5. Harry Potter Escape from Gringotts
Size: 80,000 square feet
Though Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey is often considered the anchor attraction of the Wizarding World (thanks to its duplication in Japan and California, not to mention its placement in Hogwarts), the second E-Ticket created for the Wizarding World is just as enormous. In fact, Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts may be one of the most advanced attractions on Earth, combining Spider-Man’s SCOOP technology with a family roller coaster. So it’s no surprise that Gringotts actually dwarfs Forbidden Journey’s showbuilding…
4. The rides of Pandora
Image: Apple Maps
Size: 80,000 square feet
Though it may not seem like it from within the park, the two attractions that make up Pandora – The World of AVATAR at Disney’s Animal Kingdom share a showbuilding… And believe it or not, they more or less split the building directly down the middle. Flight of Passage takes place in a very tall warehouse with a 40,000 square foot footprint, containing four theaters. Na’vi River Journey – the peaceful, meandering boat ride through the planet’s bioluminescent jungles – occupies the much shorter eastern half of the showbuilding with a footprint approximately the same size.
3. Space Mountain
Size: 85,000 square feet
Believe it or not, Space Mountain is the largest showbuilding at Magic Kingdom by square footage, with its conical dome sitting atop an 85,000 square foot blueprint. As strange as it may seem, the Florida ride is literally twice as large as Disneyland’s… but of course, that may be because Disney World’s Space Mountain literally contains two side-by-side mirror image roller coasters. An icon of the Space Age that had a role in setting pop culture’s image of retro-futurism, Space Mountain is a massive attraction in every way except its speed… a mere 25 miles per hour.
2. Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage
Size: 95,000 square feet
One of the largest attraction showbuildings ever, Disneyland’s Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage is contained in a warehouse measuring nearly 100,000 square feet, but unlike the Haunted Mansion, Indiana Jones, or Splash Mountain, you won’t see it on a map. That’s because the buildings roof was planted and actually houses Disneyland’s Autopia, pylons for the Monorail, and the long-abandoned tracks of the Lost Legend: The Peoplemover.
It makes sense… The enormous 40-person subs that glide through the ride need a wide turning radius, and due to the way guests are seated, each show scene is mirrored on either side of the track! Like its Magic Kingdom sister – the Lost Legend: 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea – the submarine ride is a relatively low-capacity, high-expense ride that takes up a huge amount of precious real estate… That’s why fans suspect that eventually, it’ll be sunk just like Florida’s version.
1. Pirates of the Caribbean
Size: 112,000 square feet
If you ask Disney Parks fans, there is simply no classic dark ride on Earth to dethrone Pirates of the Caribbean. Walt’s magnum opus (and the last attraction he worked on before his death), Pirates is simply larger than life. Disneyland retains the only truly massive version of the ride, clocking in at an amazing 17 minutes (compared to Magic Kingdom’s 8 minute version). Along its course, the ride plunges down two waterfalls, navigates three levels, passes through two showbuildings, and altogether overlooks 112,000 square feet. By far, its the largest showbuilding at a Disney Park, housing one of the company's biggest and most well-known adventures.
Comments
The Pandora rides sharing a building backfired big-time when Flight of Passage experienced frequent overheating problems - causing frequent fire alarm activations. Navi River Journey is affected too - a fire alarm activation means that the entire building is evacuated.