Walt Disney Built A Network Of Tunnels Beneath The Magic Kingdom

Ever hear the rumor that Walt Disney had his head cryogenically frozen? Or the one about how Disney World is built on a network of secret tunnels? Well, that first story’s completely bogus — but the tunnels are totally real. So, what are they for? And why have most people never heard of them? Well, let’s just say that there’s a fascinating world beneath the Magic Kingdom — and you’re about to take a sneak peek inside…

A 9-acre network

The staggering 9 acres of tunnels below Walt’s “Most Magical Place on Earth” actually provide the key to answering a lot of burning questions that people might have about Disney World.

And, amazingly, this hidden world beneath guests’ feet has been there from the very beginning. Yep, in fact, the tunnels were among some of the first things built for the theme park in Florida.

Disney lore

Interestingly, the idea for the sprawling underground network of tunnels supposedly came from Mr. Disney himself. Mind you, that could just be another part of the incredible legend he left behind.

What’s more certain is that Disney — the company — learned plenty from their previous construction of Disneyland in California. And that newfound wisdom paved the way for Disney World’s secret tunnels.

Learning from their mistakes

Now, we know what you’re thinking. Disneyland was an unprecedented success, right? It made money beyond anyone’s wildest dreams! Well, yes, that’s absolutely true. But that doesn’t mean Disneyland is perfect.

Far from it, in fact. And one of the reasons why Disney World got its underground network is because of problems that Disney himself was faced with while walking the grounds of his very first theme park.

Not big enough for Disney’s dream

One of the major issues with Disneyland was the lack of space. That may sound surprising, as the park was built on a whopping 160 acres of land. But the trouble was actually with the space bordering the complex.

Because Disneyland and Disney World aren’t just about the rides, are they? At least, that was Walt Disney’s dream. He wanted to build out the brand with Disney-themed hotels, Disney-themed restaurants, Disney-themed shopping plazas — Disney-themed everything, basically.