The tragic news story that ruined Superstar Limo
Given everything we’ve discussed so far, Superstar limo faced an uphill battle in gaining and sustaining a fan base. However, on top of all the mistakes that Disney made along the way, the theming on Superstar Limo undercut the attraction due to a car accident.
Disney California Adventure’s scheduled opening date was February 8, 2001. On August 31, 1997, Diana, the Princess of Wales, died in a car accident. On the surface, these two incidents seem wholly unconnected. The latter event profoundly impacted the attraction, though.
At the time, Princess Diana had gained worldwide media attention due to her boyfriend, Dodi Fayed, the son of an Egyptian billionaire. The pairing rivaled anything in a movie, as the woman who’d married into royalty then fell in love with a wealthy man who had only recently become engaged to a model.
The scandalous situation enflamed the paparazzi community. These predatory photographers saw dollar signs for every picture of Diana and Dodi together. The couple tried to escape the press by speeding through a Paris tunnel.
Their limousine driver had drank and taken prescription drugs. An investigation later revealed that his impaired driving caused the fatal accident. Neither Dodi nor Diana wore a seatbelt during this attempt to escape the paparazzi and died on the scene. While the same investigation determined that no photographers were in close pursuit at the time, news reports blamed the media for the incident.
Disney park planners failed to take this incident into account while constructing Superstar Limo. They had plenty of time during those three and a half years to alter the plans but misread society. As regular citizens lost all trust in the paparazzi, Disney California Adventure constructed a ride that placed people behind the wheel of a limousine as the press chased them.
Final thoughts
History remembers Superstar Limo as the worst attraction ever built. I’ve got no opinion on this statement, as I’ve seen a lot of bad rides over the years.
However, people should and do expect more from Disney. Based on those standards, it might throw under everything else relative to expectations. While that part is debatable, I sincerely believe that Superstar Limo holds the dishonor of being the worst Disney attraction of the 21st century.
To a larger point, Disney should have killed this idea the moment that Princess Diana’s car crash occurred. On top of all the other flaws, the attraction’s premise clearly alienated people and seemed skeezy in the aftermath of that tragedy.
After only 11 months, Disney shuttered Superstar Limo in favor of Monsters, Inc. Mike & Sulley to the Rescue! During the three-year gap between the attractions, an unused ride building satisfied as many guests as Superstar Limo had when it was open.
Comments
"For whatever reason, Disney struggled to attract A-list talent for the ride. "
Disney didn't make any effort to attract A-list talent. They used celebrities who were already under contract with Disney.
"Disney somehow made the situation worse by creating creepy recreations of these people. "
That's an understatement. The recreations looked ridiculous because they were so cheaply made. If Disney had spent some money to create lifelike wax figures (like Madame Tussaud's) or used audio animatronics, it wouldn't have looked so awful. But Superstar Limo was made on a strict budget. They didn't have the money to do it right, so they did it poorly.