00:23We want to make sure that we have a culture that we don't judge, we expect to fail, we
00:28intend to fail, we plan to fail, we plan to fail many, many, many times because we're
00:33experimenting, we're trying things that we don't know if it'll work or not, and if we're
00:37above 50% hit rate on our smaller projects, we're not trying hard enough.
00:43Yes!
00:44The rocket rods zoom above, through, and around Tomorrowland in the fastest and longest attraction
00:49in Disneyland Park.
00:51This thrilling experience puts guests behind the wheels of high-speed vehicles of the future
00:56as they tear along an elevated highway above Tomorrowland.
01:00So read the ambitious description of the rocket rods in Disneyland 2000 Souvenir Book.
01:06Ride the Road to Tomorrow was the hyperbole and ambitious concept proud boast at the attraction's
01:11entrance.
01:12Unfortunately, the rocket rods' disappointing reality never matched the printed entrance,
01:16making their failure all the more glaring.
01:19What should have been an exciting new 30-mile-per-hour thrill ride for the 21st century barely sputtered
01:25through the last year of the 20th.
01:27Even more embarrassingly, the rocket rods were built to be high-profile showpiece attraction
01:32at Tomorrowland.
01:34In the spring of 1998, what had once been the Circorama Theater opened as the rocket rod's
01:40spiraling queue.
01:41Area waiting guests learned about the history of transportation from numerous displays which
01:46included vehicles from extinct Disneyland attractions.
01:49Guests also heard car-themed music, including a reworked version of Detroit from Disney The
01:55Happiest Millionaire.
01:57The displays and music were fine, but the long wait wasn't, often stretching to well over
02:02an hour.
02:03When they finally arrived at the old PeopleMover boarding area, guests found sleek five-passenger
02:08hot rods that looked suitably futuristic and were surprisingly loud.
02:12Once they headed off along the PeopleMover elevated tracks, the cars lurched from acceleration
02:17on the straightaways to sudden deceleration on the curves.
02:21Part of a $100 million improvement to Tomorrowland, the $25 million ride was shut down almost immediately
02:28after opening and it was closed its first summer for repairs.
02:32During design, this attraction was called Rocket Rod's XPR, Experimental Prototype Rocket.
02:39The ride takes 2 minutes 40 seconds to travel the complete circuit.
02:42Press releases about the closing of Rocket Rods.
02:45This is from LA Times.
02:47Disneyland's misfiring Rocket Rods, a ride that was the brash new star of Tomorrowland when
02:52that aging fun zone got a $100 million facelift three years ago, was closed permanently Friday.
02:58Despite efforts by designers and mechanics, the Rocket Rods had suffered increasingly serious
03:04breakdowns, announcing a lengthy rehabilitation in September, Disney posted a sign saying
03:09the ride will reopen come spring, but the sign was removed recently.
03:14From the Orange County Register, the Zippy Rocket Rods ride at Disneyland closed to repairs
03:18since last September without a wheel.
03:21The party's announcement confirmed.
03:23Then news about the ride's closing, but had been circulating since it was shut down from
03:27the first of September 2nd.
03:28The Zippy Rocket Rods had passed the spaceship-type ride, and replaced the old PeopleMover 201.
03:34It was difficult to repair when it broke down often.
03:37This event resulted in President Cynthia Harris said that the complexity of keeping Rocket Rods
03:42in operation was a factor.
03:44And noted that the ride never was able to perform well.
03:48Part of the problem was that the high-speed attraction was retrofitted to the PeopleMover track.
03:52Harris also said the ride produced exceptionally long waits for boarding.
03:56That's the problem with closing it, though.
03:58People liked the ride.
03:59I'm sorry to hear it won't be reopened.
04:26That's pretty much what they do.
04:26Not you, but I feel scared.
04:28That's pretty good.
04:29I don't know.
04:31I feel boundaries.
04:36That's pretty good.
04:36Yeah, it actually doesn't.
04:39No one needs to be in the press right now.
04:44Ah, you're right in front of me.
04:47Oh, oh, oh my.
04:49Oh, yes.
04:51Can't call me in front!
04:53Ah, Beni, you and helping them be in front of us!
05:23It's a piece of purple.
05:30I'm glad you're trying to go out my driveway.
05:57I'm glad you got it!
06:03I'm glad you got it!
06:05There you go!
06:15Let me help you!
06:26Let's go!
07:01Let's go!
07:29Let's go!
07:59Let's go!
08:28All the tables.
08:30Yeah.
08:31Yeah, huh?
08:32Roll the tables.
09:02Whoo!
09:07Whoo!
09:11Whoo!
09:14Ya!
09:14Whoo!
09:15Whoo.
09:17Yeah.
09:19Ah.
09:27Oh, man.
09:29Oh, man.
09:34Oh, man.
09:38Oh, man.
09:49Oh, man.
09:50Oh, man.
09:55Oh, man.
09:59Yeah.
10:01Oh, man.
10:06Oh, man.
10:07Oh, man.
10:09Oh, man.
10:13Oh.
10:17Oh.
10:41This is the construction of the maintenance area for the rocket rods track into the maintenance
10:45area. The maintenance area was above Innoventions, second floor behind Innoventions.
10:52Close-ups of the parts of the electric motors that made the vehicles run.
11:11Of course, one of the many, many breakdowns, guests being walked off the attraction.
11:20This is the stairway for emergency exit for the rocket rods. Also, it was the old skyway
11:25exit. As of 2005, this is the condition of the rocket rods tracks.
11:43Rocket rod up for auction in 2018. So what happened to the rocket rod vehicles? Sadly, they were
11:49completely destroyed as you can see here.
