California: Snow White and Her Adventures (1955)
While Walt Disney and his designers were far from the first to tell a story through the unique medium of dark rides, their installations at Disneyland from its 1955 opening were something of a rebirth. Fantasyland’s line-up would certainly set the standard for a new generation of “fairy tale” dark rides that would soon spread to amusement parks across North America and Europe.
Despite often being celebrated as pivotal masterpieces today, however, Disneyland’s 1955 Opening Day Originals were far from perfect! Though lovingly crafted by WED Enterprises (and often, the very animators who’d created the characters and backgrounds in the films themselves), these dark rides were simple enough to make today’s Fantasyland dark rides look like Indiana Jones Adventure.
Their interiors were almost completely flat, painted plywood cutouts lit by glowing, humming blacklight – not the dimensional sets we think of today. The most striking element of each ride was probably the sprawling murals behind the loading areas of each, like the extraordinarily rare Member-exclusive master (used as a reference during the mural’s painting) by Imagineer and artist Paul Hartley, above.
Even if they weren’t exactly what Walt had hoped, Fantasyland’s dark rides did indeed send guests soaring over London and touring Neverland aboard Peter Pan’s Flight, racing through the British countryside en route to “nowhere in particular” on Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride, and recreating the unforgettable journey of the world’s first ever full-length animated film on Snow White and Her Adventures. (Guests would be able to “tumble into Alice’s nonsensical Wonderland” three years later, when Alice in Wonderland opened in 1958.) Each was concealed within the two showbuildings, decorated by pastel, medieval tournament-tent style facades.
One particularly strange thing about these early Disneyland dark rides was that, in each, we, the guests, were meant to take on the role of the protagonist. We became Peter Pan, Mr. Toad, or Snow White, seeing from his or her point of view. Consequently, none of those three characters were physically present within their respective rides, leading to some understandable confusion: why, for example, do we not see Snow White even once on the ride named for her?
Between classic “dark ride” gags, Snow White‘s Gothic darkness, and the complete lack of seeing the princess herself, it’s easy to imagine why Snow White and Her Adventures quickly gained a reputation for being downright startling. Dark forests, a vengeful queen seeking her (or is that, your?) heart, poison apples prepared in grimy dungeons, and spooked woodland creatures… even the bravest child would duck for cover!
So 1955’s Snow White and Her Adventures probably wasn’t the monumental leap forward for dark rides it’s sometimes imagined as, but rather a clever adaptation of the standards of the genre upped by the artistry of WED and Disney animators.
Even so, a decade later, plans were well underway for what a “Disneyland East” might include. Now gifted with the benefit of hindsight, designers working on “The Florida Project” were able to carefully curate what from Disneyland should make the trip to the Sunshine State… and how. Given an immensely larger budget, unlimited space, and the lessons learned from California, WED would “plus” each ride in transit…
Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride at Disneyland was zany? Then Florida’s would be zanier. Peter Pan’s Flight was graceful? Florida’s would be more graceful. Snow White and Her Adventures was scary? Florida’s would be scarier.
Florida: Snow White’s Adventures (1971)
Magic Kingdom opened in 1971 with the same tournament tent style Fantasyland that Disneyland had featured for 16 years. And just like its older sister, one of those medieval exteriors housed a dark ride based on Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Here called Snow White’s Adventures, you might be fooled. But know this: despite the fact that “Scary” had yet to make its way into the ride’s name, Snow White’s Adventures was scary – very scary.
Designed by Claude Coats, this new version of the attraction had taken a cue from classic spookhouses… Loud noises, “jump scares,” sudden crashing sounds, unexpected flashes, and glowing figures coming within inches of the ride vehicle made this “fantasy” ride far and away scarier than the Haunted Mansion, and perhaps more sinister than any ride that Disney’s ever aimed at children. “Happy haunts” need not apply, as this old-fashioned haunted house style ride was quick, loud, dark, and scary.
1971’s Snow White’s Adventures was genuinely unsettling – floating eyes in dark forests with demonic trees scratching, crashing shelves, and distant screams in forgotten dungeons…. Even a moment of would-be reprieve – the approach of the Dwarfs’ cottage – turned to misery as the fixtures and furniture inside looked darkly alive with terrified, quivering eyes, every lamp and source of warmth extinguished. Our glimpse of the woodland animals gathered outside the window showed them staring right through us, petrified, at a pitch dark corner just ahead. Most unsettlingly, there was no score – no music whatsoever – on this ride… Simply the echoing screams and evil laughter from other rooms reverberating endlessly through the showbuilding.
Snow White was no where to be seen on this ride, and in their cottage we get our first and only view of the Dwarfs, racing up the stairs in terror as a shadowy figure passes overhead. Two menacing vultures lurk in the swamp outside as the horrifying and crudely carved Witch races toward us, her screaming mad laughter paralyzing.
She’s in the Dwarfs’ mine, too, pushing over the supports above us to cause a cave in as she croaks, “Enjoying your ride?” When you enter the mine’s gem-filled caverns, it might seem that this colorful finale will alleviate some of the tension. But no, the Witch is here again, prying a gigantic gem from a lofty cavern down onto up. “Goodbye, dearie!” And with a flash of light… we’re dead.
The end.
Legitimately petrifying and “scary” in a way that no other Disney attraction attempted, Snow White’s Adventures was an unimaginably unique ride. No analysis or “ride-through” we create could be as useful, compelling, or complete as the vividly in-depth write-up created by noted Disney historian and design guru Foxxfur at the Passport to Dreams Old & New blog which we highly recommend.
You may also want to watch this frantic on-ride video of the terrifying original version of the ride:
While you might think that this depraved and dark version of the tale couldn’t have lasted long, the sinister spook house retelling of Snow White was a prominent piece of Magic Kingdom’s lineup for more than 20 years. From its opening in 1971 to a refurbishment in 1994, the Wicked Witch terrorized a generation. Yet this horrific ride is not our subject today.
Because in 1994 – spurred by a test across the Atlantic Ocean – Disney redesigned Magic Kingdom’s Snow White ride from the ground up. And that is the version of the dark ride that many children of the late ‘80s and ‘90s are likely to remember… That ride is also a Lost Legend. Read on…