10 Disturbing Times Disney World Wasn't So Magical
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VOICE OVER: Patrick Mealey
WRITTEN BY: Jordy McKen
Disney World might be the "Happiest Place on Earth," but behind the magical facade lies a dark history of shocking incidents. From tragic accidents and bizarre deaths to disturbing encounters, these stories reveal a side of Disney that's far from the fairy tale image. Our countdown includes horrifying stories like the alligator attack that claimed a young boy's life, the monorail accident, mysterious ash-scattering incidents, and other chilling events that occurred within the Disney World resort. What do you think is the worst thing to ever happen at Disney World? Let us know in the comments.
Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re looking at the creepiest and most disturbing news stories involving Florida’s Walt Disney World Resort, its staff, and/or guests throughout its history.
The Underwear Problem
Wearing those hefty Disney costumes for hours in hot weather while dealing with the public sounds like a nightmare for most people. Yet before, it was far, far worse for the cast at Disney World at one point in time. Back in the day, when a Disney character greeted you, there was a good chance that behind their smiles was the burden of being very itchy. The House of Mouse used to provide the actors everything they wore, including their underwear, which the company all apparently laundered as well. However, after various performers came out with tales of getting lice and scabies from the shared undergarments, the union went to Disney to negotiate a new contract. In 2001, the company agreed to let the actors wear individual underwear that they washed themselves.
Horror Alligator Attack
In 2016, the Graves family traveled from their home in Nebraska to enjoy a vacation staying at Disney's Grand Floridian Resort and Spa in Florida. One night, the family walked near the shore of the Seven Seas Lagoon, an artificial lake, after enjoying an open-air movie and fireworks. Sadly, an alligator struck and dragged Lane Graves into the depths after his father, Matt, was unable to wrestle his son from the creature. After a 16-hour search, Lane’s body was found. Disney moved quickly to change the shoreland to make it more difficult for this to happen again. In 2017, the company unveiled a lighthouse sculpture in Lane’s memory and the foundation created in his name to help families financially with organ donations for children.
Cleaning Catastrophe
In 1999, part-time custodian Raymond Barlow was on the platform of the Skyway gondola ride at Disney World’s Magic Kingdom. The staff were preparing the attraction for its opening. However, workers didn’t know Barlow was on the Skyway’s platform when they turned it on to test the ride. He was swept by a cars and into the air. Barlow managed to hold onto one for several minutes. However, while he attempted to fall onto a soft area, Barlow sadly landed awkwardly and didn’t survive. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration, or OSHA, fined Disney $4,500 for the serious breach of safety standards. Near the end of the year, the park’s Skyway was permanently closed, though whether this was related to the death is unclear.
Urning for Disney
If you’re ever walking around a Disney theme park and see a pile of what looks like dust on the ground, it could be the ashes of a loved one. Apparently, since the 1990s, people have taken human ashes to “The Most Magical Place On Earth” to scatter them. This event is strangely more common than we expected. So much so that Disney staff are trained specifically on how to deal with this situation. Some custodians have stated it happens at least once per month. In fact, there've been numerous cases of people scattering ashes, causing rides to shut down while the remains are cleaned up. In 2024, Whoopi Goldberg admitted to doing just that for her mother’s ashes at Disneyland’s “It’s a Small World” attraction.
The 2009 Walt Disney World Monorail Accident
In 2009, in the early hours, Monorail Pink left Disney World’s EPCOT station to be taken out of the loop and go to the maintenance facility. However, because a track switch wasn’t properly positioned, Pink began reversing down the rails. Monorail Purple was struck head-on by Pink. Sadly, Purple’s operator, Austin Wuennenberg, didn’t survive, and 6 passengers and Pink’s operator were injured. In 2011, the National Transportation Safety Board pointed to human error with the track switch issue and the manager working remotely miles away at a restaurant. OSHA issued Disney $44,000 in fines for safety violations, which was later negotiated to $35,200. In 2011, a lawsuit issued against Disney by Wuennenberg’s family was dismissed.
The Unsettling History of River Country
In 1976, Disney World opened its first water park, Disney’s River Country, which was built to resemble an old-timey swimming hole. However, the facility was plagued by serious issues in the ‘80s. In 1980, a child lost their life after contracting Naegleriasis, a near-fatal infection caused by an amoeba that attacks the brain. This incident followed 3 other children in the space of a month who had similar experiences throughout Florida. Disney wasn’t deemed at fault since the amoeba can grow in any fresh water. In 1982, one teenager sadly drowned in River Country. The family sued Disney and received a settlement of $375,000. In 1989, history repeated itself when another teenager sadly drowned. It wouldn’t be until 2001 when the park was closed.
Cold Response to Fatality
In 2023, Jeffrey Piccolo, his wife, Dr. Kanokporn Tangsuan, and her mother were dining at Disney World’s Raglan Road Irish Pub at the Disney Springs shopping center. While Tangsuan had food allergies, the restaurant staff soothed their concerns by stating her meal would be allergen-free. Instead, she had a severe allergic reaction to nuts and milk and sadly didn’t survive. In 2024, Piccolo issued a $50,000 lawsuit against Disney for his wife’s death. The media juggernauts shocked everyone when they claimed he couldn’t sue them due to the terms and conditions he agreed to years before when he signed up for a free trial of Disney+. After the backlash, Disney backed down from taking the case to arbitration and will go to court.
The Murder of Deborah McCartney
A couple of months before US President Richard Nixon did his infamous “I’m not a crook” speech in 1973 at Disney's Contemporary Resort, one of the facility's employees was a victim of a terrible crime. Deborah McCartney, who worked at the Disney World hotel, went out to do an errand. Sadly, that was the last time she was seen alive. Three days after going missing, her body was found. McCartney had been assaulted and killed. Floyd Price was arrested and charged with murder. However, he was deemed unfit to stand trial and spent 2 years in a mental health facility. In 1976, Price pleaded guilty to McCartney’s murder, avoiding capital punishment but getting sentenced to life with a minimum of 25 years.
Parking Lot Plane Crash
Back when Epcot was still “Epcot Center,” tragedy struck for a family that was headed to Florida for their very first vacation in Walt Disney World. After renting a plane from South Carolina, the group of five ended up attempting an emergency landing in Epcot’s parking lot. When the aircraft’s wing collided with a nearby lighting fixture, it went down and claimed the lives of three passengers. Adding to the story’s sadness is the fact that the plane just barely missed an area for safe touchdown, and the family was only a few miles from its destination. Though details about the exact cause of the crash aren’t conclusive, it’s undoubtedly devastating that a trip to the “most magical place on Earth” could end this way.
The Hostage Situation
In 1992, a man named Allen J. Ferris remained in the EPCOT park of Walt Disney World after it was closed to the public for the day. His intention was to find his ex-girlfriend, who had worked there as a security guard. When another employee spotted him lingering after hours, he innocently attempted to guide him out of the park. But unbeknownst to him, Ferris was armed with a shotgun. He threatened the lives of the guards who had seen him, and held two of them hostage in one of the park’s bathrooms. But when Ferris emerged, he was surrounded by local deputies. Ferris took his own life in front of the authorities, and while a shootout did ensue, no bystanders were harmed.
Note from Script Editor: I removed the outro cta as I found it inappropriate to have one for this topic.
The Underwear Problem
Wearing those hefty Disney costumes for hours in hot weather while dealing with the public sounds like a nightmare for most people. Yet before, it was far, far worse for the cast at Disney World at one point in time. Back in the day, when a Disney character greeted you, there was a good chance that behind their smiles was the burden of being very itchy. The House of Mouse used to provide the actors everything they wore, including their underwear, which the company all apparently laundered as well. However, after various performers came out with tales of getting lice and scabies from the shared undergarments, the union went to Disney to negotiate a new contract. In 2001, the company agreed to let the actors wear individual underwear that they washed themselves.
Horror Alligator Attack
In 2016, the Graves family traveled from their home in Nebraska to enjoy a vacation staying at Disney's Grand Floridian Resort and Spa in Florida. One night, the family walked near the shore of the Seven Seas Lagoon, an artificial lake, after enjoying an open-air movie and fireworks. Sadly, an alligator struck and dragged Lane Graves into the depths after his father, Matt, was unable to wrestle his son from the creature. After a 16-hour search, Lane’s body was found. Disney moved quickly to change the shoreland to make it more difficult for this to happen again. In 2017, the company unveiled a lighthouse sculpture in Lane’s memory and the foundation created in his name to help families financially with organ donations for children.
Cleaning Catastrophe
In 1999, part-time custodian Raymond Barlow was on the platform of the Skyway gondola ride at Disney World’s Magic Kingdom. The staff were preparing the attraction for its opening. However, workers didn’t know Barlow was on the Skyway’s platform when they turned it on to test the ride. He was swept by a cars and into the air. Barlow managed to hold onto one for several minutes. However, while he attempted to fall onto a soft area, Barlow sadly landed awkwardly and didn’t survive. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration, or OSHA, fined Disney $4,500 for the serious breach of safety standards. Near the end of the year, the park’s Skyway was permanently closed, though whether this was related to the death is unclear.
Urning for Disney
If you’re ever walking around a Disney theme park and see a pile of what looks like dust on the ground, it could be the ashes of a loved one. Apparently, since the 1990s, people have taken human ashes to “The Most Magical Place On Earth” to scatter them. This event is strangely more common than we expected. So much so that Disney staff are trained specifically on how to deal with this situation. Some custodians have stated it happens at least once per month. In fact, there've been numerous cases of people scattering ashes, causing rides to shut down while the remains are cleaned up. In 2024, Whoopi Goldberg admitted to doing just that for her mother’s ashes at Disneyland’s “It’s a Small World” attraction.
The 2009 Walt Disney World Monorail Accident
In 2009, in the early hours, Monorail Pink left Disney World’s EPCOT station to be taken out of the loop and go to the maintenance facility. However, because a track switch wasn’t properly positioned, Pink began reversing down the rails. Monorail Purple was struck head-on by Pink. Sadly, Purple’s operator, Austin Wuennenberg, didn’t survive, and 6 passengers and Pink’s operator were injured. In 2011, the National Transportation Safety Board pointed to human error with the track switch issue and the manager working remotely miles away at a restaurant. OSHA issued Disney $44,000 in fines for safety violations, which was later negotiated to $35,200. In 2011, a lawsuit issued against Disney by Wuennenberg’s family was dismissed.
The Unsettling History of River Country
In 1976, Disney World opened its first water park, Disney’s River Country, which was built to resemble an old-timey swimming hole. However, the facility was plagued by serious issues in the ‘80s. In 1980, a child lost their life after contracting Naegleriasis, a near-fatal infection caused by an amoeba that attacks the brain. This incident followed 3 other children in the space of a month who had similar experiences throughout Florida. Disney wasn’t deemed at fault since the amoeba can grow in any fresh water. In 1982, one teenager sadly drowned in River Country. The family sued Disney and received a settlement of $375,000. In 1989, history repeated itself when another teenager sadly drowned. It wouldn’t be until 2001 when the park was closed.
Cold Response to Fatality
In 2023, Jeffrey Piccolo, his wife, Dr. Kanokporn Tangsuan, and her mother were dining at Disney World’s Raglan Road Irish Pub at the Disney Springs shopping center. While Tangsuan had food allergies, the restaurant staff soothed their concerns by stating her meal would be allergen-free. Instead, she had a severe allergic reaction to nuts and milk and sadly didn’t survive. In 2024, Piccolo issued a $50,000 lawsuit against Disney for his wife’s death. The media juggernauts shocked everyone when they claimed he couldn’t sue them due to the terms and conditions he agreed to years before when he signed up for a free trial of Disney+. After the backlash, Disney backed down from taking the case to arbitration and will go to court.
The Murder of Deborah McCartney
A couple of months before US President Richard Nixon did his infamous “I’m not a crook” speech in 1973 at Disney's Contemporary Resort, one of the facility's employees was a victim of a terrible crime. Deborah McCartney, who worked at the Disney World hotel, went out to do an errand. Sadly, that was the last time she was seen alive. Three days after going missing, her body was found. McCartney had been assaulted and killed. Floyd Price was arrested and charged with murder. However, he was deemed unfit to stand trial and spent 2 years in a mental health facility. In 1976, Price pleaded guilty to McCartney’s murder, avoiding capital punishment but getting sentenced to life with a minimum of 25 years.
Parking Lot Plane Crash
Back when Epcot was still “Epcot Center,” tragedy struck for a family that was headed to Florida for their very first vacation in Walt Disney World. After renting a plane from South Carolina, the group of five ended up attempting an emergency landing in Epcot’s parking lot. When the aircraft’s wing collided with a nearby lighting fixture, it went down and claimed the lives of three passengers. Adding to the story’s sadness is the fact that the plane just barely missed an area for safe touchdown, and the family was only a few miles from its destination. Though details about the exact cause of the crash aren’t conclusive, it’s undoubtedly devastating that a trip to the “most magical place on Earth” could end this way.
The Hostage Situation
In 1992, a man named Allen J. Ferris remained in the EPCOT park of Walt Disney World after it was closed to the public for the day. His intention was to find his ex-girlfriend, who had worked there as a security guard. When another employee spotted him lingering after hours, he innocently attempted to guide him out of the park. But unbeknownst to him, Ferris was armed with a shotgun. He threatened the lives of the guards who had seen him, and held two of them hostage in one of the park’s bathrooms. But when Ferris emerged, he was surrounded by local deputies. Ferris took his own life in front of the authorities, and while a shootout did ensue, no bystanders were harmed.
Note from Script Editor: I removed the outro cta as I found it inappropriate to have one for this topic.
