7. Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway

Opened: 2019
Location: Disney's Hollywood Studios

When the Lost Legend: The Great Movie Ride had its curtain call in 2017, it served as the end of an era at Disney's Hollywood Studios... and, more to the point, the start of a new one. Without its one-time "thesis attraction" as its centerpiece, the park began a radical transformation. Instead of taking guests behind the scenes of their favorite films, the reimagined Hollywood Studios would invite guests into them. Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway was the third in a trifecta of IP-influenced projects to come to the park in the span of just two years, and while Toy Story Land and Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge each recieved a bulk of the press, the first-ever Mickey themed ride-through is pure animated fun.

Based off of the new, Paul Rudish-created Mickey Mouse shorts aired on Disney Channel, the ride continues Disney's decade-long attempt to return a little character to Mickey Mouse, who'd long been relegated mostly to a personality-free corporate symbol. The resulting attraction is a wonder, seamlessly carrying guests from the regal Chinese Theater and into a new Mickey Mouse short. Cleverly presented in "2½-D," the ride is essentially completely centered on screens and projection effects, but in a seamless, all-encompassing, kinetic cartoon world. It's vivid, bright, electric, and aglow with the mayhem and chaos you'd hope for. And by using Disney's now-signature trackless ride system, it's an appropriately frenzied spectacle as the train breaks apart and reforms between scenes, culminating in one of the most astounding projection effects on Earth.

There will no doubt be naysayers who suggest that Runaway Railway doesn't deserve a spot in our best rides of the century, and it's easy to imagine that it might end up being the most controversial pick on the list. And while the ride may not be a "thesis attraction" quite like the Great Movie Ride was back in 1989, it's a terrific addition to the park and resort, and – in accordance with the predictions we made back in 2017 – quickly became a family favorite with discussion boards alight with pleas to bring it to resorts around the world.

6. AVATAR Flight of Passage

Opened: 2017
Location: Disney's Animal Kingdom (exclusive)

Fans may have been infamously against the idea of a land based on Avatar when Disney first announced the project a full decade ago, but once Pandora made its debut in 2017, most people found themselves in love with Disney's clever foray into the alien moon. Part of their quick acceptance was the scale of the land, including its mountains, its mythology, and Mo'ara – the "original world" Imagineers crafted such that remembering the movie wasn't needed. But the real kicker was Flight of Passage, the land's unequivocal E-Ticket. 

A technological upgrade on the concept that powered Soarin', Flight of Passage allows guests to link with a Pandoran Na'vi avatar in the midst of a coming-of-age rite of passage: taking the skies on the back of a flying dragon called an Ikran, or Banshee. The pulse-pounding journey certainly ups the thrills versus Soarin' and, if possible, the emotion, too. Beautifully crafted with an incredible (and thoughtful) musical score, the ride was enough to convince most guests that Avatar did indeed deserve a permanent ride in Disney's Animal Kingdom. The harrowing journey highlights the beauty and wonder of Pandora, fitting Animal Kingdom's themes of the inherent value of nature perfectly.

Even if Flight of Passage borrows from its Soarin' ancestor, it's very much its own "thing," marked by guests straddling link chairs that become breathing Banshees in a flash. It also happens to feature one of the most (unintentionally?) iconic lines of dialogue in any Disney Parks attraction. 

5. Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey

Opened: 2010
Location: Universal's Islands of Adventure, Universal Studios Hollywood, and Universal Studios Japan

In 2010, the era of innovation seemed to have been long over at Disney and Universal Parks. Not since 1995's EMV, 1999's SCOOP, or 2001's Soarin' had a legitimately cutting-edge technology been the basis for a theme park ride system. Then came Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey. To this day, part of the ride's mystique (or maybe, "magic") is that exiting guests have a terribly tough time explaining to friends and family what, exactly, the ride is. That's because there's almost nothing else like it on Earth. Even theme park fans struggle to explain the KUKA Robo Arm ride system, which essentially holds four guests in the "fist" of an arm with its own wrist and elbow, but dislocated from a shoulder and placed on a moving track, which occasionally syncs up with rotating carousels of domed projection screens. Yeah, it's... complicated.

In any case, Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey didn't just debut an unspeakably cool ride system; it also marked the official start of the "living lands" craze (and set the standards of an immersive land anchored by a mega-E-Ticket). We'd rank Forbidden Journey high on our list of the century's best for the simple fact that it's entirely innovative, wildly sought-after, and features some beautiful practical effects, sets, and animatronic figures. (Where the ride falls apart is in its story, which regrettably had to admit in our look at Park Plotholes: Nonsensical Stories on Theme Park Rides).

Is Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey a flawless masterpiece? No. But it was a revolutionary ride in so many ways. That's also why we listed it as the best ride of the 2010s. And if it's the most representative product of the whole decade, doesn't it deserve a place in the century's best?

4. Journey to the Center of the Earth

Opened: 2001
Location: Tokyo DisneySea (exclusive)

We don't need to tell you that Tokyo DisneySea is a park unlike any other on Earth. Often cited as the best theme park on Earth, DisneySea is – in a word – sensational. The aquatic park set on Tokyo Bay is absolutely incredible; a leading example of "the park as the E-Ticket." Even still, in a park packed with more detail than any other and a staggering collection of E-Tickets, there is perhaps no more sought after ride than Journey to the Center of the Earth. If you'd asked us a decade ago, there would be no question that Journey would've been the best ride of the century, Disney's best modern dark ride, and perhaps among the greatest Disney Parks attractions on Earth. And while arguably it's been outplayed by a few recent projects, it still remains a must-see, bucket-list attraction for a generation of Imagineering fans.

Why? Frankly, it's representative of everything that DisneySea does right – and that most U.S. parks wouldn't dare try. Located in the park's absolutely staggering Mysterious Island land (set entirely in the collapsed caldera of the iconic Mount Prometheus), the ride is based on Jules Verne's Victorian adventure novel, interwoven into the lore of his 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. As guests descend into Captain Nemo's secret lair on "Terravators," they board tunneling machines and set off into fantastic worlds hidden beneath Earth's crust. From crystal caverns to rocky chasms; subterranean seas to bioluminscent forests, it all culminates in an encounter with one of The Most Legendary Audio-Animatronics on Earth and an explosive finale literally erupting out of the 180-foot tall volcano back on the surface.

Journey to the Center of the Earth has all the makings of a world-class attraction... it's adventurous, it's romantic, it's thrilling, and – even better – it's far, far away, making it an experience that feels exclusive. Checking this one off your to-do list feels like a major victory. The next best thing is probably digging into the making of the attraction in our own Modern Marvels: Journey to the Center of the Earth feature. You may be surprised just how it all came together...