- 6 months ago
Join us as we explore the most magical rides and attractions at the original Disney theme park. From classic dark rides to high-speed rollercoasters, we're counting down the most imaginative experiences that bring out the child in all of us. With iconic characters, immersive atmospheres, and thrilling adventures, these Disneyland rides have become an integral part of pop culture. Get ready to revisit your favorite childhood memories and discover new ones.
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00:00I had a wager with the boys. Couldn't get you on a ride. I just won $20.
00:05Welcome to Ms. Mojo. And today, we're looking at Disneyland's most imaginative rides and
00:10attractions, both currently operating and defunct. We're excluding California Adventure,
00:16as well as other Disney parks.
00:18And in that faith, let us to the end dare to do our duty as we understand it.
00:27Number 10, Peter Pan's Flight.
00:30It looks as if this is going to be one of the most exciting rides of all, because
00:34as they go through, they see everything that Peter Pan saw.
00:38Since opening its gates in 1955, Disneyland has allowed visitors to become a part of the
00:43company's films.
00:44And Peter actually says, there it is, Wendy, second star to the right and straight on till
00:49morning. And then we're going to head toward that second star to the right. And you're
00:53actually going to see it explode with new magic before you actually head into the next
00:57scene.
00:57At Fantasyland, you can take a wild ride with Mr. Toad to hell. Ironically, that still wasn't
01:03as hardcore as Snow White's Scary Adventures, which has since dialed it back with Snow White's
01:08Enchanted Wish. For a not-so-dark, dark ride, the perennial favorite is Peter Pan's Flight,
01:14giving riders a bird's-eye view of Neverland via a flying galleon.
01:18We still use fiber optics everywhere, smoke and mirrors, but our ability to reinvent the
01:24way it's presented by scaling it up, scaling it down, figuring out a way to trick guests
01:29into believing it again.
01:30Walt Disney cited Fantasyland as his favorite part of the park, saying, quote,
01:34What youngster has not dreamed of flying with Peter Pan over moonlit London? Of course,
01:39the ride is just as enchanting for adults, bringing out the childhood wonder in all ages.
01:44The great writer Ray Bradbury to right-walled immediately a postcard, saying, I will be
01:49eternally grateful. Today, I flew out of a child's bedroom window in a pirate galleon and
01:56set sail for Neverland over a moonlit London.
01:59Number 9. Indiana Jones Adventure.
02:02I've been waiting for you with your Disneyland passport.
02:06John, I didn't travel all this way to end up like Smiling Jack there.
02:11After Indiana Jones took center stage at a Disney World stunt show, George Lucas and
02:16the Imagineers set course for another adventure in Anaheim. This time, guests wouldn't just
02:21get to watch Indy risk his neck. They'd come along to explore the Temple of the Forbidden Eye.
02:26The ride not only captured the thrills of the original trilogy, but also the detailed mythology.
02:31We try to set up the feeling that you're in an archaeological site. You get completely
02:36engrossed in the theme of the whole thing. We wanted to take and build that kind of a world
02:41that the pirate ride had and add an excitement that the Star Tours has and put it into one
02:47package and make it happen to you.
02:50While some iconic moments like the rolling boulder are recreated, the ride tells an original
02:54story involving the god Mara, voiced by James Earl Jones.
02:58Don't look at the eye! Don't look at the eye!
03:01Parents, don't look at the eye!
03:03Don't look at the eye!
03:05Don't look at the eye!
03:07As hard as you might resist, somebody in your vehicle will inevitably gaze into Mara's haunting
03:13eyes, sending you all on a daring journey involving fireballs, skeletons, and a giant snake.
03:19Why'd it have to be snakes?
03:21Next time, you're on your own!
03:23Number 8. Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
03:26It's in keeping with Disney tradition, an experience, a show with runaway mine trains
03:33that whisk guests through dark tunnels and mine shafts.
03:36Although not relayed to the guests during the experience, this train coaster has a surprisingly
03:41intricate backstory involving a not-so-natural disaster, an abandoned town, and possessed trains
03:47that still roam the cursed mountain. Whether or not you're familiar with its mythos, all
03:51you need to know is that this here's the wildest ride in the wilderness.
03:54But every day, big thunder strikes.
04:04Big thunder strikes.
04:07Although Walt Disney had been gone for several years, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad was the
04:12location's first ride without any input from the park's namesake. It was the brainchild of a
04:16Imagineer Tony Baxter, who's responsible for a few rides on this countdown.
04:21The tough thing was taking a roller coaster, which is a series of hairpins and unusual formations
04:26that you would never see in reality, and putting rock work around that so that people look at it
04:31and they believe in it.
04:33Big Thunder Mountain was his first masterpiece, sending us on an untameable locomotive charging
04:38across the steepest mountain ranges and most explosive mines that Frontierland has to offer.
04:55Number 7. Matterhorn Bobsleds.
04:57Matterhorn Bobsleds.
04:58Our Matterhorn was scaled for the first time on its inauguration.
05:02Since then, during the vacation months, climbing it has become a daily event.
05:10When Disneyland opened, it lacked a roller coaster that could appease thrill-seeking adults and older kids.
05:15By 1959, the park had corrected this with a tubular steel coaster, the first of its kind in the world.
05:21What made Matterhorn Bobsleds stand out, though, was its design modeled after the real-life mountain in the Alps.
05:27Ironically, most Westerners are probably more familiar with Disney's version,
05:31which takes a few liberties with the inclusion of the abominable snowman.
05:35Can you share some of your favorite memories about living in the Matterhorn?
05:38This red-eyed creature adds a creep factor to an otherwise whimsical expedition.
05:44The Matterhorn set the standard for all Disney coasters that followed.
05:48Since then, Disney has made coasters that go faster,
05:51but few can compete with the Matterhorn's atmosphere.
05:54We just wish the skyway still passed through the mountain.
05:58It's just like at Disneyland.
06:01Not anymore, I'm afraid.
06:02What?
06:03At Disneyland, these sky buckets, they are gone, kaput.
06:06Number 6, Splash Mountain.
06:09I must say that just walking through the park today, you can sense the excitement in the air.
06:13As you mentioned, I've covered many great events, from inaugurations to Super Bowls,
06:17but this first run down Splash Mountain seems to have captured the imagination of the entire country.
06:22Another Tony Baxter creation, Splash Mountain served a dual purpose,
06:26to repurpose animatronics from the short-lived America Sings attraction
06:30and fulfill Dick Nunes' request for an overdue log flume ride.
06:34The name Splash Mountain was meant to capitalize on the 1984 Touchstone film starring Tom Hanks and Daryl Hannah.
06:40We were opening July 17th, which was Disneyland's birthday, in 1989.
06:45Instead of mermaids, though, the ride was populated with characters from Song of the South.
06:58While the 1946 film that inspired it might have problematic roots,
07:02the ride brought joy for more than 30 years with its catchy music, cheerful critters,
07:07and long drops guaranteed to leave patrons soaked.
07:10And you're zippin' in a flash on a tearin' dash
07:13Down a waterfall so rapid that you go splish-splash
07:16Sip-sip-sip-sip-sip-sip-sip-sip
07:19Although the 2024 Princess and the Frog re-theme was met with resistance,
07:23Tiana's Bayou Adventure maintains what made its predecessor special,
07:27while forming its own identity.
07:29So if anybody has any worries about the big drop not still being crazy and exciting,
07:33they have nothing to worry about, as I am about to experience right now.
07:37Yeah!
07:42Woo!
07:43Number 5. Fantasmic.
07:47It would knock you out of your side.
07:49Out your shoes, too.
07:50Oh, I like the dragon.
07:55You have to see it to believe it.
07:57Since 1992, Frontierland's Rivers of America has provided a backdrop for the nighttime spectacular known as Fantasmic.
08:04While the show has gone through various iterations over the decades,
08:07the basic setup remains the same,
08:09as we follow Mickey into his most pleasant dreams and worst nightmares,
08:13encountering other Disney characters along the way.
08:16Oh, I'll turn that little bouncing dream into a nightmare Fantasmic!
08:23Imagine this!
08:25Indeed, Fantasmic plays like a dream,
08:28with the lighting and water effects sending us into an enchanting daze that we never wish to awaken from.
08:33Children, of course, will simply look at this and assume it's magic, which it is in a way.
08:38Adults might wonder, how do they do this?
08:41Like Fantasia, Fantasmic isn't so much about telling a coherent story,
08:45as it is about giving the audience an experience, one of sight, sound and vibes,
08:50where anything that springs into one's imagination can become a reality.
08:54With the first stroke of Bruce Healy's score, we are pumped.
08:58Use your imagination!
09:04Number 4, Space Mountain.
09:14Jettison Disneyland 1, Space Mountain Code 2, clear for takeoff.
09:18Instrumentation?
09:19Instrumentation, go.
09:21Monster?
09:22Go.
09:23Nothing?
09:24Go.
09:25Electrical?
09:26Go.
09:27An outer space themed roller coaster was among the many concepts in the back of Walt Disney's head,
09:30that wouldn't be realized until after his death.
09:33Making its first appearance at Disney World in 1975, Space Mountain arrived in Anaheim two years later.
09:39Spaceport flight.
09:40You may proceed with the launch.
09:42Roger.
09:43Launch control.
09:44This is Space Mountain.
09:45With its Disneyland debut inadvertently coinciding with the release of the first Star Wars movie,
09:54Space Mountain took people to another galaxy far, far away.
09:58Before even boarding the rocket, the queue immerses guests in a spaceport that sets a tone for the experience that follows.
10:04Riders are overcome with gravitas as they're launched into darkness, dashing through a stream of stars.
10:10Every time we arrive back at the station, it truly feels as if we were out of this world for a moment.
10:15After entering the Disneyland spaceport, visitors may experience the thrills that space travelers of the future will encounter
10:23when rocket trips to the moon become a daily routine.
10:26Number 3.
10:27The Haunted Mansion.
10:28Welcome, foolish mortals, to the Haunted Mansion.
10:33I am your host, your ghost host.
10:38Oh, that's wild.
10:40From a distance, it might seem like any other antebellum mansion.
10:44Making your way to the entrance, though, you'll begin to sense that something's off,
10:48which only becomes more apparent as guests are lowered into the depths below.
10:52There are only two ways out of the Haunted Mansion, and we strongly advise taking a doom buggy rather than the ghost host's way.
10:59Despite Disney's struggle to make a film surrounding the attraction,
11:02Haunted Mansion has a life of its own with characters, set pieces and music that remind us that sometimes it's fun to be afraid.
11:09I think the beauty of the ballroom scene is that it's not full of complex technology.
11:15It has an authenticity.
11:16It creates an atmosphere of reality, and it doesn't feel fake.
11:22It's timeless.
11:23Between September and January, Jack Skellington and his crew move in for the Haunted Mansion holiday.
11:29Yet those hitchhiking ghosts will always be permanent residents of the manor.
11:33When you hear the nell of a mabrian bell,
11:36Weird glows gleam where spirits dwell.
11:39Number 2.
11:41Star Wars Rise of the Resistance.
11:55From Star Tours to Smuggler's Run,
11:57George Lucas' creation has provided endless potential for Imagineering.
12:01Rise of the Resistance forever raised the bar not only for Star Wars rides, but Disney parks in general.
12:07The ride uses the most advanced audio animatronic technology to create characters that are eerily human in their expression.
12:15This is essentially several Star Wars attractions rolled into one epic package.
12:19Seeing guests get captured by the First Order before staging a heart-raising escape.
12:24It's an out-of-body experience, on par with participating in a magic act.
12:28Transported to a hangar of stormtroopers, we find ourselves asking how this is accomplished.
12:37Disney says the ride is its most ambitious project ever, employing three different ride systems.
12:43Soon enough, we stop questioning what we're seeing, letting the force flow over us.
12:48Say what you will about Disney's handling of Star Wars, but Rise of the Resistance is where the two achieve perfect balance.
12:55The dark side calls.
12:57Will you turn against the light?
13:00Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.
13:04Sleeping Beauty Castle.
13:06Not just a symbol of the park, but of Disney as a whole.
13:09Disneyland Sleeping Beauty Castle is probably the most beloved icon at Disneyland Park.
13:15It's a small world.
13:16It's a song we all know, possibly in more than one language.
13:19It's a world of wants and a world of fears.
13:23There's so much that we share and it's time we're aware.
13:27It's a small world after all.
13:30Mad Tea Party.
13:31A ride as maddening as it is wonderful.
13:34It's a small world after all.
13:37It's a small world after all.
13:41It's a small world after all.
13:45It's a small, small world.
13:48Jungle Cruise.
13:49Animals and dad jokes.
13:51What more could you want?
13:52The secret bathing pool of the Indian elephant.
13:55And it's okay to stare, they have their trunks on.
13:58Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway.
14:00The closest we've ever come to entering a cartoon world.
14:03We did.
14:04Told you nothing was gonna go wrong.
14:06We did.
14:07Told you nothing was gonna go wrong.
14:08We did.
14:09The stars will be our guide.
14:11And nothing can stop us from.
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14:30Number one, Pirates of the Caribbean.
14:33There's a boat every few seconds coming through here.
14:36So the story has to be continuous.
14:39Walt Disney famously said, quote,
14:41Disneyland will never be completed.
14:43It will continue to grow as long as there is imagination left in the world.
14:47While Disneyland is breaking new ground nearly 70 years later,
14:50the park's crowning achievement is still arguably the last ride that Walt personally oversaw.
14:55Pirates of the Caribbean encompasses everything we look for in a Disney attraction.
15:00Immersive atmosphere, iconic set pieces, and characters who feel real.
15:05It's a symphony of all the talents of Imagineering.
15:11These guys have been performing here all those years.
15:15It's like a big movie set.
15:17Even before Jack Sparrow and Company took the franchise to new frontiers,
15:20Pirates of the Caribbean had already given us several staples of pop culture
15:24that have endured since the ride's opening in 1967.
15:27Capturing the grit, yet also the thrills of a pirate's life,
15:30the ride is a call to adventure.
15:32Oh, oh, no, oh, a pirate's life for me.
15:36What's your go-to Disneyland destination?
15:39Let us know in the comments.
15:41Henry is the leader.
15:44Terrence sings up a storm and plays terrific guitar.
15:50Zeb's the fiddle player.
15:52He grins and plays and just barely makes it to the end of his piece.
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