Disney Utilidors Secrets- Not Safe For Magic (and a surprise!) | Confessions of a Theme Park Worker

A lot of people want to know more about the utilidors at Walt Disney World, including the behind the scenes, beyond the magic, nitty gritty details. I got some great questions from my last video about the utilidors, and to answer them it means doing something I rarely do- pull down the curtain just a little bit on some of the magic.
Plus at the end of the video I have a surprise that I received that is just incredible that I have to show off and share with you.
A behind the scenes look at what a former worker at Disney World, Silver Dollar City, and Busch Gardens Florida experienced in his time working at the parks. From driving large safari trucks around live wild animals while cracking one silly joke after another, to spending 5 years as a #PhotoPass photographer at #WaltDisneyWorld and seeing and experiencing all sorts of things, to being a conductor and #trainrobber on the famous Frisco Silver Dollar Line at #SilverDollarCity. With 10 years of working in the parks, there's lots of stories to tell. Here is some of them...
Not only did I work in theme parks for 10 years, I've visited a whole lot of them as well. Here's some stories of great visits, not so great visits, favorites, reviews, and much more.
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Special thanks to Anna Simpson for the Park Tales intro and Daniel Higgins (Goofy809) for the outro. Copyright and TM issues have been cleared through Joanne Choi of Disney legal and fall under parody/ satire provisions of law.

[@teresacarosella7624]

That picture is gorgeous. John is extremely talented.

[@josequezada7142]

He is

[@lijohnyoutube101]

WOW!!! 😍😍

[@gc4644]

In 2007 I was a CM in IT, we did a team build event and took a tour of the castle apartment. The elevator (to get to the top of castle and apartment) is in a little room on the right side of castle hallway (as you enter from main st). You can fit 4-5 ppl in the elevator. It opens (at the top of castle) in a beautiful gold and purple round atrium with some glass trophy cases (containing Cinderellas slipper, magic wand and other things). Was a great experience i will never forget!

[@SirWillow]

Thanks for the clarification! After a dozen years and really only having it pointed out to me it's good to have someone who's been in it explain.

[@marissa5239]

John...WOW! That stained glass is BEAUTIFUL! Its truly a lovely piece of art

[@brummiegazz]

We did the tour last year. Loved it, seeing the floats being re-decorated was great, the smell from the garbage disposal system was pooooohhhh , haha. Utilidoors was very interesting , as was the Haunted Mansion back stage tour. I would highly recommend it. Keep up the good work

[@rosalindsmith1220]

The glass picture is wonderful

[@smileybunny1239]

oh boy! this seems so fun! so excited to watch!!

[@richardmeredith6534]

We know how big a fan you are of Figment Sir Willow so the stained glass must be a real treat for you!

[@SirWillow]

yes, it really is!

[@josequezada7142]

When you are in the Utilidors and you look at where parts of the costumes for the characters are, can you see some "extinct" like roger rabit or the gumy bears yes like gummies?

[@josq1q266]

Good question I have always wonder if they throw the costumes away

[@academia4en120]

Me too

[@SirWillow]

I honestly never looked that close. You can see a wall of costumes, along with the racks, but it's hard to tell what's what without staring. And then people will start to ask questions. lol

[@josequezada7142]

Ok thank you

[@SirWillow]

@josq1 I'm only guessing on this as I didn't work in wardrobe or know anyone who did. But I believe that as long as a costume was usable and looked good they would keep using it. When one was worn out and not usable anymore I don't know if they recycled them or what happened to them offhand. It would be interesting to know.

[@valsblackcatsrule8740]

Great stories! And... the bloopers! I giggled so hard! Stay safe and healthy out there! Thank you for sharing a part of your day with us!

[@tomklock568]

Pretty amazing!

[@Caderic]

Colors looking really good in this video. The green looks GREEN, not yellow. I'm glade you fixed that. Kind of bothered me a bit. LOOKS GREAT!

[@SirWillow]

Filmed this with my phone instead of my webcam, so that's probably why the color is better- it's a much better camera.

[@steviefunk-kelly7186]

Yes, that stained glass is really pretty! I agree taking the tour and seeing behind the scenes is totally cool and fascinating.

[@spookerredmenace3950]

beautiful work John!

[@Short_Rachel.]

Thanks for answering my question. 😊👍🏻

[@catmomjill]

Very cool leaded glass! That is really something.

[@LordoftheFliers]

Thanks for all the encouraging words, everyone. I was glad to do it. It was my way of saying thanks to Sir Willow for the great entertainment and encouragement he provides others on a weekly basis.

[@SirWillow]

Thank you again. I'm still blown away by it. We have it hanging in our living room window now.

[@lijohnyoutube101]

So talented!

[@erikanelsen8578]

John, the stained glass Figment is amazing. You’re very talented. Great work.

[@kevinpetit9886]

Great video. 🙂👍❤

[@spookerredmenace3950]

love your shirt!

[@JohanMsWorld]

Now I want to see a tank truck. :) That glass os amacing and it would be cool to see how it look like when its lit by sunshine. Johan.

[@vincentwesolowski459]

Oh, I would definitely get myself in trouble if I was a CastMember. On my days off I would be investigating as much as I could possibly get away with. If I worked in till closing, hmmmm let’s check out what’s behind this door? Oh that would be so neat! The stained glass of Figment is WOW! What a great gift! I’m envious. I finally got a chance to watch hyperspace hoopla. Boy, I wish I could see that in person, what a great show!

[@gc4644]

I was a CM in 2007 & 2008, and I did just that for a few weeks. It was always a dream of mine (as a kid) to explore below and behind wdw, and I finally got to do it! It is very cool!! I stumbled into the door that led into the old Snow White ride, saw a framed golden shovel used by Roy Disney, saw the room where dancers practice, and the room where they hand out character costumes.

[@vincentwesolowski459]

@@gc4644 Oh, that must have been a blast!

[@craigkollai2806]

Regarding the "armoured cars" you mentioned here and in previous videos, are you thinking like a Brinks currency transport vehicle, SWAT Team 6 wheeled scout car, both, or something else? Quite possibly your best video ever; so many bloopers! (And the beginning part was good too) I was thinking of the lines "Do you wanna? Do you really wanna?" and "You can't handle the truth" toward the beginning. We had similar warnings before the Backstage Magic tour and I believe the minimum age for that was 16 at the time. Still want to try K2tK sometime though, and maybe repeat WiWF someday because it goes to his apartment now!

[@SirWillow]

The Brinks currency cars are what I'm talking about. Cash control was down in the tunnel a bit and they'd pull the armored cars right up to it. hehe, I was actually tempted to use those lines at the beginning but couldn't come up with a way that didn't end up really cheesy instead of funny. I would love to go on the WiWF tour someday. One of these days we'll make it back to Disneyland and manage it.

[@craigkollai2806]

@@SirWillow LoL, next time I vote you roll with cheese, it pairs well with dad jokes. ;). Alternatively, record both but put it in a Patron/Member exclusive "deleted scenes" compilation someday!!!

[@thunderfoot223]

That stain glass is great looking and I wonder if you layed the under ground tunnels end to end in walt Disney how many miles would that be ?

[@IUmusicBoi]

Hehehe...the backside of figment

[@SirWillow]

😅

[@jaytoser5212]

At the Guthrie (Minneapolis), I used to work sets & lighting. But it was always indoor work. When I toured WDW, I became curious about how they handled the weather (especially sound, lights & electrical) during bad weather like hurricanes. Do the outdoor stages get dismantled? Or, just let the pieces fall, and repair after the storm?

[@mtarango]

being in the utilidoors, itll take a while, but you get used to the smell. When we get on shift in the morning and head down to the breakroom, sometimes, we'd hear from other CMs that "Hey, just a heads up, there will be a keys to the kingdom tour today, or sometimes it will be out of nowhere. As a horse drawn trolley driver for my DCP, before my position as a photopass photographer, it is noticeable somewhat from underneath when we drive over different parts of the utilidoors.

[@strongsadventures]

Just had a thought are there any issues with the Utilidors flooding during heavy rains or Hurricanes? Really cool Figment that John made for you. LOL Love the bloopers.

[@SirWillow]

Florida of course has heavy rain for much of the year. So it is all designed with good drainage systems that prevent the water from getting inside.

[@strongsadventures]

@@SirWillow Thank you.

[@mikeyjdpluto1728]

Is tinker bell costume diferente at night for the fioworks ?

[@SirWillow]

Absolutely! The day time one doesn't need the safety harness or the lights

[@Mysticblue1212]

I appreciate you giving the heads up as far as you spoiling the magic. However for those that are concerned about keeping the magic alive oh, do you really think that they would click on a video like this?

[@SirWillow]

yep. Because I've built a reputation for not spoiling the magic, so I will have people click and watch my videos without thinking about it, especially many of my subcribers. The utilidors in and of themselves don't spoil anything, which is why I've done videos about them before. However this talks about things that do spoil some of it, which is why I give the warning.

[@Werstist]

As a Quick Service cast member. I was closer friends with custodial members than people at my own restaurant. 😅 I was always outside answering questions and greeting so a lot of the Custodial would hide underneath the awning for shade and chat a bit.

[@SirWillow]

That's awesome. Yes, you'll get to know the cast that you work with the best. So if you were out there, that's who you'd know. I did get to know a few of the merch people from those times I worked in "the view" where we printed and sold the photos. And entertainment because we worked with them- in particular the characters and their attendants. There were a few parade people I got to know a bit as well. But didn't know any of the attractions or food CM's,or ones from many other departments.

[@timetraveler9218]

Did Keys to the Kingdom tour and seen all of the characters in the parade in half costumes 🤣

[@johnskowronski4906]

I'll be honest I'm still catching up to your last 2 video.. But did you now disnney had a space rock band called helax

[@calliemyersbuchanan6458]

Hi. Can you do a checklist somewhere of the brochures/maps you have in your collection? I have a bunch I want to send you but not sure what ones you have already.

[@SirWillow]

There's way to many for me to be able to do a checklist. They fill a file cabinet and a half. lol But I actually like having duplicates of the ones I have, especially from different years. It's a great way to look at the history of a park and see how it's changed over time. You can get a little look at what I have in these videos: kzbin.info/www/bejne/qmKXg5ekqq1gicU (a short look at some of it) kzbin.info/www/bejne/qpOyXneumdODotk (this is a long one, but gives a pretty good look at a bunch of different parts of it)

[@trvlnthru]

Thanks for sharing knowledge from you experience with us in this video. This was a really fascinating topic. Enjoyed this a lot!

[@DisneyMarkUK]

Great video, could you do a part 2 please? Cheers

[@SirWillow]

This actually is the part two. Hehe

[@DisneyMarkUK]

SirWillow haaa, part 3 then? I’ll hunt out part 1. Thank you 😁

[@SirWillow]

What would you want in a part 3 that I haven't covered already? (assuming that you found the other part already. It will actually pop up as a card link in the first 2-3 minutes of this video)

[@JoshDoesTravel]

What are some of the more “interesting” requirements to be a friend of a character? I know that friends of Mickey and Goofy need to be a certain height, but are there any other kinds odd or interesting requirements?

[@SirWillow]

height and size are the biggest ones. You have to be able to fit the costumes and fit within the character range. They also have try outs where they audition people on their "animation" (acting and portraying the character) ability and other things like that.

[@la_flame_trav]

Can you show the secret entrances?

[@SirWillow]

No. Because then they wouldn't be secret

[@jessetoy4729]

I have heard tinker bell at the fioworks some times is a boy is it true or just a mith

[@SirWillow]

I can tell you that it is a trained stuntperson, who gets stunt pay for it. Other than that I haven't met them so can only go by what I hear others say.

[@gc4644]

Its true, when we took a tour of the castle apartment, they also showed us the balcony were Tink takes off from. They said tink sometimes is indeed a man, mostly because the women dont like slamming into the vertical mattress stood up at the end of the guide wire. Lol

[@patgreen8619]

Somewhat related - When I watch videos of the parades, I worry about the safety of the characters on the floats. Are there invisible tethers on at least the highest ones? I've only spotted a few that are definitely roped up.

[@SirWillow]

All the characters in the parades are either tethered or have a harness or a secured standing position where they're not going to have to worry about being moved or thrown or slip and loose their footing.

[@patgreen8619]

I'm glad to hear it. I guess making it as invisible as possible helps preserve the magic, but I actually found the worry distracting!

[@JackDecker63]

Interview people who work at theme parks! Unlike ordinary interviewers, you've done it yourself so I am sure you could ask better questions and get them to let their guard down and give you better answers. And interview them at all levels of the organization and different jobs there. From the CEO to the grounds crew. Start with fellow Disney KZbinrs. A good excuse to do a collaboration video with them. Part One on the more popular channel and Part Two on the other channel.

[@SirWillow]

I've actually done a couple of interviews with other former workers in the past. Didn't get a lot of views. I would love to do some collabs with other youtubers, but scheduling and other things have made it hard. Doing videos and interviews of current employees isn't going to happen though. Current ones can't- it can actually cost them their jobs while working for the company. And I'm not big enough for the PR departments or the company heads to be interested. :-)

[@JackDecker63]

@@SirWillow Look into KZbin conventions and see if you can hook up with other Disney KZbinrs going to it. Or find a convention near you and contact other Disney KZbinrs to see if they're going to it and if they are, if they'd be up for a collaboration interview with you. They might go just to do a collaboration video with you. Then again, are there Disney conventions? If so, go to them and make a TON of videos interviewing everyone and their dog there. ;-) Also look into KZbin animators. Some will animate a good story of yours. Just make it about your funniest Disney story and it might get you a lot of views ... with some spilling over into subscribers.

[@TheRealMr.Higgbottom]

Not for magic #disneykayfabeisold