coaster until just two years ago ( when Hagrid ’ s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure zoomed into the lead at Universal ). Expedition Everest cost a whopping $ 100 million to create .
One of the largest expenses of the ride was the 25-foot-tall Audio-Animatronic Yeti , designed by Joe Rohde . But because of a structural problem beneath the concrete base that supports the fierce snow monster , WDW quickly had to retire the 19 different motions he had been designed to perform .
WHERE HAVE I SEEN THAT BEFORE ? Summit Plummet may now be dwarfed by taller , faster slides , and Expedition Everest ’ s price tag may now seem like a steal next to the $ 300 million Universal shelled out for everybody ’ s favorite half-giant , but there is one record that WDW has clung to for nearly 40 years . Impressions de France was an 18-minute film that played multiple times each day in the Palais du Cinema at EPCOT ’ s France Pavilion .
Lighting effects help give the illusion of movement on the Yeti . PHOTO BY ERNIE CARR
In 2017 , Guinness World Records recognized Disney for having the longestrunning daily screening of a movie in the same theater . Two years later , the theater briefly closed to prepare for the Beauty and the Beast Sing-Along , ending the film ’ s streak after 37 years .
CUMBERSOME CUCUMBERS I hope you like veggies because the Land Pavilion at EPCOT has plenty to go around . Back in 2006 , Disney broke two to-this-day uncontested records for , of all things , a cucumber plant . Covering more than 610 square feet , this cucumber plant yielded 2,563 cucumbers weighing 2,075 pounds altogether . That ’ s the world ’ s largest cucumber plant and the most cucumbers harvested from a single plant in one year .
Still hungry ? The Land has also broken records for the world ’ s heaviest lemon ( 15.05 pounds ) and the most tomatoes harvested from a single plant ( 32,194 ).
A hidden Mickey topiary inside Living with the Land . PHOTO BY ERNIE CARR
MOST MAGICAL MEMORIES From speedy launches with Steven Tyler to tall castles with forced perspective to giant lemons that make the perfect Grey Goose Citron Lemon Slush in EPCOT , WDW is all about setting extreme records . But in my childhood trip to Disney with my extended family , I found the record-setting number of laughs , smiles , and Mickey Waffles to be the most magical part . Though given Dad ’ s lead foot , maybe next time we ’ ll just fly .