TMSM Mythbusters: Removable Rooms and Misattributed Quotes

March 16, 2015

MythbustersThe goal of this blog series is to factually prove or disprove rumors and myths in the Disney-verse. Tonight on TMSM Mythbusters we are tackling some of the more “unique” myths and misconceptions we see frequently in Disney based forums.

Removable Rooms


One of the great Urban Legends about Walt Disney World’s Contemporary Resort is that the rooms are removable. This is one of those myths that created itself, in this case because of how the Contemporary (and Polynesian) were built to ensure the hotel would be ready on time for the park to open. The Contemporary’s A-frame design was created to let the rooms themselves be built off site by U.S. Steel and trucked to the building’s frame and then slid into place with a crane. Once they were installed all of the service connections (water, plumbing, electricity) were hooked up and then the outside of the building was completed making it impossible to remove the rooms from the building.

Contemporary Construction 1 Wdw Page 34 largeSo though the rooms were originally “portable” the rooms at the Contemporary are in fact not removable, making this Disney myth busted!

The Genie Transportation Services

10525841 4212157519750 2096196563165430385 nMisquoted Walt?

Many Disney fans know the quote “If You Can Dream It, Then You Can Do It”
this quote has become a great Urban Legend within itself. Many of us believe this was written by Walt, but in fact it WASN’T!
D23.com’s Ask Dave by Chief Archivist Emeritus Dave Smith resolves this myth so perfectly I couldn’t even try to do a better job in disproving this myth. Dave writes when asked “I heard that Walt Disney did not, in fact, ever say the famous quote, “If you can dream it, you can do it.” Is that true? If so, who did say it?”
“He never said this quote. If you check my book, Disney Trivia from the Vault, you can find the true story: “Despite its frequent publication, that is not a Walt Disney quote. We checked with Imagineer Tom Fitzgerald for the definitive answer: ‘I am very familiar with that line because I wrote it! It was written specifically for the Horizons attraction at Epcot and used in numerous ways, from dialogue in the ride to graphics. I find it amusing that the Science of Imagineering DVD series attributes it to Walt Disney, but I guess I should be flattered.”

UntitledSo even though this quote was made by someone employed BY the Disney, Walt was not it’s originator, making this Disney myth busted!

10525841 4212157519750 2096196563165430385 nTo see our previous TMSM Mythbusters articles visit www.themainstreetmouse.com/tag/tmsm-mythbusters

Contemporary construction photos courtesy of bigfloridacountry.com
Dave Smith info from d23.com

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Michele Atwood Founder & Editor-in-Chief, The Main Street Mouse
Michele Atwood is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of The Main Street Mouse, one of Florida's leading Disney and theme park news sources since 2010. A credentialed Disney Partner and media professional, Michele serves as a theme park contributor and insider for Fox 35 Orlando and WDBO radio covering Disney and Central Florida attractions. Michele has also contributed to the Orlando Sentinel, WESH 2, and Spectrum News 13. Michele is the published author of four books — "Moving to Main Street U.S.A.," "How Many Sleeps Till Disney?," "How Many Sleeps Till Disneyland?" and "Daydream Believing: Confessions of a Grown Up Princess" and is co-owner of the House of Mouse Expo and Lost Princess Apparel. With over a decade of hands-on coverage of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and Central Florida theme parks, Michele brings firsthand expertise and media access to every story she covers.



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