Disney Debates: Should Disney Re-theme Outdated and Unpopular Rides?

Disney arguments pop up at the most unusual moments.

One minute, you and your companion are having a lovely conversation about why you love Disney.

Seconds later, after a seemingly innocuous comment, you have knocked off one another’s mouse ears and are preparing for combat.

You never really know what will set someone off, a lesson Disney officials have learned the hard way on numerous occasions.

Today, I will cautiously stick my head in the lion’s mouth and broach one of the most incendiary subjects.

Should Disney re-theme unpopular or outdated attractions?

Believe it or not, this Disney debate isn’t as cut and dried as you’d expect.

What’s the Debate?

Not that long ago, Disney closed Lightning McQueen’s Racing Academy.

While MickeyBlog reported the story, you may not have heard much about it.

The closure of this particular attraction, one only five years old, didn’t cause a ripple in the Disney community.

Few people were passionate about the attraction, and Disney effectively sold them on the plan for what comes next.

Disney will repurpose the space into a Villains themed show.

Since fans have begged for that for years, I legitimately haven’t seen a single complaint about the decision.

Let’s contrast that to three other recent examples.

My head is moving towards the lion’s mouth as I type.

In 2017, Disney California Adventure re-themed the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror into Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: BREAKOUT!

I’ve seen less vitriol at local school board meetings… and I mean the ones where everyone is screaming at each other.

Fans passionately defended one of the few Disney attractions based on non-Disney IP.

Meanwhile, they dismissed the thought of the newly popular Guardians attraction as too unproven.

Few people remember that now, as it’s a beloved attraction with a phenomenal holiday overlay.

But you WILL still hear some comments from people saying, “I wish we still had Tower of Terror.”

Fans want both, overlooking the fact that the two buildings would look eerily similar, a huge Disney no-no.

Other Recent Examples

Generally, those arguments were maintained in Disney circles, and while there were many media headlines, they weren’t partisan in nature.

That’s a comment reminding you that Disney re-themes attractions occasionally, so this cycle is endlessly repeating in the media.

Then, we have instances like Pirates of the Caribbean, which triggered a firestorm of controversy.

Some of the discourse was decidedly partisan in tone.

As a reminder, Disneyland announced that it would remove the woefully dated slave auction scene and replace it with a more jovial one featuring the pirate Redd.

Later, Magic Kingdom performed the same change, which was Disney’s signal that it found both premises archaic in nature.

Disney plusses rides all the time, as Imagineers follow the decree of Walt Disney himself.

He wanted rides to avoid growing stale and expected the stories to evolve with the times.

Some fans pitched a fit, claiming that Disney should leave its classics alone.

Meanwhile, proponents of the idea fell into two camps.

One group argued that the auction scene sent the wrong message for 21st century children.

The other group noted that Disney altered its rides frequently, yet this particular group of critics never said anything about those changes.

History soon repeated itself when the Walt Disney Company implemented a fifth key, Inclusion.

Disney outlined their new philosophy in the Cast Member doctrine, expecting everyone to be treated with respect.

One attraction stood out for being a glaring oversight under this fifth key.,

So, Disney re-themed Splash Mountain into Tiana’s Bayou Adventure.

More Ride Re-Themings

Park officials unquestionably changed the ride due to Splash Mountain’s connection to Song of the South, a film Disney has buried deep in its vault.

Meanwhile, Tiana is based on The Princess and the Frog, an instant animated classic released in 2009.

From a business perspective, a Tiana attraction has definitively more appeal than one based on an obscure title from roughly 80 years ago.

Many fans didn’t care, though, as they adored Splash Mountain and viewed it as a standalone title hugely buffered from Song of the South.

So, that’s four different attractions that have changed over the past seven years… and I could mention others.

For instance, Disney transitioned California Screamin’ into the Incredicoaster

Disney California Adventure also changed Flik’s Fliers into Inside Out Emotional Whirlwind.

No one made a peep.

Then, we have extreme examples like in 2002, when Disney switched Superstar Limo, a total bust of a ride, with Monsters, Inc. Mike & Sulley to the Rescue!

People cheered loudly at this announcement, and absolutely nobody misses Superstar Limo.

Still, some changes remain controversial after all these years.

As an example, Maelstrom closed 10 years ago, in October 2014. Less than two years later, Frozen Ever After debuted and has remained one of EPCOT’s top three most popular attractions since then.

In 2017, The Great Movie Ride closed at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

This was one of the original attractions at the park, causing fans to express something between outrage and heartbreak.

The new attraction, Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway, is objectively superior, but many fans still lament what was lost.

These changes aren’t even exclusive to American parks.

Disneyland Paris re-themed Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith into Avengers Assemble: Flight Force.

This is just something Disney does.

Should Disney Re-Theme Unpopular or Outdated Attractions?

Folks, this is a debate, and you can stand on whatever side of the fence you want.

Still, I think that on some level, you know the answer to this one.

If you don’t believe me, glance at the list of what Disney had versus what they’ve added now.

The scale heavily tilts in favor of the new stuff.

I understand that we all have favorites.

I’ve spent the last several years living in fear that my beloved Spaceship Earth would change.

Spoiler: It’s probably going to change soon.

Once something grows long in the tooth, park planners take action.

We’re discussing this right now because two more cataclysmic changes will occur soon.

At Magic Kingdom, Tom Sawyer Island and the Rivers of America will fade from our memories as Disney expands Frontierland with a Cars neighborhood.

For Disney’s Hollywood Studios, a Monsters, Inc. roller coaster is coming soon, and it has to go somewhere.

At one point, the planned location was Muppets Courtyard.

It’s undecided whether Disney chooses that location, Animation Courtyard, or an entirely new plot of land.

Still, there’s a two in three chance that theme park fans will lose either the shows at Animation Courtyard or everyone’s beloved Muppet*Vision 3D.

Should Disney make this move, what we gain would unquestionably prove more popular than what we lose.

That statement won’t end the debate, though.

Not even close. So, where do you stand on this Disney debate?

Should Disney re-theme unpopular or outdated attractions, or should it expend resources trying to reinvigorate the existing ones?

Thanks for visiting MickeyBlog.com! Want to go to Disney? For a FREE quote on your next Disney vacation, please fill out the form below, and one of the agents from MickeyTravels, a Diamond Level Authorized Disney Vacation Planner, will be in touch soon!

Feature Photo: Disney