10 Most Notorious Walt Disney Urban Legends

Let's start with the most well-known and oft-reported myth about Walt Disney: after his death, he had his body frozen so that he could be brought back to life in the future. 

Even ignoring the fact that it would make far more sense to freeze himself before he died, rather than afterwards (because that's obviously the biggest flaw with this...), it sadly isn't true. While it's nice to imagine a magical future where Walt strides out of his ice-coffin and takes a stroll down Main Street USA, it ain't gonna happen. 

It seems that the rumour was started by a group of Disney animators, playing a final prank on their old boss. In fact, the first cryo freezing didn't occur until a month after Walt had died, and it's been confirmed that he was actually cremated, as per his wishes. Wishful thinking plays a part in this legend, but it's time to let it go. 

At the age of 16, Walt Disney decided to drop out of high school with the intention of joining the army. It has since been rumoured that he was later dishonourably discharged, but in truth this wasn't the case as he never even joined the army in the first place, because he was too young. 

Instead, he worked for the Red Cross, driving an ambulance, and it's here the legend appears to originate. Working in France, he was driving a truck loaded with supplies to help a devastated area when it broke down. A rule was that you were never supposed to leave your truck, and Walt didn't for two nights, but when no help arrived he left in search of a meal and a bed in the nearest town. 

He was taken before the board with a real possibility of being kicked out of the Red Cross, but when it emerged that he was indeed waited and no one had went to help him, he was ultimately let off, and thus never discharged from the Red Cross, much less the army. 

Disney, a world full of dreams and imagination, that through their movies and theme parks make millions of people - both adult and children - happy every year. So, gotta be evil right?

Walt Disney himself is believed to have been involved in satanic worship, with devil imagery supposedly appearing in a number of his films, from the demon in Fantasia to the use of witchcraft in Cinderella, while it was also rumoured he would send a Christmas card to the Prince of Darkness. In reality, the films were just that, and Walt himself identified as a Christian. 

While there is no doubt a big corporate machine behind everything that Disney does, the smiles you see often faked or drawn on, the notion that Walt Disney himself was a satanic worshipper might be stretching things just a tad... 

Even in his later days, Walt Disney was a hugely important figure at his company, maintaining a hands-on presence into his 60s. The last projects he was actively involved in were The Jungle Book, The Happiest Millionaire, and the Pirates of the Caribbean ride, all of which were released/opened the year after his death. 

Given his importance, and the worry of how the company would move forward without him, the rumour has been started that Walt actually left a video as part of his will, outlining future plans and how Disney should be run. 

The truth, however, is simply that Walt's brother Roy, with whom he'd started the company, came out of retirement to take the reigns, which were then passed onto his son. 

Walt Disney doesn't quite seem the type to be a spy for the FBI, but that's exactly what they want you to think! 

Among many claims in his 1994 book, Walt Disney: Hollywood's Dark Prince, Marc Eliot posits that Walt was in fact working with the FBI in order to help them combat communist threats. The basis for this is that the FBI had a number of files on him that had been redacted, and thus obviously they had to be covering something up. 

Walt clearly had many dealings with the Bureau, and was classed by them as a Special Agent in Charge (SAC), which simply meant that he could be relied upon to help with information should they have any need to ask him questions, but then that's far more mundane than the notion of him being some sort of super secret spy. 

Walt Disney was a great animator with an incredible eye for detail, so it goes that a group of animators decided to play a joke on him. They inserted a quick shot of a naked woman into a single frame of a cartoon, to see if he would spot it. He did, and resultantly fired all of the employees involved. 

There's a couple of conflicting responses to this. One is that it was simply a mistake in a frame of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, due to an ink and paint error, and that Walt was able to spot it and correct it. The other is that it did indeed happen, but Walt appreciated the test and no one was fired. 

It seems to simply be one of those anecdotes that has been passed down and subsequently changed throughout generations, but whatever the case, it's clear that a) Walt had a very keen eye, and b) he didn't fire anyone for putting in a naked lady. Ironically, another - and again unfounded - rumour about Walt is that he had an extremely large pornography collection. No wonder he'd be so good at spotting nudes. 

The Haunted Mansion is one of the classic Disneyland attractions, and a hugely popular and memorable scene is when you come upon the singing busts, the grim grinning ghosts who have come out to socialise. Many believe that one of these is actually modelled on Walt himself. 

This is the lead singer of the group, Uncle Theodore, and it must be said that he does bear an uncanny resemblance to the park's founder, so it'd certainly be possible that Walt had lent his likeness and voice to the ride before his death (it opened in 1969). 

In truth the appearance and the vocals actually come from Thurl Ravenscroft, who also did voice work on Pirates of the Caribbean, the Mark Twain Riverboat, and the Disney Railroad. Of course, it must be said that he does look a lot like Walt Disney, so the confusion is understandable. 

So, Walt Disney is buried beneath the Pirates of the Caribbean ride at Disneyland? This is one that largely ties-in with the idea of him being frozen, but stands alone as an urban legend in its own right, as it could be his remains are there even if he wasn't encased in ice. 

Pirates was the last ride that he actively worked on before his death, and although it didn't open until the year after he passed away, it is said to have been his favourite at the time (isn't it everybody's?), so if he were to be buried anywhere in the park this would be a rather fitting spot. 

However, once again, it's known that his body was cremated, and isn't down in Davy Jones' Locker. However, this ride - along with Haunted Mansion and It's A Small World - is one that has been subject to a lot of rumours about people scattering ashes, because where better to spend the afterlife than Disneyland (although constantly having to hear the Small World song would surely be some sort of hell). 

Famous last words are something that are pored over with a rather morbid fascination, with belief that they may reveal some sort of secret about the person uttering them. Nostradamus is said to have uttered "tomorrow, I shall no longer be here" on his deathbed, while "I should have never switched from scotch to martinis" were supposedly the last words of Humphrey Bogart. As for Walt Disney, well apparently he said (or wrote) just two words: "Kurt Russell." 

Disney had recently signed the teenage actor to a 10-year contract with the studio, so there is reason to believe that he would've been on Walt's mind even in his final days. It's mostly believed that his name was the final thing Walt ever wrote, with Russell himself stating that to be the case. 

It instead appears that he did write down Russell's name on a note in his office, along with a few other actors, and apparently it was even misspelt, but the actual find words of Walt Disney remain a mystery. Sorry Kirt. 

Walt Disney had an apartment at Disneyland, situated above the Fire House on Main Street, just as you walk through the entrance. He often stayed there when doing some work for the park, or hosting VIP guests. Whenever he was in residence, he'd light a lamp in the window, so that everyone could see he was there. 

After his death, a cleaning lady was, well, cleaning the apartment, and noticed the lamp had been left on. She turned it off before leaving, only to notice once outside that it was still on. Thinking she'd made a mistake, she went back in, turned it off again and left, only to notice the same thing had happened. This time she didn't leave straightaway, and heard a clicking noise and the lamp coming back on. 

Ever since then the lamp has remained lit, as a permanent homage to Walt, but also perhaps because he is still there, with reports of footsteps and knocking coming from the apartment.