Today's post will list rides and attractions that never came to be, changed into another, or was just an idea! These rides and attractions include Disneyland Anaheim, Ca. - California Adventure Park, and Walt Disney World in Florida.
Tomorrow's list will include Disney Paris and Japan!
Disney's California Adventure
Armageddon Special Effects - A special effects show originally planned for Stage 17 in the Hollywood Pictures Backlot. Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? – Play It! was placed there instead. The attraction now exists at the Walt Disney Studios Park.
Rock 'N' Roller Coaster starring No Doubt - An indoor roller coaster ride featuring music from the Anaheim-based rock band No Doubt.
Mickey's PhilharMagic - A 3-D film planned to replace Muppet*Vision 3D, but cancelled due to theater size and space restrictions. A show by the same name was created at Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom, Hong Kong Disneyland, and Tokyo Disneyland.
Circle of Hands - A show featuring various audio-animatronics telling the history of California. Due to budget cuts, the show was canceled and replaced by Golden Dreams.
Grizzly Railroad - A railroad train attraction which would have taken passengers on a scenic trip around Grizzly Peak.
Chocolate Factory Tour - A tour in the Pacific Wharf, featuring free samples of chocolate.
Incredibles Attraction - An E ticket attraction allegedly featuring robot-arm technology, based on the Disney/Pixar movie The Incredibles. The attraction was put on hold in favor of Cars Land.
Paradise Pier Water Flume - A "Chute-the-Chutes"-style boat ride that would have ended with a splash into Paradise Bay.
Green Army Men Parachute Drop - A Parachute drop attraction themed to the Green Army Men from the film "Toy Story", Which would have replaced the former Maliboomer space-shot attraction.
Surfing Lessons - Initial concepts for Disney's California Adventure featured surfing lessons in Paradise Bay.
Odyssea - A nighttime spectacular on Paradise Bay, based on The Little Mermaid. Elements from this found their way into World of Color.
Lights, Camera, Animation! - A parade to replace Eureka!: A California Parade, featuring classic Disney animated characters. The concept was dropped in favor of Block Party Bash.
Pixar Superstar Parade - A parade to replace Block Party Bash, featuring Disney/Pixar characters. The concept was dropped in favor of Pixar Play Parade.
Walt Disney World
Disney's Animal Kingdom
Dragon Tower - A dragon-themed roller coaster planned for Beastly Kingdom. Laid-off Imagineers took the idea to Universal, where it became Dueling Dragons.
Quest for the Unicorn - A hedge maze planned for Beastly Kingdom.
Fantasia Gardens - A boat ride designed for Beastly Kingdom featuring the mythical animals in Fantasia. The current Fantasia Gardens is a miniature golf course located near the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin resorts.
Enhanced DINOSAUR - DINOSAUR was originally planned to have Ankylosaurus-shaped vehicles that would have traveled through prehistoric swamps and jungles. Additional scenes would feature feasting Tyrannosaurs, volcanic eruptions, high speeds, deinonychus attacks, and more.
Journey to the Center of the Earth - A high-speed coaster similar to the attraction of the same name at Tokyo DisneySea.
Rainforest Roller Coaster - An inverted coaster that would be informative about the rainforest and all plants and animals that inhabit it.
The Excavator - A runaway mine car roller coaster through an abandoned dinosaur dig, planned for Dinoland USA.
Dinorama Meteor Dark Ride - A dark ride regarded as a junior version of DINOSAUR, planned for Dinorama.
The Tree of Life Carousel - Instead of The Tree of Life, this double-decker carousel would have been the park's iconic symbol. Guests would ride on a Dumbo-like ride on vehicles based on animals from around the
world.
Disney's Hollywood Studios
Dick Tracy's Crime Stoppers - A ride based on the 1990 film Dick Tracy.
Baby Herman's Runaway Baby Buggy - A Fantasyland-style dark ride based on Baby Herman, a character from Who Framed Roger Rabbit.
Toontown Trolley - A madcap adventure that would have flight simulators surrounded by animated screens to take guests on a "hare-raising" trolley ride through a zany cartoon world with Roger Rabbit at the helm.
The Great Muppet Movie Ride - A "misguided" tour through movie history, given Muppet-style. The ride was to be part of the planned Muppet Studios, as was Jim Henson's Muppet Vision 3D, but when Muppet creator Jim Henson died, the idea of Muppet Studios was scrapped along with the ride; however, the 3-D show survived and was built.
The Chinese Theater's Great Disney Movie Villain Ride - A 3D adventure where visitors would have been menaced by three-dimensional recreations of Disney's most famous fiends before the forces of good finally came to their rescue. The ride was planned for Disney-MGM Studios and would have replaced The Great Movie Ride at Walt Disney World.
Benny the Cab Ride - Guests would go on an adventure with Benny the Cab from Who Framed Roger Rabbit.
Epcot
Tron Game Center - In 1982, advertised by a large framed poster on the inside wall of what is now Innoventions West, this was to be an arcade-style gaming area based on the Disney movie Tron. It was to have featured simulations of the games that Tron and his fellow programs battled in during the movie, such as the "Disc Game". It was scrapped by Disney because at the time, the unbuilt final draft was considered too similar to a video game arcade, and did not fit the educational image that Disney wanted Epcot to project.
Mt Fuji Roller Coaster - A roller coaster modeled after the Matterhorn Bobsleds at Disneyland, planned for the Japan Pavilion at Epcot. It was rejected after protests by Eastman Kodak, sponsor of Journey Into Imagination, over a ride sharing the name of their biggest competitor, Fujifilm.
Simulated Bullet Train Ride - A unique variation on Disney's CircleVision 360 show. Guests would have found themselves standing aboard a vibrating recreation of the passenger compartment of a Japanese bullet train. Looking out through the oversized faux windows in this passenger car, they would have been treated to a high-speed travelogue as some of Japan's most beautiful scenery whizzed by the windows. The attraction was planned for the Japan Pavilion at Epcot.
Godzilla Bullet Train Ride - Similar to both the Mt. Fuji and Bullet Train ideas, in this case having the bullet train run afoul of Godzilla in Tokyo Bay, followed by a race to safety. This ride was planned for the Japan Pavilion at Epcot.
Meet the World - Imagineers were planning to build same attraction in two places, Epcot and at Tokyo Disneyland, only the Tokyo version was built and closed in 2002. The Epcot version was mentioned in most pre-opening materials. The script and music were translated. The project was cancelled due to a design error in the construction of the show building. The attraction might have been sponsored by Japan Airlines and/or Panasonic, just as the attraction was in Tokyo Disneyland.
Rhine River Cruise - A cruise down Germany's most famous rivers, including the Rhine, the Tauber, the Ruhr and the Isar. Detailed miniatures of famous landmarks would also be seen, including one of the Cologne Cathedral. The ride entrance and the building that would have housed it are still visible at the Germany pavilion.
Time Racers - A high-tech thrill ride about fast-forwarding through history that was to replace Spaceship Earth.
Rainforest Rollercoaster - An inverted coaster that would be informative about the rainforest.
Jr. Autopia - The Disneyland attraction would be added next to the new Test Track for a new Transportation pavilion. The concept emerged in response to Test Track's high rider height requirements.
Journey Into Space - Produced with the assistance of author Ray Bradbury, the centerpiece of the Epcot Space Pavilion would have been a massive simulator attraction that would have moved an entire theater in sync with outer-space visuals. "A huge, interstellar 'Space Vehicle' will transport passengers to the outer frontiers of the universe, highlighting man's efforts to reach out to the stars around him... from the early pioneers who looked and wondered...to modern-day space travelers and their triumphs...to the challenges and possibilities of future space technology and exploration."
Movie Pavilion - Themed around Hollywood movies from the 1920s to the modern era. Would have been located between the Journey into Imagination and The Land pavilion, and would have been disguised as giant movie backdrop with a blue painted skyscape. The idea eventually grew into what became the Disney's Hollywood Studios.
Life and Health Pavilion - A health-themed pavilion in which guests would enter "The Great Midway of Life" and encounter The Joy of Living, a sensory funhouse, the Tooth Follies, The Head Trip, Good Health Habits, and in the large angular part of the show building, The Incredible Journey Within. This massive dark ride would have transported guests via omnimover into the human body, where they would pass giant animatronic replicas of a beating heart and breathing lungs. The concept eventually evolved into the Wonders of Life pavilion.
The Seas - Guests would board the clipper ship "Spirit of Mankind" to sail through moments of peril and triumph with seven legendary mariners, the great explorers who charted the seas for civilization. In another adventure, Poseidon the Sea Lord would challenge visitors to journey through ocean depths from the Continental Shelf to the Great Coral Reef. Finally arriving at "Sea Base Alpha", guests would experience an authentic ocean environment with live marine life, an undersea restaurant, and a showcase of oceanographic exhibits and displays. This idea would eventually become The Living Seas.
Thames River Ride - Designed as part of the UK pavilion, this full-scale water ride would visit key London landmarks. Concept art from 1986 shows the Tower of London, Big Ben, and the Houses of Parliament.
UK Pavilion Audio - Animatronics show - A full-scale Audio-Animatronics show based on the works of Charles Dickens was planned to be a part of the UK pavilion. Three sketches from 1984 show the three spirits haunting Ebenezer Scrooge.
WEDway PeopleMover - When the Communicore (now Innoventions East and West) buildings were built, they were designed with a second level and very high ceilings. This was because a peoplemover system was destined to be installed on the second level.
Magic Kingdom
Thunder Mesa - A large complex planned to house the Western River Expedition, Big Thunder Mountains, hiking trails, and an Indian Village. The name was eventually assigned instead to a section of Frontierland in Disneyland Paris.
Western River Expedition - A Pirates of the Caribbean-style ride through the Wild West. This was first proposed for Walt Disney's Riverfront Square.
Lewis and Clark River Expedition - An earlier incarnation of the Western River Expedition. It was planned for Disney's America but scrapped with the rest of the park.
Fire Mountain - A roller coaster ride through an active volcano, planned for the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World. The ride would have started like the Matterhorn Bobsleds but a lava spout accompanied by fissures would have sent the cars flying in the air. It was originally intended for Adventureland or was to replace 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea at Fantasyland.
Unnamed Duck Tales Ride - Planned for Mickey's Starland (later Mickey's Toontown Fair) or possibly an unbuilt version of Mickey's Toontown for the international parks. Sketches and comments can be seen in a hidden menu on the rare special edition Duck Tales DVD set available only overseas. Sketches seem to indicate a dark ride attraction similar to Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin.
Pixie Hollow - Part of the original Fantasyland Expansion plans, intended to replace Mickey's Toontown Fair. This area would have served as a meet and greet location for Tinkerbell and her fairy friends.
Cinderella's Chateau - Part of the original Fantasyland Expansion plans, to be located at the former site of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. This attraction would have served as a meet and greet location for Cinderella where guests could dance with the princess. Plans for this attraction were replaced with the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train.
Aurora's Cottage - Part of the original Fantasyland Expansion plans, to be located at the former site of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. This attraction would have served as a meet and greet location for Sleeping Beauty where guests could celebrate her birthday. Plans for this attraction were replaced with the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train.
Quite a list, eh?! The Imagineers are always working!!! We just don't see it all the time! You'd think Disney would have the money though to create more at the Disney theme parks, considering a bottle of water cost almost $7.00 now - IT'S A BOTTLE OF WATER, and regular water, not water from the Fountain of Youth - geez.
Anyway - tomorrow Disney's Japan and Paris!
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