Please stand clear of the doors. Por favor mantenganse alejado de las puertas. Disney lovers have the phrase memorized and can often be seen saying it along with the voice of the monorail. But who exactly is the voice of the monorail at Walt Disney World?
Since the opening of the Magic Kingdom in 1971, there have been a total of 5 people who have voiced the ‘spiel’, as it is referred to monorail workers. Jack Wagner was the original voice on the monorail system. He was often referred to as the ‘Voice of Disneyland’ because his voice was heard in so many places throughout the park and was chosen as the voice of the monorail at WDW. His voice was used until 1988 when he was replaced by Kevin Miles. If that name sounds a little familiar to you, there is a reason why.
Kevin Miles was a WDW staple. He worked at Walt Disney World for over 33 years until his recent retirement. For 21 of those years, he directed and sang with the ‘Voices of Liberty’, an a Capella group located in the American Adventure pavilion at the World Showcase in Epcot. For the last 12 years, he was a member of the Dapper Dans, an a Capella group located in the Magic Kingdom.
Miles was the voice of the monorail until 1997, when Matt Hanson, another Disney employee, stepped up and took the reins. Hanson had the job until 2004 and is still employed at WDW in another capacity. In 2004, Joe Hursh took over and voiced the monorail spiels until 2012. Hursh can still be heard on the buses as well as the Magical Express.
Since 2012, Tom Kane owns the voice behind the monorail. However, the fan favorite ‘Please stand clear of the doors…’ phrase still belongs to the original voice of the monorail, Jack Wagner. This portion of the spiel was recorded and installed on a separate system. Who had your favorite monorail voice?
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To me personally. Matt Hanson will always be the golden voice of the monorails Along with Jack Wagner. I was very very upset when WDW moved on from Hanson. With all the changes all the Disney parks have endured for the past 25 years….Removing Matt Hanson and closing the Great movie ride are my two biggest gripes. Both are classics in my mind that should still be there. Sadly both belong to the ages now.
Jack Wagner use to play the malt shop owner on the old Ozzie and Harriet show.
Well, how could I pick anyone except Tom Kane.