Beauty and the Beast, Vero Beach, Dolphins: May 1993 in Disney Parks History
Twenty-five years ago this month, Beauty and the Beast got a new stage at Disney-MGM Studios, the Living Seas received dolphins from the US Navy for breeding, Disney calmed the residents of Vero Beach about an upcoming resort, wild pigs were culled at a nature reserve named after Disney, and more. Here’s what happened in May 1993 at Walt Disney World and Euro Disney:
Beauty and the Beast at Disney-MGM Studios moves
Theatre of the Stars, the venue for the Beauty and the Beast stage show at Disney-MGM Studios, is closed in late April or early May, to make way for the entrance for Sunset Boulevard. Park publicist Jennie Hess noted to Orlando Sentinel that the new venue would have 1,400 seats, and open May 23, 1993.
Incidentally, in May 1993 Disney announced they’d be producing a Broadway-style musical based on the same film, later that year at Houston’s Theatre Under the Stars. The goal was to have it ready for Broadway in 1994.
EPCOT to get US Navy dolphins
The EPCOT Centre is to receive dolphins on loan from the US Navy, says the Associated Press. Cutbacks forced the Navy to ask Disney and other qualified organizations to take over their breeding program. A representative of the Dolphin Freedom Foundation criticized the move, saying that the park had never had a live birth.
John Lennon art at Pleasure Island
Disney hosted The Imagine Exhibition: The Art of John Lennon, a showing of over 70 images created between 1968 and 1980. This display was part of British Invasion (May 21-25), which included an exhibit of photography and The British Invasion, a tribute band who performed twice nightly on the West End Stage.
Wednesdays in mid-May, the area hosted Two-Steppin’ Across America: National Dance Competition, and from May 15-17, live tapings of Telemundo’s musical variety series Ritmo International.
Annual Passport costs $199
Disney advertises in the Orlando Sentinel that their Annual Passport—allowing unlimited admission to the Magic Kingdom, EPCOT Centre, and Disney-MGM Studios—is $199 a year before tax, $174 a year for kids up to 9 years old.
Grad Night
The Magic Kingdom hosts six Grad Night parties mid-month, featuring entertainment like John Secada of Miami Sound Machine, P.M. Dawn, Hi-Five, and Shai. Disney’s dress code was maintained, requiring guys have ties. This was in contrast to Universal Studios’ “more relaxed” event, which allowed casual dress, says Orlando Sentinel.
Executive changes
Early in the month, Disney promotes four employees to Vice President positions within the Walt Disney World Resorts division. The new executive vice president of resort operations, Lee Cockerell, told Orlando Sentinel that the rapid expansion of the park’s hotels was the trigger for the changes. Six others within the company also were boosted.
Disney parachutes Michael Montgomery into the role of vice-chairman of Euro Disney, after announcing financial losses at the park in January. He had been the Walt Disney Company’s treasurer since 1991.
Disney’s Vero Beach Resort
Amid a public outcry about Disney Vacation Development’s plans to build a resort at Vero Beach, the local chamber of commerce organized a May 18, 1993 public meeting for the company to comfort residents.
Disney Senior VP Mark Pacala repeatedly assured the public that there were no plans to grow the property beyond the 70 acres that they had applied for with the local planning board. As their publicly filed plans stated, no, it wasn’t a secret plan to build a seaside theme park, and no, there’d not be a monorail connecting the site to Walt Disney World.
The Indian River County Commission told the Orlando Sentinel that recent communications from residents had shifted to be 80% in favor of the project.
Disney Wilderness Preserve
In the midst of converting a former ranch into a wilderness preserve, a non-profit began shooting wild pigs, a non-native species. The animals were destroying plants indigenous to the region, on land donated to them by Disney.
After the Orlando Sentinel reported that the bodies of the pigs were being left on the 8,500 acre property for scavengers, The Nature Conservancy—which was receiving the land as a donation—forms a task force to see whether they should be donated to the homeless instead.
The May 14, 1993 issue of the Sentinel reported that the task force was to meet later in the month. The non-profit suggested that it could cost $70 to $80 an animal to process the meat, which could transmit the cattle disease brucellosis, if it wasn’t prepared properly.
The Disney Wilderness Preserve is home to 1000 species of plants and animals, including 3,500 acres of restored wetlands. Before Disney purchased the property to donate, it was slated for residential and commercial development. The property is over 11,500 acres total, thanks to a 1995 donation by the Orlando Aviation Authority.