News Disneyland to give Snow White’s Scary Adventures dark ride a major facelift in 2020

[THE 1HAPPY HAUNT]

Sigh... they are going to turn the ride into a book report like Little Mermaid aren't they? Snow White works because it's not telling you the story but putting you into the story. The forest scenes with the Witch following you are awesome. The Witche's death scene if fantastic and I LOVE that is how the ride ends. abruptly because to us who are in the ride, once the villian is done our story and ride is done. They are going to make this ride even more kiddie friendly than before and I am willing to bet they are going to change the name and remove "scary adventures" from the title. Count on it. This is sad. Leave it alone. It's been fine since 1983. Leave the exterior alone too.

 

[Rich T]

The ending is laughable and has been a complaint by many if not all for eons.

The ending was fine until 1983, when they added the ridiculous “Happily Ever After” mural. All they really need to do is remove that lame attempt at a happy ending and just let the ride end with the witch getting hit by lightning. Crash, bang, turn, everybody out. Let it be DL’s one true scary dark ride, the way it was originally designed. These rides were never meant to be baby-friendly book reports.

 

[VJ]

The ending was fine until 1983, when they added the ridiculous “Happily Ever After” mural. All they really need to do is remove that lame attempt at a happy ending and just let the ride end with the witch getting hit by lightning. Crash, bang, turn, everybody out. Let it be DL’s one true scary dark ride, the way it was originally designed. These rides were never meant to be baby-friendly book reports.

Today's Disney can monetize happiness and nostalgia, but they can't monetize fear.

 

[RobWDW1971]

Today's Disney can monetize happiness and nostalgia, but they can't monetize fear.

Hence why they used Kylo Ren vs Vader in SWGE

 

[mickEblu]

I don't like when rides try to conclude the story. The ride ending with the witch attacking them makes it exciting. I really despise how the Car's Ride has this exciting big race and then they have to ruin the excitement by following it up with talking cars telling you that you are all winners.

Is Mr. Toad going to get an ending as well? How about Space Mountain or the Matterhorn?

While I agree with the examples you provided, I think it’s fair for them to want to add a “proper” ending for the only “princess” ride in the park. Judging by Paris’ version, if Tony Baxter had the room he probably would have done it himself. Not that that makes it right or wrong. I read somewhere that a lot of the kids that do ride it, end up asking what happened to Snow White. Maybe @raven24 shed some light on this.

My issue with this is not their desire to add a proper ending but what they have to get rid of and possibly rearrange to do so. At the end of the day these changes aren’t going to be a huge difference maker and the attraction will continue to average 10 minute waits. So for that reason I say why mess with a classic? Clearly, in two tries they didn’t have the room and/ or did not have the desire to include a “proper” ending. For me, messing with exterior and possibly taking the “scary” out of the attraction name are the biggest offenses.

 

[Californian Elitist]

While I agree with the examples you provided, I think it’s fair for them to want to add a “proper” ending for the only “princess” ride in the park. Judging by Paris’ version, if Tony Baxter had the room he probably would have done it himself. Not that that makes it right or wrong. I read somewhere that a lot of the kids that do ride it, end up asking what happened to Snow White. Maybe @raven24 shed some light on this.

My issue with this is not their desire to add a proper ending but what they have to get rid of and possibly rearrange to do so. At the end of the day these changes aren’t going to be a huge difference maker and the attraction will continue to average 10 minute waits. So for that reason I say why mess with a classic? Clearly, in two tries they didn’t have the room and/ or did not have the desire to include a “proper” ending.

When I trained for the ride, I was told it was designed with the idea that the guests were supposed to be Snow White (hence why she makes just one appearance). After she takes a bite, the only thing left is her waking up and setting off with the prince. This is why it ends the way it does.

Still, most guests don’t know this and most were asked me where the ending was. I always pointed to the mural.

 

[mickEblu]

Regarding the ending, guests are supposed to actually be Snow White (one of the reasons she appears just once during the ride).

When I trained for the ride, I was told it was designed with the idea that the guests were supposed to be Snow White (hence why she makes just one appearance). After she takes a bite, the only thing left is her waking up and setting off with the prince. This is why it ends the way it does.

Still, most guests don’t know this and most were asked me where the ending was. I always pointed to the mural.

Well they have to commit to that though. If we re supposed to be Snow White that gets thrown out the window when we see her in the first scene. From that moment on we re not Snow White. I don’t think that approach works for a ride based on princess or storybook IP anyway. One of the few things I disagree with those WED guys on. The majority of people just don’t understand that concept and want to see their favorite characters. It’s like a microcosm of one of the issues with Galaxies Edge.

 

[Californian Elitist]

Well they have to commit to that though. If we re supposed to be Snow White that gets thrown out the window when we see her in the first scene. From that moment on we re not Snow White. I don’t think that approach works for a ride based on princess or storybook IP anyway. One of the few things I disagree with those WED guys on. The majority of people just don’t understand that concept and want to see their favorite characters. It’s like a microcosm of one of the issues with Galaxies Edge.

Talk to the designers. Lol.

 

[mickEblu]

Talk to the designers. Lol.

Lol no I was telling you because I thought you could go change it.

 

[Californian Elitist]

Lol no I was telling you because I thought you could go change it.

 

[Animaniac93-98]

I just have no problem with the ending. There's massive resolution to the witch being killed just like at the end of the movie and that's the whole thing since the ride is mainly centered on the, uh, scary adventures, not the little people or Snow White even though they briefly appear. Snow White doesn't even eat the apple in the ride, so what's the point of showing her being revived by a strange man? You know I'm right.

Florida had a scene with Snow at least holding the apple, suggesting what happened next.

But no plans for that here from what we know.

 

[George Lucas on a Bench]

We are the ones being offered an apple on the ride, not Snow White. So, really, we should be kissed by a strange man at the end.

 

[mickEblu]

I think “ POV” is a better way to explain what the WED guys were going for with the old school Fantasyland rides. They re all great as I do feel like I’m in the middle of the action when I ride them unlike The Little Mermaid at DCA. With that said, I’ve never once felt like I was Toad driving a car in Mr. Toads wild ride even though we never see him.

Regardless, Snow White’s Scary Adventures is probably the best iteration of any ride with the “you are the main character” concept. Before they added Snow White of course.

 

[SuddenStorm]

I think “ POV” is a better way to explain what the WED guys were going for with the old school Fantasyland rides. They re all great as I do feel like I’m in the middle of the action when I ride them unlike The Little Mermaid at DCA. With that said, I’ve never once felt like I was Toad driving a car in Mr. Toads wild ride even though we never see him.

Regardless, Snow White’s Scary Adventures is probably the best iteration of any ride with the “you are the main character” concept. Before they added Snow White of course.

Tony said it best- it's silly to say that you are Mr. Toad, or Snow White, or whoever- but you're getting to do the things they did. Which is what matters, whereas Little Mermaid is like watching a film- it's not immersive in the slightest.

 

[George Lucas on a Bench]

Mermaid is a ride for little girls who want to see Ariel. Nothing more, nothing less.

The Fantasyland rides were made to be like stepping into the stories and even though they were relatively crudely done in a spookhouse fashion (even after being remodeled) and sort of prototype Disney rides at the time, they're still among the best for whatever reason.

 

[waltography]

If it means getting a final scene like in Pinocchio or Pooh that neatly wraps things up, I don't have a problem with this.

 

[Animaniac93-98]

Mermaid is a ride for little girls who want to see Ariel. Nothing more, nothing less.

The Fantasyland rides were made to be like stepping into the stories and even though they were relatively crudely done in a spookhouse fashion (even after being remodeled) and sort of prototype Disney rides at the time, they're still among the best for whatever reason.

Your idea of a Little Mermaid dark ride where you're chased through a sunken ship by the shark and Ursula's human doppelganger would have been much better.

They could have called it ScAriel's Undersea Adventure.

 

[Brer Panther]

Well they have to commit to that though. If we re supposed to be Snow White that gets thrown out the window when we see her in the first scene. From that moment on we re not Snow White. I don’t think that approach works for a ride based on princess or storybook IP anyway. One of the few things I disagree with those WED guys on. The majority of people just don’t understand that concept and want to see their favorite characters. It’s like a microcosm of one of the issues with Galaxies Edge.

If we're supposed to be Snow White, how come we're seeing things that she didn't see? Like, the Queen turning into the Witch?

Tony said it best- it's silly to say that you are Mr. Toad, or Snow White, or whoever- but you're getting to do the things they did. Which is what matters, whereas Little Mermaid is like watching a film- it's not immersive in the slightest.

I've said this before, but I think the Magic Kingdom's Winnie the Pooh dark ride is a good example of how you can do a "book report" ride of sorts right. It retells the story of the film while actually making you part of the story. You don't just watch these things happen, you get to do things WITH the characters. You get to bounce through the forest and float in the floodwaters and get menaced by Heffalumps and Woozles.

If you want to do a "book report" ride, do that. Like, if you're making an Aladdin dark ride, have the riders fly through the Cave of Wonders alongside Aladdin and Abu on their own magic carpets and weave in and out of the twisting coils of Snake Jafar. If you make a Jungle Book dark ride, have the riders get hypnotized by Kaa, float down the river with Baloo, and be pursued by Shere Khan instead of just seeing Mowgli do those things.

 

[BrianLo]

Tony said it best- it's silly to say that you are Mr. Toad, or Snow White, or whoever- but you're getting to do the things they did. Which is what matters, whereas Little Mermaid is like watching a film- it's not immersive in the slightest.

There is nothing overtly wrong with semi-passive vignettes if you can make up for it with strong narration. Scuttle certainly isn't that and is a forgotten crux that half-heartedly solely bookends the ride.

Omni-movers in particular demand a strong narrator. Spaceship Earth and Haunted Mansion are driven by their narrators.

Amongst many things an omni-mover was not the correct ride system for a Fantasyland style ride.


I actually expect Tokyo's Beauty and the Beast will be a straight book report, but for a litany of reasons it will be better received.

 

[mandelbrot]

We are the ones being offered an apple on the ride, not Snow White. So, really, we should be kissed by a strange man at the end.

Best. Ending. Ever.