Backstage Magic
Tour Report

by Meli Emmons, April 1997

On Wednesday, April 23 we took the seven-hour Backstage Magic tour. I booked it months ago and used American Express to pay for it (thereby getting a 20% discount). I THINK it was $160 and discounted to $128. Don't quote me. ANYWAY, the tour is limited to 16 (or was it 14? Getting forgetful already!) folks and you have to be at least 16 to take the tour (because 16 is the youngest you can be to work at WDW), and we had a full-up tour.

Here's an outline of where we went (in order):
1 The American Adventure
2 The Living Seas
3 The Wonders of Life/Body Wars
4 Animation Class at the Studios
5 Costuming (Studios)
6 Lunch at Mama Melrose's
7 Cel painting (Studios)
8 MK/ Parade "warehouse"
9 Central Shops
10 Utilidor including parade computer room
11 Remember the Magic Parade

We met in front of Epcot at 8:45am -- we were prompt and yet, we were the last to arrive, so the tour got a bit of an early start. Our tour guide was Molly from Nyack, NY, who used to be a teacher (you could tell) and now works at the Disney Institute. I'm not saying she was condescending or that I didn't like her, but I did feel like a third grader on a field trip at times. She almost had a conniption when one of my fellow tourists ( a high school jr.) had her picture taken with the animation guy (until she found out that they had his permission). (You are absolutely not allowed to take any pictures in any backstage area and she was NOT one to look the other way -- other guides have been reported as being more flexible.) You can take the teacher out of the classroom... Still, she knew her stuff.

We had a regular Disney transportation bus and a cooler with cans of Coke, DC (Diet Coke), iced tea (IT) and bottled water available for us to drink whenever we wanted one. We all got cool badges/pins that had an illustration of Mickey going through a mirror (she told us what movie/short it was from but I don't remember...), that is, going behind the scenes, just like us! This image was also on a folder given to us during the animation segment of the tour.

The bus took us backstage at Epcot (we passed under part of Test Track) and made our first stop at the American Adventure. As most of you probably know, once you get backstage the magic/illusion stops. We could have been anywhere -- the buildings are all large, but indistinct from behind. I noticed little street signs (e.g. Norway, Canada, etc.) to help drivers find their way around. We went into the American Adventure building and saw the computers, hydraulics and some of the actual sets for the show. The AAs look amazing, even up close. I asked, and was told that most of the furniture and props are authentic period pieces (but some are reproductions). Molly also told us that the figures all have real human hair. She said that the hydraulics are so quiet you can barely hear them even if you're backstage when the show is running.

I had read about "tagging out" on the Spacecoast Hidden Mickeys List in the "secrets" section, and I noticed there were numbered, color-coded tags near the door, each color labeled with a department, e.g., "maintenance". I was surprised, but it makes sense that "they" (those mysterious "they" people) wouldn't want anyone on the sets when the show was running -- can you imagine a set going up and seeing a person oiling one of the figures or adjusting a costume? Daddy, get the video camera -- we're gonna win BIG bucks on America's Funniest Home Videos!

A side note about Test Track -- someone asked about the ride going outside, over an employee parking lot -- wouldn't riders be able to tell they were backstage? The answer is that riders will be going so fast and at such an angle that they won't be able to see the ground (parking lot) beneath them.

We then rode around to The Living Seas. On the way, Molly pointed out trees that were being grown as stand-ins for trees that might need to be replaced for whatever reason. (I did notice that some of the trees were planted in obvious rows.) She also noted the greenhouses and fields behind The Land. Once we got out of the bus at The Living Seas, she also showed us how the landscaping was built up to hide the road and other behind stage things and that where the sidewalk changes color is the border of on- and offstage.

There's a picnic table set up for CMs to eat lunch or have a smoke break behind the Living Seas. Right by this table we saw a baby bunny, mostly ignoring us -- which is amazing considering our number and relative size. This was, I believe, the first WDW bunny sighting this trip. We walked a few more feet and were suddenly on-stage. She took us in a back door and the hallway was dimly lighted with dark colored walls. The effect of being undersea in the aquarium is carried out into areas that guest might see. We walked through a door to find ourselves in the area where the exiting hydrolators are. (Oops, shoulda put a spoiler note there, but no one REALLY believes you descend and ascend to enter/exit Seabase Alpha, do they? Well, actually, according to Molly, someone did. She told us the story of a woman who sued Disney because her eardrums burst due to the intense pressure of the hydrolator. All sorts of blue prints were produced showing that the whole thing moves about an inch-and-a-half! Personally, I think the effect is pretty convincing, but common sense tells you it's just a gimmick! {Think about Florida topography and where you enter and exit the building.})

We went up to the second floor and looked into the tanks, got a lesson on how much water it holds, how tall it is, how they feed the fish, the type of fish that are in there, etc. etc. etc.! "Secret": in some places on the pipes and near the ceiling you might see three letters and then 5 or 6 numbers, such as LMS 51560. That would be someone's (an Imagineer) initials and their birthdate. We went backstage to the manatee tank, watched them swim a bit and spoke with the marine biologist that works with them. We also peeked in some of the labs and special kitchen for the fishies. Interesting note: the kitchen is so sanitary that you have to step into a pan of disinfectant before you enter the room. The manatees eat so much lettuce that three different farms have to supply Epcot just for them (I had asked if The Land supplied them.)! The shrimp they use to feed some of the sealife are restaurant quality -- we learned that the Coral Reef has been known to "borrow" some when they run short! Oh, yes, and we all got stickers (any free souvenir is a good souvenir!).

Next we doubled-back to the Wonders of Life pavilion and entered a back door where we could watch a Body Wars "capsule" and hydraulics do their things. Actually, we went into a room where we could watch the monitor and then we went into a small, dark area, with a Plexiglas wall in the front, where, once the ride loaded, we could watch the capsule. We were actually below the capsule and watched all the moving and shaking. Claustrophobics take note: we were jammed into a small, very dark area during the ride; if the light was on it might break the illusion. Next time you go into Body Wars or Star Tours, look over the side of the ramp and you might see some of the machinery and/or a tour group! We didn't stay for the whole ride, but it was kind of fun to watch everyone lurch and sway simultaneously on the monitors.

Recent discussions on RADP reminded me that, while we were watching the monitor, someone brought up the question of someone dying on that very ride. Molly told us the story of the girl who died on Body Wars. In a nutshell: she had some pre-existing heart condition and was on the ride with parental permission. By the time the CM monitoring the ride stopped it and went in, it was too late. It was determined that the actual ride had nothing to do with her death; it was "natural" due to her condition. And yes, people DO die on Disney property, but CMs do their best to cover it up to protect the guests from such unpleasantness. An example: treating a dead person on a stretcher as if they were passed out/sleeping, by attempting to revive them, or talking to them as if they weren't dead at all. Creepy.

Leaving Epcot, we drove to the Studios and had a brief animation class taught by Jim from Queens. (It was after this class that Molly almost had a conniption regarding the photograph.) We were taught how to draw Goofy (if anyone was around last fall during Animation Celebration, this was pretty much the same thing as one of the available activities) except that we'd go so far in our drawing and pass it on to the person on our left. It was cute. Then we drew a Pumba (no sharing) and got a nice folder (mentioned earlier) to put our drawings in. Jim gave away each sample he drew along with us to someone in the group. The last thing he did was draw Mickey in something like 3 seconds; not perfect but certainly recognizable! This was a fun activity and Jim was a great guy, but it wasn't very informative. All it taught us was that using basic geometrical shapes and going step-by-step we can make a toon. A similar demonstration (but not "draw-along") is given in the animation tour (right before you see the movie clips).

Our bus driver (whose name I have since forgotten; but think it MIGHT be Burt) took us over to costuming. If I remember correctly the "mass" costumes, such as hotel staff, are designed in-house but produced elsewhere, but the character and special costumes are all produced on site. (Tidbit: Belle's dress for the Remember the Magic Parade is a $30,000 dress.) We went into several different departments and saw someone testing (well, it was more like she was just wearing the costume) a cheerleader costume for the new Hercules parade. For obvious reasons, sample costumes and headpieces needed to be worn to see how they fit, feel and "move" before they are produced in quantity. We saw how they take a basic costume pattern use the computer to print out a different-sized one. If I remember correctly each CM that plays a character has costumes custom made for their measurements with a little leeway for slight weight fluctuation. (I admit that sometimes something would catch my eye and I would check it out and not hear what was being said by Molly or whatever CM was talking to us at the time.)

On the walls in the hallways and common areas were costume designs for the cruise line, the Hercules parade and Animal Kingdom. There was also a wall with all sorts of labeled swatches -- must've been a couple hundred samples. We saw the sewing area where the backstage trams go by (a passing tram caught my eye.) We also saw two hairstylists fixing wigs for some of the female characters. Most wigs only last a day and have to be "touched up" daily. I'm sure I'm leaving out stuff here. Sigh. I took notes, but very simple ones. More free souvenirs: we each got a swatch (Prince Charming for males, Belle or Cindy for females) from a costume attached to a ribbon stating it was from the 25th Anniversary parade (or some such).

Finally, it was time for lunch! We trooped into Mama Melrose's and had two tables reserved for us in the back. We ate relatively early 11:30 (or was it 12:30?), I assume to avoid the real paying customers (lunch was included in the price of the tour, so, in reality, we paid MUCH more than our fellow diners!). We were joined by one of the streetmousephere type people, the "nosy neighbor" type, Trilby, who was just "trilled" to be there with us. She circulated among us and talked, asked questions, made us laugh.

For you foodies, we were served family style the following: yummy fresh bread and olive oil, salad, two pizzas (4-cheese and veggie, I think), meat lasagna, some chicken and pasta dish (in a white sauce with broccoli) -- my favorite!--, penne pasta with marinara sauce (I think). I believe that's it for the food. Pitchers of Coke, DC and IT were on the tables, and coffee and tea were served upon request. Each table got two dessert platters, each with four or five different items on them. They should have been a bit more generous because most of us wanted to taste everything and the pieces were hard to cut up into anything more than halves. Still, I think I got a bite of everything and it was all yummy! Considering we had the equivalent of a menu sampler, I can recommend Mama Melrose's as a place to get a tasty meal. Note: by now it had been raining (thunder and lightning, too) hard for awhile, so the lobby was full-up. I felt as if I was back in the subway during rush hour fighting the crowds just to get to the ladies room -- and back (not to mention the fact that there were a few women in THERE attempting to dry off with paper towels.)

We were taken out a back door, thankfully avoiding the mob scene and went back to animation building where we had a class in cel painting. Trilby joined us for part of the ride and came out of character. You could *sense* the difference as well as see it in her face. She told us about herself, how she ended up doing what she does. She even told us her real name (did you REALLY think I'd remember? But I *do* remember that Trilby is her mother-in-law's name!). She has worked in the Comedy Club on Pleasure Island and has done other streetmousephere characters in the Hollywood Blvd. area. She told us about her costume, which, for all its tacky glory, was put together by the costume department, and, as a costumed character, she doesn't have to follow the dress code.

The instructor for cel painting, I *think* her name was Mary Jane (or something like that) showed us what to do with the paint and brushes and then we each got to paint (and keep) a Dalmatians cel. She played Disney sing-along videos while we worked, but, it was pretty much another time killer (like the animation class.) It's fun to try it, but I'd rather spend more time going into attractions behind-the-scenes.

Which is exactly what we did next! Off to the Magic Kingdom! Strange thing, I can't seem to remember how we entered. I think we might have come around from the Grand Floridian side...but I can't be sure! We definitely drove in and went backstage.

Ordinarily the driver would switch to a smaller bus to get into all those tight backstage areas, but this was the day of tornado warnings and we had experience a number of heavy duty thunderstorms earlier in the day. Molly thought we'd be safer in the bigger, heavier bus, altho it made for a few breath-holding tight maneuvers for Bert.

We went to the parade storage area, which HAD to be behind Frontierland. Actually, I think Molly pointed out the back of BTMR, and/or Splash Mtn. The Remember The Magic floats are kept outside under a huge covered area. No touching allowed! We went in to the hangar-like building and saw the costumers getting the dresses ready for the various characters in the parade. We saw Belle's dress up close -- each person puts their costume on in the area after they've done their makeup and wigs. The women step into their dresses (which are carefully laid upon sheets on the floor) and are helped by the costumers, as are the other characters. Each dress had a masking tape label with the name of the person for whom it "belongs" to inside it. There were also some other props in the area -- outdoor table umbrellas stored against a wall, disco balls for grad night (one of which I saw later on the stage in front of the castle) and some signs.

The SpectroMagic floats are all kept indoors and look REALLY cheap and cheesy when unlit. They're black with the flower-shaped-type Christmas lights on them! It's amazing what the fiber optics do to them! Molly explained how the parades are computerized and that the floats' drivers are always in contact with SOMEONE in case they have a problem or to advise them of a problem ahead. She told us about the "chewing gum" spots in the streets that are actually sensors. We got to peek under Ursula's dress. There's a door in the front where the driver sits with the CM playing Ursula's feet practically on the driver's shoulders. This is NOT a job for claustrophobics. "Ursula" climbs into the float and has the costume (which is attached to the float) zipped on. Again, the floats are very unimpressive in the light of day.

We then walked a few yards to a "canal" where the floats for the Electric Water Pageant are stored. Again, unimpressive. The floats are covered with a sort of netting/fencing (no, not chicken wire!) and have the big, outdoor Christmas light bulbs attached to them. You can pretty much see the pattern of the animal (or flag) outlined in bulbs. Oh, yes, one boat pushes and one boat pulls the floats around the lagoon, with the pulling boat going slower than the pushing boat so as not to "snap" the chain of floats.

We must have been in that area around 2:00 because the marching band(s) were getting dressed. They have to use a "public" bathroom to dress. Funniest overheard line of the entire trip, spoken by a harried female chaperone: "We're missing Allan's costume? He can march nekkid for all I care!"

I believe it was also in this area that we went into a rehearsal room -- the wooden floors are all constructed with shock-absorbing rubber under them so as not to put undue stress on the performers' feet. Also the outline of each stage (Castle Court, Tomorrowland Theater) are outlined in different colored tape on the floor so choreography will "fit" on the stage. Molly pointed out a mysterious green shed-like building that she later revealed was the trash compactor.

Next stop -- Central Shops. We could be in ANY sort of industrial plant ANY where in the world. The first shop we went into was "assembly" where they assemble vehicles and such. EVERYTHING is made from scratch! We didn't have to wear hard hats, but we did have to wear shop class glasses (at least they're not those goofy goggles any more!). It was hard to hear much of anything with all the noise going on.

The building is quite large and I was easily confused as to where we were in relation to where we came in. The next stop within the building was "animation" where they work on the audioanimatronic figures. This was a smaller room (in comparison to the whole building) and it could have been a small repair shop anywhere. We saw a hippo from Jungle Cruise and few other figures lying around; I think they had one of the Tiki birds in there. Oh yes, I asked and it was confirmed: The Tiki Bird show is DEFINITELY being replaced.

The next area was figure finishing, which, if I'm remembering correctly is where they paint the character heads and such. A very large open area (think about the paint fumes) with tons of work stations. Forgive me as this is where things are getting fuzzy in my memory. Again, I think a lot of it was the noise level and having trouble hearing what Molly or whomever she spoke to had to say.

The last three areas are the wood shop, the sign shop, and the paint shop, which are pretty much self-explanatory. We saw some partially finished parking lot trams here. It's amazing to think about how many things are actually wood underneath their various fittings. It's not something I really thought about before. The sign shop is where they make signs. We saw some signs for Grad Night drying. In the paint shop we saw carousel horses that were being repainted. The original horses came from an abandoned (for lack of a better word) carousel somewhere in NJ -- the horses were all hand-carved in Italy. Additional horses were made by making casts of the original horses. They really are magnificent horses!

We passed many more work areas, including laundry and dry-cleaning, in addition to creative work areas. Molly pointed out a figure from SplashTastic that had been adopted as a sculpture outside one of the office buildings.

Utilidors, ho! Just about everyone knows about them. Not many (except CMs) have been in them. They're nothing to write home about. They're exactly like they sound they'd be: utility corridors! We saw the costume area where CMs drop off/pick up their outfits and saw vending machines that had pantyhose and razors in them (women must wear hose and men must be clean shaven.) Oh, I forgot to mention that many times while we were riding the bus we had discussions about many different Disney topics, including The Disney Look/dress code. This is why I brought up the vending machines. It's also important to note that you can ask your guide anything and they will attempt to answer your question (or get you an answer later).

Again, I'm not sure exactly where we entered (possibly Fantasyland), but the CMs waiting for their lift to the CM parking lot were a bit disappointed to see it was a tour group and not their bus!

We also heard the famous "AVAC" trash system. Every few minutes we'd hear this great rattling overhead. I knew what it was from all the reading I've done, but I couldn't figure out why it was so loud and rattly. Molly said it was the ice from people's drinks, which is exactly what it sounded like -- ice rattling through a metal pipe!

We pretty much hiked thru the Utildor at a good clip -- I never did quite figure out where we were (in terms of "lands".) The FUNNIEST thing I saw (and this is for the entire trip) was Cinderella, in full costume, wig and all, sitting in front of a computer typing. (They had a cute name for the computer room, which, of course, I can't remember. We were told computers were made available for CMs who might need one for word processing and such.) I pointed at her and laughed as we hiked past. If, by some small chance Miss Cindy is reading this report, I apologize for laughing. It was just such a weird sight (to me) and it caught me off-guard, and I really was just trying to point her out to the hubbly.

Our main destination was the computer room where the parades are monitored. We heard a spiel about the floats back at their storage area, so here we got to see the on-screen tracking as well as live shots of the parade. Because I'm so tall (and wide) I tend to stand at the back of a crowd to let the short folks see; I really couldn't see the monitor (although I was able to get closer after the CM's little talk) but it didn't look like anything spectacular. Just another monitoring device. BTW, this is *another* reason I couldn't hear a lot of stuff; I tended to be on the fringe of the circle.

The monitoring is done in a closet-sized room in the back of a larger computer room. We had to be let in with a code on a key pad and a biometric reader (if I remember correctly). Someone (probably someone at the 4/23 RADP meet) told me the whole thing is bogus and for show. I'd believe it. The rest of the room (or the room "outside" the parade closet) was filled with mainframe-like computers, each labeled with the name of a ride or attraction. Hubbly said they were definitely real computers (he's built our last two from scratch), but we both wonder what they actually did. There were no controls, just lights and hard drives. There was a sign (Mickey-shaped, actually) that explained how when Country Bears was first installed it took so many reels of info to run it, and now it fit on, like, one CD-ROM. There were also a few "antiques," which were labeled as such.

Following this, we hiked up to see the Remember the Magic Parade in action. I should point out again that there had been some really heavy rain and thunder and lightning as well as light rain (and no rain!) during the day. The parade was being performed in its abbreviated version -- no stops for audience participation. We climbed a flight of stairs and came out just behind Tony's Town Square Restaurant and actually caught the parade at the beginning. Fortunately, because of the bad weather, it wasn't terribly crowded. The rain must have gotten to the sensors because several floats stalled on Main Street, just before going around the circle in front of the train station, and had to be rescued by being pulled by a small forklift-type vehicle (good thing it was near the end of the route!). After the parade was finished, Molly showed us the sensors that really do look like wads of chewing gum. In response to a question, we were told that if the skies were to open up during the middle of the parade, CMs would rush out and cover the characters with umbrellas and lead them to the nearest backstage exit in order to protect their expensive outfits.

Finally, it was back on the bus to be dropped off Epcot. We walked back to our car and returned to the hotel to change for that evening's big RADP meet.

General thoughts: I have read a lot of different stuff about Walt Disney World, so most of what we were told was NOT new to me. The backstage sights were all new to me (although, we had taken a similar, 3-hour tour halfway around the World Showcase in Epcot last summer, so we have been backstage and saw makeup and costuming at Epcot.) For me, it was a nice way to spend the day, the biggest thrill in actually being backstage and seeing things (like the parade floats and costume designs) up close. Would I do it again? For the amount it cost, probably not any time soon, but I *would* recommend this tour for the experience of "seeing it all" (or a lot of it, anyway!).