Magic Kingdom® Park Prep: Your Guide to Seeing the Movies that Inspire the Magic

Headed to Magic Kingdom® Park soon? Be sure to check out this comprehensive list of Disney films that either inspired the attractions or were inspired by the attractions at Magic Kingdom® Park! Keep in mind most titles you can find on Amazon, but some may be in the "Disney Vault" so you may have to do a little digging. Also I have only listed primary features to watch, not sequels or other shorts where characters may appear.  

Films/animated features/cartoons are listed first, with the attraction or restaurant listed below and the location in parenthesis. I encourage families with small children to focus on the animated classics first then move on to the live-action films if you have time.

BY NO MEANS do you need to watch ANY of these to have a phenomenal day in Magic Kingdom® Park... this just helps to enhance the experience and get you excited about your upcoming trip!

So what are you waiting for?  Grab some popcorn and enjoy!!

• Classic Mickey Mouse Cartoons or the New Mickey Mouse Cartoons (like Mickey Mouse Clubhouse or these Mickey Cartoons)

  • Meet Mickey Mouse at Town Square Theater (Main Street, U.S.A.® Area)

  • Mickey's PhilharMagic® Attraction (Fantasyland® Area)

  • Pete's Silly Sideshow (Fantasyland® Area)

  • The Barnstormer (Fantasyland® Area)

    • This is a goofy-themed rollercoaster but is very much reminiscent of the the classic Goofy cartoons so many of us watched as children.

• Peter Pan

  • Meet Tinker Bell at Town Square Theater (Main Street, U.S.A.® Area)

    • Tink has also inspired a whole offshoot of Fairy Movies such as Tinker Bell, Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure, and The Pirate Fairy, just to name a few.

  • Peter Pan's Flight® Attraction (Fantasyland® Area)

  • Mickey's PhilharMagic® Attraction (Fantasyland® Area)

• Fantasia

  • Mickey's PhilharMagic® Attraction (Fantasyland® Area)

• The Lion King

  • Mickey's PhilharMagic® Attraction (Fantasyland® Area)

• Lady and the Tramp

  • Tony's Town Square Restaurant (while the food at this restaurant leaves a lot to be desired, it's fun to see the Lady and the Tramp decor here. If you're a big fan of the movie be sure to peek your head in). (Main Street, U.S.A.® Area)

• The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh

  • The Crystal Palace, A Buffet with Character Restaurant (Main Street, U.S.A.® Area)

  • The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (Fantasyland® Area)

• Swiss Family Robinson

  • Swiss Family Treehouse (Adventureland® Area)

• Aladdin

  • The Magic Carpets of Aladdin Attraction (Adventureland® Area)

  • Mickey's PhilharMagic® Attraction (Fantasyland® Area)

• Pirates of the Caribbean® Movies

  • Pirates of the Caribbean® Attraction (Adventureland® Area)

  • A Pirate's Adventure ~ Treasures of the Seven Seas (Adventureland® Area) - this is an interactive game where you collect Treasure Finder Cards and unlock special effects in the Adventureland® Area - lots of fun for boys and girls (and adults!) alike!

  • The Pirates League (Adventureland® Area) - you can transform into a pirate here for ages 3 through adult.  Extra fee required.

• Song of the South

  • Splash Mountain® Attraction (Frontierland® Area)

    • This film will be VERY hard to find as the Walt Disney Company has removed it from circulation due to controversy surrounding the it.  I have seen it, and love the animated portions of the film depicting the stories of Uncle Remus, Br'er Rabbit, Br'er Fox, and Br'er Bear.  At the very least, if you can't see the film be sure to check out YouTube videos of the animated portions by doing a simple search for Br'er Rabbit within YouTube.  And of course, you must watch this clip of the classic song Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah.

• The Country Bears

  • Country Bear Jamboree Show (Frontierland® Area).  

    • This film is not a favorite of mine - I'd make it last on your watch list!  This is a case where the film was inspired by the attraction (and the film leaves a lot to be desired).

• The Haunted Mansion

  • Haunted Mansion® Attraction (Liberty Square Area)

    • This is another case where the film was inspired by the attraction, and is a live-action movie starring Eddie Murphey.  The house in the movie actually looks more like the Haunted Mansion® Attraction out in Disneyland® Park but much of the theming is exactly the same.  If you go into this movie expecting it to be cheesy and corny, you won't be disappointed in the feature, and it does have some really cool ties back to the attraction.  I'm still holding out for one that Guillermo del Toro is supposed to be making.  HOLY COW that would be amazing!!  Check out an article on that here.

Attractions or Lands that inspired movies, starting at top left and going clockwise: Country Bear Jamboree, Haunted Mansion® Attraction, Pirates of the Caribbean® Attraction, and the themed Tomorrowland® Area (Tomorrowland® Area photo courtesy of Jennifer Sebby)

•  Cinderella (animated classic) and Cinderella (live-action feature film)

  • Cinderella Castle (Fantasyland® Area and "the hub" where all "lands" meet)

  • Prince Charming Regal Carrousel (Fantasyland® Area)

  • Meet Cinderella at Princess Fairytale Hall  (Fantasyland® Area)

  • Cinderella's Royal Table Restaurant in Cinderella Castle (Fantasyland® Area)

  • Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique (Fantasyland® Area in Cinderella Castle) - transform into a Disney Princess or a Valiant night for ages 3-12 only.  Extra fee required.

  • **BONUS** while not in Magic Kingdom® Park, you can have dinner with Cinderella and Prince Charming over at Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa at 1900 Park Fare. It's a short monorail ride from Magic Kingdom® Park!

• Elena of Avalor (Disney Junior TV Show)

  • Meet Elena at Princess Fairytale Hall (Fantasyland® Area)

• The Princess and the Frog

  • Meet Tiana at Princess Fairytale Hall (Fantasyland® Area)

  • Tiana's Riverboat Party - Ice Cream Social & Viewing Party (Liberty Square Area) - this is an additionally priced experience on the Liberty Square Riverboat where you can meet Princess Tiana and Price Naveen during an Ice Cream Social and then have VIP viewing for the Festival of Fantasy Parade.

  • **BONUS** while not in Magic Kingdom® Park, you can stay in a Royal Guest Room at Disney's Port Orleans Resort - Riverside, all decked out by Tiana for her princess friends.  And the entire feel of the Magnolia Bend portion of Disney's Port Orleans Resort - Riverside is classic New Orleans plantation-style.  Love!

• Tangled

  • Meet Rapunzel at Princess Fairytale Hall (Fantasyland® Area)

  • While not an attraction, if you walk from the Fantasyland® Area to the Liberty Square Area, you will go through a part of the park that is very much dedicated to Rapunzel and you can even spot her tower.  While here, be sure to check out the restrooms - they're the prettiest ones in the Magic Kingdom and there are hints of Rapunzel throughout.

• Beauty and the Beast (animated classic) and Beauty and the Beast (live-action feature film)

  • Enchanted Tales with Belle (Fantasyland® Area)

  • Be Our Guest Restaurant (Fantasyland® Area)

  • Gaston's Tavern (Fantasyland® Area)

  • Mickey's PhilharMagic® Attraction (Fantasyland® Area)

Above, the interior of Gaston's Tavern (photo courtesy of WDW Shutterbug).  The cinnamon rolls here are delicious and you can use a snack credit to buy them on the Disney Dining Plan!

• The Little Mermaid

  • Under the Sea~Journey of the Little Mermaid (Fantasyland® Area)

  • Ariel's Grotto (meet Ariel in her mermaid form) (Fantasyland® Area)

  • Prince Eric's Village Market (snack stand) (Fantasyland® Area)

  • Mickey's PhilharMagic® Attraction (Fantasyland® Area)

  • **BONUS** while not in Magic Kingdom® Park, you can stay in a Little Mermaid room at Disney's Art of Animation Resort.  These rooms are super cute and loved by aspiring little mermaids everywhere. :-) Even if you're not staying there, if you have a Little Mermaid fan in your family it's totally worth stopping by to check out this section of the resort.

• Alice in Wonderland (animated classic) and Alice in Wonderland (live-action feature film)

  • Mad Tea Party (Fantasyland® Area)

  • Cheshire Cafe (snack stand) (Fantasyland® Area)

  • **BONUS** while not in Magic Kingdom® Park, you can have breakfast with Alice in Wonderland and the Mad Hatter (among others) over at Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa at 1900 Park Fare.  It's just a short monorail away from Magic Kingdom® Park.

• Dumbo

  • Dumbo the Flying Elephant® (Fantasyland® Area)

  • Casey Jr. Splash 'N' Soak Station (Fantasyland® Area)

  • Big Top Souvenirs (Fantasyland® Area)

• Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

  • Seven Dwarfs Mine Train (Fantasyland® Area)

• Pinocchio

  • Pinochio's Village Haus (quick-service restaurant) (Fantasyland® Area)

• Tomorrowland (live-action feature film)

  • Tomorrowland® Area

    • This live-action feature film was partly inspired by the themed land of Tomorrowland® in Magic Kingdom® Park.

• Monsters, Inc. and Monsters University

  • Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor® Attraction (Tomorrowland® Area)

• Lilo and Stitch

  • Stitch's Great Escape!™ (Tomorrowland® Area)

• Toy Story, Toy Story 2, and Toy Story 3

  • Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin® (Tomorrowland® Area)

Bonus! Fireworks & Parade

Magic Kingdom® Park's fireworks spectacular, Happily Ever After, is FULL of references to Disney movies from the past and today!  I've listed as many as I have caught below but quite possibly could have missed a few! These include:

• The Princess and the Frog

• The Little Mermaid

• The Hunchback of Notre Dame

• Finding Nemo

• Moana

• Aladdin

• The Lion King

• Big Hero 6

• Inside Out

• Monsters, Inc.

• Frozen

• Tarzan

• Dumbo

• Tangled

• Brave

• Mulan

• Sleeping Beauty

• Pirates of the Caribbean

• Peter Pan

• Toy Story

• The Jungle Book

• Alice in Wonderland

• Sleeping Beauty

• Hercules

• Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

• Pinocchio

**Note: I only provided links to films that were not outlined already above.

Above, Happily Ever After lights up the night sky and turns Cinderella Castle into an amazing projection screen during Magic Kingdom® Park's not-to-be-missed nighttime spectacular! How many Disney characters do you recognize from this picture?

Finally, Disney's Festival of Fantasy Parade also features spectacular floats, catchy music and amazing performances that highlight characters from the following Disney movies:

• Beauty and the Beast

• Cinderella

• The Princess and the Frog

• Frozen

• Tangled

• The Little Mermaid

• Peter Pan

• Brave

• Sleeping Beauty

• Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

• Alice in Wonderland

• Pinocchio

• Dumbo

• Fantasia

• Classic Cartoons featuring Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy, Pluto, Chip & Dale

Above, images of some of the Festival of Fantasy parade in Magic Kingdom® Park.

A Magical "First": The My First Haircut Package at the Harmony Barber Shop

There are many moments in a child’s life that are special… their first tooth, their first steps, their first word… and their first haircut.  Did you know you can make one of those even MORE special through the magic of Disney?  

I discovered Disney’s My First Haircut package when planning our family trip when my twin boys were going to be 9 months old.  Now my kiddos’ hair grows super fast & they were looking pretty wooly by 9 months so the timing was perfect, but you could have your baby or toddler’s hair cut at any age with this package.  For $25 per child, you get their hair cut, a keepsake pouch with a lock of their hair, a certificate, and commemorative Mickey Ears that have the phrase “My 1st Haircut” embroidered on the back.  It’s actually quite a deal when you consider it costs me personally $15 each time I take one of my boys to get their hair cut locally, and the current cost of Mickey Ears without any embroidery in the parks is $14.99! 

They covered them with stickers and gave them a toy to play with to distract them from the task at hand!

The cast members who cut their hair were simply amazing.  Josh and Robey were a little skeptical at first about letting strangers cut their hair, but after covering both of them in Mickey Mouse stickers and giving them a light-up spinning toy to play with to distract them, they were looking like perfect little gentlemen in no time!  And I got some great pictures of a moment I’ll never forget.  It’s well worth the money to say your child’s first haircut was at Walt Disney World!  How cool is that?!?

Additional tip:  The Harmony Barber Shop is right near where all the parade floats exit to go “backstage”.  Our haircut time was at 3 p.m. - which meant by the time the Festival of Fantasy parade was getting to the end of its route, we were at a prime viewing spot to watch the floats and see them all end the parade.  What a bonus!!

All this was included with the package - a certificate suitable for framing, a lock of their hair and some "pixie dust", and their very first set of Classic Mouse Ears!

Can Walt Disney World® really be less expensive than your local theme park?

Last weekend the hubs and I took our kiddos to Tweetsie Railroad, a Wild West Theme Park in the North Carolina mountains.  We had a great time and I love exploring all our local attractions.  Tweetsie is the oldest theme park in North Carolina still in operation.  However, as I rode the chair lift to Miner's Mountain and took in the mountain scenery from the Ferris Wheel with my little ones, it got me to thinking... how does THIS day compare to a day at Disney?

Some pics from Tweetsie, July 2016

The simple answer is there really is no comparison.  While my family & I loved Tweetsie and I am a huge advocate for supporting the local economy and local attractions, Disney far outweighs just about any local theme park anywhere around in terms of entertainment, attractions, restaurants, and family fun.  *DISCLAIMER* - in this post I am in no way, shape or form saying that Tweetsie is not a great theme park and I will say right now it is very much worth your time and money.  This is strictly a comparison of that park's offerings and prices (or any local theme park you may have near you) versus the Mack Daddy of all theme parks... Tweetsie just happens to be where I've most recently visited.

"But Jennifer... Disney is expensive!  It's over $100 a day for a ticket! The food is overpriced!  The souvenirs are outrageous!  Don't get me started on the hotels there!"

Now, hold the phone.  Let me break out a couple of comparisons for you to show you how Disney can be (and is!) just as INexpensive as my day at Tweetsie!  For purposes of this comparison, I'll be using Magic Kingdom Park at Walt Disney World®.

Some of my favorite pics from our trip to Disney's Magic Kingdom in May of 2016

First, let's look at the facts of Tweetsie vs. the Magic Kingdom.  Note all these facts were valid at the time of this publication:

• Number of attractions (including rides & shows): Tweetsie = 24, Magic Kingdom = 41

  • Note that the Magic Kingdom count includes some but not ALL shows - things like the Park Opening Show or Mickey's Royal Friendship Faire are not included in this total, nor are some of the character or princess meet & greets as they can change frequently.

• Number of restaurants: Tweetsie = 10, Magic Kingdom = 31

  • This includes stands for ice cream and other treats.  In this count, Tweetsie has zero table service restaurants, the Magic Kingdom has 8 table service restaurants where you can sit down and be served by a wait staff.

•  Number of Parades:  Tweetsie = 0, Magic Kingdom = 2  (The Festival of Fantasy Parade & the Main Street Electrical Parade)

•  Amount of Time to See the Park: Tweetsie can easily be enjoyed and visited in a half day (depending on crowds); I regularly tell my clients you need a full 2 days to see & enjoy all that the Magic Kingdom has to offer.  

•  Number of Fireworks Shows Daily: Tweetsie = 0, Magic Kingdom = 1... and boy, does the Magic Kingdom's Wishes Fireworks show blow any other fireworks show you have ever seen out of the water!

•  Park Hours:  Tweetsie is typically only open from 9 a.m. until 6 p.m. (except during their cool summer nights on weekends when they are open until 9 p.m.).  I've never known the Magic Kingdom to close before 8 p.m. (and that's during the very slow season) unless for a specially-ticketed event like Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party; most nights it is open until at least 9 p.m. or later (and later still on Extra Magic Hours nights for those staying on property).  

So now let's look at the ticket pricing.  Since my kiddos were under 3 when we visited, they were able to get into Tweetsie for free.  This is the same at all Disney® parks... children under 3 are free.  This is true EVEN IF your child is turning 3 the second day you are there!  (And what a fabulous way to celebrate a birthday!).  The age of the child when you check in to your resort is the age Disney considers them throughout your length of stay.  Good to know!  So for this comparison I'll be pricing out 2 adult tickets only.

Adult tickets at Tweetsie Railroad were $44 each (that included tax).  When you compare that to a $110 (plus tax) one-day ticket for the Magic Kingdom park during regular season Tweetie's price blows it out of the water, right?  I agree, 110%.  But how many people go to Disney for just one day?  As an authorized Disney travel planner, Ears of Experience always recommends at least 5-7 days at Walt Disney World® - especially if it is your first trip or you haven't been in a few years.  This will give you at least 2 days at the Magic Kingdom, and a day each at Epcot, Disney's Hollywood Studios and Disney's Animal Kingdom. 

A fact about Walt Disney World® tickets that many people don't realize or understand is that the longer you stay, the less you pay for your ticket each day.  Note the price breakdowns below (remembering this is all at time of publication, for an average day, and prices don't include tax):

• 1-day adult ticket: $110 per ticket
• 2-day adult ticket: $101 per ticket
• 3-day adult ticket: $96.67 per ticket  
• 4-day adult ticket: $81.25 per ticket
• 5-day adult ticket: $68 per ticket

You get it.  But, to get down to less than Tweetsie when you strictly look at the price per ticket per day, you'd have to stay at Disney for 9 days (at that point the price for an adult ticket per day is $43.34).  

HOWEVER - when you look at how much more you are paying per day for a ticket exponentially, when you are already staying at Disney for a certain number of days, you can get to that magic number fairly quickly.  Check out the calculations below (note this is for two adult tickets with TAX INCLUDED):

• For two adult tickets at Walt Disney World® for 2 days, your total (WITH tax) is $430.26.  
• If you decide to stay for 3 days, you'll end up paying $187.44 more for the two tickets (=$93.72 per adult) making a 3-day ticket for 2 adults $617.70 (tax included).  
• Staying for 4 days?  The cost difference for a 4 day ticket for 2 adults over a 3 day ticket is ONLY $74.56!  That's $37.28 per adult ticket... so when you do the math when you are already staying at Disney for 3 days, adding on a 4th day ticket is LESS than a single ticket to many of your local theme parks.  
• A 5-day ticket over a 4-day ticket ends up being - get this - only $31.94 more for both adults than if you are going and staying only 4 days ($692.26 for (2) 4-day adult tickets vs. $724.20 for (2) 5-day adult tickets).  See the value?  That's only $15.97 more per person to purchase 5 day tickets over 4 day tickets.

Now that we've gotten that out of the way, what about meals?  We ate at the Feed & Seed and my husband and I each got a Pulled Pork plate with French Fries, the kids got Chicken Tenders with French Fries.  The food was what you'd expect of typical theme park food... it will sustain you but it's nothing to write home about.  We spend about $32 on 2 adults and 2 children for the meals.  A comparable restaurant in Magic Kingdom would be Casey's Corner, where you can get a Chili Cheese Hot Dog with French Fries for $10.79 each and a kid's meal for about $7.99 each.  That ends up being about $37.56 for the meal - only about $5 more than what we spent at Tweetsie.  That total would likely drop down even less if you were on the Disney Dining Plan which can offer substantial savings over paying out of pocket for your meals... but that's the subject of another blog entry....!

Now for souvenirs.  My little boys have wanted toy guns for ages... now I have to note that you can't find a toy gun on property anywhere at Disney... (and honestly with the way the world is today I can understand why), so I'll have to use a light saber toy as a comparison.  At Tweetsie we were able to find my boys little toy western-style guns.  The price of those very small toy guns at Tweetsie was $21.99 each.  They are cap guns so we also bought some caps for them (note we are waiting till they are older to give those to them!) at $3.25 each per pack (we got 2 packs for each kiddo).  That brings the grand total of these toys for them to $28.49 each.  Comparably, an official Star Wars® licensed light saber in a Disney park is $29.95.  Barely a buck fifty more.  We did note that the next bigger size toy gun at Tweetsie was $29.99 (without the caps).

Finally I'll leave you with this - lodging.  Personally my family camped during this weekend of North Carolina mountain fun, but I just looked for room reservations at the Holiday Inn in Blowing Rock, NC on a Saturday night in the summer and compared it to a Disney Value Resort for the same day... $157.88 for a single Saturday night at the Holiday Inn Blowing Rock... $158.00 for a single Saturday night at Disney's All-Star Music Resort on Disney property.  Wait, what?!? :-)  And you have to think about what all a stay on Disney property includes... complimentary transportation to all the parks, your Magic Bands and Fastpasses for rides when you pair it with tickets, the amazing pools and the overall magical feeling you get when you are staying on-property at Walt Disney World®.  

After all, can anything really compare with that?