How I Would Rank Disney’s Six Ride Reboots
Over the last calendar year, Disney has taken plussing to a whole new level.
Imagineers have modernized six different attractions, a couple of which you’ll barely even recognize.
Disney
So, here’s how I would rank Disney’s six recent ride reboots.
6. Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run
Photo: Disney
I’ve posted extensive reviews of every ride Disney has brought back since May 1st.Yes, five of these six attractions have all made their triumphant returns over the past two months.
Let’s just say that Disney has been busy, and the work has changed the vibe at the parks.
Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run
Fans know that they have plenty of new stuff to experience, so they’re rushing to Disney. Just tonight, a friend of mine sent me a couple of pictures from EPCOT.
He’d last visited Disney in the 2010s despite often having work conferences in the area.
Photo: Disney
That’s what the news of new attractions does to potential park guests.
They know they should prioritize Disney while everything is so fresh. In the case of Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run, Disney may have overreached.
This is just one person’s opinion, but the ride is pretty hard to follow.
Photo: Disney
Since all six crew members have jobs to do, watching the main screen is a challenge.
With so much happening over the course of just a few minutes, I really struggled.
Photo: Disney
Disney scored me the highest of anybody in the cockpit, which sounds like a good thing.In reality, my score likely reflects that I missed a lot of story while focused on my mission.
Disney just can’t win on this one, as the previous complaint was the opposite.
The Engineers complained that their job involved pushing a few buttons. That was it.
Photo: Disney
So, now I’m dinging the ride for Disney’s overcorrecting. They just can’t win.
By the way, I want to stress that I still really liked this ride. The fact that I ranked this one last speaks volumes about what Disney has accomplished.
5. Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
This ranking probably isn’t what fans of the ride want to see.
Of course, the biggest fan I know will feel I’ve ranked it too high. She fervently believes that Disney defanged her favorite ride in the world.
Honestly, there’s some truth to that, as the updated roller coaster is a bit tamer.
Amy Smith, Photographer
Overall, I honestly don’t notice a lot of difference in the feel when I’m on the ride.
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad has added visual components that tell a story.
Amy Smith, Photographer
In my review, I compared it to Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, and that’s not accidental. Magic Kingdom already had a popular roller coaster that took things slow.
This knowledge emboldened Imagineers to take a more measured approach with this reboot.
My biggest gripe is that I could no longer describe it as the wildest ride in the wilderness.
The new Big Thunder is more about presentation, which does nerf it a bit.
Still, I relished every second I was on the ride, and I definitely went back.
4. Soarin’ Across America
Soarin’ Across America
Here’s a challenging one in that I don’t know how long this change will last.
Those of you who aren’t visiting Disney this year may miss it.
Soarin’ Around the World isn’t going anywhere; it’s just on hiatus.
Right now, America is a few days away from its 250th anniversary. So, Disney Celebrates America has begun, with this ride as the centerpiece.
Soarin’ Across America slots somewhere between the two previous versions.
Soarin’ Across America
Soarin’ Over California, which still shows up annually at Disney California Adventure, only covers one state.
Yes, Disney had already soared over a state and a planet. If they’re small and large, Soarin’ Across America is medium.
Soarin’ Across America
Imagineers direct-dialed some of the most gorgeous sights in our country.
The sumptuous visuals will have you humming the Star-Spangled Banner.
3. Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin
I think my problem with the original version of this ride is that I’m a gamer.
While I’m not hypercompetitive in a conventional sense, I always seek to improve.
Photo: Disney
Any time I don’t, it feels like a personal failing, which I guess it is.
In the case of Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin, I just couldn’t win.
I mean that literally, as I beat my wife like three times out of 50.
She had a better winning percentage than Tom Brady, and there was nothing I could do. The old version never made sense to me, as I couldn’t decide when I was hitting the targets.
Friends would give all these pro tips about the high-scoring targets.
Then, I’d get on the ride and have no idea how to tell if I was hitting anything.
My scores strongly reflected the fact that I wasn’t. At all. I was bad. This new version of the ride works totally differently, which delights me to say.
Now, a successful shot means that the target lights up and spins in place.
Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin
You KNOW when you’ve struck paydirt with a shot. It’s like Disney unlocked the ride for me. Everything makes sense with the new version, and it’s shinier to boot.
I’m absolutely delighted with the changes Disney made here.In terms of general quality-of-life improvements, this is the company’s best work.
2. Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets
Photo: Disney
My wife is going to kill me for not putting this one in first spot. It definitely gets her vote.
For my part, when Disney shut down Muppet*Vision 3D, I was definitely holding a grudge.
Photo: Disney
At the time, I told myself that I wouldn’t forget this indignity for a long time to come.
As usual, I should have given Imagineers the benefit of the doubt. They definitely had a plan, and it has already come to fruition.
Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets wowed me with its warmth and positivity.
We loved standing in line, as the soundtrack is decidedly un-Disney in nature.
Legitimate rock music you’ll know plays on the speakers while guests wait.
Once you get inside, you’ll admire all the little touches reminding you why you love The Muppets.
Honestly, I wish I’d had more time here, but the Cast Members rushed us. Even at 8 in the morning, the wait was already 90 minutes.
So, there was no dilly-dallying to admire all the homages to Jim Henson.
Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring the Muppets
Once we reached the pre-show area, we smiled the whole way through.
This is a warm hug of a Muppets presentation. And that’s before the ride!
Of course, the ride has barely changed other than the music.
We’ve swapped out Aerosmith for other rock music, including my beloved Def Leppard. Still, as soon as the ride begins, it’s just Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster.
Disney has changed the signs, of course, but the vibe is familiar.
Somehow, the whole thing seems sunnier with The Muppets involved, though.
The nicest compliment I can give about the update comes from my wife.
Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring the Muppets
She had sworn off Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster, claiming she would never ride it again.
Once she experienced the new version, she said she’d ride it anytime. Nobody tell her it’s the same basic ride!
1. Test Track
D23
I debated whether I should even include this one, as the oldest “new” one.
However, I hadn’t been to Walt Disney World since Test Track 3.0 opened. Therefore, this version is new to me…and it wowed me. Like, after I exited Test Track for the first time, I felt the afterglow for a full hour.
This ride made me happy in a way that I hadn’t experienced at a theme park in a while.
Imagineers somehow took Test Track back to its origin story as the successor to World of Motion.
Test Track
Then, they updated elements to make the actual testing feel more electric. This one’s a true thrill ride now, rather than one that stops and starts regularly.
The finish remains the same, but the precursor to it blew my mind. Disney honored the original idea of Future World with this scene.
Now, Test Track shows guests the future, a prototype city of tomorrow.
How could I not rank Test Track first when it honors Walt Disney’s wishes for EPCOT?
Test Track tells us that the dream remains alive for that E.P.C.O.T. Walt died too soon to build.
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Feature Photo: Disney
