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

[bestcoastracer]

I actually like the beginning and end. The middle is where Pinocchio loses me a bit. That Pleasure island scene feels a bit long and slow

That's my favorite scene it's so atmospheric and becomes inchingly more creepy! If I'm ranking the fantasyland dark rides, right now it would be:

1. Peter Pan's Flight
2. Pinocchio's Daring Journey
3. Alice in Wonderland
4. Mr. Toad's Wild Ride
5. Snow Whites.... Enchanted Wish?!

Maybe this refurb will change things around if they keep in the spooky factor with just a shortened woods scene. Would love to see Pinnochio updated with new effects. Think the Pleasure Island and Monstro scenes could really shine with some new integrated tech.

 

[mickEblu]

That's my favorite scene it's so atmospheric and becomes inchingly more creepy! If I'm ranking the fantasyland dark rides, right now it would be:

1. Peter Pan's Flight
2. Pinocchio's Daring Journey
3. Alice in Wonderland
4. Mr. Toad's Wild Ride
5. Snow Whites.... Enchanted Wish?!

Maybe this refurb will change things around if they keep in the spooky factor with just a shortened woods scene. Would love to see Pinnochio updated with new effects. Think the Pleasure Island and Monstro scenes could really shine with some new integrated tech.

My ranking of Fantasyland dark rides has shifted through the years but I think I’ve settled on ....


1. Alice in Wonderland
2. Mr. Toads Wild Ride
3. Peter Pan’s Flight
4. Snow White (Not saying the new name)
5. Pinocchio’s Daring Journey

Peter Pan there’s just too much of a drop off after the Neverland scene and it would still maybe rank higher if they didn’t destroy the London scene

 

[Professortango1]

I'll play.

1. Mr. Toad Wild's Ride
2. Pinocchio's Daring Journey
3. Alice In Wonderland
4. Snow White's Scary Adventures
5. Peter Pan's Flight

Roger Rabbit beats them all though.

 

[mickEblu]

I'll play.

1. Mr. Toad Wild's Ride
2. Pinocchio's Daring Journey
3. Alice In Wonderland
4. Snow White's Scary Adventures
5. Peter Pan's Flight

Roger Rabbit beats them all though.

I have Roger Rabbit pretty high as well. Anywhere from #1 to behind Toad at #3. The problem is so much time passes in between riding some of these dark rides for me that it’s hard to really compare.

 

[Professortango1]

I have Roger Rabbit pretty high as well. Anywhere from #1 to behind Toad at #3. The problem is so much time passes in between riding some of these dark rides for me that it’s hard to really compare.

Yeah, between the the actual AA's, incredible sets, originality, and fun effects...I couldn't be happier. It reminds me of Mr. Toad 2.0.

 

[Brer Panther]

What is the ride that can't be named?

I'll give you a hint: it stars a rabbit, a fox and a bear.

He just becomes a real boy at the end because...that's what happens in the movie

He doesn't even become a real boy at the end. The Pinocchio figure sitting on the bed doesn't look anything like "real boy" Pinocchio from the end of the film.

 

[Brer Oswald]

Pinocchio is not a fail and is not a book report attraction in the way The Little Mermaid is.

Definitely not in the same way as Mermaid. But Pinocchio tries to get away with too much in its short ride time. I feel as if it would be more cohesive if it only focused on the Pleasure Island arc of the film.

As of right now, you start at the marionette performance, quickly transition from Stromboli’s cart to Pleasure island, see the donkey transformation, escape Pleasure Island, “dodge Monstro”, and return to Geppetto’s. There’s nothing to earn the real boy transformation, which I guess you can argue is why he doesn’t actually transform in the ride! But then why is the Blue Fairy there? Visual spectacle?

Pinocchio is passable as a ride. But as a Pinocchio fan, I can both appreciate it for how it represents the film scenes, and expect more from it. The “story” is all over the place in a way that the other Disneyland Fantasyland dark rides just aren’t.

 

[Brer Oswald]

I’d put Monsters above Mermaid. Pooh... The actual ride itself...yeah, I’d also put it below Mermaid. The aesthetics around Pooh are great and better than Mermaid’s, but if we’re strictly talking about the ride...

Disneyland’s Pooh is such a disappointment. I don’t understand how you completely fail a book report ride of a 25 minute short film...that has already been done correctly at the other American park.

 

[George Lucas on a Bench]

The Poo ride always gets criticized but I appreciated how it feels weirdly connected to Splash Mt/Critter Country aesthetically. I found that to be a difference from the one in FL, which I admittedly haven't been on in a long time since it was never a favorite and it's a ride for babies.

Mermaid is without a doubt the worst dark ride considering the size and budget. I mean, it's not a "Storybook" or whatever you people keep repeating here about the bloody spookhouse rides, it's an adaptation of a Disney Singalong Tape. It's the kind of thing the Lululemon Moms all clap and point and say "Look it's Arial! Yay!" You know, like Kim Irvine AKA Mr Pengy.

The Monster ride isn't the best but at least it has some zaniness to it and it isn't all songs.

 

[Brer Panther]

I still don't get why Disneyland's Pooh jumbles up the story. It just feels so jarring to have the flood scene sandwiched between the blustery day scene and the Tigger scene (which isn't even much of a Tigger scene, he just bounces out at you twice).

 

[Professortango1]

Definitely not in the same way as Mermaid. But Pinocchio tries to get away with too much in its short ride time. I feel as if it would be more cohesive if it only focused on the Pleasure Island arc of the film.

As of right now, you start at the marionette performance, quickly transition from Stromboli’s cart to Pleasure island, see the donkey transformation, escape Pleasure Island, “dodge Monstro”, and return to Geppetto’s. There’s nothing to earn the real boy transformation, which I guess you can argue is why he doesn’t actually transform in the ride! But then why is the Blue Fairy there? Visual spectacle?

Pinocchio is passable as a ride. But as a Pinocchio fan, I can both appreciate it for how it represents the film scenes, and expect more from it. The “story” is all over the place in a way that the other Disneyland Fantasyland dark rides just aren’t.

Everything works up until the end. I think they just wanted a cool effect to end on. The Pinocchio figure looks to still be a puppet, which works with the theme of the ride (running away from home and then trying to get back home once you realize how scary the world is). The Blue Fairy muddies it, but they wanted a nice ending beat. The subsequent room with nothing but decor is a waste to me. I always feel like the ride ends, and then there's this awkward space before we get to unload. It would be like having Indy with the smashed boulder, and then turning through a few more empty tunnels before the unload.

But as for the rest of the ride, its solid. We run away and join show business. We then peak behind the curtain and see how horrifying it is. We narrowly escape and then make the same mistake, running away to the splashy Pleasure Island. Then we see the carnival slowly get darker and darker until Lampwick turns, then we see the hidden side to this world. We narrowly escape, finally heading home. Monstro attacks, we escape and race through the streets until we are home safe and sound.

I'd be all for them updating the ending to remove the Blue Fairy and instead have a scene of Pinocchio reunited with Geppetto and then a final moment of them dancing as a family with Figaro and Cleo. But, given how Disney has been ignoring the themes of rides to focus more on a straight narrative re-telling, I don't see them doing that. That's why we have an entire scene dedicated to Snow White being kissed now, when her romance was never a focus nor element of the ride.

 

[CaptinEO]

And after decades of walking that tightrope, I bet if you got her with a glass of wine in her hand she would have some very dishy and funny stories to tell!

Kim Irvine is the neighbor lady? It all makes sense.

 

[Animaniac93-98]

I’d put Monsters above Mermaid. Pooh... The actual ride itself...yeah, I’d also put it below Mermaid. The aesthetics around Pooh are great and better than Mermaid’s, but if we’re strictly talking about the ride...

I disagree that Monsters Inc. is below Mermaid. It does a remarkably good job adapting to the space as a book report ride, enough that it's honestly surprising it was SL in the first place. Mermaid is (save for Ursula's Lair), positively one-note in tone.

Pooh... well, at least you can tell what kind of ride it is from its exterior.

I can't look at the California Monsters Inc ride the same way after seeing the Tokyo one.

 

[britain]

Pinocchio is an underrated gem.
Pooh is an underrated-and-yet-still-mediocre pebble.
Mermaid is an underrated-and-yet-still-below-average rock.
Monsters is a tolerable band-aid on an area that should hopefully be better used in the future.
Snow White still scares me and I'm 43! Or at least it used to. We'll see what happens to it.
Toad is fun, but to be honest, the flat plywood characters hurt it. And ending in hell is a touch too carny for my taste.

Alice: The variety of levels, not just the fact that there's a second floor, is really great - going up that outdoor ramp into the rabbit hole, with the footprints, aiming down down down toward the doorknob. It's crazy, but not annoyingly so like Toad or Roger can be. It doesn't have Pinocchio/Snow White's charm, but it's not charmless like Monsters or Mermaid. And it gives you the awesome outdoor view, and a second helping of more ride at the end.

But gosh, flying in a pirate ship sure is hard to top! Even when it's all over too soon!


So... I guess it’s...

1) Pan
2) Alice
3) Pinocchio
4) Snow
5) Toad
6) Pooh
7) Mermaid
8) Monsters
9) Roger

As sophisticated as Roger is compared to the other rides, it's been decades since I've been on it. Part of it is that it's out of the way, up there in ToonTown. And when I have been up there, the line spilling out into the hot sun without shade just puts me off. Even Mermaid gets me in because of the fast moving / shady queue.

 

[Sharon&Susan]

I was comparing Paris Snow White and Disneyland's Snow White before refurb and I am surprised at all the minor differences. And I'm not talking about the obvious stuff like the three row vehicles, the new Happy Ending, larger queue, etc.
Like for example fireflies near the Mine:

Or a completely redesigned mine with a new entrance, themed ground, the Vault is near the entrance, and the crashing mine cart from WDW at the end of the tunnel (but weirdly all the 3D elements on the walls seem to be gone?)

The magic mirror portion looks more like the Magic Mirror room in the film than the throne room that the Disneyland one is based off:

Trees seem to have been completely resculpted:

Along with a few other changes like the dwarves' house being half replaced with a mural based off the original theatrical poster, some of the skeletons being moved in the dungeons, etc.

 

[mickEblu]

The last time I was surprised by a new Ride at DLR was Mermaid. I was coming off about a decade of not being really interested in the parks as I was pursuing other endeavors that took up a lot of my time. I remember visiting DCA in 2010 and navigating all the construction walls. I hadn’t been there since 2001 and had kind of even forgot it existed. I remember seeing the posters that a Mermaid ride was coming and for whatever reason I pictured it being in Paradise bay (like an underwater Nemo ride) that was walled off. When we went back to the parks in 2011 or 2012 and I rode Mermaid for the first time it was kind of hilarious as I slowly started to realize that the ride was going to be a massive disappointment. Even as we boarded the clam shells that were obviously not on the water I kept subconsciously thinking something was going to happen. Somehow we were eventually going to float through some water like a boat or go underwater somehow. But no nothing. Thinking back on it now it seems silly that I wouldn’t realize immediately upon boarding the omnimover that that was all it’s going to be.

 

[Animaniac93-98]

I was comparing Paris Snow White and Disneyland's Snow White before refurb and I am surprised at all the minor differences. And I'm not talking about the obvious stuff like the three row vehicles, the new Happy Ending, larger queue, etc.
Like for example fireflies near the Mine:
View attachment 522501
Or a completely redesigned mine with a new entrance, themed ground, the Vault is near the entrance, and the crashing mine cart from WDW at the end of the tunnel (but weirdly all the 3D elements on the walls seem to be gone?)
View attachment 522505View attachment 522504

View attachment 522502View attachment 522503

The magic mirror portion looks more like the Magic Mirror room in the film than the throne room that the Disneyland one is based off:
View attachment 522506View attachment 522507

Trees seem to have been completely resculpted:
View attachment 522508View attachment 522509

Along with a few other changes like the dwarves' house being half replaced with a mural based off the original theatrical poster, some of the skeletons being moved in the dungeons, etc.

There's a skeleton that drops from the ceiling in the DLP dungeon scene that I think is wonderful! A great extra bit of animation.

 

[PiratesMansion]

I don't have much love for Pinocchio, and if one of the Fantasyland dark rides HAD to go or receive substantial changes, that would have been my choice. That said, I do appreciate the ending. It's a nice grace note that's absent from the other dark rides.

Monsters in Tokyo has been oversold by the internet, IMO, and isn't the masterpiece it has been made out to be at times, especially right when it first opened. BUT it is at a much higher level than the DCA version, which meant that the CA ride never had a chance for me. Especially in the post-FP "this can now hit ludicrous waits occasionally" context.

For that reason, it remains my rock-bottom DLR ride. At least with Mermaid they were trying to achieve something approaching a higher level and Pooh had the leftover Critter Country aesthetics and setting to compensate.

I was comparing Paris Snow White and Disneyland's Snow White before refurb and I am surprised at all the minor differences. And I'm not talking about the obvious stuff like the three row vehicles, the new Happy Ending, larger queue, etc.
Like for example fireflies near the Mine:
View attachment 522501
Or a completely redesigned mine with a new entrance, themed ground, the Vault is near the entrance, and the crashing mine cart from WDW at the end of the tunnel (but weirdly all the 3D elements on the walls seem to be gone?)
View attachment 522505View attachment 522504

View attachment 522502View attachment 522503

The magic mirror portion looks more like the Magic Mirror room in the film than the throne room that the Disneyland one is based off:
View attachment 522506View attachment 522507

Trees seem to have been completely resculpted:
View attachment 522508View attachment 522509

Along with a few other changes like the dwarves' house being half replaced with a mural based off the original theatrical poster, some of the skeletons being moved in the dungeons, etc.

A good breakdown of the subtle differences between the two versions! I remember what stuck out to me was that the mine, and particularly the gems within it, felt much more dimensional vs. the DL original.

The Pinocchios have never struck me as being at all different from each other, but that could be my anti-PDJ bias showing.

 

[Brer Panther]

If nothing else, Mike and Sulley to the Rescue is an improvement over Superstar Limo. If for no other reason than because it's not unbelievably creepy.

 

[PiratesMansion]

If nothing else, Mike and Sulley to the Rescue is an improvement over Superstar Limo. If for no other reason than because it's not unbelievably creepy.

Oh certainly! There's no doubt of that.

I just hope that someday we can have a respectable dark ride at DCA beyond just RSR. Monsters is lemonade out of lemons and little more.