THE LEGEND OF HERCULES
The Legend of Hercules is a brand new attraction coming to Shanghai Disneyland in 2021, celebrating the wonder boy himself: Hercules. Replacing Voyage of the Crystal Grotto in the heart of Fantasyland, The Legend of Hercules is an elaborate new suspended dark ride, and perhaps one of the biggest and ambitious in Imagineering history. In layman terms, it is an advanced suspended dark ride akin to Peter Pan’s Flight, but on a sense of scale that could rival Pirates of the Caribbean: Battle of the Sunken Treasure.
Tucked behind the Enchanted Storybook Castle, but now at the centre of Fantasyland, is Mount Olympus. The Grecian mountain is around the size of the Matterhorn Bobsleds, big enough to hide the show building within, but uses forced perspective to look bigger. On top of the mountain, water is sprayed out to create a layer of mist, making it look like Zeus’ clouds are obscuring the peak, and the home of the gods. Replacing a large boat ride, the mountain takes up most of the room, the surroundings outlined with Grecian-originated trees and ancient ruins.
Taking inspiration from the Acropolis and Athenian Parthenon, guests travel under an ancient marble archway and venture up a hill to a grand Greek temple dedicated to Hercules, with the shadow of Olympus towering over it. Flaming torches line the path, and our eager eyes behold an enormous statue of Hercules, Greek demigod of strength, and the son of Zeus, his muscular arms raised and flexed to show off the great hero’s might. Watching through his legs will take guests to his temple and to the attraction itself, but before that, let’s explore the surrounding environment.
On the lower level of the acropolis is a small but busy Greek agora and market, lined with twelve pillars representing the Olympian gods. The place is as grand and breathtaking as the temple, made from stone, marble, and tiled roofs. Indoor plumbing is pretty big here. There is a small market place, mostly selling themed food and merchandise, the larger Hercules Store, a Greek comic take on the Disney Store, selling Hercules-based merch, and Greek food and products, including small bottles of wine. There is a small play area/obstacle course called The Trials of Achilles, acting as a counterpart to Camp Discovery over in Adventureland. Guests can test their agility and strength, throwing foam discus, jumping over hurdles, etc.
There is a small garden where guests can have meet-and-greets with a variety of heroes and gods, including Hercules, Meg, Phil, Hades, Pain, Panic, and several of the Olympians themselves. The final feature is an amphitheatre, where guests will encounter the Troupe of Delphi, who perform goofy 25-minute re-enactments of classic Greek stories –“even the tragic ones, which is basically all of them.”
Onwards, we go into Hercules’ temple and into the queue line of The Legend of Hercules. The queue weaves through the torch-lit halls of the Hercules’ temple, each decorated with magnificent sculptures, pottery, frescos, and mosaics, depicting the heroic acts of Hercules and other heroes. One statue of Hercules is cleverly designed to look like it is holding up the ceiling. There is a Fastpass queue, which goes straight to loading, but skips most of the environment. But, in each room, the Muses come to life via artwork on the wall (animated projections), performing “The Gospel Truth” as guests go onwards to the loading bay. We learn how Zeus banished the Titans to a vault and ushered in the golden age of gods in Greece, before he and his wife, Hera, gave birth to their son Hercules.
We go on to the loading zone, creating the illusion that we are outside in a beautiful garden, the Garden of Heroes. The five Muses – Calliope, Clio, Melpomene, Terpsichore, and Thalia – morph in and out of garden statues, bantering with each other and encouraging guests to go on to experience Hercules’ adventures. Our chariots await, quite literally, as a row of golden chariots serve as the ride vehicles, each pulled by a small winged pegasus. Both horse and chariot are suspended from the ceiling on magnetic rails, their arrivals timed with the attraction’s scenes, and can fit around six guests, three in each row. The pegasi and chariots glide out of the loading and into the realm of Greek legend.
The chariots are wide enough to hide the floor below. In the event of an evacuation, cast members will be on hand with ladders to help guests out of the vehicles.
Onwards to the attraction!
The Legend of Hercules is a brand new attraction coming to Shanghai Disneyland in 2021, celebrating the wonder boy himself: Hercules. Replacing Voyage of the Crystal Grotto in the heart of Fantasyland, The Legend of Hercules is an elaborate new suspended dark ride, and perhaps one of the biggest and ambitious in Imagineering history. In layman terms, it is an advanced suspended dark ride akin to Peter Pan’s Flight, but on a sense of scale that could rival Pirates of the Caribbean: Battle of the Sunken Treasure.
Tucked behind the Enchanted Storybook Castle, but now at the centre of Fantasyland, is Mount Olympus. The Grecian mountain is around the size of the Matterhorn Bobsleds, big enough to hide the show building within, but uses forced perspective to look bigger. On top of the mountain, water is sprayed out to create a layer of mist, making it look like Zeus’ clouds are obscuring the peak, and the home of the gods. Replacing a large boat ride, the mountain takes up most of the room, the surroundings outlined with Grecian-originated trees and ancient ruins.
Taking inspiration from the Acropolis and Athenian Parthenon, guests travel under an ancient marble archway and venture up a hill to a grand Greek temple dedicated to Hercules, with the shadow of Olympus towering over it. Flaming torches line the path, and our eager eyes behold an enormous statue of Hercules, Greek demigod of strength, and the son of Zeus, his muscular arms raised and flexed to show off the great hero’s might. Watching through his legs will take guests to his temple and to the attraction itself, but before that, let’s explore the surrounding environment.
On the lower level of the acropolis is a small but busy Greek agora and market, lined with twelve pillars representing the Olympian gods. The place is as grand and breathtaking as the temple, made from stone, marble, and tiled roofs. Indoor plumbing is pretty big here. There is a small market place, mostly selling themed food and merchandise, the larger Hercules Store, a Greek comic take on the Disney Store, selling Hercules-based merch, and Greek food and products, including small bottles of wine. There is a small play area/obstacle course called The Trials of Achilles, acting as a counterpart to Camp Discovery over in Adventureland. Guests can test their agility and strength, throwing foam discus, jumping over hurdles, etc.
There is a small garden where guests can have meet-and-greets with a variety of heroes and gods, including Hercules, Meg, Phil, Hades, Pain, Panic, and several of the Olympians themselves. The final feature is an amphitheatre, where guests will encounter the Troupe of Delphi, who perform goofy 25-minute re-enactments of classic Greek stories –“even the tragic ones, which is basically all of them.”
Onwards, we go into Hercules’ temple and into the queue line of The Legend of Hercules. The queue weaves through the torch-lit halls of the Hercules’ temple, each decorated with magnificent sculptures, pottery, frescos, and mosaics, depicting the heroic acts of Hercules and other heroes. One statue of Hercules is cleverly designed to look like it is holding up the ceiling. There is a Fastpass queue, which goes straight to loading, but skips most of the environment. But, in each room, the Muses come to life via artwork on the wall (animated projections), performing “The Gospel Truth” as guests go onwards to the loading bay. We learn how Zeus banished the Titans to a vault and ushered in the golden age of gods in Greece, before he and his wife, Hera, gave birth to their son Hercules.
We go on to the loading zone, creating the illusion that we are outside in a beautiful garden, the Garden of Heroes. The five Muses – Calliope, Clio, Melpomene, Terpsichore, and Thalia – morph in and out of garden statues, bantering with each other and encouraging guests to go on to experience Hercules’ adventures. Our chariots await, quite literally, as a row of golden chariots serve as the ride vehicles, each pulled by a small winged pegasus. Both horse and chariot are suspended from the ceiling on magnetic rails, their arrivals timed with the attraction’s scenes, and can fit around six guests, three in each row. The pegasi and chariots glide out of the loading and into the realm of Greek legend.
The chariots are wide enough to hide the floor below. In the event of an evacuation, cast members will be on hand with ladders to help guests out of the vehicles.
Onwards to the attraction!
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