The ride
Image: Disney
Traversing the World Showcase can get rough after a while. That’s particularly true if you’re currently sloppy or have continually bumped into a lot of people who are sloppy. You need a break. The same is true on a hot day when you’ve made your way back from Future World but cannot walk any longer. These are the times when a nice, slow, air-conditioned attraction is your best friend.
Realizing this need/desire, Imagineers constructed a ride for the debut of the Mexico Pavilion. Called El Rio del Tiempo, it told the story of Mexican history in a semi-charming way. Actually, it worked a lot like the version of the attraction that everyone knows and likes (not loves). The difference is that in 1982, Disney cast Mexican actors to act silly in a way that would make Bumblebee Man think, “Have some pride, man.” Well, he’d think that in Spanish, but you get the point. El Rio del Tiempo was horribly dated only a few years after its debut.
Thankfully, Disney updated the ride to a more modern version 25 years after the introduction of the original. Yes, in the days before Frozen Ever After, Imagineers had already rebooted an existing World Showcase attraction. In 2007, they repurposed El Rio del Tiempo to dial up the fun while lowering the vibe of travelogue history lesson.
The replacement, Gran Fiesta Tour Starring The Three Caballeros, isn’t the greatest ride at Walt Disney World. It’s not even an original one. The attraction is basically It’s a Small World with Mexico as the exclusive focus. And yet it works perfectly.
The explanation is that Donald Duck is one of The Three Caballeros, and most of the entertainment on this ride comes at his expense. As always, Donald is the comic foil for hijinks and shenanigans, taking a beating from start to finish. It’s a warm hug of remembrance for people who grew up watching Disney television. Plus, it’s a lot more politically correct to have a cartoon duck engage in the over the top comedic adventures than for real people to do basically the same stuff.
Image: DisneyThe fact that all the hilarious instances of cartoon violence happen on a slow, cool ride is a happy bonus on those scalding summer days. Disney experts view Gran Fiesta Tour as one of the great escapes. It’s a seven minute ride that almost never has a wait. To wit, we recently stood in line for it on a 100-degree day. Several of the people standing in line behind us angrily grumbled that they’d never seen such a long line. The official wait at that point was…10 minutes. Gran Fiesta Tour Starring The Three Caballeros is equal parts satisfying to ride and welcome as a respite from the heat.
Comments
"Drop Everything"? Good grief! I'm really hoping the author (or other regular article writers to the site) step up in defense of the other pavilions as well!
In it's defense though, I do agree that Mexico is a great pavilion. As a kid, the view inside blew me away, and it was nice to finally get on a ride after the long hike around World Showcase. Definitely a nice pavilion, I agree!