5. Replacing ride track

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad© Disney

Changing out the track is a major ride overhaul, but sometimes a necessary one for track-based rides — particularly roller coasters, whose high speeds can cause wear and tear on the track over time. Recently, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad at Disneyland had most of its track replaced — and, though Disney made other ride improvements at the same time, it was such a sizable project that it took 14 months to complete (three months longer than the company originally planned).

The result of such a change is often a smoother ride. Sometimes Imagineers will use this as an opportunity to change exactly how the track is designed, but Big Thunder's track stayed the same.

6. New ride vehicles

Matterhorn Bobsleds© Disney

Changing the cars on a ride might seem like an aesthetic decision, but it can change the feel of the ride, too. Take Disneyland's Matterhorn Boblseds for example: since the ride's earliest days, it used bobsled-style cars with two seats that could each hold two people (so long as they snuggled close). The resulting ride was one that a lot of modern riders feel nostalgic about, but in practice these seats could be awkward to ride in — so in 2012 Disney swapped them out for a more conventional, one-rider-per seat design.

The end result: the ride is a lot less unique (the cars are almost identical to Space Mountain's at Walt Disney World), but more comfortable to ride in for most.

7. Interactive queues

Magic Kingdom Haunted Mansion© Disney

Walt Disney World is the king of interactive queue areas that make waiting in line fun with games, scenery, and plenty of interactive elements. But the park's queues weren't always more than lines: the Haunted Mansion was updated in 2011 to add a new queue area with a graveyard featuring gravestones with amusing epitaphs, an interactive musical crypt, a sea captain's tomb that leaks water, and the book-filled crypt of a poet.

Even though it's not in the ride itself, this pre-ride experience makes what's typically the most boring part of any ride — the wait in line — fun. Additionally, the queue sets the stage for what you'll find inside, extending the fun of the ride out to the queue area.

So what's next for Disney's rides? The Imagineers have plenty of tricks up their sleeves for updating our favorites — but who's to say what they might come up with in the future!