The experience: an eerily authentic recreation of the story of Snow White

The Trick: the finest Imagineering tricks available in 1955

Image: DisneyDisney’s frustration with the negative statements was understandable. From their perspective, they’d created a great ride, one that has undeniably stood the test of time*. We’ll get to the asterisk in the next section. For now, let’s emphasize the positives.

The original version of Snow White and Her Adventures featured clever storytelling that hinted at the greatness of later Disney attractions. Early on in the ride, guests knew that their situation was precarious. They would see Dopey up ahead. Even the slowest of the Seven Dwarfs understood the precarious nature of the situation. He held up a sign that said, “BEWARE OF THE WITCH.”

The ride had two paths at this point, one of which pointed toward the friendly cottage home of the dwarfs. The malevolent option was the Evil Queen’s Castle…and the path to the cottage home closed right in front of the rider. This sort of tension-building has since become a staple of Disney attractions. In 1955, it merely demonstrated that a lot of early Imagineers were twisted. It was the only Disneyland ride that trapped guests, putting them directly in (fictional) harm’s way.

The experience: modernizing Snow White’s tale to make it better AND more palatable

The trick: taking new approaches to the same story but making the same mistakes

Image:DisneyThroughout the years, Disney faced tough choices with their most flawed ride. The first pressing one came in 1970. The company wanted Magic Kingdom to have a version of the attraction. Should they fix it, though? Would guests rather have the classic Snow White’s Scary Adventures that frightened small children or would they prefer having the superior ride, albeit one that didn’t honor Walt Disney’s memory?

Disney chose a balance between these ideas. Imagineers took many of the scenes from the original version and re-ordered them. Through this tactic, they could tell the story in a more approachable manner, one that wouldn’t reduce kids to tears. And Disney messed this up, too. It’s almost as if the ride based on the movie about the curse is also cursed.

The “new” take on Snow White ramped up the presence of the hag, the scary-looking Wicked Witch. She was in more scenes, her actions were more nefarious, and some believe she emerged victorious in the end.

Imagineers closed the Magic Kingdom version of the ride in an odd way. Snow White aka the rider got clunked over the head with a gigantic gem. As she laughs gleefully, guests enter a room with a strobe lighting effect. The indication is that Snow White is concussed…or dying. Yes, the upbeat reboot of Snow White’s Scary Adventure ended in murder. Yet again, Disney didn’t get it right.

The experience: Disney finally tells the story in a way that doesn’t reduce children to tears

The trick: Getting four attempts to tell the story right at least once

Image: DisneyBy the early 1980s, Disneyland had aged a bit. Park officials wanted to spruce up the place by rebooting Fantasyland. As part of the overhaul of an entire themed land, Snow White’s Scary Adventures received an update. This plussing of the attraction came with the added benefit of two different parks’ worth of ride experience. By this point, many cast members could recite verbatim guest complaints about the attraction. Imagineers had to fix it, though.

Cast members began at the end. The one thing that the ride had always lacked was a strong finish. Originally, the Wicked Witch had gotten crushed by a boulder, although that happened off-screen. At Magic Kingdom, the villain killed the protagonist, something that even terrifying European fables shy away from doing.

Some insightful Disney employee thought, “Hey, what if we let Snow White be happy like in the movie?” The last thing that guests see on the modern version of the ride is a giant book page that reads, “And they lived happily ever after”. It’s a huge improvement over getting your brain crushed by a giant gem.

Image: DisneyMany of the same ride elements remain from the original, Walt Disney-approved version of Snow White’s Scary Adventures. You still get to see the scary vultures perched on the tree. A menacing woman still offers your poisoned fruit, too. This bit has changed since 1955, though.

Guests used to try to steal the (real) apple at an alarming rate for the body of 30 years. By 1983, park officials had gotten tired of it. They switched the apple into a projection, thereby preventing petty fruit thievery.

Perhaps the most obvious change is also the one that surprises non-Disney historians the most. The 1955 iteration of Snow White’s Scary Adventures came without musical accompaniment. To ramp up the creepy vibe, Imagineers employed silence to maximum effect. By 1983, everyone had figured out what a terrible choice that was. The Silly Song now plays as a way to improve everyone’s mood during the intense ride experience.

Image: DisneyAt Magic Kingdom, Disney tried to mix things up, too. In 1994, many of the dark elements were removed. In their place, Imagineers added new scenes and a new character, The Huntsman, whose primary purpose was to warn Snow White about the dangers in the forest.

Finally, the ride’s ending mirrors that of the movie, as the Prince wakes Snow White from her slumber, and the two leave together. Dopey, once the Dwarf in charge of warning others, happily waves good-bye to guests in this much happier take on the story. Some guests loved this genteel take while others found it too far removed from the Walt Disney-approved version.

A few years ago, Disney sided with the critics when they closed the Magic Kingdom version for good. Its remnants still remain in a fitting place, though. Imagineers cleaned up some of the characters used on Snow White’s Scary Adventures and transferred them to the anchor ride at New Fantasyland, Seven Dwarfs Mine Train. The dancing scene at the end of this roller coaster almost seems like a mockery of the terrifying tale of Snow White’s Scary Adventures.

Image: Disney

At Disneyland, we’re unlikely to see the original version close. It’s one of the sacred 1955 attractions still in operation. While it was never the most technically advanced ride, Snow White’s Scary Adventures has stood the test of time due to the very aspects that caused it so much strife during its early years. It always felt like a storytelling style decades ahead of its time, adult and realistic to a point of fault. Perhaps society has finally caught up to the grim tones of the ride. Whatever the explanation, it will always seem like the most cursed of Disney attractions.