Step in Time: Celebrating 50 Years of Space Mountain
As crazy as it may seem, the Magic Kingdom’s Space Mountain is celebrating its 50th anniversary today. That’s right! Guests have been blasting off into the cosmos on the iconic Disney World attraction for five decades.
In celebration of Space Mountain’s big anniversary, I thought it would be fun to take a stroll down memory lane and look back at the attraction’s storied history.
Space Mountain
So, let’s get started!
Origins: Walt Disney’s “Space Port”
While Space Mountain would officially open on January 15, 1975, the genesis of the attraction dates back to Walt Disney himself. After the success of Disneyland’s Matterhorn attraction, Walt became convinced that thrill rides had a place in his park.
Photo: D23
In 1964, he approached designer John Hench with an idea for a new Tomorrowland attraction called the “Space Port.” As Walt envisioned it, the new attraction would be a roller coaster in the dark that would use creative lighting and other special effects to give the illusion that guests were in space.
To help develop the ride, Walt turned to Hench, Clem Hall, George McGinnis, and Herb Ryman. The team would eventually create the now-iconic piece of concept art that introduced the world to Space Port. During the attraction’s development, however, Space Port’s name was changed to Space Venture. Eventually, WED employees voted to change the name again, this time to Space Moutain.
Photo: TheMickeyWiki
In 1966, plans for Space Mountain were put on hold indefinitely for a multitude of reasons. First off, The spatial and technological limitations of Disneyland make building the ride unfeasible. Perhaps more importantly, however, with the passing of Walt Disney, Space Mountain lost its champion.
Space Mountain Is Revived
The project was brought back to life after Walt Disney World opened on October 1, 1971. The popularity of the Magic Kingdom surpassed even Disney’s expectations, and Walt Disney World proved to be especially popular with teenagers and young adults.
Roy O. Disney and Mickey Mouse at the Oct. 25, 1971, dedication ceremony for Walt Disney World Resort on Main Street, U.S.A., in Magic Kingdom Park in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. (Disney) (Roy O. Disney and Mickey Mouse at the Oct. 25, 1971, dedication cer
Almost immediately after the park opened, Disney decided that Magic Kingdom needed a new thrill ride.
While the company’s first choice to fill this void was to construct a new version of the Matterhorn, it soon became apparent that Walt Disney World’s Fantasyland was not big enough to house the iconic attraction.
Image: Disneyland
Pivoting, Disney decided to revisit the tabled Space Mountain concept. After all, the Magic Kingdom’s Tomorrowland had all kinds of space.
Building Space Mountain
With the new location in mind, Disney got back to work on Space Mountain. Instead of using the Arrow Development Company, which had previously built the Matterhorn, Disney decided to develop the track for Space Mountian in-house.
Photo: Disney
Led by John Hench, a team of Imagineers began construction on the attraction in December 1972. Over the next two years, a Tomorrowland icon would come to life before guests’ eyes.
Photo: Disney
During this time, Imagineers debated what shape the attraction should take. While some Imagineers pushed for a dome shape, others thought a cone shape would look better. Eventually, the cone-shaped concept won out.
50 Years of Space Mountain
Finally, on January 15, 1975, over ten years before Walt Disney originally pitched the idea, Space Mountain opened at Walt Disney World. On hand for the festivities were a 2,000-member marching band and NASA astronauts Gordon Cooper, James Irwin, and Scott Carpenter.
Photo: Disney
Over the past 50 years, Space Mountain has seen its fair share of changes. The attraction was originally sponsored by RCA and initially allowed guests to visit the Home of Future Living after riding the attraction.
Photo: TheMickeyWiki
The post-show was changed in 1985 when a new space colony scene was added.
In 1994, Feberal Express assumed sponsorship of Space Mountain from RFCA, and the attraction was redesigned to fit into the New Tomorrowland theming. They would continue to sponsor the ride and let guests preview the future of intergalactic package delivery until 2003.
Photo: Yesterland
Throughout these changes, however, the basic concept of Space Mountain has remained. For generations of fans, braving the high-speed journey through space is a rite of passage. Hopefully, it will remain so for another 50 years.
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