Which Disney Attraction I Miss the Most at Each Park

I’m feeling a bit nostalgic about Disney theme parks. I have a friend to blame.

Someone recently asked me which attraction I miss the most, and my answer was, “Most of them.”

Photo: Matt Stroshane

I usually understand when Disney eliminates some attractions, but some losses cut me to the core.

So, I’m going to do something a bit unusual today. I’ll decide which attraction I suspect people miss the most at each American Disney park.

Photo: hansencreative.smugmug.com

Disney California Adventure

We will start with the newest park. As such, you may think that it has fewer attractions that we might miss.

Untrue!

No, nobody wants Superstar Limo to make its less than triumphant return. However, the switch to Marvel/Pixar intellectual properties ended some attractions.

Notable cuts include California Screamin’, Maliboomer, and Twilight Zone Tower of Terror.

Disney also canceled a bunch of shows over the years.

The most significant of them is Frozen – Live at the Hyperion, although people love It’s Tough to Be a Bug, too.

So, even a 21^st-century theme park has been around long enough by now to suffer some key departures.

When I look at the list, I view California Screamin’ as new and improved. The Incredicoaster is brilliant.

The ride that Disney killed forever is the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror. It’s definitely the one I miss the most at the park.

Disney’s Animal Kingdom

Oddly, this park proved the most challenging to determine. Animal Kingdom hasn’t closed many attractions over the years.

Photo: Disney

The list of canceled rides isn’t that impressive, either. I’m talking stuff like Primeval Whirl, an unpopular ride that few miss.

I could also include some former shows like Journey into the Jungle Book and Tarzan Rocks.

Realistically, only one attraction stands out as something we all want to return.

I’m speaking of Festival of The Lion King, which Disney lists as temporarily unavailable.

Many feared that the show won’t return anytime soon, which is heartbreaking. However, Disney recently confirmed it’ll come back this summer!

Image Credit: Disney

As such, the only thing I really miss at Animal Kingdom is Rivers of Light, the nighttime presentation.

Honestly, I don’t even miss it much. What I dislike is the lack of a nighttime show at the park.

Photo: David Roark

So, I’d prefer a new nightly exhibit rather than the return of Rivers of Light anyway.

Animal Kingdom is realistically the only Disney park that has lost little of value over the years.

Disney’s Hollywood Studios

Here’s where things start to get interesting. Hollywood Studios overhauled many of its offerings over the past 20 years.

We lost classics that ranged from the Studio Backlot Tour to the Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights.

Club Disney and Club Villain went away, while several stage shows and fireworks presentations closed.

So, Disney Jr., High School Musical, and American Idol fans may no longer sing along with cast members performing on stage.

In fact, this park once shut down an entire street, Streets of America.

However, I think Hollywood Studios is the park where we’d share the strongest consensus.

We ALL miss The Great Movie Ride and remain hopeful that it’ll return in some form.

Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway stands as a quality replacement. Still, movie lovers miss the ride that paid tribute to the golden age of Hollywood.

Disneyland

Obviously, the first theme park in the world has closed a tremendous number of attractions over the years.

Photo: MyDisneyDorks.com

Wikipedia has collated a full list of everything that went away over the years.

The list is so comprehensive that it starts with The Wizard of Bras, which sounds fake, but I swear was once a real store.

Photo: Yesterland

In fact, Bank of America had a branch at the Happiest Place on Earth for nearly 40 years. Disneyland’s hosted some weird stuff.

We’re focusing on the best attractions rather than the oddities and curiosities, though.

Photo: Duchess of Disneyland

So, the list of Disneyland rides we miss the most includes classics like Skyway to Fantasyland, Fantasyland Autopia, and Mine Train through Nature’s Wonderland.

Those are some old school ones. New options include Mike Fink Keel Boats, Tahitian Terrace, Swiss Family Treehouse, and Country Bear Jamboree.

Honestly, I could go on for a while, as Disneyland has ended some classics over the years.

For brevity’s sake, I narrowed the list to the PeopleMover, General Electric Carousel of Progress, Captain Eo, and Mission to Mars.

All of them are staples in Disney lore. Still, the ride that Disneyland misses the most simultaneously represents one of the park’s worst decisions ever.

Disney closed the PeopleMover to build Rocket Rods, the biggest bomb in park history. That’s a do-over we’d all like back.

Photo: Yesterland

Disneyland without the PeopleMover feels wrong.

EPCOT

I’ll blow your mind with this tidbit. EPCOT has closed the most attractions of any park over the years.

That’s partially because park officials wanted EPCOT to seem more innovative than other places.

Also, many of the earliest attractions are long gone, while the Circle-Vision 360° movies have added new footage.

Over the years, EPCOT has closed beloved attractions like Body Wars, Cranium Command, El Rio del Tiempo, and Honey I Shrunk the Audience.

Much of Future World has vanished through the decades, which wipes out entire buildings like Innoventions East and Innoventions West.

I could also list IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth as a viewing experience that Disney can never fully replace.

Personally, I shortlisted these attractions: World of Motion, Maelstrom, Horizons, Magic Journeys, and the original Journey into Imagination.

I totally understand if you would include/substitute others. It’s a rough culling process.

Ultimately, I narrowed the list to two choices, something recent that I still miss and something from my youth.

I’m speaking of Maelstrom and World of Motion. Even after five years of Frozen Ever After, the loss of Maelstrom still feels fresh.

Still, I’m a classic EPCOT fanatic. So, I’d vote for World of Motion.

However, I expect that the majority opinion vote would go to Maelstrom or Journey into Imagination.

Magic Kingdom

I’ll level with you. When this question popped up, only one ride sprang to mind. It’s the one I miss at Walt Disney World, and it’s from Magic Kingdom.

Photo: Disney

So, this one wasn’t even a debate for me. Still, I’ll list a few other worthy candidates since I doubt you’re as stubborn with your opinion.

Over the years, Magic Kingdom has lost its Skyways, 20,000 Leagues under the Sea ride, and Snow White’s Scary Adventures.

I suspect that many readers would also select ExtraTERRORestrial Alien Encounter. And a few loyalists might even say Stitch’s Great Escape.

Old school fans might even pick Mission to Mars or Mike Fink Keel Boats.

Photo: Yesterland

All those attractions definitely made an impact over the years. Still, none of them approaches the level of devastation I feel over another one that’s gone.

The Walt Disney World attraction I miss the most – and not just at Magic Kingdom – is Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride.

Disneyland fans are extremely lucky that they’ve still got theirs. It’s such a joyous ride experience, and I hate that Magic Kingdom closed it.