Disney World is full of magic, but sometimes that magic comes at the cost of losing beloved rides.
Over the years, Disney has retired attractions to make room for shiny new lands, reimagined experiences, or just plain updates to the parks. For casual visitors, it might not feel like a big deal, but Disney Adults know that certain closures still sting years (and sometimes decades) later. Today, we’re talking about five rides that Disney Adults would practically sell a kidney to experience one more time.
Let’s dive into the rides we wish would make a comeback.
The Liberty Square Riverboat
The Liberty Square Riverboat was an opening-day staple of Magic Kingdom, and its closure on July 7th, 2025, broke a lot of hearts. Sure, it wasn’t the flashiest ride in the park, but for many Disney Adults, it was the perfect way to slow down, soak in the sights, and feel transported to another time.
Sailing along the Rivers of America gave guests one of the best vantage points of Tom Sawyer Island, Liberty Square, and Frontierland. Plus, it offered a quiet escape when the rest of the park was buzzing with long lines and big crowds. Losing this ride feels especially bittersweet because it was closed to make way for Piston Peak, the new Cars-themed land that’s taking over the whole area. Exciting? Yes. But for longtime fans, this one feels like a big loss.
Muppet*Vision 3D
This one hurts. Muppet*Vision 3D officially closed its doors on June 8th, 2025, and with it went one of the last projects Jim Henson worked on before his passing. For Disney Adults who grew up watching The Muppets, this attraction wasn’t just a show — it was a piece of history.
It had the classic Muppet humor, the wild special effects, and even the chaotic pre-show that fans quoted word-for-word. Losing it to make way for the new Monster’s, Inc. land at Disney’s Hollywood Studios has sparked a lot of mixed emotions.
On one hand, the new land is sure to bring in big crowds and fresh excitement. On the other, it’s tough to say goodbye to a show that felt so authentically “Muppets” and had such a personal connection to Henson himself.
Lights, Motors, Action!: Extreme Stunt Show
If you ever saw this show in Disney’s Hollywood Studios, you probably still remember the roar of the engines and the smell of burning rubber. Lights, Motors, Action! closed back in April 2016 to make way for Toy Story Land and Galaxy’s Edge, but for many, it’s still one of the most thrilling attractions Disney has ever had.
This wasn’t your average stage show — it was full-blown stunt driving with motorcycles, high-speed car chases, and explosions. Families loved it, kids were blown away, and Disney Adults could not believe something this extreme was happening inside the parks. The show was massive, loud, and unlike anything else Disney offered. Its closure made sense given the huge expansions that followed, but fans will always remember it as one of the most exciting live shows in Disney history.
Studio Backlot Tour
Before Disney’s Hollywood Studios leaned hard into big-name franchises, it was a park that celebrated movie-making magic. The Studio Backlot Tour was at the heart of that vision. It closed in September 2014, but not before decades of giving guests a behind-the-scenes look at how movies were made.
Alien Encounter
Alien Encounter was… terrifying. It opened in 1995 and closed in 2003 to make room for Stitch’s Great Escape!, but those who braved it will never forget it. The ride wasn’t about thrills in the traditional sense — it was all about atmosphere. Guests were strapped into seats inside a pitch-black theater while an alien escaped into the crowd. Special effects like blasts of air, creepy sounds, and “drips” of alien drool convinced you the creature was right there with you.
For Disney Adults, Alien Encounter represents a time when Disney was willing to push boundaries and scare the daylights out of people. It was dark, intense, and definitely not for kids. That’s exactly why fans still talk about it more than twenty years later. Even though Stitch’s Great Escape! tried to reuse the same setup, nothing has ever captured that level of intensity again.
Disney World is constantly evolving, which means some attractions will always be sacrificed for the sake of something new. But for Disney Adults, the memories of these defunct rides never fade away, no matter how many expansions or reimaginings the parks see.
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Disney Adults Are BEGGING for This Ride To Come to Disney World
Which of these rides would you bring back if you could? Let us know in the comments!
Splash mountain all day all week all year long!!!!!
Holy Nostalgia Batman! Disney should have a survey and bring back a modern version of one of these rides!
glad great movie ride wasn’t in this list. the nostalgia for this ride doesn’t meet the hype.
did people really like alien encounter? I was fine with it, but I see so many people who did not like that ride
however 20,000 leagues under the sea would be welcomed back!
I would actually sell more than a kidney to get the River Boat back. What a horrible decision that was. Definitely would like Muppets back although I am excited for Monsters Inc area, along with Backlot Tour, Great Movie Ride (do love the ride with Mickey and Minnie though) and one of my all time favorites Splash Mountain. If I can add a sixth it would be the Maelstrom.
Simply put, Disney is chipping away at people like me. I cannot ride thrill rides and so with each addition of a new one in place of things I used to ride,there is less for me to do.I will be visiting WDW and using my free 5th day to go to the Studios for just a few hours primarily to watch Fantasmic.
The message I am getting is Disney no longer cares about people like me or people with very young children. I am a DVC member until 2042. Then it will end. And buying fewer and fewer days on my passes and sitting by the pool at a resort doesn’t put a whole lot of money in Disney’s pocket.
You are incorrect in your equivalencies. For Muppets, Liberty Bell RoA and TS Island I’d donate a kidney to get them back. The other stuff I’d give a wet kiss and a week at one of my Fort Wilderness cabins.
By the way I’d donate a kidney, bone marrow and a left side reproductive organ (not to be too graphic) to own one of the 11 Captain Nemo Nautilus subs they have buried back behind Space Mountain.
The Great Movie Ride is worth at least a kidney!
Lights motor action I would bring back
Maelstrom.
I know this will show my age, but the Magic Kingdom used to have a ride called the Swan Boat ride. It was on the river that once existed in front of the castle. It was removed in the late 70’s/early 80’s, but like the Riverboat it was a nice relaxing ride that offered a different experience from walking around the end of Main Street USA.
That is a great answer. I remember riding as a kid. Great memories and a better time.
Other long-missed rides are The Great Movie Ride in Disney Studios; Horizons, the original Journey into Imagination, and Norway’s Maelstrom in Epcot; Adventures through Inner Space, Song of the South and 20,000 Leagues under the Sea at Magic Kingdom.