4. Animatronics

Audio-Animatronics – Disney’s patented, groundbreaking three-dimensionally-animated figures with synchronized audio tracks – officially made their debut in 1963 alongside the Modern Marvel: The Enchanted Tiki Room. As you can imagine, the technology was a literal trademark of WED Enterprises (today, Imagineering). In fact, Audio-Animatronics technology acted as a centerpiece of the 1964-65 New York World’s Fair in all four of Disney’s installations there: “it’s a small world,” Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln, the Ford Magic Skyway, and the Carousel of Progress.

Today, you'll find Animatronics at Disney Parks in ride queues, outside of rides entirely, and – sometimes – broken. As evidenced by our must-read countdown of the 25 Best Audio Animatronics on Earth, complex, programmable robotic figures have obviously diversified since both inside – and outside of – Disney Parks. Universal grasped the technology beginning with 1979’s Battle of Galactica on Hollywood’s Studio Tour, and today dozens of independent firms produce and sell robotics figures for entertainment attractions around the globe.

So while audiences once literally stopped in their tracks to gawk at Disney’s Audio-Animatronics, chances are that today, you’ll find programmable robots at even small seasonal regional parks, museums, escape rooms, zoos, family entertainment centers, and even the occasional grocery store. However, unlike 3D or 4D, we expect these to continue to be a massive part of what sets Disney and Universal Parks apart, and we sure hope this “gimmick” never gets left behind.

5. VR

Virtual reality has been around for decades. Don’t believe us? Step through the Declassified Disaster: DisneyQuest which proudly boasted the (now laughable) mid-’90s version of the technology... all the way up to its closing just a few years ago. Unlike the other "gimmicks" on this list, VR has never been exclusive to – or even common in – theme parks… But for a flash of time, it seemed like it might be possible.

The entrance of VR into theme parks has been somewhat chaotic. It came first with a wave of VR-equipped roller coasters and drop towers at Six Flags, Merlin, Cedar Fair, and SeaWorld parks, synching virtual videos perfectly to the on-ride experience. While clever, the need to keep the headsets secure, charged, comfortable, and clean led to a cataclysmic drop in capacity, with VR having disappeared from most as quickly as it had arrived. 

Busch Gardens Williamsburg in Virginia seemed to have cracked the case with a VR-equipped simulator (with guests donning sanitized headgear in the queue, and the VR viewer itself connected to the seat for continuous power, magnetically snapped on only when seated). But just two years out from that ride’s opening, it already looks – you guessed it – quite outdated in terms of graphics and quality… the never-ending curse of the pursuit of technology. 

For a long time, rumors held that the Declassified Disaster: Stitch’s Great Escape was due to become a VR attraction based on Wreck-It Ralph… an option that’s probably no longer in consideration for some of the same hurdles Busch Gardens has faced. Besides, it has yet to be seen how guests react to reusable VR headsets (or even 3D glasses for that matter…) in a post COVID-19 world.

What’s more, the sudden accessibility of VR – in shopping malls, museums, and even homes – means that this technology doesn’t have that “gotta-see-it-at-a-theme-park” draw anyway. That’s why VR remains an unknowable variable. Is it a “gimmick” whose time in theme parks was limited to the blink of an eye? Or is its real heyday yet to come?