Walt Disney World as the Lake Buena Vista STOLport. During the early 1970s, scheduled passenger service was operated by Shawnee Airlines with small de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter commuter turboprops which had STOL (short take off and landing) capabilities on flights to Tampa and Orlando. The airport is no longer in operation. When the Magic Kingdom opened in 1971, the site employed about 5,500 "cast members". Today, Walt Disney World employs more than 74,000 cast members, spending more than $1.2 billion on payroll and $474 million on benefits each year. The largest single-site employer in the United States, Walt Disney World has
The Magic of Disney Animation production area was dedicated and opened on April 22, 1998, the same day Disney's Animal Kingdom opened. Roy E. Disney noted it in his dedication speech. The Magic of Disney Animation The Magic of Disney Animation was a show and tour at Disney's Hollywood Studios, Florida. A Disney animator would show guests how the characters in Disney animated films were chosen and designed. The attraction closed permanently on July 12, 2015. In December 2015, the building began to be used to house the "Star Wars" Launch Bay. Originally, when the park first opened in 1989, the "Feature Animation" pavilion of