Category: Lost Legends

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“Kungaloosh!” Secrets and Stories from Inside Downtown Disney’s Lost and Legendary Adventurers Club

“Some days you eat the bear, some days the bear eats you… But always dress for the hunt.”

Years ago, we began our Lost Legends series with a simple idea: to build a library of stories that encapsulate the most complete and accessible histories of these forgotten fan-favorites. By doing so, we hoped to save these stories for a new generation of emerging Disney Parks fans who simply might not understand what the big deal was about Journey into Imagination,  Snow White’s Scary Adventures, Maelstrom, The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, or any of the dozens of other Lost Legends entries.

As we’ve told these tales – exploring the way they intertwine and weave through time – we’ve asked you to share your thoughts and memories and stories. Today especially, we’ll need your help, because there may be no attraction on Earth that relied as heavily on community, storytelling, and camaraderie than that of The Adventurers Club, the mysterious and revered living theater venue in Downtown Disney’s Pleasure Island.

Image: Disney

Packed with special effects, Audio-Animatronics, songs, hidden wonders, ancient artifacts, and mysteries worth years of exploration, even in retrospect it’s hard to say exactly what this venerated and beloved attraction was. A nightclub? A walkthrough? A show? An exhibit? Hmm…

Join us in this in-depth look at the history of the beguiling Adventurers Club, what waited within, and where its ingredients have spread across the globe… As always, the story begins years before the Adventurers Club would ever open its doors… in this case, it’s rooted more than a century ago in a fairytale history that many Disney Parks fans don’t know…

And before we head off, remember that you can unlock rare concept art and audio streams in this story, access over 100 Extra Features, and recieve an annual Membership card and postcard art set in the mail by supporting this clickbait-free, in-depth, ad-free theme park storytelling site for as little as $2 / month! Become a Park Lore Member to join the story! Until then, let’s start at the beginning…

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Adventure Thru Inner Space: The View From Within Disneyland’s Molecular Mid-Century Dark Ride

“Suspended in the timelessness of inner space are the thoughtwaves of my first impressions. They will be our only source of contact once you have passed beyond the limits of normal MAG-NI-FI-CA-TION!” 

Park Lore was established to preserve the timeless tales of lost masterpiece rides for future generations. We’ve explored fan-favorites like 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Alien Encounter, Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride, TOMB RAIDER: The Ride, The Peoplemover, Soarin’ Over California, and so many more. All along we’ve asked for your comments and memories to help us save these attractions forever and explore their in-depth stories.

Now, we turn to a Tomorrowland favorite, and an almost-unbelievable journey down to the size of an atom. A classic dark ride that kick-started the intellectual wonder of a generation, Adventure Thru Inner Space was an early precursor to the optimistic, inspirational, enigmatic dark rides that populated EPCOT Center when it opened. This once-headlining dark ride debuted brand new technologies still in use today, and is still remembered as an icon of Disneyland’s most well-loved era: Tomorrowland 1967. 

Image: Disney

A stunning journey into the retro-wonders of atomic energy and structure, this educational dark ride left riders speechless. So what did guests find in the magnificent reaches of the microscopic world? We’re about to find out. Prepare for magnification!

And before we head off, remember that you can unlock rare concept art and audio streams in this story, access over 100 Extra Features, and recieve an annual Membership card and postcard art set in the mail by supporting this clickbait-free, in-depth, ad-free theme park storytelling site for as little as $2 / month! Become a Park Lore Member to join the story! Until then, let’s start at the beginning…

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20,000 Leagues Under the Sea: The Nautical Legend of Walt Disney World’s Sunken Submarine Voyage

This is Captain Nemo speaking. Welcome aboard the Nautilus. We are proceeding on a course that will take us on a voyage 20,000 leagues under the sea.  En route, we will pass beneath the Polar Ice Cap and then probe depths seldom seen by man.”

Here at Park Lore, we’ve set course for Lost Legends, journeying through the revered history of long-gone, fan-favorite attractions… To the cold depths of space in the terrifying Alien Encounter, the whimsical realms of Journey into Imagination, the sleek aerial highways of the PeopleMover, the “inside” story of Epcot’s nauseating Body Wars, the frigid north of Maelstrom, the distant cities of tomorrow on Horizons, and so many more. But for Walt Disney World fans, there may be another epic adventure that stands among the best of all time…

Today, we’ll set sail to explore the cloudless waters of a Magic Kingdom classic: 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea: Submarine Voyage. We’ll dive into the history of this stunning underwater dark ride, walk through the ride experience, then discuss what happened to the ride and what you’ll find in its place today. So, as Captain Nemo would say at each Nautilus launch: “Make yourselves comfortable, but please, remain seated at all times. Prepare to dive!”

And before we head off, remember that you can unlock rare concept art and audio streams in this story, access over 100 Extra Features, and recieve an annual Membership card and postcard art set in the mail by supporting this clickbait-free, in-depth, ad-free theme park storytelling site for as little as $2 / month! Become a Park Lore Member to join the story! Until then, let’s start at the beginning…

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“One Little Spark”: How Epcot’s Journey into Imagination Inspired a Generation

EPCOT is one of a kind. For Disney World fans, there’s no park as marked by nostalgia, change, promise, and loss. With hopes to “instill a new sense of belief and pride in man’s ability to shape a world that offers hope to people everywhere,” EPCOT today is a park defined by reinvention. And yet, among its staggering collection of closed classics, there’s one particular attraction that stands out… Alight with the musical creativity, this ride inspired a generation with a simple reminder:

“One little spark of inspiration is at the heart of all creation! Right at the start of everything that’s new, one still spark lights up for you!”

Art by Tom Morris. Image: Disney, via D23.com

Journey into Imagination is long gone. That means that a generation of Disney Parks fans never had the chance to take flight with Dreamfinder and Figment, or to sail through realms of art and science on a quest for “sparks.” But that’s where our library of Lost Legends comes in… Today, we’ll soar through the clouds as we preserve this timeless experience for good, crystalizing the creation of this spectacular closed classic, our memories (and yours!) of the experience on board, and its unfortunate history since…

Ready to set sail for the Dreamport?

And before we head off, remember that you can unlock rare concept art and audio streams in this story, access over 100 Extra Features, and recieve an annual Membership card and postcard art set in the mail by supporting this clickbait-free, in-depth, ad-free theme park storytelling site for as little as $2 / month! Become a Park Lore Member to join the story! Until then, let’s start at the beginning…

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ExtraTERRORestrial: The Terrifying True Story of Disney’s Abandoned Alien Encounter

Shattering glass. Pitch black darkness. Pulsing heartbeats. Sparks illuminate a twisted, spider-like figure with gnashing fangs and horrible claws, its eyes fixed on you… Wings beat against the stagnant dusty air, thick with breathless horror. A guttural growl rumbles inches from your ear. Warm, thick drool drips against your neck… This is the end.

Though it may sound like the horrific makings of a paralyzing nightmare, a carnivorous insectoid alien was set loose among the crowds of Magic Kingdom every ten minutes or so, every day, for eight years. With one of the shortest lifespans of any attraction to occupy a Disney Park, The ExtraTERRORestrial Alien Encounter (emphasis included) has developed a cult following from those who experienced — and in some cases were traumatized by — Disney’s edgiest attraction.

Image: Disney

In the hazy view of hindsight, Alien Encounter has become little more than a memory for some, and an urban legend for many, many more. But that’s what we’re here for: to capture the full stories of closed classics and forgotten favorites for a new generation, while allowing Imagineering fans to relive the rides of yesteryear. Today, we’ll walk you through the making of this one-of-a-kind Disney attraction, endure the harrowing experience of Alien Encounter from the entrance doors to the exit and then discuss what brought about its demise. Think you know the story of Disney’s scariest attraction ever?

Naturally, the story of any Imagineering experience begins long before the first guests ever step inside… And today’s tale begins with a prologue familiar to fans of Disney parks history… Strap in…

And before we head off, remember that you can unlock rare concept art and audio streams in this story, access over 100 Extra Features, and recieve an annual Membership card and postcard art set in the mail by supporting this clickbait-free, in-depth, ad-free theme park storytelling site for as little as $2 / month! Become a Park Lore Member to join the story! Until then, let’s start at the beginning…

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