From the Daily Mail
It’s the place where dreams come true, where childhood fantasies are lived out.
But behind every character, every movie scene, every roller-coaster, are the puppet masters making it a reality.
These fascinating photographs reveal exactly what goes on behind the scenes to bring the wondrous world of Walt Disney to life at its theme parks.
A room with a view: Walt Disney’s apartment overlooks a street in the Magic Kingdom
Off duty: Mickey Mouse chills out behind a building at the park
In the dark this must be pretty scary, but seeing the poles holding up the ‘ghosts’ reveals them as nothing more than puppets
Snapped! A staff member poses with animatronics in the costume department
Posted on Imgur by a Disney cast-member, the images have stunned fans of the franchise, as they get a sneak peak at what it takes to make some of the California park’s most popular attractions.
From Big Thunder Mountain to the Jungle Cruise, the never-before-seen pictures, taken during the 1980s and 1990s lift the curtain on the mechanics that make the magic.
Disney fanatics and engineering enthusiasts alike have reacted with awe to the release of the images, blogging and tweeting their excitement.
‘Have you ever wondered what Jungle Cruise would look like without the water?’ one wrote on slashfilm.com.
That’s not how you’re meant to ride it! Cast members pose on Big Thunder
Seen from behind: Animatronic pirates
From the front you’d never know what’s making them move!
Who’s there?! The red eyes of the Abominable Snowman…
…And the finished product. Scary, huh?!
The Haunted Manison’s endless hallway, pictured with lights on: Still frighting?
Ever wondered what the Jungle Cruise would look like without water? Now you know!
‘Have you ever wanted to see what the Haunted Mansion looks like with the lights on?
It’s all here!’
Pictures include Mickey Mouse caught off guard, having a casual stroll around the park, and interior shots of Walt Disney’s own apartment.
In the costuming department, characters are snapped in various stages of made-up-ness, members of staff posing with haunted house props including a grisly-looking skeleton.
You wouldn’t want to mess with this guy… A worker poses with a pirate
Getting a dressing-down: The pirate looks less menacing without his costume on
Plush: Walt Disney’s decorative apartment within the park
Who’s been sitting in MY chair? Walt Disney’s chair in his Disneyland apartment
Touch of pink: Inside a cabinet at Walt Disney’s apartment. But where’s Mrs Potts?
And if you’re too much of a scaredy cat to venture into the haunted mansion yourself you can get a pretty good idea of what its like from the various photographs taken of the view, great hall and guestbook, to name a few.
The images capture scenes from angles that wouldn’t be accessible to the average member of the public and candidly show animatronics getting repaired.
A headless goat looks pretty alarming, until you realise it’s in the Disney workshop for fine-tuning.
Mechanics in control booths are caught on camera, as are storage facilities, demonstrating just how much work goes into creating the Disney magic.
Call that work? Cast members take a break to pose with a statue at the Jungle Cruise
So THAT’S how it works! The mechanics that keep the Jungle Cruise in motion
Not such a small world after all: The mechanics building behind it’s a small world
The men behind the masks: Disney cast members pose for a photograph
Magic? Actually just the work of some clever mechanics… sorry!