It may sound strange to say that the demise of Snow White’s Scary Adventures was, in some ways, triggered by the character’s triumphant return to popularity alongside the Disney Princess franchise. Hopefully, though, you can see how the falling dominoes led fans to the inevitable conclusion: Snow White’s Scary Adventures was a goner.
The last time a Magic Kingdom classic closed, it hadn’t been done with much dignity. On September 2nd, 1998, Disney had announced the Opening Day original Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride would close forever… five days later, on September 7th. We chronicled the in-depth story of the ride’s development, experience, and its unimaginable closure in a standalone Lost Legends: Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride feature. 1994’s closure of another Lost Legend: 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea was even worse… the ride went down for a “temporary refurbishment” and never sailed again.
This time, at least, Disney gave fans plenty of notice. A January 2011 entry on the Disney Parks Blog confirmed what was all but known: that the announced Princess Fairytale Hall would indeed take the place of Snow White’s Scary Adventures… eventually…. That date was later announced as May 31, 2012, meaning fans had well over a year to set off on their final Scary Adventures.
When May 31, 2012 came, the very last rider ever was Ben, a young man with special needs who had an unimaginable connection with the ride. His mother’s heart-wrenching and genuinely moving account of the final day is lengthy, but worth a read for fans of the resort, as is the accompanying photo report. Late that night, after Ben’s last ride (with Snow White herself at his side), the curtains were pulled, and another Magic Kingdom classic was gone for good.
Florida: Seven Dwarfs Mine Train (2014)
Even if the Princess Fairytale Hall took Snow White’s physical place in the park, it’s more appropriate to call the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train the ride’s spiritual sequel… The family style mine train coaster (on paper, positioned between Barnstormer and Big Thunder Mountain on the thrill spectrum) is a fun aside made all the more impressive by a truly beautiful setting and detailed queue.
Some fans are quick to shave points off their rating of the Mine Train, citing the ride’s short duration (often after a very, very long queue) and its lack of thrills. But the ride does all that can be reasonably expected given the miniscule property Imagineers managed to squeeze it into. Even if it’s not a stunning headliner, it’s an enjoyable enough experience and a worthwhile addition to Magic Kingdom’s lineup.
And since Seven Dwarfs Mine Train offers the chance to tell Snow White’s story from a new perspective, it also offered the opportunity to feature a few Easter eggs to the now-closed dark ride. For example, while on board the coaster, the train passes under a wooden mining frame with two menacing vultures perched overhead, watching darkly. These simple robotic figures are literally the pair from inside the dark ride, relocated here as a nod to the Snow White’s Scary Adventures.
And where the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train really shines is when the roller coaster briefly transforms into a dark ride of its own, passing though the Mine to the tune of “Heigh-Ho.”
It’s during this scene that riders encounter the coaster’s crowning achievement: a cast of Audio Animatronic characters so exceptional, they earned a lofty position in our must-read Countdown of the Best Animatronics on Earth.
After this astounding encounter, another short coaster portion leads to the ride’s final brake run, where one last surprise is waiting: from this vantage point on the brakes, you can look through the windows into the back of the Dwarf’s cottage.
The to-scale cottage positioned at the ride’s entrance might just seem like place making, but looking now through the windows on the back, you’ll see Doc, Sleepy, Happy, Bashful, and Grumpy dancing to “The Dwarfs’ Yodel Song” with Snow White, with the musical dwarfs relocated from Snow White’s Scary Adventures’ cottage scene.
You can take a virtual ride on the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train here:
But if you can imagine, even as Magic Kingdom closed the book on its attraction dedicated to Snow White, a very new and different chapter was coming in California…
California: Snow White’s Enchanted Wish (2021)
Dark rides themed to Snow White remain at the heart of Fantasylands in California, Paris, and Tokyo. But even if you’d expect that Imagineers would be through tinkering with the ride after more than six decades, you’d be wrong! Believe it or not, in 2019, Disney announced via the Disney Parks Blog that Disneyland’s version of Snow White’s Scary Adventures – still going strong from its 1983 reimagining – would go under the knife again.
Early artwork and construction scrims revealed that the gloomy, imposing castle that had reigned over Fantasyland’s inner courtyard for nearly forty years would be softened with warmer colors, bronze fixtures, and more welcoming gardens.
Further concept art revealed the addition of a scene previously not included on the ride: Snow White’s revival at the hands (er, lips) of the Prince, necessitating a narrative re-pacing of the ride and replacing the final race through the spooky forest with a blooming, enchanted forest and Snow White’s reawakening.
Remember how Disneyland Paris’ version set a new standard with the inclusion of a happy ending? Though Disneyland’s version of the ride didn’t have room to add a scene, the new reawakening scene would, of course, lead to a new finale. Replacing the Dwarfs’ stormy race up a rocky outcropping toward the lightning-struck witch, the “happily ever after” moment with a glittering castle in the distance would officially shift the ride’s third act entirely and bring Snow White’s story to a fairy tale close.
Just before the refreshed ride’s planned reopening in March 2020, Disneyland was shuttered due to the COVID-19 pandemic, leaving the updated Snow White attraction’s secrets under wraps. In fact, it wasn’t until the December 2020 (with no definitive end to the park’s closure in sight) that Disney officially revealed details of the reimagining that would subdue the ride’s “scariness” once and for all.
When Disneyland finally reopened (thirteen months after its closure, on April 30, 2021), Snow White’s Scary Adventures had officially been replaced with (the curiously named) Snow White’s Enchanted Wish. While the refreshed ride is certainly less imposing and gloomy, it seems that through it, Imagineers finally figured out the best retelling of Snow White’s tale yet. With added warmth, light, and motion, the new show is sensational.
As is usually the case, Imagineers gave guests what they didn’t know they wanted, perfectly accentuating the 1983 version of the ride with figures you’d never imagine were added three decades after the fact: a dancing Snow White in the Dwarfs’ cottage; Dopey and Doc in the Dwarfs’ Mine; and (fitting a whole lot into the former Wicked Woods & stormy cliffs finale segment) a relocated finale that must be seen to be believed.
Naturally, the ride was also be infused with more vibrant colors, textures, sounds, depth, and even smells thanks to the now-standard upgrades in audio, lighting, and projection mapping (the same applied to the park’s Alice in Wonderland 2014, and Peter Pan’s Flight in 2015). As Snow White’s Enchanted Wish, we’d argue that the 1955 Opening Day Original is still spiritually in tact and stronger than ever. The refreshed ride earned unanimous praise, and bar none represents the most wonderfully charming and balanced version of the ride yet.
If you’re keeping track, three Snow White dark rides remain: Tokyo’s 1983 original, Disneyland Paris’ 1992 original (complete with happy ending), and now, Disneyland’s fully-updated, refreshed, and reimagined ride, set to live “happily ever after” in Walt’s Fantasyland as perhaps the best living testament to his first “magnum opus.”
It’s only a shame that Walt Disney World’s version isn’t around to get the same reimagining.
Lost Legend
A reborn take on an opening day original, Magic Kingdom’s Snow White ride began as an unexpectedly scary reimagining of Disneyland classic, and ended as a heartwarming reminder of an earlier time. Its simple blacklight sets, static figures, and timeless story tied it closely to that earlier era from Walt’s time – the kind of classic “throwback” that’s less and less easy to spot at Magic Kingdom.
Is Seven Dwarfs Mine Train a fitting replacement? That depends who you’re asking. The fact that the roller coaster’s undisputed strength is its short dark ride section seems to hint that this art form is worth renewed interest and consideration, and at least in that simple regard, Snow White’s Scary Adventures does live on.
More to the point, it lives on in California, too! Well… kind of. When Disney’s most modern retelling of the tale of Walt’s original Princess reopened in 2021, it wasn’t the bravery barometer than fans grew up with… even if it’s something altogether better. Does that mean California’s version of the ride is, in a way, a “Lost Legend,” too? We’ll let you decide…
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If you enjoyed your frightening journey, head over to our Lost Legends collection and set course for another closed classic. Then, we depend on you to share your memories of this frightening chase in the comments below.