FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail

Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run

Image: Disney

Some friends recently rode Smugglers Run for the first time. When I mentioned that the ride is roughly five minutes long, they gazed at me with confusion. None of them could believe that the attraction’s main course, the actual flight, lasts for a while. They were sure that was including the Hondo Ohnaka pre-boarding speech or the waiting area part.

Why is this information so surprising? The core of Smugglers Run has a gaming element. You’re theoretically piloting a ship into unknown territory to steal coaxium. In reality, you’re staring at strange controls and trying to determine how the buttons work. By the time that you’re acclimated, Ohnaka is pressuring you to grab coaxium.

You’re so engaged in the activity that you lose track of time, the very definition of immersion. If I ranked everything here, Smugglers Run would win. It’s so intense that nothing outside of the cockpit matters during the ride. All you care about is setting a new high score and bagging credits from Ohnaka!

PS: I’m only including this gamified ride on the list, but Toy Story Mania! and the various Buzz Lightyear attractions also have arguments. There’s something about playing competitively that makes a ride more engrossing.

Peter Pan’s Flight

Image: Disney

The concept of Neverland is so appealing that it’s maintained status as an integral part of pop culture for more than a century. As children, we fantasize about getting taken to this magical realm where an ageless boy and a mischievous fairy torment an evil pirate.

While The Wizarding World of Harry Potter grabs all the attention today, Walt Disney created the first realistic form of literary escapism all the way back in 1955. With Peter Pan’s Flight, he constructed a realistic flight simulator that triggers a childhood fantasy. To this day, this ride feels so authentic. Even J.M. Barrie would be impressed, treasuring the voyage from London into the impossible.

Radiator Springs Racers

Image: Disney

Disney takes its Pixar attractions seriously. Since the movies are so universally beloved, Imagineers must construct plausible ride experiences mirroring what happens in the films. With Cars, kids love the franchise so much that it’s one of the top merchandising licenses in the history of Hollywood.

Radiator Springs Racers is so immersive that the ride experience begins long before you jump in your vehicle. The entirety of Cars Land recreates the town and surroundings from the film, straight down to the mountainous backdrop. By the time that you board the ride, you’ll honestly believe that you’re visiting the offbeat time just off the exit of Route 66.

Many of the beloved characters from the first movie appear on the attraction. While the interactions are brief, the quaint charm of the residents will amuse you to the point that you’ll forget that you’re looking at inanimate objects. For a time, you’ll accept that you’re in Radiator Springs, a colossal achievement given that it’s a computer-animated movie about anthropomorphic cars.

 
FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail

Comments

I can say I agree with every attraction on this list. I love them all, and they do a good job of keeping you immersed in the story they are telling you. Especially Radiator Springs Racers, that attraction is simply amazing. I remember my first time on that attraction and being amazed by what the Imagineers have created.

Add new comment

About Theme Park Tourist

Theme Park Tourist is one of the web’s leading sources of essential information and entertaining articles about theme parks in Orlando and beyond.

We are one of the world’s largest theme park guide sites, hosting detailed guides to more than 80 theme parks around the globe.

Find Out More About Us...

Plan Your Trip

Our theme park guides contain reviews and ratings of rides, restaurants and hotels at more than 80 theme parks worldwide.

You can even print them.

Start Planning Now...