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32 Surprisingly Dark Facts About Disney

By:: Cracked Writers; Brian C. Miller

August 13, 2023

32 Surprisingly Dark Facts About Disney

So many of us have fuzzy nostalgic memories of Disney. Be it their classic animated films, the second renaissance with hits like Beauty and the Beast and The Lion King, or more recent pop-culture staples like Star Wars and the MCU. But like all things you love, there's a weird dark side to the corporate happiness monolith. Have you seen how expensive those parks are, even without factoring in parking or food? What about the creepy abandoned properties? The weird rules about underwear that basically gave everyone who worked there pubic lice? Oh, and that’s not even getting into the wild amount of Nazi stuff…

32 Disney's Metal Detectors

CRACKED.COM IT WASN'T UNTIL 2015 THAT DISNEY STARTED INSTALLING METAL DETECTORS AT OF ITS THEME PARKS... ...A WEEK AFTER A MAN TRIED TO ENTER DISNEY WORLD WITH A HANDGUN-AND LONG AFTER SEVERAL OTHER INCIDENTS INVOLVING FIREARMS, INCLUDING TWO HOSTAGE SITUATIONS AND A SUICIDE. — Source: 24 Startlingly Dark Secrets About The Disney Company

31 Big Thunder Mountain Railroad

BAD: YOU'RE IN THE LEAD CAR ON DISNEYLAND'S BIG THUNDER MOUNTAIN RAILROAD WHEN IT DERAILS. WORSE: ONE OF YOUR FELLOW PASSENGERS IS KILLED. EVEN WORSE: YOU SPEND BETWEEN 20 MINUTES AND AN HOUR STUCK WITH THE DEAD MAN WHILE PARAMEDICS PRY THE INJURED OUT OF THE WRECK. THE GOOD NEWS: THIS DIDN'T REALLY HAPPEN TO YOU. THE BAD NEWS: THIS REALLY HAPPENED TO SOMEBODY ELSE, IN 2003. CRACKED.COM — Source: 24 Startlingly Dark Secrets About The Disney Company

30 Disney is expensive as hell

A single day's admission to Disney's Magic Kingdom, during peak attendance (weekends/holidays) will cost a family of 2 adults and 2 children a minimum of $500. (No flight, no hotel, no parking, no souvenirs, no food, just park admission.) CRACKED COM — Source: 24 Startlingly Dark Secrets About The Disney Company

29 Rivers County, Walt Disney World

GRACKED COM Walt Disney World's River County was once responsible for the death of a boy in 1980, who died after contracting a brain-eating amoeba while swimming in the water park. However, this incident wasn't enough to shut it down. It was only shut down in 2001 due to lack of demand. — Source: 24 Startlingly Dark Secrets About The Disney Company

28 Mickey gas mask

Walt Disney himself helped to design a Mickey Mouse gas mask Though few remain, you can find several on display in various museums in the United States. CRACKED.COM — Source: 24 Startlingly Dark Secrets About The Disney Company

27 Debra Stone and "America Sings"

CRACKED.COM In 1974, 18 year-old Debbie Stone became the first Disney Employee to die on the job. Following a performance of America Sings, a ride with a rotating stage, Debbie became trapped by a moving wall and was crushed to death. — Source: 24 Startlingly Dark Secrets About The Disney Company

26 Ratatouille wine was a bad idea

Disney once planned to sell Ratatouille-themed wine. It didn't end well. CHARDONNAY BOURCOCNE RATATOUILLE The plans were cancelled at the last minute over criticisms that the cute cartoon wine ads would attract people below the legal drinking age, violating advertising standards. CRACKED.COM — Source: 24 Startlingly Dark Secrets About The Disney Company

25 The Beatles ended at Disney

THE BEATLES OFFICIALLY ENDED ON DISNEY PROPERTY. IN 1974, ON VACATION AT DISNEY'S POLYNESIAN VILLAGE RESORT, JOHN LENNON SIGNED THE CONTRACT THAT DISSOLVED THE GROUP. Disney's Polynesian Village Resort CRACKED.COM — Source: 24 Startlingly Dark Secrets About The Disney Company

24 Fake American flags

EXCEPT FOR THE BIG FLAG IN TOWN SQUARE, THE AMERICAN FLAGS THROUGHOUT DISNEYLAND'S MAIN STREET U.S.A. ARE FAKE, WITH THE WRONG NUMBER OF STARS AND/OR STRIPES. THIS IS DELIBERATE: IF THE FLAGS WERE FAITHFUL TO THE U.S. FLAG, THEY WOULD HAVE TO BE RAISED, LOWERED, AND FLOWN AT HALF-MAST PER U.S. CODE. GRACKED.COM — Source: 24 Startlingly Dark Secrets About The Disney Company

23 Disney's shared underwear

UNTIL 2001, LAUNDERING OF COMPANY-ISSUED UNDERWEAR WAS SO SUB-PAR, DISNEY PARK EMPLOYEES WERE GIVEN STINKY, STAINED UNDIES-AS WELL AS PUBIC LICE AND SCABIES. IT TOOK THE TEAMSTERS UNION TWO MONTHS TO CONVINCE DISNEY TO ALLOW EMPLOYEES TO TAKE UNDERWEAR HOME TO WASH THEMSELVES. CRACKED.COM — Source: 24 Startlingly Dark Secrets About The Disney Company

22 Disney abandoned resort

After wasting 30 million dollars and causing an incredible amount of environmental damage... Disney had to completely abandon a fully built resort in the Bahamas. They didn't fully map out the logistics of ferrying the tourists to and from their cruise ships, and instead of salvaging what they could and relocating, they left it all in place to rot. CRACKED.COM — Source: 24 Startlingly Dark Secrets About The Disney Company

21 Disney basically dictates copyright law

DISNEY GRAGKED.COM ALMOST COMPLETELY DICTATES U.S. COPYRIGHT LAW! C THE COMPANY HAS SUCCESSFULLY LOBBIED CONGRESS MULTIPLE TIMES TO EXTEND THE TIME LIMIT ON COPYRIGHT PROTECTIONS JUST TO KEEP MICKEY OUT OF THE PUBLIC DOMAIN — Source: 24 Startlingly Dark Secrets About The Disney Company

20 Lemmings don't deliberately commit suicide

Disney widely popularized the myth that lemmings deliberately commit mass suicide in its nature documentary White Wilderness. FROM THE TOP OF THE WORLD! FABULOUS NEW ADVENTURE IN EXCITING ENTERTAINMENT Walt Disney's WHITE WILDFRNESS TECHNICOLOR . TRUE-LIFE ADVENTURE FEATURE Disney filmmakers actually threw the cute rodents of a cliff to stage a scene of their migration, now known to be a natural act of dispersion that involves some accidental deaths. GRACKED.COM — Source: 24 Startlingly Dark Secrets About The Disney Company

19 A secret derelict water park

There's a derelict water park, River Country, inside Disney's resort in Florida. Seph Lawless had to scale a twenty feet high, blacked-out fence to take these photos, after which he was banned from Disney World for life. CRACKED.COM — Source: 24 Startlingly Dark Secrets About The Disney Company

18 Alligators of Disney

Walt Disney World has a severe alligator infestation. The number of alligators caught within the premises of the resort increases every year, mainly because it is located at the center of water ways and canals commonly inhabited by alligators. GRACKED.COM — Source: 24 Startlingly Dark Secrets About The Disney Company

17 Matterhorn Bobsleds Ride

CRACKED.COM THE SECOND OF TWO FATALITIES (THE FIRST WAS IN 1964) ON Disneyland's MATTERHORN BOBSLEDS RIDE WAS THAT OF A 48-YEAR-OLD WOMAN WHO FLEW OUT OF HER BOBSLED WHEN IT HIT A DROP, AND WAS MOWED DOWN RACE THRU ALPINE PASSES AND ICE CAVERNS II Matterhorn BY THE NEXT CAR. BOBSLEDS HER SEATBELT WAS UNFASTENED. DISNEY - WHICH SETTLED A LAWSUIT FILED BY THE WOMAN'S FAMILY - CHANGED THE RIDE'S SEATBELT DESIGN AFTER THE ACCIDENT, BUT INSISTED THE TIMING WAS COINCIDENTAL. — Source: 24 Startlingly Dark Secrets About The Disney Company

16 Disney & Nazis

TWO EX-NAZIS DESIGNED ICONIC DISNEY PARK LANDMARKS WALT DISNEY TAPPED EX- SS ENGINEER WERHNER VON BRAUN TO HELP DESIGN rax DISNEYLAND'S ROCKET To THE MOON. FORMER LUFTWAFFE INTERROGATOR HANNS SCHARFF INSTALLED MOSAIC MURALS AT WALT DISNEY WORLD AND EPCOT. CRACKED.COM — Source: 24 Startlingly Dark Secrets About The Disney Company

15 Disney's riot police

IN 1970, YOUTHS STORMED Tom SAWYER'S ISLAND. DISNEY CALLED IN THE RIOT POLICE. The 300 protesters-members of the Yippie movement-raised their flag (a pot leaf in a red star). Still, their numbers fell far short of the 20,000 that Disney predicted would come. The kids threw flowers at cops as they were kicked out. CRACKED.COM — Source: Dark Moments From Disney’s Past

14 Human remains in Pirates of the Caribbean

PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN HAD REAL HUMAN BONES. THEY LOOKED BETTER THAN PLASTIC PROPS. Eventually, the bones were buried and replaced. But numerous park employees and Disney enthusiasts insist (probably falsely) the ride still has some mixed in, including at least one skull. CRACKED.COM — Source: Dark Moments From Disney’s Past

13 Disney and Daycares

DISNEY SUED A BUNCH OF DAYCARE CENTERS. THE CRIME: PAINTING MICKEY ON THE WALL. This was copyright infringement, so Disney had legal standing. The suit never went to court. The centers agreed to paint over Mickey with toons from Hanna-Barbera and Universal, who were more generous and gave permission. CRACKED.COM — Source: Dark Moments From Disney’s Past

12 Brain-eating amoebas

A BRAIN-EATING АМОЕВА INFECTED A WATER PARK GUEST. THE KID WAS 11, GOT SICK, AND DIED. The child got amoebic meningoencephalitis from visiting Disney's River Country water park. River Country remained open for 21 more years, and the park never had a repeat of this incident, though two other children did drown there. CRACKED.COM — Source: Dark Moments From Disney’s Past

11 Nixon on Disney property

Former U.S. President RICHARD NIXON's most famous speech, containing the line IAM NOT A CROOK OF THE SEAL of ziu UNITED happened at WALT DISNEY WORLD! The speech took place at a meeting of Associated Press editors at Disney's Contemporary Resort. CRACKED.COM — Source: 24 Startlingly Dark Secrets About The Disney Company

10 Yikes, Disney. YIKES.

A day after the infamous Kristallnacht, when thousands of Jews were brutalized, WALT Disney was the only one of Hollywood's big names who agreed to meet with Leni Riefenstahl, one of Hitler's favorite filmmakers and declared Nazi sympathizer and promoter. Не gave her a tour of his studio. CRACKED CON — Source: 24 Startlingly Dark Secrets About The Disney Company

9 Using sweatshops

You've probably heard of Disney's sweatshops. You might not have heard that some of them were within the USA. In Laguna Hills, California, a Disney contractor by the name of КТВА Inc. paid some employees only $1.20 per hour, and hired children as young as 7, to manufacture toy tiaras and wands. CRACKED.COM — Source: 24 Startlingly Dark Secrets About The Disney Company

8 Walt & The FBI

CRACKED.COM WALT Disney had a 7'0 7'0 6'7 6'7 very cooperative relationship '4 with the F.B.I. during Hoover's 6'1 6'1 administration. '8 5'8 FBI INFORMANT '5 5'5 '2 5'2 '9 4'9 '8 4'8 4'7 '7 4'4 Не accused several of his own DE animators of being communists because they organized a strike asking for better working conditions. 3'2 3'2 2'9 2'9 2'6 2'6 2'3 2'3 That was one serious accusation during the 50s Red Scare. — Source: 24 Startlingly Dark Secrets About The Disney Company

7 Disney's explosives

As you might expect, the U.S. MILITARY is the largest purchaser CRACKED.COM of EXPLOSIVES in the United States. THE SECOND-LARGEST? The WALT Disney Company — Source: 24 Startlingly Dark Secrets About The Disney Company

6 Shady land dealings

DISNEY USED SHELL COMPANIES TO BUY MAGIC KINGDOM. THE AIM: LOWBALLING LANDOWNERS. By hiding that such a huge company wanted the land, they kept sellers from realizing how valuable their property was going to be. Some of the companies were named Tomahawk Properties and the cutesy M.T. Lott Co. CRACKED.COM — Source: Dark Moments From Disney’s Past

5 Alligators of Disney

DISNEY WORLD IS INFESTED WITH ALLIGATORS. ONE KILLED A 2-YEAR-OLD IN 2016. Even before that, the gator population on Disney properties had skyrocketed. Disney removed 20 to 25 from park grounds per year between 2006 and 2015, and the number doubled the following year, and doubled again to 83 the year after that. CRACKED.COM — Source: Dark Moments From Disney’s Past

4 Snow White's actress

DISNEY PAID SNOW WHITE'S VOICE ACTRESS ONLY $970. DIB4RES THE FILM MADE MILLIONS. The film didn't credit Adriana Caselotti, and she never managed to land another credited role. Disney blocked her media appearances, saying they didn't want to spoil the illusion of Snow White. CRACKED.COM — Source: Dark Moments From Disney’s Past

3 Remains in the Haunted Mansion

HAUNTED MANSION GUESTS KEEP DUMPING CREMAINS. PEUERUESTA Nr 16.05 and (CREMAINS ARE THE ASHES OF THE DEAD.) This happens at least once a month. It's A Small World is another popular dumping spot. Employees even have a code for it: НЕРА cleanup, which means they're about to go vacuum up someone's ashes. CRACKED.COM — Source: Dark Moments From Disney’s Past

2 Screwing over animators

EMPLOYEES SUED DISNEY FOR $100 MILLION. IN 2017, DISNEY SETTLED. The employees claimed Disney and other big animation studios colluded using anti-poaching agreements. The studios allegedly agreed not to steal animators from one another, letting bosses conspire to keep wages low. CRACKED.COM — Source: Dark Moments From Disney’s Past

1 WWII Propaganda

Disney made military training videos and war propaganda during WWII. Animators used their signature silly gags and cutesy art style to make things like Disney's instructional video for firing anti-tank rifles-- starkly at odds with the modern company's child-friendly image. CRACKED.COM — Source: 24 Startlingly Dark Secrets About The Disney Company

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