The late Walt Disney's last movie was no Snow White or Mary Poppins. Yet it was unquestionably a flight into a fantasy that Disney planned to make as lucrative a reality as Disneyland.
Uncle Walt, as he was known at Disney Productions, was the star of the 25-minute color film or the star salesman. Disney World, his glass-enclosed, airconditioned experimental city where 20,000 persons will live, was the theme and product of his sales effort.
The audience for the model-city film was an exclusive one no kiddies, only Florida legislative, civic and industrial leaders. It was obviously enthusiastic; Florida Gov. Claude Kirk recently signed legislation enabling Roy, Walt's brother and president of Disney Productions since his death, to put the $600-million Disney World show on the road. The legislation establishes two new municipalities and a tax assessment district.
Proof of Disney's determination to bring his screen production to life is his company's purchase over the years of 27,400 acres of swampland in central Florida, 16 miles southwest of Orlando. An 18-month water control and site preparation project for the 43 square miles is now well underway, The Central and Southern Florida Flood Control District and the Army Corps of Engineers are studying drainage in section known as Reedy Creek Basin.
Next on the agenda is construction of a $100-million sequel to the production in Anaheim, Calif., an amusement park scheduled to open in 1971. About $75 million is available for first- stage construction.
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