As long-time Disney and Universal fans know all too well, even the most beloved rides don’t last forever. In fact, Imagineering aficionados may have already scoured our collection of Lost Legends – the definitive, full stories of forgotten fan favorites and closed classics from around the globe – or taken a look at our Then & Now collection of hand-drawn, before-and-after layouts as rides are swapped out.
Those stories are evidence that, time and time again, sometimes attractions simply disappear. … Or do they? Over their decades of experience removing rides that guests have come to know and love, designers have gotten pretty good at leaving behind hints.
Today, we’ll take a look at some of our favorite hidden “Easter egg” hints of forgotten rides scattered around Disney and Universal Parks inside the rides that replaced them… These clever remnants are like mini-memorials to the beloved rides of yesteryear… if you know where to look.
The best theme park attraction of all time. What would it take to earn the title?
In its more-than-six-decade history dating to Disneyland’s 1955 opening, the modern art of Imagineering has developed in fits and starts, yielding hundreds and hundreds of noteworthy and nostalgic rides across modern theme parks. For that reason, we won’t even dare attempt to pit Walt’s golden age classics against today’s multimedia E-Tickets, or to foolishly compare incomparable experiences.
But it did get us to thinking… In those eras of growth and transformation in the industry, which ride is the best representative of every decade from the 1950s to the 2020s? For each, what’s the single most iconic, memorable, and beloved attraction that also definitively speaks to the state of themed design? Today, we’ll walk down the timeline from the 1950s through today. For each decade, we’ll list our own personal nominees before bestowing the decade’s “best attraction” award.
Agree? Disagree? What’d we miss? Let us know in the comments below if you think we got these Rewind Awards right on or not… And as you’ll see, many contenders for each decade happen to link to full, in-depth entries across our Lost Legends and Modern Marvels collections, so fall down the “rabbit hole” and explore these classic rides!
Do you love armchair Imagineering, in-depth storytelling, and seeing the theme parks we love differently? Park Lore is an ad-free, quality-over-quantity, one-person project centered on building a world-class collection of the interconnected stories of theme park attractions, design projects, and industry explorations.
This feature is one that’s usually locked in our Member Vault, where Park Lore patrons can find hand-drawn art, armchair Imagineering walkthroughs, and other in-depth Special Features, as well as quick-read, just-for-fun Extra Features. Thanks to supporting Members, this feature is temporarily unlocked as a preview!
But if you value my mission to provide clickbait-free, ad-free deep dives and new ways to see the parks, consider becoming a supporting Member of Park Lore for as little as $2 / month. That support is what keeps this unique themed entertainment storytelling project open, ad-free, and available to all. Thank you!
At the end of the day, theme parks are in the business of deception. Of course, we don’t mean shoddy business practices and questionable pricing schemes. We mean that, from the earliest days, rides have sought to bamboozle and impress riders with simple tricks. Just using light, sound, and special effects, stories can come to life in awe-inspiring moments that cause guests to say, “How’d they do that?!”
Here, we’ve collected 10 of the most confounding special effects we could think of from today’s big rides. We’re sure there are others, but we’re just too speechless right now to think of them. For a few of these special effects, we’re able to give you a little insight into how they work. For others, we’re just not sure.
Either way, we’ve linked each entry to a YouTube video fast-forwarded to the special effect’s starring moment, as well as any behind-the-scenes videos we could uncover that explain the effect. It should go without saying that major spoilers lay beyond, in the videos and in the entries. If you’d rather not know, don’t read a word farther. Still with us? Okay. Read on and tell us which of these secrets left you speechless and which were easy enough to know in your first ride-through.
Do you love armchair Imagineering, in-depth storytelling, and seeing the theme parks we love differently? Park Lore is an ad-free, quality-over-quantity, one-person project centered on building a world-class collection of the interconnected stories of theme park attractions, design projects, and industry explorations.
This feature is one that’s usually locked in our Member Vault, where Park Lore patrons can find hand-drawn art, armchair Imagineering walkthroughs, and other in-depth Special Features, as well as quick-read, just-for-fun Extra Features. Thanks to supporting Members, this feature is temporarily unlocked as a preview!
But if you value my mission to provide clickbait-free, ad-free deep dives and new ways to see the parks, consider becoming a supporting Member of Park Lore for as little as $2 / month. That support is what keeps this unique themed entertainment storytelling project open, ad-free, and available to all. Thank you!
1. The Disappearing Idol
Attraction: Tower of Terror at Tokyo DisneySea What Guests See: Video How It Works: Video
New Years Eve, 1899. The boisterous Harrison Hightower III – proprietor of New York’s fabled Hightower Hotel – is throwing his annual New Years Eve gala to celebrate the scores of ancient artifacts he’s “collected” (read: stolen) over the course of the year. His newest find is the supposedly-cursed African idol, Shiriki Utundu. Mr. Hightower, though, is not afraid of the idol’s legend. To prove it, he puts his cigar out on Shiriki’s head before retiring to his penthouse. Suffice it to say, the elevator never made it to the thirteenth story…
Now, it’s the 1920s. New York is roaring, but the Hightower Hotel still sits, windows smashed and abandoned, overlooking the city’s harbor. To save the historic hotel from the wrecking ball, the New York Preservation Society is running tours of the so-called “Tower of Terror,” including a look into Hightower’s Hotel, where Shiriki still stands on an elegant marble column over his desk.
This, of course, is the pre-show for Tokyo DisneySea’s one-of-a-kind Modern Marvel: Tower of Terror, replacing the Twilight Zone-tinged “library” scene in the other two Towers worldwide… but something here is different. After a stained glass window comes to life and tells the tale, Shiriki awakens. As eerie music-box music plays, his eyes scan the crowd. Shiriki cackles and the lights dim, leaving only its Cheshire Cat-like smile as the rest of its body turns to stars. In a micro-second, the lights come up and Shiriki is gone, ready to meet you farther into the hotel.
HOW IT WORKS – Tap to expand
How It Works: The surprising effect is surprisingly simple. As you might imagine, the Shiriki Utundu statue disappears by sinking down into the pedestal. What’s impressive here is the mix of light, sound, and projection that makes the disappearance silent, seamless, and spooky. In person, it’s sincerely a stunning event that feels inexplicable.
2. The 40-Story Freefall
Image: Universal / Marvel
Attraction: The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man (Universal’s Islands of Adventure) What Guests See: Video
That dastardly Doc Ock and his Sinister Syndicate are at it again. This time, they’ve stolen the Statue of Liberty thanks to a glowing green Antigravity Cannon. When you stumble (loudly) into their secret warehouse, the villains race off to stop you from escaping with their secrets. As Doc Ock fires, he levitates Lady Liberty’s giant glowing head directly over you as you narrowly escape. But not for long. The ride’s exciting conclusion sees the good Doctor hit his target, as your helpless SCOOP begins to rise up through the skyscrapers with Spider-Man webbing helplessly after.
Ultimately, what goes up must come down, and after a ringside floating seat to Spidey’s showdown, the Antigravity Cannon reverses. The SCOOP slams against a rooftops and ricochets, falling precariously to the earth below as riders scream and grab for the safety restraint. Of course, a last-minute web catches you as you hurtle down and plops you back onto the road for a congratulatory finale.
Image: Universal / Marvel
HOW IT WORKS
How It Works: Despite appearances, the big, 400 foot finale fall in Universal’s starring anchor attraction and Modern Marvel: The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man only moves guests a few inches. The convincing trick of the “simulated freefall” might be common now thanks to its re-use on Transformers, Reign of Kong, Escape from Gringotts, the Lost Legend: Curse of DarKastle, and Ratatouille: The Adventure, but Spider-Man was the first, and its signature finale still genuinely wows audiences for its precision effectiveness.
The sophisticated process begins with the levitation, wherein air, dropping physical set pieces, and precise, subtle “weightless” motion simultation combine with screens to produce a surprisingly effective feeling of rising. Sideways sets lead to a wrap-around two-story screen that envelopes the SCOOP, leaving riders completely captive to the illusion as perfectly programmed motion, wind, and and leaning, swinging, slamming vehicle base give the sincere impression of a weightless fall. All it takes are a few physical effects and your mind fills in the rest!
3. The Vortex
Attraction: Poseidon’s Fury (Universal’s Islands of Adventure) What Guests See: The Vortex Opens
Image: Universal
What begins as a leisurely tour of an archaeological discovery goes horribly wrong when an evil high priest awakens from his cursed slumber, trapping guests in an ancient sacrificial chamber to the Dark Ones. The only way to escape is to find Poseidon’s Trident – the lost relic of the great god of the seas that will grant passage deeper into the temple; to the heart of the ocean. With Trident in hand, an ancient goddess opened the long-sealed connection to the seas: “Open up your oceans, swing wide the door! Let the waters rush and the oceans roar! For now is the time, with fortune unplanned, your Trident comes home – returned to your hand.”
As music crescendoes and the ancient stone tumblers of a circular portal lock into place, a door rolls aside, revealing the Vortex – a 40-foot-long tunnel formed by a tidal wave overtaking it, creating a continuous passage of water swirling infinitely around guests. The incredible, awe-inspiring effect is at the heart of the Declassified Disaster: Poseidon’s Fury, and as our in-depth look into the attraction reveals, it’s the reason Poseidon’s Fury exists at all.
HOW IT WORKS
How It Works: Poseidon’s Fury – and especially its iconic Vortex – was one piece of the pie that gave Islands of Adventure its “most technologically advanced theme park on Earth” moniker when the park opened in 1999. However, the effect was years in development by special effects company Technifex before its debut.
The effect is achieved by blasting water at 100 miles per hour (the speed needed for it to adhere to the tunnel’s wide diameter) as guests step along a bridge through the center. You can touch the water, but it’ll blast your hand right back out. The effect is totally stunning and the attraction’s absolute highlight.
Fantasyland, Cars Land, Tomorrowland… Glacier Bay? If park icons are the heart of Disney Parks, themed lands are the bones and joints! One of the basic tennents of Disneyland that set it apart from the amusement piers of the era was its lands that recreated idealized time periods and places brought to life in agonizing detail, almost like stepping onto a film set. (And that’s no coincidence… Walt was careful to hire filmmakers, writers, and urban planners to design and build Disneyland, a process that continues today as Imagineering.)
But not every land makes it off the drawing board! Be it budgets, replacement ideas, or frustrated Imagineers, some lands simply don’t take off, despite fan outcry and passionate designers. Let’s take a look at eight of the coolest lands that Disney planned or even announced, only to change its mind and cancel at the last possible second.
“Ancient.” You know what that means: curses, booby traps, and angry gods. We’re counting down our lists of the Wonders of the Theme Park World. If you missed our collection of the Seven “Natural” Wonders take a step back and see the incredible mountains, trees, and valleys all built by… well… we’ll call it “nature.” Then step ahead to the Seven Technological Wonders of theme parks today!
Today, we’ve got a countdown of the Seven “Ancient” Wonders of the Theme Park World. Luckily, theme parks have sprung up around these temples, citadels, and tombs, giving us the chance to see what thousands of years of history have led to. In the comments, let us know which of these Wonders you’ve seen first hand, and which ones are the most magnificent up close and personal?
Stories in the Extra Features and Special Features collections of Park Lore are all about connections – they’re the threads that interlace between the Lost Legends, Declassified Disasters, Modern Marvels, and Possibilitylands you’ll find in our Main Collections. In other words, these features are for people who really want to dig deep.
This article and hundreds more are available for Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Platinum Members who help support this ad-free, clickbait-free, quality-over-quantity collection with a monthly membership. Park Lore Members can access more than a hundred Member-exclusive articles, unlock rare concept art and construction photos in every story, stream audio across the site, tune into podcast exclusives, and receive an annual member card and merch in the mail!
If you choose to join Park Lore’s community of Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Platinum Members, you’ll instantly unlock this story (and of course, a lot more). You can learn more about joining and supporting Park Lore (and browse all the available Extras and Special Features) in the “Memberships & Perks” menu above. If you can’t afford a Pass, please contact us; we’ll make some magic happen.
For our Passholders, we’re kicking off a new three-part series where we discover the “Seven Wonders of the Theme Park World.” We’ll take a look at the Seven Ancient Wonders and the Seven Technological Wonders, but we’ve got to start somewhere, so what about the Seven “Natural” Wonders? Below, we’ve counted down the seven most convincing natural features in theme…
Stories in the Extra Features and Special Features collections of Park Lore are all about connections – they’re the threads that interlace between the Lost Legends, Declassified Disasters, Modern Marvels, and Possibilitylands you’ll find in our Main Collections. In other words, these features are for people who really want to dig deep.
This article and hundreds more are available for Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Platinum Members who help support this ad-free, clickbait-free, quality-over-quantity collection with a monthly membership. Park Lore Members can access more than a hundred Member-exclusive articles, unlock rare concept art and construction photos in every story, stream audio across the site, tune into podcast exclusives, and receive an annual member card and merch in the mail!
If you choose to join Park Lore’s community of Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Platinum Members, you’ll instantly unlock this story (and of course, a lot more). You can learn more about joining and supporting Park Lore (and browse all the available Extras and Special Features) in the “Memberships & Perks” menu above. If you can’t afford a Pass, please contact us; we’ll make some magic happen.
“Here you leave today and enter the worlds of yesterday, tomorrow, and fantasy.”
Since those words were placed above the entrance to Disneyland in 1955, Disney Parks have been about taking guests into incredible stories in unimaginable places. Born from the minds of Walt and his team of Imagineers, Disney’s storytelling has continued to evolve and expand through new eras. Along the way, designers have crafted some spectacular tools for building those stories and places.
Whether or not you lend any credence to astrology – the practice of divining information about human matters from the patterns and movements of celestial objects – there’s one compelling connection none of us can deny: Twelve Disney Parks. Twelve signs of the Zodiac. With that idea in mind, I reached out to my longtime friend (and personal Dr. Facilier) with a penchant for the supernatural. A self-described mystic, craft artist, and witch, Desdemona Lotte also happens to be a lifelong friend and personal Dr. Facilier.
So it made sense for me to sit down with Desi for a really-for-real lesson on Astrology 101, determined to rise above “What kind of noodle are you based on your Zodiac sign” Buzzfeed quizzes to decide which Disney theme park best complements each of the twelve signs.
Much to our surprise, pairing parks with the stars worked out pretty effortlessly! Somehow, each Disney Park’s “personality” seemed to slot intuitively into a corresponding sign… (Keep in mind, direct from Ethan, that the signs we typically associate with ourselves are our “sun signs” – technically, they show us not who we are, but who we are on the way to becoming…)
Is this clear complementary relationship a product of divine intervention? We’ll let you decide… But trust us when we say that – whether you “believe” or not – looking at the parks through this lens may change the way you see their personalities, quirks, and relationships to one another…
If there’s one thing Imagineering fans adore, it’s an original mythology; an invented world and an overarching frame that connect stories in unexpected or mysterious ways… From the Marvel Cinematic Universe to the interconnected attractions of Magic Kingdom’s New Tomorrowland, sometimes those connections are explicit.
But sometimes, the threads are vast and much more subtle… Such is the case with the most mysterious, enigmatic, and sought-after cross-continental tale Disney has ever woven… a global mythology that just may connect some of the world’s best rides into one story. Welcome to the legend of S.E.A. – TheSociety of Explorers and Adventurers.
Image: Disney
With a manifesto hidden in time, no one seems entirely sure of the origins of S.E.A., a secret society determined to illuminate the vast, dark corners of the globe. It seems that only the brightest, most cunning, and most enterprising minds ever see the Society’s inner workings. For the rest of us, the members of S.E.A. have left behind a few hints as to their findings, hidden in adventurous rides scattered across the globe…
Could Indiana Jones Adventure, Mystic Manor, Typhoon Lagoon, Tower of Terror, The Enchanted Tiki Room, Pleasure Island, Jungle Cruise, and even Haunted Mansion all be connected by this cross-continental secret society? Today, we’ll dig into the attractions, rides, and restaurants that play a role in the global mythology of S.E.A., then see some potential connections fans only dream of… for now…
Stories in the Extra Features and Special Features collections of Park Lore are all about connections – they’re the threads that interlace between the Lost Legends, Declassified Disasters, Modern Marvels, and Possibilitylands you’ll find in our Main Collections. In other words, these features are for people who really want to dig deep.
This article and hundreds more are available for Gold and Platinum Members who help support this ad-free, clickbait-free, quality-over-quantity collection with a monthly membership. Park Lore Members can access more than a hundred Member-exclusive articles, unlock rare concept art and construction photos in every story, stream audio across the site, tune into podcast exclusives, and receive an annual member card and merch in the mail!
If you choose to join Park Lore’s community of Gold and Platinum Members, you’ll instantly unlock this story (and of course, a lot more). You can learn more about joining and supporting Park Lore (and browse all the available Extras and Special Features) in the “Memberships & Perks” menu above. If you can’t afford a Pass, please contact us; we’ll make some magic happen.
“Howdy folks! Welcome to the one and only, original, Country Bear Jamboree — featuring a bit of Americana, our musical heritage of the past. And right now, I give you a sordid assortment of executioners of music and song…!”
One of the most exceptional attractions ever to come from the minds at WED Enterprises, the Country Bear Jamboree was truly a sensation. Opening alongside Magic Kingdom in 1971, this Audio Animatronic ursine adventure captured the imagination of a generation of Walt Disney World’s first guests, and continues to be a family favorite to this day. But would you believe that it was never meant to play at Disney Parks?
