#25- WEDWay People Mover, Tomorrowland Transit Authority, TTA, Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover (WDW), Peoplemover (Disneyland)
1967-1995(Disneyland), 1975-Present (WDW)
61 total points
Appeared on 5 of 16 Lists. Top vote: #3 (Ryan W.)
The Peoplemover is an elevated method of transportation that takes guests in both Disneyland and Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom on a tour over and around Tomorrowland. Passengers board trains not powered by motors within themselves, but rather by being pushed by rotating tires each with its own electric motor, embedded in the track once every nine feet.
Both versions of the attraction enter the show buildings for various Tomorrowland attractions, and feature narration about the ride's surroundings. A version of the Walt Disney World attraction in place from 1994 - 2009 helped enhance the theme that Tomorrowland was no longer a showcase for future technology, but a functioning city of the future, with the Tomorrowland Transit Authority serving as the "highway in the sky."
The Disneyland version of the attraction featured a high speed tunnel portion of the ride, added in 1977, which was later modified to portray a Tron theme, with riders being told they were experiencing "the game grid." In 1998, the Disneyland attraction was closed to make way for Rocket Rods, a short-lived racing attraction.
#24- Test Track (Epcot)
1998-Present
62 total points
Appeared on 5 of 16 Lists. Top vote: #6 (Elizabeth S.)
Test Track is a giant slot car attraction located in Epcot at the Walt Disney World Resort that simulates a trip through the rigorous testing procedures that General Motors (now Chevy) uses to evaluate its vehicles, culminating in a high-speed drive around the exterior of the attraction.
The first version of the ride essentially made the riders into crash test dummies, subjecting them to tests like suspension; driving the car over various uneven road surfaces, anti lock brakes, and extreme test environments before sending them on the high-speed loop on the exterior of the show building.
The newest version allows guests to design their own car while waiting to board, choosing from a variety of options including speed, handling, and gas mileage. The designs are then loaded, via RFD card, onto the attraction and graded in real-time based on the test subject within the ride. The interior of the ride also reflects an almost Tron-like environment to simulate the focus on computer design.
#23- Mickey's Philharmagic (Magic Kingdom - WDW)
2003-Present
65 total points
Appeared on 6 of 16 Lists. Top vote: #8 (Linda C.)
Mickey's PhilharMagic is a 4-D film attraction found at the Magic Kingdom theme park in the Walt Disney World shown on the largest purpose-built 3D screen ever made, at 150 feet wide., The film was directed by George Scribner, who is best known for directing Disney's 1988 animated film, Oliver and Company, and is a 12-minute long show featuring 3D effects, scents, and water, as well as a number of characters from Disney movies.
The attraction is unique in being one of a very select amount of attractions in the Disney theme parks in which Walt Disney Imagineering has collaborated with another division of The Walt Disney Company - in this instance, it was Walt Disney Feature Animation. Legendary Disney animator Glen Keane re-rendered Ariel from The Little Mermaid in 3D, returning after rendering her in 2D in the original film. Nik Ranieri, supervising animator of Lumiere in Beauty and the Beast, also returned to animate that character in 3D. Most of Donald Duck's dialogue is actually archival recordings by his original voice actor, Clarence Nash. Tony Anselmo, Donald's current voice actor, recorded only five new lines for the character in this attraction (such as the scene where Donald Duck hums to the tune of the song "Be Our Guest".)
#22- The Mad Tea Party (Magic Kingdom - WDW, Disneyland)
1955 (Disneyland), 1971 (WDW) -Present
69 total points
Appeared on 5 of 16 Lists. Top vote: #4 (Bill H.)
Mad Tea Party is a spinning tea cup ride at all Disney theme parks around the world. The ride was inspired by the Unbirthday Party scene in Disney's Alice In Wonderland, and has gained infamy over the years for the number of guests who get motion sickness as a result of the spinning component to the ride.
Three small turntables, which rotate clockwise, each holding six teacups, within one large turntable, rotating counter-clockwise, make up the ride's operating system. The sleepy Dormouse can be seen popping his head out of a large teapot in the middle of the large turntable, but only at Walt Disney World and Tokyo Disneyland, as the other parks do not feature a central teapot.
The original attraction at Disneyland is unable to run in the rain because once the turntables are saturated with a moderate amount of water, they slip and can no longer spin. The other versions of this attraction at Magic Kingdom, Tokyo Disneyland, Disneyland Paris and Hong Kong Disneyland are covered to prevent such situations, as well as to protect riders from extreme heat and sun. Unlike its Magic Kingdom, Tokyo Disneyland, and Hong Kong Disneyland counterparts, the Disneyland Paris version has a petal-shaped glass roof.
#21- It's A Small World (Magic Kingdom - WDW, Disneyland)
1966 (Disneyland), 1971 (WDW) -Present
70 total points
Appeared on 7 of 16 Lists. Top vote: #4 (Kristen R.)
It's a Small World was created by WED Enterprises as the 1964 New York World's Fair's UNICEF pavilion sponsored by Pepsi. It featured a kinetic sculpture, The Tower of the Four Winds, a 120-foot perpetually spinning mobile created by WED designer Rolly Crump, at its entrance. It was added to four attractions (Magic Skyway [Ford], Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln [Illinois], The Carousel of Progress [GE], and CircleVision 360 [Kodak]) already under development which were used by Disney to sponsor, fund and test concepts and develop ride systems and innovative entertainment intended to be moved and re-built at Disneyland after the World's Fair closed in 1966.
Mary Blair was responsible for the attraction's whimsical design and color styling. Blair had been an art director on several Disney animated features (including Cinderella, Alice In Wonderland, and Peter Pan). Like many Disneyland attractions, scenes and characters were designed by Marc Davis, while his wife, Alice Davis, designed the costumes for the dolls. Rolly Crump designed the toys and other supplemental figures on display. The animated dolls were designed and sculpted by Blaine Gibson. Walt was personally involved with Gibson's development of the dolls' facial design (each animated doll face is completely identical in shape, hence the name "It's a Small World").
Walt showed a scale model of the attraction to his staff songwriters Robert B. Sherman and Richard M. Sherman, saying, "I need one song that can be easily translated into many languages and be played as a round." The Sherman Brothers then wrote "It's a Small World)"in the wake of the Cuban Missile Crisis, which influenced the song's message of peace and brotherhood. When they first presented it to Walt, they played it as a slow ballad. Walt requested something more cheerful, so they sped up the tempo and sang in counterpoint. Walt was so delighted with the final result that he renamed the attraction "It's a Small World" after the Sherman Brothers' song.
It is argued that this song is the single most performed and most translated piece of music on Earth.
No comments:
Post a Comment