Quotes from David Koenig

The eight-acre underground was so sprawling that for months after the park first opened, guides had to be stationed in the tunnels to redirect lost employees. Soon after, the tunnel walls were color-coded by land and maps were posted at each intersection to help newcomers find their way.

Many of the dozens of advisors worked for free, in hopes that EPCOT would provide real-life solutions for future generations.

He would explain that Disney began work on EPCOT on Day One. They put in the vacuum-powered trash system. "That's EPCOT," he'd say.

Animation had been a thriving medium when Walt came along, but was dismissed as amateur entertainment for children. Common were bland, forgettable, poorly drawn characters going through nonsensical antics. Walt himself could barely draw a decent Mickey Mouse.

Although Disney World established the state's first 911 emergency telephone system, all calls went to company switchboard operators, who decided whether to call the sheriff or to handle the emergency internally, by notifying only company security or emergency personnel.

Disney, meanwhile, had been toying with the idea of basing a theme park at its Burbank movie studio even before it built Disneyland. Imagineers even proposed an entertainment-centered pavilion for EPCOT Center. Eisner suggested expanding the idea into a separate movie studio park. Beating Universal to the punch shouldn't be difficult, since Disney World had ample land and, thanks to Reedy Creek, was guaranteed an expedited approval and construction process.

I didn't ever want Disney characters in EPCOT," said Jack Lindquist, who as vice president of marketing sold the idea to Card Walker. "The Magic Kingdom and EPCOT are two separate places. I thought characters should only be in the Magic Kingdom. My feeling was each park had to stand on its own, and if you could see Mickey Mouse in EPCOT, why would you go to the Magic Kingdom? I think, more importantly, you should create new icons for new parks.

Another woman claimed the Hydrolator chambers at EPCOT Center's Living Seas pavilion descended so fast, they damaged her eardrums. Disney merely demonstrated that the pseudo-elevators only give the illusion of descending and actually let guests off at the same elevation as when they entered.

Disney security could not make an arrest, but Reedy Creek's city codes gave all cast members the right to detain anyone "causing a disturbance" until the sheriff arrived or to eject anyone from the property who refused to leave when asked.

At Disney World, membership in a union does not guarantee discernible perks. Employees who don't pay dues are entitled to the same pay and benefits as those who do, since Florida is a "right-to-work" state—or "right-to-freeload," as union members charge.