6 Tried-and-True, Tell-Tale Signs of a “Bad” Attraction Story… And Exceptions to Every Rule

For many Disney Parks fans, the only thing more interesting than a great ride is a bad one. In fact, our Declassified Disasters series exists to dive deep into the not-so-successful attractions, lands, and parks that have existed across Disney and Universal’s properties.

But what makes a bad attraction? What fundamental features tend to handicap a story? And for all of us at-home, “armchair Imagineers,” how do we know what mistakes to avoid? Today, we’ll offer our takeaway of tell-tale signs of a bad attraction story – foundational flaws that tend to signal that the ride isn’t going to be a masterpiece. It’s not that attractions can’t rise above these narrative hurdles (and in fact, we’ll offer exceptions for each), but when you imagine a ride that just didn’t live up to its promises, chances are that one of these giveaway goofs was involved. 

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.



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