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3. Haunted Mansion

Image: Disney

Location: Disneyland, Magic Kingdom, Tokyo Disneyland
Theoretical: 3200 pph
Operational: 2880 pph

There was a time when the Haunted Mansion was envisioned as a walk-through tour, too, with guests guided from room to room to witness strange sights and sounds by way of simple theatrical special effects and tricks. The success of “small world,” then Pirates encouraged Disney designers to think bigger. The use of the Omnimover on that Lost Legend: Adventure Thru Inner Space (opened in 1967) presented the perfect opportunity.

The Haunted Mansion’s “Doom Buggies” have since become the most iconic and instantly recognizable application of the Omnimover, but the entire ride is a master class in efficiency. Expertly designed to handle crowds, the attraction’s queue, foyer, Stretching Room, portrait gallery, and loading area are all precisely engineered to funnel crowds spectacularly (even if the smashing effect on the other side of the Stretching Room is an annoyance for return visitors).

Think about it – the Mansion’s various pre-show chambers batch guests into groups, pulsing them into the manor’s interior where they board the continuously loading chain of vehicles, slowing only when needed to aid guests in loading and unloading. Haunted Mansion may be one of the most famous attractions at Disney Parks, and luckily its ride system is efficient enough to swallow those crowds with ease.

2. Carousel of Progress

Image: Disney

Location: Magic Kingdom
Theoretical: 3600 pph

Despite its capacity, “small world” wasn’t the most efficient ride system to debut at the World’s Fair… In fact, GE’s Progressland pavilion featured a true wonder of Imagineering as we highlighted in its own, in-depth feature, Modern Marvel: Carousel of Progress – a must-read for Walt Disney World fans. Comprised of five 240-person theaters in the building’s outer ring, each theater is simultaneously viewing a different part of the 21-minute show before the ring revolves, moving each audience to the next scene.

The show debuted at the World’s Fair in 1964, then (at the close of the Fair) it was transported to Disneyland to open alongside Walt’s New Tomorrowland in 1967. Longtime sponsor GE then asked for the show to move to the brand new Walt Disney World to play to its international, “Vacation Kingdom” audience in 1975, where it’s remained ever since. It’s no surprise that Carousel of Progress holds the record as the longest-running stage show, with the most performances, in the history of American theater, and it’s often said that Walt proclaimed Carousel of Progress as his favorite attraction, decreeing that it should never cease operation.

After the Carousel of Progress vacated the revolving theater at Disneyland, a new Audio-Animatronics show – America Sings! – moved in in 1974. The replacement actually lasted longer than the original, with America Sings closing in 1988 so that its Audio-Animatronics cast could be relocated to the new Splash Mountain. The ride building was gutted and is today home to Star Wars Launch Bay – a massive loss to Disneyland’s total capacity. But not as bad as the loss of the highest-capacity attraction on our list…

1. PeopleMover

Image: Disney

Location: Disneyland and Magic Kingdom
Theoretical: 4885 pph

Yet another ride originating at the World’s Fair (albeit in very different form), the PeopleMover was just one of Walt’s many authentic attempts at true innovation through Disneyland. Opened as part of that same 1967 New Tomorrowland that brought Adventure Thru Inner Space and Carousel of Progress, the PeopleMover was brave in its simplicity: a continuously-loading, constantly-moving aerial highway whisking guests over and throughout Tomorrowland.

More than a ride, Walt anticipated that the PeopleMover (as well as Tomorrowland’s Monorail) would actually be prototypes for the cities, campuses, and shopping centers of the future, modeling how high-capacity, low-emission public transportation could work. In fact, he imagined both of Disneyland’s rides as mere tests for the systems’ real application in his EPCOT city in Florida.

Ultimately, the story of Disneyland’s ride and its disgraceful closure and conversion into a high-speed (and quickly closed) thrill ride is told in its own Lost Legend: The PeopleMover and Walt’s Tomorrowland feature. A version of the attraction in Florida works on different principles (propelled via electromagnetic LIM motors rather than Goodyear tires) and plays differently into the Florida park’s Tomorrowland narrative. Still, you’d be hard-pressed to find a wait time for the PeopleMover over 10 minutes. That’s not because it’s not popular… it’s because the PeopleMover one of the highest-capacity attractions ever developed and Disney’s most astounding People-eater!

 
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