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Disney Parks have undergone many transformations over the decades, some welcomed and others less so. From classic ride removals and nostalgic closures to groundbreaking new lands, join us as we explore the most unforgettable and controversial changes that shaped Disneyland and Disney World's history. Discover the hits and misses of each era, and relive moments fans loved—and loved to hate!
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00:00I'm very sad about it closing because I'm going to miss it.
00:04So, why say goodbye?
00:06Welcome to Ms. Mojo.
00:08And today, we're looking at the good and bad ways Disney has altered their theme parks over the years.
00:13We'll only be discussing Disneyland in California and Disney World's four main parks in Florida.
00:19Anything you want. Just come back when your time rolls around to enjoy your favorite ride.
00:24And best of all, Lisa, guess what? It's absolutely, positively free.
00:321980s. While Disneyland and Disney World didn't experience many changes in the 1970s,
00:37the 1980s saw significant expansions made to the parks. Not all of them were considered good.
00:44Fantasyland, trolls! It's never been closed before! What's happening, Mickey?
00:50Nearly three decades after opening day, Disneyland did a complete overhaul of Fantasyland involving a lot of additions, removals, and
00:58redesigns.
00:59Two casualties of the 1983 New Fantasyland renovation were the Skull Rock Cove and the neighboring Captain Hook's galley.
01:07What's good about it, Mr. Smee?
01:11Here we are collecting barnacles on this miserable island.
01:15Both attractions opened decades earlier, offering guests a Peter Pan-inspired lagoon where they could walk under waterfalls and then
01:22grab a bite at Hook's restaurant.
01:24That cursed beast liked the taste of me so well. He's followed me ever since. Licking his chops for the
01:31rest of me.
01:33During the expansion, Dumbo the Flying Elephant took over the area, where it remains as of 2026.
01:40Now that's where Dumbo's new home is going to be. You know, he's getting ready to move already. He's got
01:45his trunk packed and everything.
01:48And this is where Peter Pan is going to fly in every night.
01:52Overall, the changes made to Fantasyland had a positive impact.
01:56The rides were rearranged in a way that felt less congested, allowing guests to better navigate the crowded land.
02:02But fans of Skull Rock and the pirate ships still wish they could relive the experience.
02:06Disney World's Epcot also made big additions in the 80s.
02:10The world of Epcot's all around you, but it's no fantasy, no fantasy, it's art, art, live and free.
02:29When the park opened in October 1982, it housed nine pavilions.
02:34The United Kingdom, Canada, France, Japan, the American Adventure, Italy, Germany, China and Mexico.
02:43Those areas were already incredible.
02:45But between 1983 and 1989, there were five new ones.
02:55True to Epcot's ideals, Maelstrom embraced the history of Norse mythology.
03:01Expanding the World Showcase allowed guests to learn more about different cultures and enjoy various edutainment attractions.
03:08For the 1980s, the Epcot expansion was the best change.
03:12And removing Skull Rock was the worst.
03:14A circle of nations that celebrates both cultural differences and shared human values.
03:20Yet the circle is not complete, and the roll call of nations and cultures from around the world has only
03:26begun.
03:281990s
03:28In the 1990s, Disney parks went through more changes, removing and replacing different attractions.
03:34Like the hell-themed Mr. Toad's Wild Ride at Disney World.
03:38They're as normal as you and I.
03:40They eat, they sleep, they have jobs, they pay taxes, they have a passion for Mr. Toad's Wild Ride?
03:45All right, well, some may say that's unusual.
03:48One of the biggest changes was the removal of the Skyway gondola lifts.
03:52The Disneyland version was the first to close on November 9, 1994,
03:56followed by Disney World closure on November 10, 1999.
04:00I think it's an honor to have ridden on the last day of it.
04:04I wish they never closed this ride down.
04:06But most kids think the three-and-a-half-minute ride from Fantasyland to Tomorrowland is just too long.
04:13Although Disney cited, quote, metal fatigue, others have had their own theories over the years, like cost-cutting.
04:20No matter the reason, fans still mourn the stunning views.
04:23Look around at the sky and the ground, every leaf, every tree, look around at the joys to be found.
04:39Disneyland's People Mover also closed in August 1995, another unique form of transportation.
04:46Another huge change in the 1990s was the relocation of Discovery Island from Bay Lake to a brand-new park.
04:52Visitors may spend as much time as they like exploring the island and its fictional landmarks.
04:57But it is, after all, the colorful inhabitants themselves who furnish the main attraction.
05:02Closing Discovery Island on April 8, 1999 may have been considered a bad thing.
05:07But its closure was to make way for Disney World's recently opened fourth park, Animal Kingdom.
05:13All of its animal inhabitants were relocated to the park's safari section, later renamed Discovery Island.
05:19The actual island remains abandoned.
05:21The lights remain on around the perimeter, but deeper into the overgrown paths on the island.
05:27Surprised how dark it is in here.
05:29The group discovers abandoned buildings and cages.
05:32For the 1990s, the Discovery Island relocation to Animal Kingdom was the best change.
05:37And removing the Skyway was the worst.
05:412000s
05:41Walt Disney World made a few alterations to their attractions in the 2000s.
05:46And fans believe the third renovation of a beloved Epcot attraction was a bad one.
05:50In 1983, the park debuted Journey into Imagination.
06:08Guests enjoyed the whimsy and wonder and the endearing relationship between Dreamfinder and his little dragon Figment.
06:14The second version in 1999, Journey into Your Imagination, was so disliked by guests that it closed after two years.
06:22The third iteration arrived in June 2002, and the Dreamfinder was still gone.
06:27His purple pal returned, but was now obnoxious and irritating.
06:31Removing a fan-favorite character was bad enough,
06:34but to double down and change the characterization of Figment really had guests unhappy.
06:39Right you are, for right in there, imagination's everywhere.
06:44The visions once inside your head exist inside that place instead.
06:49Imagination is my game, the sparks of which ignite the flame of your own creativity.
06:55One of the more positive changes of the decade happened over in Animal Kingdom.
06:59Standing at 199.5 feet tall, Expedition Everest opened on April 7, 2006,
07:06as a focal point in the park's Asia section.
07:08There are signs of his presence.
07:14And then the train is stopped in its tracks.
07:18There's no place to go.
07:19Guests could ride through the Himalayas, and when they reached the broken track,
07:23the vehicle went backwards down the mountain and saw the giant audio-animatronic Yeti.
07:31From its theming and storytelling to its immersive cue and innovative design,
07:36Expedition Everest is by far one of Disney World's top thrill rides.
07:40Where are we going to go?
07:42And I was like, what are we going to do now?
07:45Oh no!
07:46For the 2000s, the addition of Expedition Everest was the best change,
07:51and the third incarnation of Journey into Imagination was the worst, 2010s.
07:56In the 2010s, Disney World Parks really upped their replacement of older attractions with IP-based attractions.
08:02The Studio Backlot Tour gave guests a behind-the-scenes look into filmmaking,
08:06which was the whole concept of Disney's Hollywood Studios Park.
08:09All right, that's great, kid.
08:11That's a wrap.
08:12Thank you!
08:14You're on to the next stand.
08:16Here we go.
08:17However, it was shut down in 2014, and four years later, Toy Story Land took over the area.
08:23The Great Movie Ride was one of Hollywood Studios' opening day attractions in 1989,
08:27and actually inspired the cinema-themed park.
08:30Ironically, the ride was all about IP.
08:33It featured iconic scenes and characters from films such as The Wizard of Oz,
08:37Mary Poppins, Singing in the Rain, and Casablanca.
08:40It was like a dream. It was amazing.
08:42I love this ride. It brings back so many, like, childhood memories.
08:46To get up close and watch the films come to life,
08:49and you got to stop for a second and watch every character move.
08:53The nostalgic attraction closed in August 2017,
08:56and was replaced by Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway in March 2020.
09:00Nothing can stop us now.
09:03I knew somehow
09:05that we would finally make it.
09:08We've had one crazy ride.
09:12I'm with you by my side.
09:15Not all IP-related changes were bad ideas.
09:18In 2019, Disneyland and Disney World both had what is perhaps the most explosive change of the decade.
09:25Star Wars Galaxy's Edge first opened at Disneyland on May 31st,
09:29followed by the August 29th opening at Hollywood Studios.
09:32The groundbreaking-themed land lets guests fully immerse themselves and ride two new attractions,
09:38Millennium Falcon Smuggler's Run and Rise of the Resistance.
09:42For Star Wars fans, it's a dream to experience their favorite fictional world,
09:46and Disney made it happen.
09:48It's also the culmination of over 60 years of Disney Parks innovation and technology.
09:54There's so much of our DNA as a company that we've put into this
09:57and crammed together into this one amazing experience.
10:00These are the building blocks that the future's based on.
10:04For the 2010s, the addition of Star Wars Galaxy's Edge was the best change,
10:08and replacing the great movie ride was the worst.
10:112020s.
10:12So far.
10:13Disney Parks have seen quite a bit of backlash in the 2020s,
10:16maybe more than previous decades.
10:18For an extra $20 a ticket, Disney Genie Plus will offer guests
10:21what it's calling a lightning lane entrance that will allow them to skip the long lines
10:26at popular attractions.
10:28Controversial changes include eliminating certain park and resort perks,
10:32like Fast Pass Plus becoming a paid lightning lane in 2021,
10:36and shutting down Disney's Magical Express in 2022.
10:39Pick you up with our airport bus,
10:43drop your bags and you at your doorstep,
10:46plus with the drive off your mind,
10:48leave your worries behind,
10:50transportation, it's on us.
10:53Ask most park fans what bothers them the most,
10:56and it's likely the IP-ification of Epcot's World's Fair.
10:59It has to be in a state of becoming an all the time,
11:02more than any other park.
11:03And as the years rolled by,
11:06Epcot continued to reflect the moment.
11:08The park abandoned the permanent World's Fair concept,
11:11instead capitalizing on Disney's robust IP,
11:14including attractions based on Frozen, Ratatouille, and Moana.
11:19While some guests feel like all originality has been lost with these attractions,
11:23it's undeniable that they bring in more money and attendance.
11:26We have to make something that's so wonderful,
11:28that you forgive us for replacing your childhood,
11:31and you go forward with us and say,
11:33wow, I'm so glad this is here.
11:34Replacing Splash Mountain with Tiana's Bayou Adventure in 2024
11:38at both Disneyland and Magic Kingdom didn't bode well with some older park fans,
11:43but others can agree that it was a needed change.
11:49After gradually shuttering attractions like Primeval Whirl and Triceratops Spin,
11:54Animal Kingdom's Dinoland USA permanently closed on February 2, 2026.
11:59You can see just how deserted it is.
12:02This part of Dinoland will transform into a new indoor ride based on the hit movie, Encanto.
12:09While the upcoming Tropical America sounds cool,
12:12Dino fans are still devastated by the complete closure of a beloved land.
12:16Hey, aren't you guys coming with us?
12:17No, no, we've got to try and get you back.
12:20Enjoy the meteor shower.
12:21Like the prior decade, some of the IP-based changes received positive feedback from guests,
12:26like the May 2022 opening of Guardians of the Galaxy Cosmic Rewind in Epcot.
12:31That is honestly the greatest roller coaster I've ever been on in my life.
12:35The epic indoor roller coaster took over the location of Ellen's Energy Adventure,
12:39which many agree was pretty outdated.
12:42So replacing it with a Guardians ride wasn't too controversial.
12:45Of course, Epcot has the World Showcase,
12:48where countries come to show us about their culture, their technology, their people.
12:52Well, this will be our first other World Showcase pavilion.
12:57For the 2020s, adding Guardians of the Galaxy Cosmic Rewind was the best change,
13:01and the extinction of Dinoland USA was the worst.
13:05What defunct attraction do you miss the most?
13:07Are there any changes to Disney parks over the years that you do like?
13:10Let us know in the comments below.
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