10. Mickey's Birthdayland
Opened in: 1988 Closed in: 1990 Replaced by:Mickey's Toontown When Mickey Mouse turned 60 in 1988, Disney decided to install a temporary land at the Magic Kingdom. A recreation of the town of Duckburg, its primary attraction was a birthday-themed meet-and-greet with Mickey and Minnie. It proved to be so popular that it was replaced by the permanent Mickey's Toontown.
9. Penny Arcade
Opened in: 1971 Closed in: 1995 Replaced by:Main Street Emporium The Penny Arcade on Main Street USA was a clone of a Disneyland attraction, featuring a host of vintage arcade machines. Like the Main Street Cinema, it was removed to make way for more retail space.
8. Star Jets
Opened in: 1974 Closed in: 1994 Replaced by: Astro Orbiter Similar in style to Dumbo The Flying Elephant, the Star Jets was a spinning ride in Tomorrowland. It was remodelled to become Astro Orbiter following its closure in 1994.
7. Timekeeper
Image: Disney
Opened in: 1994 Closed in: 2006 Replaced by:Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor A clone of an opening-day attraction at Disneyland Paris, Timekeeper merged audio-animatronic effects with a Circle-Vision movie. It was dubbed into English, with Robin Williams starring as the Timekeeper.
6. Admiral Joe Fowler Riverboat
Opened in: 1971 Closed in:1980 The Admiral Joe Fowler Riverboat chugged around the Rivers of America, and was named after the retired navy admiral who led the construction of Walt Disney World. It was badly damaged in an accident in 1980 and never returned.
5. Legend of the Lion King
Opened in: 1994 Closed in: 2002 Replaced by: Mickey's Philharmagic The Festival of the Lion King show at Disney's Animal Kingdom wasn't the first theme park spectacular to be based on the smash-hit animated movie. In 1994, Legend of the Lion King debuted in Fantasyland at the Magic Kingdom. The 500-seat theater - formerly home to the Mickey Mouse Revue and Magic Journeys - accommodated a show that featured fully-articulated puppets. Although it is now gone, one of its main songs, I Just Can't Wait to be King, is part of its replacement: Mickey's Philharmagic.
4. Mr. Toad's Wild Ride
Opened in: 1971 Closed in: 1998 Replaced by: The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh Just as it was at Disneyland back in 1955, Mr Toad's Wild Ride was in place on the opening day of the Magic Kingdom. The classic Disney dark ride was based on the firm's adaptation of The Wind in the Willows, and featured two slightly different rides depending on which boarding area guests queued for. The near-misses with scenery made it hugely popular, but Disney ignored fans' protests and tore it out in September 1998 to make room for The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh.
3. Snow White's Scary Adventures
Opened in: 1971 Closed in: 2012 Replaced by: Princess Fairytale Hall Snow White's Scary Adventures opened in 1971 alongside the rest of the Magic Kingdom. Criticised by many parents for being too intense for younger children, it received a major overhaul in 1994 that removed many of the scarier elements. It was removed to make room for the New Fantasyland expansion, although a new Snow White-themed ride, the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, will open soon. Very similar versions of the ride can still be found at Disneyland, Disneyland Paris and Tokyo Disneyland.
2. Skyway
Image: George Thomas, Flickr
Opened in: 1971 Closed in:1999 The Magic Kingdom's Skyway cable car ride debuted with the rest of the park on October 1, 1971. Like Disneyland's version, it carried guests from Tomorrowland to Fantasyland, and vice-versa. The Magic Kingdom's Skyway outlived its Disneyland counterpart by 5 years, before being removed in 1999. The Fantasyland station was recently demolished to make way for the Tangled meet-and-greet area.
1. 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea: Submarine Voyage
Opened in: 1971 Closed in: 1994 Replaced by:Under the Sea - Journey of the Little Mermaid 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea: Submarine Voyage was not Disney's first attempt at an underwater attraction. Disneyland's own Submarine Voyage ride first debuted in 1959, some 12 years before the Magic Kingdom opened its gates. Naturally, the Imagineers working on the Florida project wanted to create something bigger and better. They expanded the scale of the attraction so that it could accommodate 12 submarines, with the tank sprawling across a large area of Fantasyland. Crucially, they also opted to adopt the 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea theme, providing a storyline instantly recognisable to fans of the book and Disney's 1954 movie adaptation. After more than two decades of entertaining Walt Disney World guests, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea was closed on September 5, 1994. At the time, Disney claimed that the closure was temporary, but it finally conceded in 1996 that the ride would never reopen. The submarines were dismantled, with many of the parts being auctioned off to collectors.
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Comments
I just came back from Disney World two days ago and I can assure you the Country Bears Jamboree is still there; my daughter insisted on watching it multiple times!
What about Circlevision sponsored by Monsanto? Or was it called something else?
Though I miss some of these attractions, the only one I really have a problem with is the turning of Main Street into one large shop. I think it was detrimental to Main Street to lose the arcade, movie theater and other shops. But obviously people must not have been spending enough to justify it.
The peoplemover is still there. so is the carousel of progress.
and i agree with the commercialization of main street. like disney doesnt make enough money in the other shops...
I'm STILL not over the removal of Mr. Toad's Wild Ride and Snow White's Scary Adventure.
If You had wings had a wonderful sense of Nostalgia, but the Buzz Lightyear ride is a lot more fun.