What are your top three attractions ever designed and opened by WDI? (defunct attractions are fair game)

Disgruntled Walt

Disgruntled Walt

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
In the Parks
No
Here are my top-three (of attractions I've been on):
  1. Tower of Terror (WDW Version) - Everything fires on all cylinders. The theming, the ride pacing, the effects, the motion of the vehicles, everything. It's just a work of art, and I hope it survives for years to come. Oh yeah, and the fact that it blends in with the Morocco pavilion in Epcot is an A++++.

  2. The Great Movie Ride - I think an attraction that required so many active and "acting" Cast Members, amazing animatronics, and outstanding special effects is definitely worthy of this spot. Every time I think about the Great Movie Ride, I feel extremely glad to have been able to ride it so many times. I was especially fortunate to be in WDW during the D23 when they announced its demise, so I was able to make a special trip back to DHS to ride it one last time. There really is nothing quite like it at any Disney Park these days.

  3. Splash Mountain (WDW version) - The second version of SM really was such an improvement over the original Disneyland attraction. Sure, it was similar to Disneyland's, but improved in basically every way. The storyline is much clearer, set up from the very beginnings of the queue, and the addition of important pieces of dialogue, better lighting, and a more leisurely pace makes this one of the best attractions ever designed. While it's maintenance may not have been the best, I can't blame the Imagineers, because they really knocked it out of the park.
What are your top three?
 
BlakeW39

BlakeW39

Well-Known Member
I'll give you 4, and in no particular order:

  • Splash Mountain (Magic Kingdom)
  • Kilimanjaro Safaris (Disney's Animal Kingdom)
  • Spaceship Earth (EPCOT)
  • Tower of Terror (Disney's Hollywood Studios
I think these four attractions are pretty close to perfect. Few flaws and genuine A++ experiences.

Kilimanjaro Safaris often gets left out of these discussions, perhaps because it's kind of its own thing, but I do want to stress that for me it's vying for the number 1 spot alongside these other three.

Other attractions that almost made the list for me are Disneyland's Pirates of the Carribean & Indiana Jones Adventure, Disney's California Adventure's Radiator Springs Racers, and the original version of Expedition Everest: Legend of the Forbidden Mountain at Disney's Animal Kingdom. I never got a chance to see the last one firing on all cylinders but on paper it seems like it would rank up near the top. I also never rode Horizons or the original Imagination, which may deserve to be considered as well.

But yeah. That's my list.
 
ParentsOf4

ParentsOf4

Well-Known Member
Pirates of the Caribbean (1967)

Absolutely classic Disney. Although Walt died 3 months before its opening, his signature is all over this, and the attraction is the pinnacle of Walt's attraction designing skills.

Walt with the pirate heads:

1683236566477.png


Tower of Terror (1994)

Tower of Terror is one of those special treats rarely found at theme parks. Even before entering Disney Hollywood Studios, you see it lurking in the distance, beckoning you.

At first you can't believe it's an attraction. It's just for show, right? But then you turn the corner onto Sunset Boulevard and, faintly, start to hear screams emanating from its pinnacle. You continue your stroll down the street with so many nearby distractions but, involuntarily, no matter where you are, you find yourself glancing up, always glancing up.

As you approach, your excitement builds. The gate doesn't look like an attraction entrance; it looks real, someplace frozen in time where something has gone horribly wrong. You meander through the queue, approaching the lobby. Even on the sunniest days, it's dark and foreboding. You finally enter the structure, so much to see, so much to absorb, and you know, just know, something special lies ahead.

I remember the first time I experienced Tower Of Terror in the summer of 1994, not too long after it opened. We stood in the line for about an hour, the longest we had ever waited at WDW up till that time. The queue was so rich and set such a mood that we didn't mind.

As soon as we got off, our reaction was "Wow, that was totally awesome!" No one questioned our decision to get back in line and wait another 60 minutes.

Rise of the Resistance (2019)

After Tower of Terror, every Disney attraction seemed a bit of a letdown. A few along the way were pretty good but none rose to the level of Tower Of Terror. Then I experienced ROTR a few days after its opening and was just blown away.

Back in the days when you had to be physically in the park to get a boarding group, this is what the park entrance was like every morning:

1683237105116.png
 
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UNCgolf

UNCgolf

Well-Known Member
A random selection of three but the others below are just as good:

Spaceship Earth
Living Seas/Seabase Alpha (the pavilion as a whole -- hydrolators, Seacabs, etc.)
The Great Movie Ride

Horizons, Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Caribbean, Journey into Imagination, World of Motion, Splash Mountain, and Tower of Terror are all in that same category. 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea was pretty close. I haven't been on Rise so I can't judge that.

Kilimanjaro Safaris is amazing but I think of it as something different than other attractions.
 
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Skibum1970

Skibum1970

Well-Known Member
UNCgolf said:
A random selection of three but the others below are just as good:

Spaceship Earth
Living Seas/Seabase Alpha (the pavilion as a whole -- hydrolators, Seacabs, etc.)
The Great Movie Ride

Horizons, Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Caribbean, Journey into Imagination, World of Motion, Splash Mountain, and Tower of Terror are all in that same category. 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea was pretty close. I haven't been on Rise so I can't judge that.

Kiliminjaro Safaris is amazing but I think of it as something different than other attractions.
Click to expand...

You have such a good list. Mine would be:

1. Spaceship Earth: Perfect music and sets.
2. Pirates of the Caribbean: Awesome ride where IP was unnecessary. Great for all ages.
3. Haunted Mansion: Same as above. Everything is perfect from the queue through to the exit.

Bonus Pick: Horizons. Great music and such a fun and interesting ride.
 
BlakeW39

BlakeW39

Well-Known Member
UNCgolf said:
A random selection of three but the others below are just as good:

Spaceship Earth
Living Seas/Seabase Alpha (the pavilion as a whole -- hydrolators, Seacabs, etc.)
The Great Movie Ride

Horizons, Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Caribbean, Journey into Imagination, World of Motion, Splash Mountain, and Tower of Terror are all in that same category. 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea was pretty close. I haven't been on Rise so I can't judge that.

Kiliminjaro Safaris is amazing but I think of it as something different than other attractions.
Click to expand...

Seeing posts like this makes me honestly really sad that I never got to experience some of these classic attractions. 20k leagues, horizons, sea base alpha, imagination... I'm too young to even have ridden them, but I'd really like to see some great attractions like them again. And on the subject of Kili, Rohde posted on Instagram a few weeks back about the process of designing show scenes featuring wild animals. So I would honestly consider KS a conventional 'ride,' only instead of being a classic Disney AA extravaganza, it's a zoological attraction featuring wild animals.
 
John park hopper

John park hopper

Well-Known Member
1.Alien Encounter
Splash Mountain
Space Ship Earth
GMR
Mr Toads Wild Ride
2.Original Universe of Energy
POC original
Jungle cruise -original
3.ToT
Haunted Mansion
 
J

J4546

Well-Known Member
Its cool to see RISE on here so much, they really did a great job with that experience. Still really wish they had themed the 2 SWGE lands into different planets though
 

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