These Disneyland rides have had their day, and it might be finally time to move on.
As Disney’s ORIGINAL theme park resort, Disneyland is home to several historic and entertaining attractions. Still, because of its illustrious history, some attractions have become outdated or unnecessary. In fact, it might be time for Disneyland to abandon a few attractions…
Starting this list off is the infamous Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage in Disneyland Park’s Tomorrowland.
This divisive ride opened in 2007 as a re-theme of the Submarine Voyage ride that operated in the spot from 1959 to 1998. Based on the Pixar film Finding Nemo, this submarine attraction takes passengers on a trip around a lagoon featuring colorful coral, sea life, and characters from the movie.
The attraction wasn’t always supposed to be Finding Nemo-themed. Disney Imagineers played around with theming around with Atlantis: The Lost Empire as well as Treasure Planet rethemes (neither of which were considered box office successes, so Disney moved on) before settling on Finding Nemo.
While this ride is known for being scenic and peaceful, it is criticized for inducing claustrophobia and being a bit boring. It also does very little to match the Tomorrowland theme. As such, it’s generally poorly reviewed among die-hard Disney fans. Perhaps a retheme is in order — maybe to something closer to the original version of the ride with more overt Jules Verne-isms tossed in. Maybe something new should occupy the space altogether. All we know is that plenty of fans are ready for something different.
Staying in Tomorrowland, another ride that is often criticized is Autopia.
An opening day attraction, Autopia is a gas-powered speedway attraction that lets some of the park’s younger guests safely get behind the wheel of a car without needing a driver’s license.
Soon to feature electric vehicles, Autopia is NOT going to be replaced or abandoned, but we’re not sure that upgrading the ride vehicles fixes the problem of these cars going too slow while really only catering to one demographic in a land that could desperately use something new. We totally appreciate the nostalgia factor here, but we’re also not totally convinced that Disney is maximizing the space. It’s hard to deny the kids love it, though!
Over at Disney California Adventure, The Little Mermaid – Ariel’s Undersea Adventure is having issues of its own. The ride opened in 2011 and has left something to be desired since.
This ride is, essentially, a retelling of the animated The Little Mermaid movie, although with this attraction, the story ends super abruptly.
Yes, the Ursula animatronic is top-notch, and the music is still very fun and familiar. However, the ride needs A TON of TLC, as some mechanics don’t work at times, and a couple of the animatronics (like the first Ariel one) kind of give off melting face vibes.
Usually, a ride without a significant wait, this is one attraction a lot of guests skip, and we get it. With Pixar taking over Paradise Gardens and Pixar Pier, perhaps the building that houses this ride would be better served with a new Pixar-themed attraction.
It’s hard to suggest any Disneyland ride should be abandoned. We’ve grown to have a fondness for most of the attractions at the two parks, and seeing anything get removed would be bittersweet. However, we’ve been following along with Disneyland’s expansion plans, and it appears the resort is ready to move full steam ahead into the future. That includes letting go of the past — to an extent.
Which rides do you think Disneyland should abandon? Share your thoughts in the comments below and continue to follow us here at AllEars for all the latest Disneyland updates!
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Which Disneyland rides do YOU think the resort should abandon? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
As a frequent Disneyland visitor, I wouldn’t mind if any of those rides were replaced with something new, though I recognize each has its own loyal fan base. I imagine there are countless passionate discussions within Disney about how every square foot of the park is used. Personally, I’d love to see a full overhaul of Tomorrowland. If that means removing Autopia and the Submarine Voyage, I think most guests would support the change. That said, their integration with the Monorail likely makes their removal a long shot. I do hope they find a new use for the Launch Bay building, I haven’t set foot in it in over a decade.