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Kilimanjaro Safaris

Image: DisneyWalt Disney had the craziest idea for Jungle Cruise. He wanted to populate the ride with live animals. His Imagineers were apoplectic at the idea, believing that it would be impossible to have a zoo at a theme park. In a way, Disney’s Animal Kingdom is the greatest achievement of any Imagineering team since Uncle Walt died.

These cast members proved their boss right, demonstrating that animals could live safely and happily at a place filled with theme park attractions. If I shut my eyes, it’s easy to imagine the smile on Walt Disney’s face as he rides on Kilimanjaro Safaris.

Na’vi River Journey

Image: DisneyWhen I mentioned Disney’s love of technical wizardry earlier, Pandora – The World of Avatar may have sprung in your mind. It’s the most futuristic of all current themed lands as well as the most engrossing. Uncle Walt would have loved exploring Pandora, and he would have recognized a kindred spirit in James Cameron, I’m sure.

While Avatar Flight of Passage is the showier of the Pandora attractions, I suspect Disney would take more enjoyment from Na’Vi River Journey. It’s a kind of boat ride that he invented, only it’s infused with 21st century special effects. The visuals and sound effects on display during this ride would impress even Walt Disney, a notoriously difficult person to impress.

Seven Dwarfs Mine Train

Image: DisneyThis roller coaster is family-friendly and just plain fun. The swaying nature of the ride carts would cause him to wonder why he’d never thought of the idea. It’s so natural and obvious yet it didn’t anchor a theme park attraction until roughly half a century after Disneyland’s debut. Disney would also love that this ride honors his signature achievement, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, the film that started the entire animated movie genre. I feel that the entire ride experience would make him jubilant.

Soarin’

Image: DisneyThe ride mechanic for this one is what would stand out for Disney. Soarin’ mimics the idea of Peter Pan’s Flight in the way that it simulates the experience of flight. While I’m sure Uncle Walt would have fun on the ride, I fear he would evaluate that aspect as a bit derivative, even though it’s the clearly superior version of the idea.

The way that Soarin’ scoops a large volume of people up in the air and then displays wonders from around the globe….well, THAT would blow his mind. Soarin’ was created almost by accident, and I’m confident that Disney would relish the tale of how a children’s toy evolved into an E-Ticket attraction.

Space Mountain

Image: DisneyThis legendary roller coaster opened more than eight years after Walt Disney’s death. What few people realize is that he’d worked on the project. Computer technology wasn’t advanced enough in the mid-1960s to complete the ride. Theme park tourists would have to wait until 1975 to see it come to fruition. For Disney, a ride on Space Mountain would signify the culmination of all his plans for the next great genre, the steel roller coaster. He’d started the industry with Matterhorn Bobsleds, and Space Mountain is the landmark achievement in coaster design that legitimized the concept.

 
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