New Adventures

Sure, Disney was able to take the DNA of its familiar favorites and rearrange it to create the next generation of classic rides. But they didn’t just play it safe. Shanghai Disneyland also hosts a number of completely original attractions that simply can’t be found anywhere else. Here are the New Adventures we can’t wait for people to see for themselves.

1. Roaring Rapids

Location: Adventure Isle

The ancient Arbori people call it Roaring Mountain for the deep, guttural growling that emanates from within, shaking all of Adventure Isle. As the queue winds through Field Camp Beta, you’ll find relics and warnings left by the Arbori and what they believe is responsible for the continuous, rumbling roar: their legends tell of Q’aráq, a crocodile-like river beast that dwells within, guarding the island’s water. But it couldn’t be true, could it? The League of Adventurers (and you!) set off on this incredible expedition to find out – no matter the peril!

Boarding expedition rafts, you’ll head into the unknown to discover the truth of the lost Mountain. And be warned: a fallen tree diverts the river into an old lava tube through the Mountain’s core where the mysterious creature lies in wait… Then, you'll splash through volcanic vents, around whirlpools, and through the mystic jungles of Adventure Isle.

Roaring Rapids is poised to be Shanghai Disneyland’s equivalent to Animal Kingdom’s “Expedition Everest” (with its infamous Yeti encounter) or Tokyo DisneySea’s “Journey to the Center of the Earth” (wherein riders face the gnashing fangs of a Lava Monster). The Q’aráq animatronic riders encounter in the mountain will ambush riders, lunging toward them before breathing mist and snapping razor-sharp jaws mere inches from their heads.

Does Q'aráq knock out the current number one on our countdown of the most incredible animatronics on Earth? You'll have to read to find out… Either way, Disney fans will be pleading to bring a version of this adventure stateside. Of course, we can't help feeling that a flume ride / dark ride adaptation could've been a stunning, starring addition to Beastly Kingdom. 

2. Camp Discovery

Camp Discovery is something entirely unique for Shanghai Disneyland, and perfect for Adventure Isle. After all, new recruits to the League of Adventurers have to put their skills to the test. Consider Camp Discovery a perfect melding of California Adventure’s Redwood Creek Challenge Trail and DisneySea’s Fortress Explorations, all set in one of the most jaw-dropping locales in any Disney Park. There are hiking trails around the mountain range to sacred “humming stones” that emit a continuous vibration, mysterious excavation pits, and a playground in Arbori ruins.

Most fascinating, Camp Discovery offers three legitimate ropes courses: the House of the Ancients Trail leads to an in-progress excavation of an Arbori trading market;  the Echo Cavern Trail winds along a river gorge past recently-discovered rock carvings and paintings up to Echo Canyon, where you can test out why it got its name; and the third trail (the most picturesque), the Hidden Falls Trail, which sees guests climb a ropes course literally in the mist of the peak’s pounding waterfall, leading deep into the jungle and into a cavern behind the falls, to the glittering, hypnotic, gem-encrusted Temple of the Milky Way.

3. Voyage to the Crystal Grotto

Imagine if Jungle Cruise were relocated to Fantasyland, and then if instead of animals, it featured encounters with stylized vignettes of Disney stories, like a life-sized Storybookland Canal Boats – with World of Color tossed in. The concept might seem wild, but that’s what awaits on Voyage to the Crystal Grotto, the sort of anchor attraction of this Fantasyland.

The ride is set on the winding waterways and forests that make up the center of Fantasyland. Its story is loose, but creative: somewhere beneath the Enchanted Storybook Castle is a sealed cavern guarded by the spirit of a firefly. Inside this cavern is a crystal spring where legends and stories are born. Apparently, the people of this storybook village have created sculpture gardens to honor the stories of the springs (you may have heard of them: Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid, Mulan, The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, etc.) that the magical waters bring to life.

Riders board boats very similar to the Jungle Cruise steamers, driven by a live skipper (who more or less stays quiet throughout) as they glide through the waterways encountering these living story sets. Voyage to the Crystal Grotto is a brave concept and a unique ride with some shining moments, like the Aladdin scene, concealed entirely by fountains until Aladdin’s lamp steams, waking the Genie.

The Grotto itself is brought to life by projection mapping as the firefly of legend harnesses the power of the crystal’s light. While it’s unlikely to ever make it to a US park and its execution might leave a little to be desired, Voyage to the Crystal Grotto is a great introduction to Eastern audiences and a very unique concept that makes the park stronger.

4. TRON: Lightcycle Power Run

If there’s one original ride from Shanghai Disneyland you’re likely to hear Disney fans clamoring for, it’s going to be TRON: Lightcycle Power Run. Filling the role normally taken by Space Mountain, Power Run is far and away the park’s headlining thrill ride, set beneath a frosted glass canopy at the far end of Tomorrowland.

Disney’s first standalone ride based on TRON (after years of begging and countless rumors, especially given the recent TRON: Legacy sequel), the ride is a Motocoaster, where riders board Lightcycles from the films and lean forward against their own individual cycle with a restraint resting against their back. The launched roller coaster gathers speed in an undulating, pulsing digital chamber before rocketing to 60 miles per hour and blasting out into the glass canopy Upload Circuit, chased by neon hexagons lighting up overhead.

That’s only the start, as the Lightcycles then re-enter the showbuilding for a twisting, turning, in-the-dark roller coaster set inside the digital world of TRON. The coaster pits riders (on blue cycles) against competitors (on red cycles) via projection. Especially clever, at one point during the ride, the train you're riding on actually switches from blue to red as it passes a mirror, giving the impression that the competitors are racing right alongside you when you're really just looking at their own reflection!

Would TRON: Lightcycle Power Run be superfluous at a park that already has a Space Mountain? Not entirely. Perhaps there's hope for this sleek, 21st century launch coaster to make it to the US eventually. But for now, this TRON E-Ticket is a Shanghai exclusive that’s grippingly fun, totally impressive, and everything you’d expect from a TRON ride (and that's a compliment). 

Innovation

By our count, Shanghai Disneyland has six completely original, unique themed lands, no less than 8 completely reinvented takes on beloved classics, and at least 4 entirely new, never-before-seen rides you can’t get anywhere else. Moreso than any other Disney park, Shanghai Disneyland is controversial… Even now as the park opens and adjusts to its daily life, questions arise about whether or not the uphill battle for a Chinese park is worth it.

But we’ll say this: Shanghai Disneyland looks like a truly impressive, elaborate, wonderful addition to Disney Parks. We only wish it were built near Chicago. (And since it has practically nothing in common with any US Disney Parks, why shouldn’t it have been?) We wish nothing but the best for this park (sure to become a must-see for fans, like the original Disneyland or Tokyo DisneySea) and we’re hopeful that the innovations it’s sparked will benefit us all in the near future!