Three Secrets in Three Disney World Theme Parks
We all love a good secret and if it involves Disney, we love it even more! So here are three secrets in three different Disney World theme parks that someone shared with me recently. I thought you too may want to know so you can impress your friends or family with these secrets next time you are in Animal Kingdom, Epcot, or Hollywood Studios!
Walt Disney World Secret #1 – The Famous Hand Prints
I’ll admit the first time I walked past this secret, I actually thought that someone had just vandalized Disney property and Disney hadn’t cleaned it up yet. How naive of me.
In fact, these three hand prints belong to three famous men – James Cameron, Jon Landau, and Joe Rohde.
These are the three men who played critical roles in both the movie and the ride that made the movie come to life for all of us. James Cameron wrote, directed, and produced Avatar. Jon Landau also helped produce the movie Avatar. Joe Rohde was the lead designer of Animal Kingdom Park, and later he led the team that created Pandora – The World of Avatar in Animal Kingdom Park!
You can spot this secret wall as you leave the Pandora ride in one of the exit tunnels!
Bonus Pro Tip #1: Visit Pandora at night and see Pandora come alive in a whole new way!
Bonus Pro Tip #2: Visit Pandora at night with glow in the dark paint on your skin and face!
Walt Disney World Secret #2 – A Special Price Tag
Walt Disney World Secret #2 can be found while you wait in line at Slinky Dog Dash – just before you get on the ride! Look for the large box that housed T-Rex before he got to Andy! Then look for the price tag on the box! This price tag is significant because 11/12/1995 was the opening day for Toy Story!
Bonus Secret: As you leave the Slinky Dog Dash, look for the barcode on the Dash & Dodge Mega Coaster. It reads 2 31986 101197 1. This barcode represents two very important dates:
- 2/3/1986 – the day Pixar was founded
- 10/1/1971 – the first day Walt Disney World opened to the general public
Walt Disney World Secret #3 – The Epic Epcot Illusion
The third Walt Disney World Secret is that the Tower of Terror (in Hollywood Studios) is part of the Morrocan skyline in Epcot! Look closely, and you can see that familiar outline to the left of the Minaret! The imagineers who built the Tower of Terror indeed thought of everything when they chose a reddish brown hue as an exterior paint and created the architecture so that it would blend into the Epcot scenery!
I hope you enjoyed these three secrets in three Disney World theme parks as much as I did! Happy hunting next time you visit Walt Disney World!
