What it takes to maintain and repair the most famous Disney rides

Walt Disney World’s Central Shops are a vital part of the magic, maintaining dozens of attractions and hundreds of audio-animatronic figures.

The Central Shops building houses more than 400 cast members. It was built in 1969 to support the opening of Magic Kingdom in 1971, making it one of the oldest buildings on the property.  

Fredrick Cox Jr., the director of manufacturing, told FOX Business it was an easy decision to go from making potato chips at Frito-Lay to working in the 3,000-square-foot facility.

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“We have a meter-based program,” Cox said. “Every coaster that we have does X number of laps around the track.” 

Once ride trains hit their lap counts set by engineers, they are taken out of service and transported to Central Shops, where a full rehabilitation takes place over a period of about 12 to 18 weeks.

“We do a tear-down,” Cox said. “We tear it apart, and we inspect everything, everything on the ride. Bolts, bearings, bushings, panels, you name it.”

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If parts can be reused, they are green-tagged. If not, they are replaced. Attraction vehicles are then rebuilt prior to being sent to the paint department to be refreshed visually. Everything gets safety-tested for an additional two weeks before it is sent back into service.  

Cast members of 15 different trades work at Central Shops, including sculptors, electricians and machinists. On average, more than 280 attraction vehicles are refurbished each year, resulting in 2,500 work orders in progress on an average day. 

Pre-COVID, guests were able to tour Central Shops. Cox said guests enjoyed the facility so much that it took up too much time, and it was removed from backstage tours.