11 Weird Things We Can’t Believe Were Once at Disney World

Disney World has seen significant changes throughout the years, from park expansions, attraction re-themes, a defunct water park, and much more. The majority of these changes have improved the parks and paved the way for more magical park experiences for the future.

Despite some Disney fans becoming upset over various changes, Walt Disney himself was quoted as stating “Disneyland will never be completed. It will continue to grow as long as there is imagination left in the world”. Walt never got to experience the opening of Walt Disney World, however, it's clear he would feel the same about any Disney park.

We have been visiting the Disney parks for decades and have been fortunate enough to see the many changes, both good and bad, to the parks. In this article we will go over 11 weird things that are hard to imagine were once at Disney World!

1. River Country Water Park

Many are familiar with Disney World's popular Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach water parks. However, neither were the first water parks at Disney World. In 1976, Disney World introduced it's first water park, called River Country. River Country had 12 attractions including Bay Cove, which comprised of a natural lake with water slides and other activities such as swings and climbing ropes. River Country had a filtration system in which water from Bay Lake would be filtered into the Bay Cove. River Country also had a pool, various water slides, boat rentals, and a barrel bridge for guests to enjoy. This was a huge step for Disney World to become a major vacation destination after the successful opening of Magic Kingdom park in 1971.

Many believe River Country's attendance started to decrease with the addition of EPCOT, MGM Studios (now Hollywood Studios), Typhoon Lagoon, Blizzard Beach, and Animal Kingdom. However, others believe the dangers of River Country's natural water caused the park to ultimately shut down. Three deaths occurred at River Country which were caused by the amoeba in the water as well as drownings in the murky waters of Bay Cove which were not as clear as pool water. Regardless, after River Country closed for the season in 2001, it never reopened. And in 2005, Disney officially announced the closure of River Country.

Overall, River Country was an unusual concept with the filtered, yet natural Florida area of water. Currently, the River Country water park remains abandoned and closed off to the public. In 2019, Disney announced the proposed construction of a new deluxe Disney Vacation Club resort called Reflections – A Disney Lakeside Lodge to replace River Country. However, this construction was delayed along with the many other projects affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. It will be interesting to see what the future holds for this abandoned water park.

2. Disney KiteTails Show at Animal Kingdom

As part of Disney World's 50th anniversary celebration that began in 2021, Animal Kingdom introduced a new show called Disney KiteTails. This show took place several times a day at the Discovery River Amphitheater with performers holding windcatchers and kites of all shapes and sizes. Out on the water of the river, three-dimensional kites stretching up to 30 feet long showed Disney animal friends like Simba, Zazu, Baloo and King Louie. The show was also set to the music of favorite Disney songs.

Although this show seemed very promising, unfortunately the execution was not well received by most guests. During the show, the enormous kites often “crash landed” into the stands which was an awkward sight to see. Especially with the other amazing shows at Animal Kingdom such as Festival of the Lion King and Finding Nemo: The Big Blue…and Beyond!, KiteTails seemed to be a failure in comparison. The show ran for one year, with it's last performance on September 30, 2022. Currently, the only use of the amphitheater is for guests to sit on the benches to relax, enjoy a snack, or watch a cavalcade boat float by.

3. Sorcerer Mickey Magic Wand Towered Over Spaceship Earth

EPCOT's Spaceship Earth attraction has been one of the most unique park symbols since it's opening in 1982. Guests can see the large sphere from many areas throughout Disney World property. In the year 2000, a 25-story depiction of Mickey Mouse holding a magic wand was built next to Spaceship Earth. Originally, the number “2000” could be seen at the top of the structure, but it was eventually changed to “EPCOT” in 2001. This structure was supposed to appear until the end of the decade, however, it was removed in 2007 for the park's 25th anniversary. Many believe Siemens was behind the removal of the tower because they became the attraction's sponsor in 2007, however it could not be confirmed.

Regardless of the reason behind the removal of the structure, it was probably for the best, as it was a bit of an eyesore. The idea was unique in theory, however the actual execution of the tower was not quite up to Disney's normal standards. It was also odd to see Sorcerer Mickey holding a magic wand, as he did not actually use a wand in Fantasia.

This wand is often compared to the unusual updates to Magic Kingdom's Cinderella Castle, such as when it was turned into a birthday cake for the park's 25th anniversary. Both were very unusual structures, and I would be surprised to see any more such dramatic effects to any large park symbols at Disney World in the future.

READ MORE – Top 15 Things You Can Do at Walt Disney World Without Purchasing a Park Ticket

4. ExtraTERRORestial Alien Encounter Attraction at Magic Kingdom

You may remember the Stitch's Great Escape! attraction at Magic Kingdom, but some do not remember ExtraTERRORestial Alien Encounter, which was the original attraction before it was rethemed in 2003. This now completely defunct attraction has gone through a few different changes and yet, there are very few guests that enjoyed any iterations of this former Tomorrowland show.

ExtraTERRORestial Alien Encounter premiered in the summer of 1995 and was inspired by the 1979 film Alien. Guests sat in a “theater-in-the-round,” meaning there were several rows of seats in a circle, with the main event in the center of the room. Guests also sat with overhead harnesses, similar to a rollercoaster, which moved throughout the show and simulated an alien escaping and making its way through the audience. Stitch's Great Escape! had a similar theme, except with the escape of the lovable Stitch character instead of an actual alien. Although Stitch made this experience a bit less intense, it still wasn't a big hit with guests.

The final showing of this unusual attraction took place in January 2018, and the attraction's signage was taken down in the summer of 2020, confirming the permanent closure of Stitch's Great Escape. The pre-show area has been since used for Stitch meet and greets, primarily during Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party, however the area typically remains empty as of now.

5.  Kitchen Kabaret at EPCOT

Another unusual attraction was previously found in what is now the Land Pavilion at EPCOT. Kitchen Kabaret has been described as a very weird attraction with various animatronics advocating for healthy eating. Kitchen Kabaret premiered in October 1982 and was eventually closed in 1994 when it was replaced by an attraction called Food Rocks, which had a similar theme. Soarin' Around the World is now home to where this attraction once stood, which we think is a much better addition to EPCOT than Kitchen Kabaret.

Kitchen Kabaret had five acts in which characters such as Bonnie Appetite, Kitchen Krackpots, Fiesta Fruit, Mr. Dairy Goods, The Cereal Sisters, and Hamm & Eggz performed various comedic and vaudeville-style songs highlighting the importance of a healthy diet. Although it was an interesting show, I think everyone can now agree this was a fairly weird show and can appreciate the Soarin' attraction even more.

For fans of the Kitchen Kabaret, you can spot an Easter Egg paying tribute to the attraction in the queue for Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind. Peter Quill states he is excited to visit EPCOT and hear the “Veggie Veggie Fruit Fruit” song, which was a popular medley in the Kitchen Kabaret show.

6. Kilimanjaro Safaris Original Gruesome Storyline

The Kilimanjaro Safaris attraction at Animal Kingdom is one that many guests absolutely love and highly recommend. Guests take a 20 minute safari ride throughout the African savanna to meet many amazing live animals including giraffes, elephants, zebras, flamingos, cheetahs, lions, hippos, warthogs, and more. It is easily one of the best attractions at Animal Kingdom.

However, Kilimanjaro Safaris once had a particularly gruesome storyline. When Animal Kingdom opened in 1998, Disney really wanted to educate the public on conservation and animal poaching. Therefore, they added a fictional story about two elephants being hunted by poachers, named Big Red and Little Red, in the Kilimanjaro Safari attraction. There was also a video that played for guests in the ride's queue speaking about the dangers of poaching. When guests entered the safari truck, there was a storyline where guests would be looking for Big Red and Little Red, with the ultimate ending of Big Red being killed by poachers. It upset many cast member previews and early guests, and therefore the Bambi-like storyline was significantly changed. However, there were still some leftover remnants of the poaching storyline until 2021 when all mentions of poachers were ultimately scrapped. The safari guides still talk about ways guests can contribute to animal conservation, however it is much less gruesome today. Most guests who remember this important but gruesome storyline were happy to see these scenes removed, with a sole focus on meeting the amazing animals on this attraction.

7. Pleasure Island and The Adventurer's Club

Many Disney World guests are familiar with Disney World's popular shopping and restaurant area known as Disney Springs. Before Disney Springs became what it is today, there used to be an area known as Downtown Disney, which opened in the spring of 1989. Downtown Disney was closed in 2008 to make way for the larger Disney Springs, and is known as the Landing Area today.

Pleasure Island, which was part of Downtown Disney, was inspired by the fictional location in the Pinocchio film and comprised of shops, dining, as well as night clubs. The Adventurers Club's backstory stated it was the library and personal museum of Merriweather Adam Pleasure, the fictitious owner of Pleasure Island who enjoyed throwing lavish parties. What was particularly unusual about the Adventurers Club is that it actually housed various animatronics, puppets, as well as cast members who mingled with guests and performed comedic performances. Additionally, the theme each night was New Year's Eve, which was an unusual experience if you visited the club during most other times of the year.

Despite this odd idea for a Disney club, many guests miss Pleasure Island and Adventurer's Club, or wish they had been able to experience it before it closed in 2008. Although it's hard to imagine this club once stood where Disney Springs is today, it is a very cool piece of Disney history that many will always remember. There have been special appearances by members of the Adventurers Club throughout the years. I was able to interact with them on the course of the 2024 Disney World Marathon which was a very cool surprise!

8. Magic Journeys 3D Film

Once housed inside the Imagination Pavilion at EPCOT was Magic Journeys 3D, one of the weirdest 3D films ever created at Disney World with no real storyline or explanation. It's purpose was to turn dreams into reality, and since dreams are typically pretty weird, I guess you could say the film was a success. Guests would wear very strange purple 3D glasses and watch a 17 minute-long film with no words, just continuous scenes such as kites turning into birds, which then turned into a school of fish, and other random scenes. Although at the time it was probably an impressive 3D film, today it just seems weird that it even existed at EPCOT.

Magic Journeys originally premiered in 1982 as one of EPCOT's opening-day attractions. It also premiered at Disneyland in 1984 and ran for two years. The Captain EO film eventually replaced EPCOT's Magic Journeys film in 1986, however, in 1987 it made a return to Magic Kingdom until it was closed in 1993. Honestly, I'm surprised the show made it as long as it did!

9. Wave Machine in Seven Seas Lagoon

 

When the beautiful Polynesian Resort was first constructed in the early 1970s, VP of Park Operations Dick Nunis was set on building a wave machine for guests to surf on near the resort. This wave machine that cost Disney World approximately $500,000 was constructed near Beachcomber Island inside the Seven Seas Lagoon before it was filled with water. Despite the high costs and difficult construction, the wave machine was successfully installed and could produce swells between four and six feet every 90 seconds.

According to Nunis' book, Walt's Apprentice: Keeping the Disney Dream Alive, the wave machine worked “too well,” and started to erode the beaches on Seven Seas Lagoon as well as Beachcomber Island. The wave machine also posted challenges to the water traffic of other boats traveling around the lagoon. Due to the costs and logistical issues, the wave machine only lasted about a year before it was shut down.

Although the wave machine has been gone for 50 years now, guests can “hang 10” at Disney World's Typhoon Lagoon water park, which offers open surf and private surf lessons in a designated area of the wave pool. Surfing at Typhoon Lagoon must be reserved and costs an additional fee. Nunis was happy to “get a little vindication” with the building of the now very popular and successful surf pool at Typhoon Lagoon!

10. Hyperspace Hoopla at Star Wars Weekends

Hollywood Studios once hosted Stars Wars Weekends, which were ultimately discontinued in 2015 before the opening of the Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge park expansion. We used to love Star Wars weekends, but they looked and felt very different compared to Galaxy's Edge today. Guests could attend a Hyperspace Hoopla which consisted of a dance-off with different Star Wars characters, including Darth Vader himself. Imagine Vader and his Stormtroopers dancing to Michael Jackson's “Thriller,” or Chewbacca dancing to “Footloose”- pretty unusual compared to the reverence of Galaxy's Edge today! Not only could guests see characters in a completely different environment, but there were so many unique characters that we don't typically see in the park's today, such as Jawas, Darth Maul, and Boba Fett.

Star Wars Weekends took place in 1997, 2000, 2001, and between 2003-2015. Although we love the addition of Galaxy's Edge, it is very weird to think the park once used to host what were essentially dance parties for these iconic characters!

11. Pal Mickey Talking Dolls

 

For a few years in the early 2000s, guests could purchase a Pal Mickey talking doll to help guide them around the theme parks! These dolls debuted in 2003 and were designed for Mickey to vibrate and talk about fun trivia and facts about the parks depending on where you were located using geolocation technology. During the first year it debuted, guests could even rent a Pal Mickey and return him when their vacation ended! I thought Pal Mickeys were such a cool idea, but unfortunately they were discontinued in 2008. It does appear there are Pal Mickeys for sale on ebay.com costing between $60 and $125 for those interested!

Although it would be cool to hear Mickey's trivia and facts about the parks, Disney did add beautiful character statues throughout the theme parks as part of their 50th anniversary celebration. These gold statues can interact with your MagicBand+ when you are close by and wave your arm around. If only we could have our own personal Mickey tour guide instead!