The History Behind Disney World’s Roller Coasters

Disney knows a thing or two when it comes to thrills. While classic dark rides are Disney’s bread and butter, they also excel when it comes to roller coasters.

Rather than being the tallest or fastest rides in the world, Disney utilizes its skillful storytelling and theming to create a complete ride experience.

Let’s look back on the history of Disney World’s major roller coasters leading up to present day!

While we have a special place in our hearts for Barnstormer and Primeval Whirl, we’ll be focusing on the E-ticket roller coaster attractions today.

Space Mountain

The first of five versions of Space Mountain opened at Magic Kingdom in 1975 out of a response to the need for more thrill rides. The parks were growing more and more popular for teens and young adults, much to the surprise of Disney Imagineers. Coupled with the popularity of Matterhorn in Disneyland, a previously shelved concept for an indoor roller coaster re-emerged and Space Mountain became the first major thrill ride to open at Walt Disney World. Its Disneyland counterpart would open two years later. 

Over the years Space Mountain has seen renovations and overlays, including special event offerings like rides in total darkness, as well as Hyperspace Mountain, a Star Wars overlay in Disneyland. On any given day, Space Mountain can still easily have the longest posted wait times in the park.

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad

The initial conversation for a Mine Train-themed roller coaster came about in 1973 as part of a larger Western pavilion expansion, but the large cost of opening Pirates of the Caribbean in Magic Kingdom deemed the new pavilion too expensive. The project was delayed yet again in 1974 due to the overwhelming demand for resources to open Space Mountain. Ultimately, Disneyland’s version of Big Thunder Mountain Railroad opened first in 1979, followed one year later by Magic Kingdom.

And here’s a FUN FACT about Big Thunder: did you know that this was the first Disney attractions to be built using what is known as ‘computer-aided design’, or ‘CAD’? This development may have been a silver lining for all of those times the project was delayed in the mid-1970’s.

Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster

It would be nearly twenty years before Disney World’s next roller coaster to appear. In 1999, Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster opened in what was at the time Disney-MGM Studios. The roller coaster starts with a launch that takes riders from 0 to 57 mph in fewer than 3 seconds. The ride plays Aerosmith songs as they travel over 3,400 feet of track, 3 inversions, and experience up to 5 G’s.

A version of this ride opened in Disneyland Paris in 2002, but closed last year to be re-themed to an Iron Man roller coaster as part of the Avengers Campus expansion coming to the Disney Studios Park.

Expedition Everest

Expedition Everest opened in Animal Kingdom in 2006. At the time it was the most expensive roller coaster ever built, costing an estimated $100 million. Much of that cost was spent on the infamous yeti, the largest audio-animatronic Disney has ever built.

Only a few months after the attraction’s opening, the base on which the yeti stands split, due to the animatronic’s weight and force from its movement. Fixing the yeti would require a significant dismantling of the mountain’s structure in order to access the animatronic. As a result, the yeti has sat in “B-mode”, or “Disco mode”, ever since, with a simple strobe light effect on the figure to give a feeling of movement, as to avoid a lengthy downtime of the attraction.

Seven Dwarfs Mine Train

After the massive success of the major thrill rides Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster and Expedition Everest, Disney shifted gears and developed a roller coaster that would appeal to the entire family. Seven Dwarfs Mine Train opened in 2014 as part of the New Fantasyland expansion in Magic Kingdom. During construction in 2012, Snow White’s Scary Adventure was closed permanently to make room for the land’s expansion. However, several figures from the original ride can be seen at the end of Seven Dwarf’s Mine Train. The figures of Snow White and the dwarfs singing the “Yodel Song” and dancing in their cottage were from the original dark ride.

The attraction features a new ride system known as a “tilting vehicle”. These vehicles simulate the motions of a swinging mine cart.

Slinky Dog Dash

The latest roller coaster added to the Disney World lineup is Slinky Dog Dash in Disney’s Hollywood Studios. The coaster is part of Toy Story Land, which opened in 2018. It was the first roller coaster added to Hollywood Studios in nearly twenty years. Up until Slinky Dog Dash’s opening, Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster was the only roller coaster in the park. Slinky Dog Dash is unique in Disney Parks in that it is the first roller coaster to feature a mid-ride launch as opposed to a launch at the very beginning of the attraction.

Future Coasters

Looking to the future, there are TWO major additions coming to the roller coaster fleet in Disney World. TRON Lightcycle Run is slated to open in Magic Kingdom in 2021, direct from Shanghai Disneyland where it’s proven incredibly popular. And EPCOT will soon get its first roller coaster ever with the opening of Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, which will feature a reverse launch!

It seems as though Disney has no intention of holding back when it comes to adding major thrills to its lineup of attractions. In fact, if TRON and Guardians of the Galaxy are any indicator, we may expect thrill rides and roller coaster-like attractions to become more of a staple at Disney World.

What’s your favorite roller coaster in Disney World? Let us know in the comments!

 

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