Snow White Bites the Apple

It’s now official – The Scary Adventures of Snow White is getting shutdown.  What’s amazing is - not many people are really upset about it.  I think the fact that a new Snow White related ride is coming is helping to temper people.

In some ways I’ll miss Snow White.  I remember riding it as a kid.  The witch scared me.  The part that really scared me was when she was trying to drop the boulder.  I have no idea why it scared me it just did. 

Years later I was happy to know I wasn’t alone.  Lots of kids have been frightened by Snow White over the years.

I do feel bad for family with the autistic child who have ridden this ride some ridiculous number of times.  Actually I should say I feel bad for the child.  He’ll be upset.  I bet the parents broke down and cried tears of joy when the announcement was made.

One thing I do expect to happen now.  I expect to see a record number of YouTube videos of this attraction spring up.  I have to say that’s one area where YouTube is priceless.  It allows us to see all the attractions we’ve lost over the years.

Mickey’s Toontown Fair is Officially Gone

Last week Mickey’s Toontown Fair officially closed.  I’ll be honest.  In all my trips to Disney World I never once went through this area of the Magic Kingdom.  I never rode any of the rides or saw any of the characters there.

If I had been able to get down to Disney before the area was shut down I would have gone through it.  It sounded ok and seemed like it had some fun areas and details.  I guess that’s my only regret is the fact that I never got to really see Toontown.

I know a lot of other people are really upset at seeing this area close.   I can understand that.  I feel bummed every time I think about the original Journey Into Imagination, Horizons, World of Motion, and the Original Version of the Universe of Energy.

Most of the time people are not upset about the attraction closing.  Most of the time people are upset because it feels like something is being taken away and there is nothing they can do about it.  People like to go back to Disney and share their memories with family and friends.  You can stop and point to an area and reminisce about a fond memory.  When that area is no longer there you are just left with a memory.  When the area no longer exists you can’t relive the experience with your children or friends.  I think that’s what really bothers people.

One thing I try to keep in mind when anything is replaced is the “Norway Syndrome.” The Norway Syndrome is when something is left in place for too long and it goes from relevant to annoying to humorous.  Of course I am talking about the movie in Norway.  Believe it or not but that was an ok movie when I was a kid and saw it the year it opened.  Within ten years it was bad and needed to be replaced.  If it had been replaced I guarantee you that there would be people today who would claim the movie was good and wish it hadn’t been replaced.

Even though we loved Horizons and other long gone attractions would we still love them today?  Sometimes we would.  Sometimes Disney makes a timeless attraction like the original Journey Into Imagination.  If Horizons was still around it would have needed some major rehabs over the years but we might still like it.

Let us hope that the Mickey’s Toontown Fair attractions are remembered with more smiles than frowns ten years from now.

It Got a Flat Tire so We Bought a New Car.

Through the years there has been a lot of protests over rides that Disney has decided to remove / close / replace. In each case the hard feelings normally boiled down to the fact that people felt like a piece of their childhood or young adulthood was been erased. When you look beyond that there are some rides that really make you wonder why they were shelved while others remained. In many cases these rides were either unique, ground breaking, or victims of circumstance. Here are the ones that I want to see again:


ExtraTERROResital Alien Encounter: This ride was intense. It was the most Un-Disney ride Disney ever built. It has as many rabid fans as it does sworn enemies. The problem with this ride was it was opened in the Magic Kingdom with only a height requirement. Too many young children were allowed on this attraction. When you think about it this attraction was a PG-13 borderline R attraction. I say that because you got sprayed with water to simulate someone getting torn apart above you and it was beyond frightening for children. If Disney had opened this in DHS with an age requirement or actual rating I think it would still be around today. Too many dumb parents ignored the warning at the entrance and dragged their kids on this ride.


Horizons: I was fascinated by this ride as a child. It’s the first ride I can remember that had an interactive ending. I rode it over and over so I could see all of the endings. I’ve ridden Mission Space (Horizons replacement) once. It was good but I don’t think I’d ride it more than once a visit. I consider myself fortunate that I rode this ride just before it closed. There are a lot of rumors as to why Horizons bit the dust. Some say that the building had a sinkhole developing under it. Some said it would have been too expensive to overhaul. Others say that Disney couldn’t find a sponsor for it. I tend to believe the last one. Disney always puts money ahead of its guests, they just mask it well.


Mr. Toads Wild Ride: Ok this isn’t on the level of others but I have two reasons why it should have stayed. It was the only ride ever in which you died and went to hell. That makes it beyond unique. Here is my other reason. You replaced it with crap. I’m sorry but at its best the Pooh ride breaks even with Mr. Toad. If you’re going to replace a classic it better be an improvement.

The World of Motion: The song was great, the scenes were funny, and it was a classic Disney experience. Granted the World of Motion was getting old but that’s not an excuse. There are a lot of rides that are far older that are still around. According to many, GM is responsible for the death of this ride. It was time to re-sign and they wanted something new and flashy. Because they had the money, Disney was more than happy to jump on that band wagon. What we got as a replacement isthe most over hyped, over rated, attraction in Disney history.

The original Pirates: I like the new Pirates. I think they were some great additions that improved the ride. What runined those improvements is the fact that Disney knocked the teeth out of Pirates. They made it so PC that it’s just not funny anymore. Face it. It’s only a matter of time before the fat lady in the “take home a wench” scene is replaced and the sign is changed to say "Marry a Maid". Everything else that was funny was removed to avoid offending anyone. Like the fat lady chasing the pirate. That was classic!