When World Showcase was being designed, Imagineers knew that something special was going to be needed for the host pavilion. The attraction that they decided upon was the culmination of a line of attractions that began back at the Illinois pavilion at the 1964 World’s Fair, advanced through Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln at Disneyland, and was further refined with the Hall of Presidents at Magic Kingdom. The American Adventure took aspects from all these previous shows and brought them to an entirely new level.
The experience of this attraction starts even before Guests are seated in the theater, beginning with the beautiful colonial-style architecture of the building’s exterior, the open rotunda where Guests wait for the show with walls adorned by colorful painting depicting different eras of American history, and then entering into the theater by passing through the Corridor of Flags featuring a display of numerous flags that played integral roles throughout American history. All of this serves as a set-up to the actual show itself, helping to immerse Guests into American history.
The show itself is probably one of the most effective uses of Audio Animatronic figures found at any Disney attraction. These animatronic figures are integrated seamlessly throughout the course of the show, their striking appearance and mannerisms helping to bring American history to life. The real success of the show lies in its ability to combine these animatronic figures with moving music, beautiful imagery, and detailed backgrounds and set pieces. It is a show on a scale that Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln and the Hall of Presidents cannot come close to matching.
While the animatronic figures receive much of the attention (and rightfully so) the show’s music really helps to tie everything together and strike an emotional chord with the audience. The music helps Guests experience the highs and lows of American history and the show’s finale of “Golden Dream,” along with its stirring imagery, will give almost anyone goose bumps and make them proud to be an American. While condensing the whole of American history into a thirty-minute show is no easy task, the American Adventure does it brilliantly and makes it worthy of the #22 spot in the top fifty countdown.
#21: Peter Pan's Flight, Magic Kingdom
One of the most popular attractions at the Magic Kingdom is actually not a thrill ride. In fact, it is an attraction that has been part of the park since it first opened in 1971. Presenting a different spin on a classic dark ride, Peter Pan’s Flight is often marked by long lines and is one of the most beloved rides in Fantasyland.
Like many of the attractions in Magic Kingdom’s Fantasyland, Peter Pan’s Flight originated in Disneyland, where it was an opening day attraction in 1955. The original intent of the Disneyland attraction was for Guests to fly through the ride as if they were Peter Pan. However, Guests did not quite grasp this concept and were left wondering why Peter Pan was not in the attraction. The Magic Kingdom version of the ride expanded on the original Disneyland attraction. While the overall theme and format of the ride was consistent with the original, the Magic Kingdom’s version would feature its characters, including Peter Pan, as Audio Animatronic figures.
The success of Peter Pan’s Flight is that it is such a unique ride system for a dark ride. Rather than travelling in vehicles that ride along a track in the floor, here Guests are transported in pirate ships suspended from a track overhead to give the allusion that they are flying. The attraction also makes very effective use of forced perspective and scale to make Guests feel as though they are much higher up than they actually are. While Disneyland holds an advantage when it comes to the exterior facades, the Magic Kingdom’s version of the attraction improved upon several aspects of the original Peter Pan’s Flight. Not only was it the first to have animatronic figures, but all the sets are on a much larger scale, including a 48-foot replica of Captain Hook’s ship.
When it comes to Magic Kingdom attractions, Peter Pan’s Flight consistently has one of the longest waits. While its two-to-three person pirate ships certainly hurt its efficiency in the number of Guests its able to carry, one cannot overlook the incredible popularity that the attraction has had over the years. Combining well known characters, story, and music all with a unique ride system, Peter Pan’s Flight continues to deliver one of the most fun experiences in all of Fantasyland. It is one of Disney’s most classic attractions and it continues to entertain Guests of all ages. Thus, Peter Pan’s Flight comes in at #21 in the top fifty rankings.
#20: Festival of the Lion King, Animal Kingdom
What makes this next attraction so interesting is that it was never originally intended to be included in the park and it was thrown together at basically the last minute utilizing floats from an old Disneyland parade. Another interesting aspect of this particular show is that it is not meant to be a retelling or condensed version of the movie, rather a revue that highlights some of the story’s best musical moments. Yet, despite all of this, Festival of the Lion King has gone onto become one of the most popular shows in all of Disney World.
The show’s great success lies in two main areas, the first being its music. Showcasing many of the beloved songs created by Elton John and Tim Rice, Festival of the Lion King moves from one musical number to the next and is really driven by the talent of the four main performers. Each of these performers has a Swahili name: Kiume, Nakawa, Kibibi, and Zawadi. They are not meant to represent any specific character from The Lion King and the order in which the songs are performed does not follow the sequence they are presented in the movie. All of this, however, helps to make the show interesting and unique, featuring songs the audience is familiar with presented in a new way.
The second area where Festival of the Lion King excels is with its visuals. This starts with the beautifully-detailed, bright, and colorful costumes worn by the Cast. Greatly inspired by African culture and dress, these costumes add a sense of authenticity to the show. Added to this are puppeteers, stilt-walkers, fire-twirlers, acrobats, and aerial gymnasts whose performances give the show a great amount of variety and energy. All the while, the action takes place in a theater-in-the-round, which helps to make Guests feel more a part of the story and put them all closer to the action taking place on stage.
Festival of the Lion King has become one of the must-see attractions at Animal Kingdom. This is not only because it is based upon the highly popular movie with memorable characters and music, but also because of how the show presents all these to Guests. There is surprisingly little dialogue throughout the course of the show; it is a story that is driven by its combination of music and visuals, which it does so successfully. While several other shows around Animal Kingdom have come and gone, Festival of the Lion King has remained largely unchanged. It is the type of show that, even if you have seen it multiple times, you will want to keep coming back again and again. Thus, Festival of the Lion King ranks #20 in the top fifty countdown.
#19: Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Magic Kingdom
We crack the top twenty with an attraction that has a world-wide presence, one which has become one of the most visually iconic attractions in any Disney park, and one which has a long and storied history. Big Thunder Mountain Railroad was designed by Imagineer Tony Baxter. The concept came from Baxter's work on the Western River Expedition, a western-themed pavilion at the Magic Kingdom, designed to look like an enormous plateau and contain many rides, including a runaway mine train roller coaster. However, because the pavilion as a whole was deemed too expensive, Baxter proposed building just the mine train as a separate attraction.
Every Disney attraction has a story and Big Thunder Mountain is more than just a runaway mine train. In the late 1800s, gold was discovered on Big Thunder Mountain. Overnight, the small mining town of Tumbleweed became a thriving mining town. Mining was prosperous and a line of mine trains was set up to transport the ore. Unknown to the settlers, the Mountain was a sacred spot to local Native Americans and was cursed. Before long, the settlers' destruction of the mountain caused a great tragedy, a flash flood hit the mines, and the town was abandoned.
Big Thunder Mountain’s success lies in immersing Guests into this story. This is evident especially in the intricate detail of the rockwork, fashioned after Arizona’s Monument Valley. Special care was taken by the Imagineers to make it appear that the rocks were there originally and the track was built around them rather than the other way around. The Magic Kingdom’s version of the attraction is also the perfect example of how Imagineers can successfully “plus” an already good attraction. After a lengthy refurbishment, Big Thunder Mountain recently reopened with a much more highly-themed queue with a variety of interactive elements that help to immerse Guests better into the attraction’s backstory.
While the Magic Kingdom’s Big Thunder Mountain may not have been the original, with Disneyland’s opening a year earlier in 1979, the larger park allowed for Imagineers to do more. While the track layouts are almost identical, the Magic Kingdom’s takes up 2.5 acres, which is approximately twenty-five percent larger than its Disneyland counterpart. The success of Big Thunder Mountain in both Disneyland and Magic Kingdom went on to inspire the attractions in both Tokyo and Paris. Likewise, the influence of Big Thunder Mountain’s detailed rockwork and runaway mine train theming can clearly be seen in other attractions like Expedition Everest at Animal Kingdom and Grizzly Gulch in Hong Kong. Combining a storied history with immersive theming and a fun and thrilling ride experience, Big Thunder Mountain ranks #19 in the top fifty countdown.
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