Which Disney Rides Feel Like Movies?

Long before Walt Disney ever built a theme park, he told stories the more conventional way.

Uncle Walt started his illustrious career in animation and, soon afterward, live-action stories.

In fact, the Alice Comedies are several years older than Mickey Mouse!

 For this reason, when the storyteller evolved into theme park development, he maintained his identity.

That’s why many Disney attractions feel like an extension of Disney cinema.

So, which Disney rides most feel like movies? I have thoughts…

Avatar Flight of Passage

A recurring theme on this list will be that rides mimic elements from actual Disney movies.

In the specific instance of Avatar, that’s a bit of a misnomer if you know the film’s history.

Disney didn’t own Avatar when director James Cameron first introduced movie-goers to Pandora.

That was true even after Imagineers began development on this attraction.

Disney wouldn’t fully acquire the Avatar brand until 2019, but it was already pot-committed by then.

Park planners chose to anchor Disney’s Animal Kingdom with Pandora – The World of Avatar.

As part of the experience, Imagineers trusted the storytelling vision of Cameron, a director Walt Disney would have loved.

Both of them believed in world-building and gorgeous visuals.

Imagineers recognized the symmetry between the two styles and leaned heavily into the premise.

So, both attractions at Pandora feel like mini-movies as much as theme park rides.

The only reason why Na’vi River Journey isn’t on this list is that I didn’t want to put two Avatar attractions on here.

While I prefer it, I know that people riot at the thought of Avatar Flight of Passage being disparaged.

On this ride, you can re-live one of the highlights from Avatar, the banshee ride.

Imagineers even add a few tricks, including a brief indoor interlude that overwhelms the senses with its beauty.

Frozen Ever After

Then, we have the rides that honor the film without replicating its exact story.

In the case of Frozen Ever After, the action unfolds a short time after the film’s events.

Stylistically, you’re watching Frozen’s Greatest Hits as told by third-party observers.

By adopting this approach, Imagineers can hit all the highlights from the film.

And yes, I’m specifically referring to Let It Go, the seminal moment recreated on the ride.

The first half of Frozen Ever After builds to Elsa singing that song in her ice castle.

So, you’ll be mentally preparing for it right up until your boat approaches Elsa for the first time.

Disney knows what you want here, too, as it gives you a full view of the performance for as long as possible.

The boat flips into reverse – did you even know boats can go in reverse? – so that you can watch more on the way out.

Cinematically, this is the equivalent of Mise-en-Scène, and it makes the ride that much better.

Peter Pan’s Flight

Then, we have a different variant of the same concept: the faithful recreation.

Rather than mimicking the film’s story with new ideas, Disney sometimes trusts the source material.

In these instances, the ride itself functions as an extension of the film’s plot.

You’re merely experiencing the story in a new medium. In this case, it’s a Disney ride.

I’ll list two examples of this style today, the first of which is Peter Pan’s Flight.

You don’t even need to watch the film to get the gist, thanks to the genius of the ride.

Imagineers have encapsulated the entire story into a tight two minutes of storytelling.

You’ll get all the highlights, including the Darling family’s terrifying encounters with pirates.

Disney even throws in some of the adorable elements from the film such as the mermaids.

Then, you can watch one of Disney’s most dastardly villains get his comeuppance in the mouth of a reptile.

Peter Pan’s Flight may be the tightest job of visual exposition Disney has ever done.

Spaceship Earth

Disney has gotten so good at telling stories that it doesn’t even need a film.

Again, I’ve chosen two different examples of this style of ride design.

The first one is Spaceship Earth, my favorite attraction ever, which tells the most sweeping story of all.

You’re literally witnessing the entirety of civilization on this ride.

That sounds like something that should take your entire life to watch, yet Disney encapsulates it into a few minutes.

In fact, the story goes by so quickly that the second half of the ride includes a complete tone shift.

During that first half, you’ll learn how humanity learned to work together to solve all of life’s problems.

I’ve been thinking about this one a lot after watching author Andy Weir’s Project: Hail Mary.

The author is unapologetically an optimist, believing that people always work together to help in the end.

We could use more of that philosophy right now, in particular, and I suspect Weir would love this ride.

Spaceship Earth is every bit as positive about society as Weir’s stories are.

PS: Watch The Martian and Project: Hail Mary if you haven’t already. And if you have, watch them again!

Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance

Speaking of sci-fi epics, even Andy Weir would be hard-pressed to top this one.

Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance doesn’t tell a single Star Wars story per se.

No, this one is more of an amalgam of the entire third Star Wars trilogy.

You’ll meet Rey at the start of the ride and then, unfortunately, bump into Ben Solo at the end.

The son of Princess Leia and Han Solo is most assuredly not a good guy in this one, though.

No, he’s in full Kylo Ren mode here, and he wants to show you how he earned the nickname of The Jedi Killer.

You’ll be on the edge of your seat for this entire 20-minute experience.

Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance is longer than the average nominee for Best Live Action Short Film at the Academy Awards.

I’d argue that its story is better than most of them, too. You’ll be on the edge of your seat the entire ride!

Twilight Zone Tower of Terror

Next, we have proof that Disney doesn’t even need a movie to make a ride feel like one.

The Twilight Zone was a popular television series in the 1960s that remains seminal to this day.

Real talk: I just bought season one on digital streaming just the other day. Many of the episodes still hold up.

CBS, the owner of The Twilight Zone, knew this, which explains the 1983 “movie.”

Really, all they did was remake several of the episodes and call it a film.

Notably, Disney doesn’t even own this property, yet it treated the brand with more respect.

Imagineers delighted in the opportunity to tell a third-party story, a rarity at Disney.

So, they spitballed ideas on what makes The Twilight Zone great and then honored the spirit of the law.

This ride isn’t based on anything specific from the television series. No, the idea is entirely Disney’s.

You “enter an elevator” on your way to The Twilight Zone. Let’s just say it doesn’t go well.

Despite the mortal dangers you’ll face, you’ll barely notice because you’ll be laughing too hard.

Disney deftly included a thrilling ride mechanic with the spine-tingling aesthetics from the series.

The result is a legitimate masterpiece of an attraction that has won Best Dark Ride awards on countless occasions.

Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure

Then, we have another example like Frozen Ever After, a ride that isn’t quite a redux.

On Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure, you’ll do things that are undeniably familiar to fans of the film.

However, they’ll vary enough that you’ll realize this isn’t quite the same story.

Also, you’ll learn to fear your oven, as the feeling of nearly being burnt to a crisp tends to linger.

This ride starts gently, but it builds to an amazing crescendo involving dozens of rats.

That madcap finale will remind you of the movie, especially how it sends you home with a smile on your face.

Under the Sea ~ Journey of the Little Mermaid

Finally, we have the opposite of Ratatouille, which is Under the Sea ~ Journey of the Little Mermaid.

This one’s a pitch-perfect rendition of the Disney Renaissance classic.

You’ll hop into a clamshell and head under the sea. While there, you’ll re-live Ariel’s story.

At one point, you can even watch Prince Eric kiss the girl for the first time.

Oh, and Ursula gets her comeuppance. That’s always a satisfying moment in any format.

As a superfan of The Little Mermaid, this ride reminds me of why I love the film.

Imagineers have captured the heart of the story and turned it into a kindly, happy boat ride.

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Feature photo: Disney