Where You Can Find “Closed” Disney Rides

As counterintuitive as the idea may seem, a handful of your favorite Disney rides and experiences haven’t closed forever.

You can still find them as long as you know where to look! And I even mean that for the Magic Kingdom ride some of you miss.

Here’s where you’ll find these six “closed” Disney rides and experiences.

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea      

This attraction holds a unique distinction in theme park lore.

In 1959, Walt Disney refreshed Disneyland with its first expansion.

As part of that new development, Disneyland introduced a new tier, the E-ticket, which has since become an industry term.

Whenever someone mentions an E-ticket ride, they’re describing the best attractions at a theme park.

One of the first three was 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, the attraction based on the Jules Verne novel.

That ride became so popular that Imagineers duplicated it when Magic Kingdom opened in 1971.

Alas, the submarine attraction fell out of favor, eventually closing at Disneyland in 1994.

The original version held on for a few more years, but Disneyland ultimately closed it in 1998.

Nine years later, Imagineers replaced the ride with a re-themed version, Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage.

Still, fans of the original can find a modified take on 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea at Tokyo DisneySea.

Even better, the special effects are more impressive since everything is simulated! Take a look:

Frontierland Shootin’ Arcade

Recently, Disney broke the hearts of many Frontierland fans by making an announcement.

With little warning, the Frontierland Shootin’ Arcade closed permanently at Magic Kingdom.

Last year, I warned readers that Frontierland was in trouble due to Splash Mountain’s closure and conversion to Tiana’s Bayou Adventure.

Currently, Disney is preparing to work on Big Thunder Mountain Railroad as well as it reinvents this part of Magic Kingdom.

To learn What Lies Beyond Big Thunder, we must accept some sacrifices.

The delightful Frontierland Shootin’ Arcade is one of them. Disney will reuse this space as a DVC Lounge.

However, the spirit of Davy Crockett hasn’t died everywhere. At Tokyo Disneyland, you’ll find Westernland Shootin’ Gallery.

This place is a bit more old-school with its setup, but it’ll remind you of the classic capgun style.

Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride

September 7^th, 1998, was a dark day in my house, as that’s when Magic Kingdom permanently closed Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride.

Even though I got to ride it again just a few months later at a different park, the magic wasn’t the same.

As a Walt Disney World loyalist, I preferred the version of the ride I’d known since childhood.

Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride was an opening day attraction at Magic Kingdom, but that wasn’t its first home.

When Disneyland Park opened in 1955, Mr. Toad showed guests just how dark Disney rides could be.

During this story, Mr. Toad gets sentenced to jail and then to Hell. I’m honestly surprised Disney kept any version of it.

Thankfully, you can still find Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride at Fantasyland at Disneyland Park, where it’s been since opening day.

I wish Disney would bring it back to Magic Kingdom, though. It’s such an entertaining ride.

Snow White’s Scary Adventures

Speaking of opening day Disneyland attractions, Snow White’s Scary Adventures confused guests from the beginning.

Imagineers tried something daring with the ride design, showing the story from Snow White’s perspective.

Guests exited the ride and wondered why they’d never seen Snow White. What they failed to realize was they WERE Snow White.

Over the years, Disney tweaked the ride several times at Disneyland and Magic Kingdom.

For the longest time, the two parks shared a similar version of the ride, but then Magic Kingdom closed Snow White.

Disney repurposed part of the ride for the vastly superior Seven Dwarfs Mine Train.

Meanwhile, Disneyland turned Snow White’s Scary Adventures into a much happier experience called Snow White’s Enchanted Wish.

However, fans of the original can find it at two international parks.

Disneyland Paris Park and Tokyo Disneyland both host Snow White’s Adventures or, as the French call it, Blanche Neige et les Sept Nains.

Splash Mountain

Here’s the most divisive entry on the list. I realize that some fans will never get over the loss of Splash Mountain.

At times, I ranked the ride as Disney’s funniest attraction AND the one with the best musical soundtrack.

So, I need to redo those lists now that the winner is defunct.

While Tiana’s Bayou Adventure has proven excellent in its own way, many fans miss Splash Mountain.

 

In 2023, Disney permanently shuttered the ride at Magic Kingdom and Disneyland.

Make no mistake on the point. Splash Mountain is never coming back, either.

Those of you who miss it aren’t completely out of luck, though.

You’ll find an adorable version of Splash Mountain at Tokyo Disneyland. In fact, here’s a video from just two weeks ago!

You’ll notice slightly different versions of some of the songs, which adds to its appeal.

Twilight Zone Tower of Terror

Finally, we have another divisive Disney decision.

In 2017, Disney California Adventure (DCA) chose a new path, with park officials leaning hard into popular franchises.

DCA converted several parts of the park into Pixar and Marvel Neighborhoods.

As part of this change, DCA permanently closed Twilight Zone Tower of Terror.

In its place, DCA added Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: BREAKOUT, a ride that fans have since come to love.

Still, West Coast fans aren’t entirely out of luck. They can always head east to Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

There, they’ll find the original version of Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, which I can assure you isn’t going anywhere.

As an aside, you’ll also find a different version of the ride at Disneyland Paris.

The Hollywood Tower Hotel here even gets its name in bold letters. But the real surprise involves the top floor.

That was one creepy little girl, wasn’t it? And those people blatantly ignored her about not screaming!

Also, I should mention that Tokyo DisneySea hosts a unique variant, Tower of Terror.

This ride doesn’t include any tie-ins to The Twilight Zone, which makes it decidedly different, as is the building itself.

So, as you can see, some of your favorite Disney rides and experiences aren’t gone.

You simply need to travel to other Disney theme parks to find them!

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