The Magic Kingdom was originally based off of Disneyland in California but there has been little duplication of the park. Most things at the Magic Kingdom have been enlarged from Disneyland, for example the castle is 189 feet, over 100 feet taller than the one in California. The first promotional information for the Magic Kingdom were to show the differences between Disneyland and the new park. Because of this, Country Bear Jamboree, Liberty Square, Hall of Presidents, Space Mountain, 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea and Mickey Mouse Revue were opened first at the Magic Kingdom.
Cinderella Castle with the Happiest Celebration on Earth decorations
Construction
With having the ability to build the park how it was needed, the engineers build utility corridors, called Utilidors, for the first floor of the park. Walt Disney was first bothered by seeing a western cowboy in Tomorrowland in Disneyland. This is because at Disneyland the costume rooms were near Tomorrowland. According to Walt, this ruined the idea that you really were in the future. The utilidors allow for food, cast members and trash to be delivered or removed out of view of the guests. Because of the water table in Florida being so close to the surface, it was impossible to build underground. This is why the utilidors are the first floor of the park, the rest of the park is considered the second or third floor. The park is actually 14 feet above the original ground level of the area. Thanks to the utilidors, cast members can walk from one side of the park to the other in 10 minutes without being seen by guests.
The utilidors hide most of the everyday operations of the park. It houses office buildings and cafeterias. For trash collection, they installed the Avac System, developed in Sweden. It allows for quick removal of trash, via suction, from one part of the park to a central location.
Once the utilidors were built, the space between them was filled with dirt and sand dredged up from the bottom of Bay Lake when it was drained. Most of the sand found on the bottom of the lake was used to line the lake and create the beaches. Also filling the area was hard clay which caused problems with plants planted around the park.
Walt's Death
Unfortunately Walt Disney did not live long enough to see the park completed. He died on December 15th, 1966. His brother Roy O. Disney took over construction of the park. The park became his passion to complete and continue his brother's legacy. He officially had the name changed from Disney World to Walt Disney World in his honor. Roy O. Disney died two months after the opening of the park on December 20th, 1971.
Roy Disney sitting with Minnie
From Labor Day to the end of September, employees, construction workers, local leaders, business leaders, and their families were allowed in the park for the first 'soft opening'.
On opening day, Roy O. Disney gave the opening dedication for the park in Walt's stead. On October 25th, 1971, Roy O. Disney gave a tribute in Town Square alongside Mickey Mouse.
On opening day, many feared the crowds would be unmanageable so the directors called in extra Florida state troopers to deal with the crowds. Up to 100,000 visitors were expected on the day but only 10,000 showed up. Many were scared off by the news saying that traffic would back up on interstate 4, then only four lanes. Many pundits claimed this showed the park would be a flop but by Thanksgiving that year, cars were backed up for miles to get in.