Tom’s Top 7: Movies that Should Have Rides
If you ask a child of the 90s or a Gen Zer their favorite Disney animated movie, there’s a good chance you’ll receive an answer that is not represented by a ride at Walt Disney World, Disneyland, or any of the other parks. (Unless their favorite is Toy Story, in which case boy are they in luck!)
In reviewing lists of Fantasyland-style dark rides at each Disney park around the world, one thing sticks out: there’s very little representation from the last few decades. In this post, I’ll take a look at which classic Disney movies I think have been snubbed, and offer vague ‘Armchair Imagineering’ on what a good ride would look like to me. (Note that this is specifically about movies that don’t have rides. Some of these animated films already have in-park representation via restaurants, shows or…bathrooms.)
As this is a “Tom’s Top 7” rather than a standard top 10 list, there’s little to no objectivity here. In terms of which films “deserve” rides, that could probably be determined via some complex formula factoring in box office results, home video sales, merchandise revenue, longevity, and other factors to determine in-park worthiness. I’m more concerned with which movies I’d personally enjoy as rides.
While the Disney film pantheon now includes Marvel, Star Wars, and a range of live-action movies that plenty of people (even fans) probably don’t associate with Disney, I’m going to stick to just the Walt Disney Animation Studios and Pixar films here.
Because my focus is primarily Fantasyland-style dark rides, I think the animated libraries are the most fitting focuses of this list. I mean, I think we can all agree that National Treasure: Book of Secrets and The Ugly Dachshund need mega-budget E-Tickets in every single Disney park, so I don’t want to fixate on the obvious. With that said, here are the films I’d like to see have rides in the parks…
7. Beauty and the Beast – This is my favorite Disney animated film, but I’m putting it last for a couple of reasons. First, it already has a mini-land, restaurant, and an attraction (Enchanted Tales with Belle) in Magic Kingdom, plus a stage show in Disney’s Hollywood Studios. It just doesn’t have a ride, which feels like a technicality given all it does have. Second, it’ll soon have the most lavish Disney dark ride of all time in Tokyo Disneyland.
With that said, since it is my favorite, I’m going to leverage that “no ride right now” technicality and insist that it still could use more of an in-park presence. This is particularly true in the parks where it is not represented at all but really should be, like Disneyland and Disneyland Paris. There are so many iconic scenes that individually could form the basis of a ride, and given the enduring popularity of the movie and its artistic accomplishments, it really deserves a ride…or several.
6. Zootopia – One thing I dislike about a lot of Fantasyland-style dark rides is that they end up being passive, CliffNotes retellings of the movie. The ride doesn’t immerse guests in an experience, but rather, shows them a condensed story. Attractions like Peter Pan’s Flight and Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride work, despite their age, because guests actually fly over London or go to hell, as the case may be.
I’m not as huge of a Zootopia fan as some, and I worry that any Zootopia attraction would fall into this storytelling trap. However, the film’s epic scale of world-building is so exceptional that I’d feel remiss not to include it on this list. I don’t have any good ideas for a Zootopia attraction, but I think a simple, leisurely monorail ride above these districts without any attempt at telling a story, just an experience of scenic beauty and details–would be ideal. (Perhaps it could be like Hogwarts Express?)
Alternatively, set a story in one specific district and tell a new story from that locale. Whatever a Zootopia attraction ends up being, it shouldn’t try to do too much.
5. Lion King – This is another movie that has an in-park presence via a show, restaurant, and other offerings, but still no ride. Still, it makes the list because it’s my second-favorite Disney animated film, and I think it features an excellent cast of memorable characters, great music, and some interesting options for a dark ride.
This is another one I fear could be a CliffNotes retelling of the story, since there are so many memorable scenes, each of which feature different songs and highlight different characters. Personally, I’d punt on all of this, instead focusing solely on “Circle of Life” while drawing inspiration from the film’s opening, which features vignettes of many different animals.
Use this to make this a quasi-educational attraction and it becomes a perfect fit as a much-needed family dark ride in Animal Kingdom. Or Imagineering could take it in a totally different direction–I think there’s a ton of unrealized potential for Lion King in the parks.
4. The Aristocats – If it hasn’t happened by now, the Aristocats is probably never getting a film. I realize this isn’t the most popular film, so it’s tough to say a ride is “deserved” here. Nonetheless, several of the cats are still popular and have a strong merchandise presence in both Japan and Paris. Plus, everybody wants to be a cat!
Ultimately, it’s these cats themselves that could carry a ride concept, and make for something really fun. Here, I envision a ride that’s part the scurrying around Paris of Ratatouille: the Adventure (with less screens and more physical sets) and part the finale dream sequence room from Pooh’s Hunny Hunt. In that room, a Heffalump band performs, with some characters actually in a trackless ride vehicle ‘mingling’ with guests. This would be a great climax of an Aristocats ride, complete with the Alley Cats performing a jammin’ finale…before tiring everyone out and the cats falling asleep at the end, as cats do.
3. Inside Out – This one’s probably easy to envision because we already had the most obvious attraction that comes to mind when thinking about Inside Out: Cranium Command. (The similarities become downright eery once you learn that Inside Out director Pete Docter was an animator on Cranium Command.)
For me, there’s a lot of appeal in a redux of Cranium Command that features the emotions from Inside Out, but covers entirely different ground. This is one film that could use the premise of the film for something totally different and fresh, potentially with randomized sequences a la Star Tours: the Adventures Continue. Having the 5 emotions be Audio Animatronics would also give the attraction depth, making it more than just a screen-based ride.
Alternatively, I think a Bing Bong rocket wagon ride would be the great starting point for a silly and endearing trackless dark ride. Personally, I’ll take more Bing Bong anything; any way we can get a greater in-park representation of this character (short of replacing Figment) is fine by me!
2. Tangled – This is all about the “I See the Light” floating lantern scene. That’s one of the most beautifully evocative scenes in any Disney animated film, and would be jaw-dropping brought to life. The technology is there (or almost there) to recreate this as a three dimensional scene in the finale of a Tangled boat ride.
Disney could make this happen with drones in a nighttime spectacular instead, but I think it’d be much more powerful for the guest to be in a boat with lanterns taking flight above them, reflected in the water.
1. The Princess and the Frog – Dining at Tiana’s Place aboard the Disney Wonder was actually the inspiration for this entire post. I kept thinking, “how does this movie not have a ride yet?!” Now, that’s partly rhetorical, as I realize it didn’t do the best numbers at the box office. On the other hand, that was when Walt Disney Animation Studios was stuck in a decade-long funk. If the exact movie were released today with the benefit of several successive artistic and commercial successes by WDAS in front of it, it’d perform much better. I also think it’ll develop classic status over time, especially as new audiences discover it.
I don’t really have a strong idea of what a Princess and the Frog ride would include. I’m assuming it’d be a mysterious boat ride through the bayou with voodoo effects, transitioning into a New Orleans’ setting with jazz and a jovial and optimistic spirit. For me, the mood is key and what would make a Princess and the Frog attraction a slam dunk. I already think of Princess and the Frog as something of the “anti-Frozen” when it comes to the film’s presence in the parks–it’s under-utilized and steals the show whenever else it’s featured.
There are easily another dozen movies that could be on this list, from new classics like Wall-E to older gems like the Fox and the Hound. It’s hardly a comprehensive list–and as a fan of Disney Parks first and films second, I also don’t want to see a bunch of rides based on movies at the expense of original attractions. Nonetheless, I thought it was a fun exercise, and hopefully you enjoyed it, too.
Your Thoughts
Which Walt Disney Animation Studios and Pixar movies would you like to see represented more in the parks? Any particular scenes from these movies you think would make for a memorable Fantasyland-style dark ride experience? Any other thoughts or questions? Share in the comments below!
Wakanda has the most innovative sci-fi look I’ve seen in a long time. Not only should they have a Black Panther ride, they should completely remake Tomorrowland into Wakanda’s Afrofuturistic vision and finally ditch the 60’s sci-fi baggage Tomorrowland has been burdened with ever since it was built.
Do you remember the Lion King puppet show where Philharmagic is now? It was focused on the opening Circle of Life scene and was so great for its time!
Yes, I absolutely loved Legend of the Lion King–despite being gone, it’s actually still “younger” than Voyage of the Little Mermaid over at DHS!
I’ve always thought Robin Hood would be an obvious fit in Critter Country. I think it could work really well as a Sinbad’s Storybook Voyage-style ride that has elements both from the movie and from additional legends of Robin Hood that could be expanded out as original scenes.
However, I know space is at a premium in that part of the park. Another idea would be something akin to what I’ve read about Enchanted Tales with Belle. Have Rooster Alan-A-Dale host it and have the various characters come out and flesh out the story, again using additional legends and possibly even some actual history. (I’ve always loved that Disney’s is the only version of Robin Hood that addresses that Prince John’s entire motivation was to impress his mother who “always did love Richard best”) This idea could even be scaled back from being as elaborate as ETWB and be more of an animatronic stage show like Country Bear Jamboree. (DL is sadly lacking in them since CBJ and America Sings closed, with only the Tiki Room left)
I would also LOVE to see a Pocahontas boat ride in Frontierland inspired by “Just Around the Riverbend” with Meeko being utterly adorable.
I am now dreaming of a Princess & the Frog ride in a Splash Mountain-type setting, with elaborately themed sets based on one of the greatest American cities (New Orleans, obviously). I’m talking a long, slow-moving ride, tons of details, and a real sense of place. And it would, of course, fit right in at Disneyland…
How about some sort of a mash-up ride, where heroes and villains from multiple under-appreciated films are represented? I’d envision a ride that starts out super-boring, introducing itself as a retrospective of sorts looking at “Disney Movies Over the Years”, until a clumsy/mischievous character (Donald? Wall-E? Stitch? Maui?) activates some sort of spinning mix-up device. Suddenly you have Princess Jasmine and Moana battling Scar, or the Fox and the Hound goofing around with Timon and Pumba, or Mater helping Wall-E collect junk, or Herbie racing Lightning McQueen! I can’t think of any rides that combine intellectual property like this, am I right?
So much yes to this!! Just the concept made me smile. Your imagination is stupendous 🙂
Aaand you pretty much just created Great Movie Ride 2.0. I fully endorse your promotion to Imagineer.
Super fun article. I’m going to throw my 2 cents in and suggest some kind of Up balloon attraction. I’d love to ride it!
Princess and the Frog is in my top 3 Disney movies of all time, so I’d love to see something from it! A ride would be great but a show or restaurant might even be better – I can’t wait to sail on the Disney Wonder next year.
Hercules would be a pretty cool ride. You could ‘go to hell’ in that one too, but in this case it would be to save the day! The ride wouldn’t have to encompass the entire movie, maybe just how Herc saved the Olympians and sent the Titans and Hades straight to…er…ahem…hades.
I like the previous poster’s idea of a Wall-E attraction IF it is Future World, where it would actually be on theme for Epcot for once! It could be an interactive pro-environment educational attraction like the Seas pavilion instead of an actual ride.
There is a now a Tangled interactive character dinner with live music on the Disney Magic cruise. Maybe they could have a dinner show (like the Aloha show) that rotates a number of Disney music acts like Tiana’s (as Tom suggested), Rapunzel, Moana/Maui, and other performers. I loved the nighttime music-based shows on the cruise, and it’s a shame there is nothing comparable in the parks!
I also think Tangled would be a lovely indoor boat ride with a big reveal of the lanterns at the end (similar to Gran Fiesta Tour with the fireworks and music at the end). Although Tom’s idea of a nighttime spectacular with the lanterns took my breath away. I hope they do that!!!!
I know Tom doesn’t like the “story-telling” dark rides, but I do think that would be pretty cool for Moana. The songs in Moana are just so good, and I’d love to see the “Shiny” song and scene brought to light with glow in the dark animatronics like the under the sea scene in little mermaid.
Lastly, I just want to point out that ALL of Tom’s ideas are FAR superior to Disney’s current plans to add rides for Guardians of Galaxy and Ratatouille, both of which are not really at the same level of film-making as Disney Classics in my view.
I think Ratatouille is a classic, I just don’t think the ride (as it exists at Walt Disney Studios Park) is very good.
Guardians of the Galaxy is my favorite Marvel film, but I have low expectations for the Epcot roller coaster. Hopefully it has show scenes before the action starts or at least an excellent pre-show.
I believe Alice in Wonderland would have tremendous potential. A adventure ride that starts with a plunge down a dark hole into a immersive Wonderland experience that concludes with a climatic fight against the dragon.
Good news–this already exists at Disneyland! (Well, not with a dragon fight, but it’s still a nice little dark ride.)
“Escape to Witch Mountain” has been a Disney obsession — a movie was made, remade, then remade again (!) over the course of a few decades (and then arguably remade again by Netflix into “Stranger Things”, but I digress…). But I don’t care if the films translate into a ride. I just think “Escape to Witch Mountain” would be a cool NAME for a ride.
It is a pretty good name, I’ll give you that!
I’ve always thought the Monsters Inc. door delivery system would make a fantastic roller coaster (and a quick google says that apparently I’m not the only one thinking that!)
I still think this attraction will happen someday. It’s not just wishful thinking from fans–Imagineering developed a concept for this very attraction and it was *very* close to going into both DHS and DCA.
I will always want a ride from the Emperor’s New Groove where you pull the wrong lever, end up with a crocodile, and go back to pull the right one and end up in Yzma’s lab. Maybe done in the style of Star Tours? I have no idea where it would go in the parks, and frankly I don’t care. I just want this ride so bad I can taste it.
All the yes’s. Why do we even have that lever?
For me, the characteristics that make a good movie are not necessarily the same ones that make a good theme park attraction. The perfect example of that is Toy Story. I think the films are excellent, but I absolutely despise seeing Toy Story in the parks. This is because the setting and aesthetics of the films don’t lend themselves well to creating immersive theme park environments.
By the same token, I see the Princess and the Frog as the opposite of that. The film had a weak, convoluted plot that hurt it, and it’s not as good a movie as the Toy Story franchise. However, the setting, characters, music, and overall aesthetics are all wonderful, and they are perfect for theme park attractions (as we have seen whenever parades and live shows feature musical nimbers from the movie).
I just wish imagineering (or rather the executives) understood this better.
While I agree with you completely, I think there are three key explanations as to why Toy Story keeps being added to parks. First, merchandise sales. Second, it’s easy to fake. As the Walt Disney World Value Resorts demonstrated, people are impressed by the novelty of oversized toys. Casual guests see these lazy substitutes for theme and the novelty coupled with their nostalgia for the films carries the land for them. Finally, it’s cheap to build since it’s all amusement park rides with some oversized toy “details” strewn-about.
Toy Story Land is a perfect case study in unearned emotional resonance. It rides on the coattails of the films, bringing nothing to the table itself.
I think Jungle Book cries out for a water based dark ride. Classic music and scenes like king Louis temple, bear necessities and the ‘Beatles’ plus my own home as a finale to me this cries out for the splash mountain treatment. As a bonus the film is super popular in Europe so would be ideal as a Parisian splash
I’d agree that there’s a lot of potential in a Jungle Cruise attraction, and also that Paris would be a great location for it (their lack of a Jungle Cruise helps).
I do wonder if the cold winters in France would preclude that park from doing something akin to Splash Mountain, though. They’d have to make sure guests didn’t get wet in the winter. Tokyo Disneyland proves that can be done, but that park is also better-managed than DLP.
Sleeping Beauty is my all-time favorite and yes, she has a couple castles, but needs a (hopefully trackless) dark ride. From Maleficent’s curse to dancing in the forest to magical birthday party prep to a green orb leading you down dark hallways to an epic battle with a dragon, I think it could both be a fantastic ride and do justice to a masterpiece.
I love Sleeping Beauty, but I feel like there’s so much from the film (and that era) in the parks already that I’m fine without it having a dedicated ride. Can’t deny that a dragon battle scene would be pretty cool, though!
#1 should be Moana! (Unless I’m missing something, and it already has a ride?)
It’s ridiculous that Zootopia won the Oscar over Moana, frankly. One is a very nice movie, one is an actual Disney classic.
“It’s ridiculous that Zootopia won the Oscar over Moana, frankly. One is a very nice movie, one is an actual Disney classic.”
Agreed.
To preface this, I really love Moana. I do. It’s an amazing and important movie with a great soundtrack. But I’m also a film student, and I analyzed both of these films and the Oscar win for a paper, so if you wanted an explanation for the win, here you go:
Zootopia had commentary on social issues that impact everyone at a time when the values of kindness and tolerance were sorely needing a refresher in the public eye. While the lessons in Moana about believing in yourself are always important, the idea that not everyone is treated the same and that we all have to work to try and prevent that being conveyed to children in a way that they could understand felt essential to Academy voters in early 2017 due to the *ahem* political events of the previous year. Take the fact that most people working in the film industry are liberal and combine it with the historical context of the voting and there you have it: Zootopia wins the Oscar.
Not that all of it isn’t reductive anyway, since everyone has their own taste in movies, but this is the conclusion I came to after doing the research for class.
I had the opposite reaction: I thought Zootopia united plot, setting, and character development under a central theme better than any other Disney animated movie I’ve seen. I also liked how Judy’s strength became her greatest weakness as well.
I liked the setting of Moana and Lin Manuel Miranda’s songs, but the character development predictably followed the “be the true you” plot line and the development of her relationship with Maui was similarly predictable. (I had a similar problem with Coco.)
I’ve always thought it would be really cool to have a Fantasia ride! Before Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway was announced as the replacement for the Great Movie Ride, I thought that would be the perfect spot for it. Otherwise, I would love an Aladdin dark ride, the music is some of my favorite.
1) I wish Runaway Railway were a Sorcerer Mickey-heavy Fantasia ride instead.
2) Aladdin is another favorite of mine, but it wasn’t eligible since it already has a couple of rides. Still, I’d love to see an Aladdin dark ride!
YES to Tangled and Princess and the Frog! I’d also add Walle just because I find it so freaking endearing and a shoe-in for Tomorrowland or even a teachable moment with the environmental story within a reimagined Epcot.
While I love Wall-E, there’s also this awkwardness to it as one half of the film is essentially critiquing the type of consumer culture upon which the parks are built. If a Wall-E attraction were to be built, I think it could only focus on Wall-E and Eve, ignoring all of the human characters.
I was just mentioning the other day that I wish we could have a whole Disney “mini land” based on Zootopia! Or a whole Disney park since it has all the different districts! It’d be amazing and the details could be impeccably designed. One can dream, right?
I’d love a Wreck it Ralph ride where we are inside a game, or a Moana boat ride!
They should completely remake Dinoland USA into Zootopia. As much as I like DINOSAUR (the one good thing in that area) that could be remade into a ride where Judy and Nick are chasing down the sloth or some new bad guy. They could have a blueberry themed food stand and a petting zoo with foxes, bunnies, and the like. (It sounds lame I know, but I really want to go to the fox village in Japan :)). Plus it would completely fit into AK. I realize that WDW doesn’t really need to attract more people there now, so they are unlikely to spend the money. It would be awesome though.
All of those ideas are amazing, especially the Wreck it Ralph ride! I feel like that movie never gets the credit it deserves.