During a special media event, WDWNT was granted unprecedented access to Disney’s Central Shops, where cast members construct and maintain ride vehicles, signs, character costumes, and more.
Disney Central Shops
The Central Shops are over 300,000 square feet of facilities located near Magic Kingdom.
More than 400 Cast Members work at the Central Shops to maintain the mechanical operations and appearances of Walt Disney World’s attractions and 1,000+ Audio-Animatronics.
They ensure ride vehicles, props, and more not only look good, but operate smoothly and maintain safety standards.
Most of the ride vehicles we saw during our trip were from the nearby castle park. There was a trio of Tomorrowland Speedway car bodies. Ride vehicles or elements like these car bodies are periodically removed from an attraction for maintenance. This might be the cleanest we’ll ever see a Tomorrowland Speedway car.
This lightsaber-wielding Donald Duck figure is from past “Star Wars” events.
This Space Mountain rocket is also looking shiny and new, with fresh upholstery on its three seats.
Unlike the Speedway cars, this rocket is the full vehicle, including wheels on the bottom. It’s secured on a cart while in the workshop.
We saw a Doom Buggy from The Haunted Mansion.
This appears to be part of a Big Thunder Mountain Railroad train engine.
This “hunny” pot from The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh may look strange to regular riders. It’s actually a wheelchair-accessible vehicle, so it doesn’t have traditional seats.
This horse has galloped away from Prince Charming Regal Carrousel. Over 280 ride vehicles are repaired and refurbished each year at Central Shops.
One of the baby elephants from Jungle Cruise was at the shop, smiling at visitors.
This giant half-face is the Old Hag, the Evil Queen’s disguise in “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.” It originates from World of Disney in New York City. It then appeared at the defunct D Street store in Downtown Disney.
Cast Members had set up table displays for visitors to explore. This first table included elements of the Scenic Shop / Mill Shop. A poster showcased some of their other work: the Wilderness Lodge lobby chandelier, Under the Sea – Journey of the Little Mermaid mural, the giant Ariel at Art of Animation Resort, the Belle and the Beast clock at Be Our Guest, and God’s Tree in the Norway Stave Church.
There are a few familiar faces on the table. The Donald’s Dino-Bash sign is from DinoLand U.S.A. at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Though it could have been removed during the recent demolition of the land, it may also be a model like the rest of the items.
There are two sculpted figures of Remy from “Ratatouille,” probably from the development of Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure. The statue of Mickey playing golf is from Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa guest rooms.
There are two sculpted orbs featuring wavy oceanic designs. One is clear, while the other is dark brown clay.
If these mushrooms look familiar but you can’t quite place them, that would make sense. They’re straight out of Disney’s “Wish” but, as far as we know, haven’t appeared in the parks.
There’s a clay mushroom model and a full-color sculpture.
Behind the mushrooms is a clay sculpture of Spike the Bee, with his limbs on the base next to him. This looks like a model for the Spike’s Pollen-Nation Exploration scavenger hunt statues at EPCOT International Flower & Garden Festival.
A full-size “it’s a small world” doll sat on a black frame. She’s a tambourine player from the ride’s Asia room.
This detailed figure appears to be a javelina, which was removed from Living with the Land in 2019-2020.
The Buzz pieces show off the black fabric interior of his armor, ensuring comfort for the performers.
Next is a table dedicated to the Engraving Shop and the Sign Shop. A board shows off various engraved Cast Member nametags. On the table are more examples of nametags and signs.
A bookshelf showcased plastic signage, including temporary items like a menu board for a limited-time drink and a Baymax pin board.
The last table, also from the Sign Sho,p featured photos of their work and a full-size Sign and Graphics sign.
We got to visit the Assembly Shop and see a few more ride vehicles, including a teacup and a saucer from Mad Tea Party.
The teacup had been separated from its saucer for repainting, as evidenced by the pale green paint on its yellow cart.
There were also more Space Mountain rockets. In the foreground is the interior mechanism of a ride vehicle on display for us to look at.
Disney showed us how they disassemble and assemble TRON Lightcycle Run and Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind trains.
Cast Members showed how they use a laser cutter to create custom pieces.
We also got to see — but were not allowed to photograph — some of the drones, submersibles, driving, and flying vehicles used to inspect attractions.
The media event also included a playtest of the new Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin blasters and targets.
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