3. Toy Story Mania!

Long before there was a Toy Story Land anywhere on the planet, Disney unveiled its second Toy Story-themed attraction. This one fits the description of “ultimate carnival game” in that it honors a Disney attraction from yesteryear.

During the earliest days at Disneyland, Davy Crockett was the Tony Stark of the 1950s. Kids couldn’t get enough of the Tennessee sharpshooter, and so Disney introduced arcade shooting games to entertain them…while making a lot, of course.

Toy Story Mania! modernizes the concept, as it's a video game-style attraction with similar challenges. You have a shooting device now that requires you to pull on it to fire. It’s kid-friendly and a lot of fun to do.

Your ride cart carries you through several challenges like ring toss or balloon popping, all of which test your aim. It, too, gamifies the ride experience. While Buzz Lightyear does a lot right, Toy Story Mania! clearly holds the title of the best competitive theme park attraction. 

2. Expedition Everest

Only Disney executives possess the self-confidence to construct a man-made mountain. They were the first to do it, and they’ve done it the most. So, when Imagineers learn that their bosses expect them to do it again, these cast members are primarily in competition with themselves.

I say all of this because the construction of Expedition Everest meant that Imagineers had to find a way to one-up previous employees. They had to build a mountain taller than anything that had ever come before. The project proved successful, as the Forbidden Mountain stands 199.5 feet high.

However, Disney may have obsessed on the mountain too much. Somebody messed up the calculations on the Yeti that inhabits the cave. He weighs exponentially more than he should, which has caused cracks in the foundation of this structure.

Due to this mistake, the Yeti has been stuck in B-mode for many years now. If not for this one small quibble, Expedition Everest would claim the title of the best ride of the decade. Everything else about the roller coaster is flawless, and I mean that sincerely. But this one imperfection tips the scale toward…

1. Soarin’

For all of the many things that Disney California Adventure got wrong, it got two things very right. We’ve already discussed the roller coaster that has delighted guests for nearly 20 years. And there’s also the *one* California-themed attraction that has worked since opening day.

Soarin’ Over California technically doesn't exist any longer. Disney's moved on to Soarin' Around the World, but the core of the attraction has stood the test of time.

A structure based on a children’s toy, Mr. Erector, elevates guests so that they have a direct line-of-sight with a massive IMAX screen. Then, a clever bit of filmmaking allows the rider to experience the sensation of flight. Whether you fly over the Golden Gate Bridge in the California version or the Taj Mahal in the worldly Soarin’, your feeling of freedom will immerse you throughout the entire ride.

While Imagineers constructed nine rides that virtually everyone would describe as high-quality, four of them are genuinely among the best in Disney history. And out of all of them, Soarin’ is the true masterpiece that, well, soars over the rest.