328CHRIS@MIAMIU.BITNET> ~Newsgroups: rec.arts.disney ~Subject: Innovations in Action Seminar - part 5 After leaving the Central Shop we reboarded the bus for a trip past the dry dock where the various boats are refurbished. We were told that the small rental boats are built upon the "tupperware" principle. It seems the bottoms of the boats wear out and have to be replaced while the top is still in good shape. Zip - off with the old and on with the new. Past the 20K sub pins and down a hill to a parking area directly behind Small World. From here we walked into the tunnels. I have to admit if you have seen one industrial tunnel you have seen them all. Cement walls, pipes of various sizes on the ceiling and colored lines on the floors and walls. We stopped at a service window and looked into the wardrobe department. This is a very large area containing the costumes used by the cast members. Disney provides these costume to each cast members. They have three for each person. One in the sack (laundry), one on the back and one in the rack (in the locker or wardrobe area). After a shift is completed the cast member returns the used costume telling the worker his/her size and is issued a clean costume to store in their locker until the next shift. (Any comments from the former cast member?) Next we traveled through the wardrobe area which contains a fitting and adjustments area and on to the DACS computer room. Here we saw the door leading to the computer which controls literally hundreds of activities in the Magic Kingdom. It is capable of controlling over 72,000 individual functions every second. These functions include such things as opening theater doors, operating stage lifts, lights and curtains, issueing voice and motion commands to the various Animatronic figures, checking motion and fire sensors, and senseing power and equipment failures. From here it was down a short hallway up some steps down another hall and through a door into the Magic Kingdom. Wow in three steps we went from a tunnel hall with no music, special lighting, or any real sense of Disney magic to just the complete opposite. This was quite a shock for everyone. The rest of the tour was spent pointing out features of the Castle, Main Street USA and finnally a bus trip to our destination. Some of the trivia we were shown is that there is an apartment in the castle. It has never been occupied and is currently used for storage. The disney coat of arms is over the enterance to the castle. The castle is made of fiberglass making it the largest use of fiberglass. Forced perspective is used to make the Main Street buildings look taller than they really are. The second story windows are only 1-2 feet tall. In fact forced perspective seems to have been used through out the parks. In EPCOT for instance all of the World Showcase buildings use it. The only building over 2 an a half stories tall is the americas and there they use forced perspective to make the building look smaller. That's the seminar.