Disney Canceled 5 BIG Disney World Rides

There are few things that fascinate Disney World fans more than unbuilt attractions. Sometimes announced, sometimes just rumored, these rides tell an alternate “what might have been?” history of the “Most Magical Place on Earth.”

From a Disney Legend’s planned magnum opus at the Magic Kingdom to a land that would have anchored Animal Kingdom… until it allegedly ended up in Universal, each of these unbuilt attractions has fascinated longtime Disney fans like myself for decades.

Western River Expedition

During early development of the Magic Kingdom, Imagineering legend Marc Davis — of Haunted Mansion and Pirates of the Caribbean fame — planned his magnum opus for the park: The Western River Expedition.

This massive E-Ticket boat ride was to feature hundreds of cowboys, Native Americans, and animals telling the story of the American West in Davis’s style of comedic vignettes. Furthermore, the attraction was meant to be housed in a gigantic show building known as Thunder Mesa that would have towered over the park’s Frontierland. It was meant to be topped by a mountain range and a mine train roller coaster attraction on its exterior.

While Thunder Mesa was initially planned as an opening day attraction, it was moved to the second phase of Disney World’s construction due to budget issues and was scheduled to open 3-4 years after opening day. That didn’t stop Disney from advertising the ride, as the Western River Expedition was included in promotional materials about the park, and a preview center of upcoming attractions. However, after guests’ complaints about the absence of Pirates of the Caribbean, which executives had decided not to include in the Magic Kingdom due to the idea that pirates were “overexposed” in Florida, the budget for the attraction was shifted to building a shortened version of Pirates of the Caribbean.

Mount Fuji Roller Coaster

At one point, a Mount Fuji roller coaster was also planned for EPCOT’s Japan Pavilion. The massive indoor roller coaster set in a show building designed to look like the famous mountain would have allegedly culminated with an encounter with a massive Godzilla. The ride went unbuilt due to budget issues, though a longtime urban legend claims that Kodak objected to the ride because the recreation of Mount Fuji was too reminiscent of their then-rival Fuji film.

Beastly Kingdom’s Dragon Coaster

During the early planning of Disney’s Animal Kingdom, a land based on mythological animals that would have been split into sections based on good and evil.

The “good” half of the land would have been built around a walkthrough attraction known as The Quest of the Unicorn, as well as a boat ride attraction titled Fantasia Gardens. Meanwhile, the “evil” side was to have been the burnt-out remains of a medieval village, the skyline of which was to be dominated by a larger-than-life castle. The castle would have held the land’s, and arguably the park’s, premier attraction: Dragon’s Tower. The thrill attraction would have used an inverted roller coaster ride system to tell the tale of a group of bats stealing treasure from the evil dragon who lords over the castle and village.

The land was pushed to the park’s second phase due to budget overruns – allegedly, DinoLand was chosen over Beastly Kingdom due to potential toy sales. Before Disney could begin work on the land, Universal opened Islands of Adventure in 1999. The new park featured Lost Continent, a land based on mythological creatures that bore many similarities to Beastly Kingdom… and perhaps not coincidentally was designed by former Imagineers who had been laid off when the Animal Kingdom land was pushed back.

Dick Tracy’s Crimestoppers

Dick Tracy’s Crime Stoppers, a large E-Ticket attraction planned for the park then known as Disney/MGM Studios. The attraction would have taken guests through the streets of Chicago on an enhanced motion vehicle, allowing them to use laser-guided “Tommy guns” to assist Dick Tracy.

Development on the Crime Stoppers attraction was halted thanks to a cocktail of financial issues in the wake of EuroDisney, the underwhelming box office returns of the Dick Tracy film, and worries amongst some Imagineers at the idea of “arming” guests with realistic-looking “guns.”

Great Muppet Movie Ride

In early 1990, Muppets creator Jim Henson, who was deeply involved with Disney working on Muppet*Vision 3D and other projects, spoke about a proposed Muppet ride with Disney Channel Magazine. He explained that the plan was to create a Great Muppet Movie Ride, which would essentially function as an in-park parody of MGM Studios’ headline attraction The Great Movie Ride.

The attraction would have featured scenes of the Muppets causing their trademark brand of chaos on the sets of various kinds of films, including horror and sci-fi films. However, Henson’s death put a stop to the development of many Muppet attractions, including the movie ride.

The story of each of these unbuilt attractions opens up a window to an alternate universe version of the Walt Disney World Resort. Stay tuned to AllEars for more behind the “what ifs?” of Disney history.

Why This Permanent Ride Closure at Disney World Is Actually a Good Thing

Which of these canceled rides do you most wish had been built? Let us know in the comments below.

Post a Comment