Walt Disney and his Imagineers would frequently take inspiration from the world around them when designing areas of the Disney parks. When walking through the parks you can find many locations that were inspired by real-life locations. Whether you are strolling through World Showcase, exploring Liberty Square, or walking in Disney’s Animal Kingdom, it’s obvious when Disney Imagineers are inspired. Continue reading to learn more about what areas in the Disney parks were inspired by real-life locations throughout the world and where to find these locations.
Liberty Square in Magic Kingdom
If you are familiar with U.S. history then Liberty Square might look a bit familiar to you. Liberty Square is based on a colonial-era American town. Guests will notice the pillory which is similar to something you might have seen in the 1700s, the Liberty Tree which is a live oak tree and a tribute to the original Liberty Tree in Boston, and the Liberty Bell replica. Each state has a replica of the original Liberty Bell which resides in Pennsylvania. Magic Kingdom’s Liberty Bell replica is Florida’s second replica, with the first being in the state’s capital of Tallahassee. Liberty Square also has a nod to colonial America’s original “plumbing” system with its brown paved pathway representing the sewage line in the streets.
World Showcase Pavilions
One area of Disney World that is full of real-life inspiration is World Showcase. Did you know that each World Showcase pavilion was commissioned and designed by the countries themselves? Specifically, the Morocco pavilion contains some areas of intricate tiling from artisans that were hand-picked by the Moroccan government. Other iconic World Showcase sights that are based on real-life locations are France’s Eifel Tower, and Japan’s tori gate which is a replica of the Itsukushima Shrine gate.
Disney’s Animal Kingdom’s Africa and Asia
Disney’s Animal Kingdom’s Imagineering team went above and beyond when researching for the Africa and Asia areas of the park. Many areas of the the park take real life inspiration from research that Imagineers conducted during the planning phase of the park.
Main Street U.S.A
Not many guests realize that Main Street U.S.A. also has real-life inspiration behind it. When Walt Disney was designing Disneyland’s Main Street he used his hometown of Marceline, Missouri as inspiration. This old time charm can be found through Disneyland’s, and Magic Kingdom’s, Main Street U.S.A.
The Jungle Cruise Attraction in Adventureland
Jungle Cruise is a unique attraction due to its comedy and its Cast Members, or Skippers, being part of the attraction itself. But Jungle Cruise also takes some real-life inspiration from famous rivers throughout the world. Guests will notice attention to detail when imitating the Nile, Amazon, Mekong, and Congo rivers.
Are you interested in the real-life inspiration behind the Disney parks? What other areas of the Disney parks do you find interesting? We want to hear from you in the comments below!
Featured Photo: Emily Murray.
Written by
Megan Woodard
Contributing Writer
Megan was born into a Disney family. Her first trip to Disney World was when she was only 18 months old. Now as an adult, Megan loves to share the magic of Disney with her family. Keeping up with Disney news and Disney World knowledge is a fun hobby for Megan. Disney World is her favorite place to be and continuously brings back her childhood joy.
