List of past Disneyland attractions
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Disneyland is a theme park in Anaheim, California conceived by Walt Disney. Here is a list of attractions that appeared at Disneyland in the past but no longer exist. Please note that these are only attractions from Disneyland itself, not from Disney's California Adventure, and that parades and character meets are not listed in this article. (The term "attractions" is used by Disney as a catch-all term for rides, shows, and exhibits.)
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[edit] Main Street, U.S.A.
- 1955-1962, Main Street Shooting Gallery
- 1961-1963, Babes in Toyland Exhibit
- Utilizing the sets from the movie of the same name, this walk-through attraction occupied the Opera House near the park's entrance.
- 1970-1973, Legacy of Walt Disney
- 1973-1989, Disneyland Presents a Preview of Coming Attractions
[edit] Tomorrowland
- 1955-1997, Circarama, U.S.A., renamed Circle-Vision 360° in 1967
- Scenes from around the United States (and, later, China) in 360-degree splendor. Guests stood in a large circular room and watched a film projected on nine large, contiguous screens that surrounded them. During its run, the attraction was hosted by Bell System, AT&T, Pacific Southwest Airlines, and Delta Air Lines. In 1998, the theater became the ride-queue for the short-lived Rocket Rods attraction. After the closure of Rocket Rods, the theater sat empty except for a short period after September 11 in 2001, when the theater opened and "America the Beautiful" was shown. The theater was completely removed in 2004 when construction for Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters construction began. Shows were:
- 1955-1959, "A Tour of the West"
- 1960-1984, "America the Beautiful"
- 1984-1989, "All Because Man Wanted to Fly" (lobby pre-show)
- 1984-1996, "American Journeys"
- 1984-1996, "Wonders of China"
- 1996-1997 and Sept 2001, "America the Beautiful"
- 1955-1966, Clock of the World
- 1955-1966, Monsanto Hall of Chemistry
- 1965-1966, Monsanto's Fashions and Fabrics through the Years
- 1955-1960, Space Station X-1, renamed Satellite View of America in 1958
- 1955-1966, Rocket to the Moon
- Inside a building under a tall futuristic-looking rocket ship, the audience sat in seats around central viewing screens (top and bottom of the center of the room) so that they could see where they were going as they headed away from Earth and towards other worlds. As the real journey to the moon became more likely, the ride was refurbished as:
- 1967-1975, Flight to the Moon
- 1975-1992, Mission to Mars
- 1955-1956, Tomorrowland Boats, renamed Phantom Boats in 1956
- The boat engines were unreliable, and this became the first permanent attraction to be removed from Disneyland.
- 1955-1960, The World Beneath Us
- 1955-1966, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea exhibit
- 1955-1966, Flight Circle
- 1955-1966, Hobbyland
- 1955-1960, Aluminum Hall of Fame
- 1955-1963, Dutch Boy Color Gallery
- 1956-1964, Jet ride, has undergone the following incarnations
- 1956-1964, Astro-Jets :
- 1964-1966, Tomorrowland Jets :
- 1967-1997, Rocket Jets :
- 1956-1960, Crane Company Bathroom of Tomorrow
- 1956-1994, Skyway to Fantasyland
- See Skyway to Tomorrowland in Fantasyland, below.
- 1957-1958, The Viewliner
- "The fastest miniature train in the world" ran alongside the Disneyland Railroad for just over a year, and therefore has the distinction of being the shortest-lived ride in the park's history.
- 1957-1967, Monsanto House of the Future
- A walk-through tour of a plastic house with plastic furnishings and interior and fascinating modern appliances such as dishwashers. The house was designed in roughly the shape of an X (looking down on it) with high-tech rounded exterior contours, all made from white plastic with large windows. It was outdated almost as soon as it was built. It was anchored to a solid concrete foundation that proved to be so indestructible that, when it was dismantled, the work crew gave up and left some of the support pilings in place and they can still be seen in Neptune's Grotto between the Tomorrowland entrance and Fantasyland.
- 1959-1998, Submarine Voyage
- Riders entered the half-submerged miniature submarines by descending through access hatches at either end of the submarine, sat on tiny fold-down seats, and leaned forward to peer out through port holes on either side of the submarine. The submarines moved around a track in the mermaid lagoon and simulated diving by having bubbles rise around it with the purported captain intoning commands over the loudspeaker (they never really submerged). On the trip, riders saw real-looking and imaginary sea life fastened to rocks or floating in the water, a treasure chest of gold, mermaids and a sea serpent, and passed under icebergs at the "North Pole". The submarines were originally military gray but were repainted high-visibility yellow in the 1980s. A new ride has been announced to replace the original submarine ride, entitled: "Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage." Construction began in early 2005, and it is scheduled to open in 2007.
- 1960-1966, The Art of Animation
- 1961-1966, Flying Saucers
- Sort of a people-sized version of air-hockey. Cars rode on a cushion of air and were steered by shifting body weight. The air cushion was supplied from below through holes that opened when the cars passed over.
- 1965-1966, Fashion and Fabrics Through the Ages
- 1967-1973, General Electric Carousel of Progress
- A sit-down show in which the building rotated the audience around a series of stages. The stages had audioanimatronic humans and household appliances showing how appliances and electronics advanced about every 20 years from the turn of the century to the "modern" era of the early 1960s. The audience stopped in front of each stage while the characters joked with each other, described life at the time in history, and demonstrated their kitchen. This ride originated at the 1964 New York World's Fair and was installed at Disneyland after the fair closed. The transition from stage to stage was accompanied by all the characters singing the upbeat theme song, whose chorus was "There's a great, big beautiful tomorrow shining at the end of every day; there's a great, big, beautiful tomorrow, and tomorrow's just a dream away."
- 1967-1995, PeopleMover
- A scenic, slow-moving ride high-above Tomorrowland that was intended to demonstrate how people could be shuttled around a central urban area without rushing to board individual trains or drive individual cars. It consisted of many dozens of small open-air cars seating up to eight riders, all running continuously on a track above and through the various attractions in Tomorrowland. People boarded the PeopleMover by stepping onto a moving walkway that brought them up to the speed of the cars, which then took riders all around Tomorrowland, providing a preview of all of the Tomorrowland attractions: it ran through the entry waiting areas for CircleVision and Adventure Through Inner Space, down the main promenade, over the Autopia, and so on. After the ride was closed, the track sat vacant for two-and-a-half years until the opening of the ill-fated Rocket Rods. A new version is reported to be in the works, part of the "Tomorrowland Revitalization Plan" and scheduled to open after the new Finding Nemo attraction.
- 1967-1985, Adventure Thru Inner Space
- This originally Monsanto sponsored ride seemed inspired by Fantastic Voyage, a popular film of the year before the ride was first presented. It was a dark ride that pretended to shrink the rider gradually down to microscopic size within a snowflake, then further to view a water molecule in the flake, then finally to the point where one could see the throbbing nucleus of a single oxygen atom (but didn't "dare" shrink further), with electrons zooming all around. The ride's entryway featured a floor-to-ceiling spiral network of strings down which evenly spaced droplets of oil slowly ran, appearing to be sparkling liquid beads in nearly suspended animation. From the line inside the entry, line-standers could watch other riders in their 3-person cars disappear into a shrinking machine and then see the other shrunken riders (actually scale-model cars and riders) appear in perfect synch and then disappear into the ride. Within the ride at one point, a gigantic eye perused the riders through a huge microscope lens.
- 1974-1988, America Sings
- A sit-down show in the same building using the same stages as Carousel of Progress. Audioanimatronic animals sang American tunes from different eras. It was described as a "lighthearted journey to Musicland, U.S.A". After the attraction closed in spring of 1988, most of the singing, dancing animals were recycled into the current "Splash Mountain" attraction, except for Sam the eagle and his co-host, Ollie the owl. Earlier in 1987, two geese were removed and their outer skins peeled and used in the Star Tours queue as droids. Between the years of 1988 and early 1997, the building was completely empty, except for seats and the old stages. Today, Innoventions occupies the same building.
- 1977-1984, Space Stage
- 1986-present, Magic Eye Theater, which still exists with current 3-D films, also featured the following
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- 1986, "Magic Journeys"
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- 1986-1997, "Captain Eo": Michael Jackson dancing and singing in a 3-D story of a spaceship captain and his misfit crew against an evil queen.
- 1955-1999, Tomorrowland Autopia
- In 2000, a new, expanded Autopia opened at the same location, using much of the same infrastructure as the original.
- 1996, Toy Story Funhouse
- 1998-2000, Rocket Rods
- A short-lived attempt at a thrill ride using the massive supportive infrastructure and track left from the scenic PeopleMover attraction. The line for the Rocket Rods was routed through the old Circle-Vision theater, where early Disney films about transportation, combined with more recent footage, entertained riders before they continued on to the ride itself. The retro-styled rockets, each seating up to five riders, traveled along the former Peoplemover track, periodically accelerating rapidly until they rose onto their back ends and then decelerating until the front end dropped back to the track. However, ongoing technical problems that resulted in frequent ride closures were never resolved. After the attraction closed for good, the tracks and supporting structure were left standing unused along the main promenade.
- 1998-2003, The American Space Experience
- An exhibit highlighting space exploration in conjunction with NASA's 40th Anniversary. It occupied the former shop location outside of the Circle-Vision 360 theater. It has been replaced by the FASTPASS Distribution Center for Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters attraction.
[edit] Fantasyland
- 1955, Canal Boats of the World
- Renamed Storybook Land Canal Boats which is still an active attraction today.
- 1955-1964 Mickey Mouse Club Theater
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- 1964-1981, Renamed Fantasyland Theater
- 1955-1956, Mickey Mouse Club Circus
- 1956, Keller's Jungle Killers
- 1956-1994, Skyway to Tomorrowland
- This ride, a typical aerial lift ride seen in many parks, traveled from a chalet on the west side of Fantasyland, through the Matterhorn, to a station in Tomorrowland. Cabins for up to about 6 people hung from cables and ran constantly back and forth between the two lands. One difference between this skyway and those in many other parks: even from above, Disneyland's backstage areas were hidden from view. When the Skyway closed in 1994, all signs of it, including its huge supporting towers, vanished seemingly overnight. It was closed primary for financial reasons, as refurbishing it to comply with recently passed safety and accessibility laws would have also necessitated changes to the Matterhorn (through which it passed), which was deemed financially prohibitive. The chalet, which still exists on a hillside in Fantasyland, was hidden instantly by tall pine trees. One of the two holes on the Tomorrowland side of the Matterhorn was partly sealed up a few years later.
- 1956-1958, Junior Autopia
- 1957-1966, Midget Autopia
- 1959-1991, Fantasyland Autopia
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- 1991-1993, Rescue Ranger Raceway
- 1993-2000, Fantasyland Autopia (merged with Tomorrowland Autopia to become Autopia in 2000)
- 1961-1982, Skull Rock and Pirate's Cove (located near the entrance to Storybook Land ride)
- 1957-1991, Motor Boat Cruise
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- 1991-1993, Renamed "Motor Boat Cruise to Gummi Glen" (Based on TV show, Gummi Bears)
[edit] Frontierland
- 1955-1986, Golden Horseshoe Revue
- An old-west show featuring singing, dancing, joke-telling, banjo playing, and general fun and rowdiness, starring Slue-foot Sue and a gang of cowpunches. An extremely popular show, it ran in the Golden Horseshoe Saloon nearly unchanged for about three decades. It was replaced by:
- 1986-1994, Golden Horseshoe Variety Show: A similar show.
- 1999-2000, All-New Woody's Roundup: A live-action show featuring characters from Toy Story. This shared the Golden Horseshoe Saloon with:
- 199?-present, Billy Hill and the Hillbillies (who also performed outdoors in a casual setting at the Big Thunder Ranch during showtimes taken by Woody's Roundup).
1955 - Davy Crockett Museum, Mostly given over to retail space, with a few exhibits detailing scenes from the television series of the same name.
- 1955-1956, Mule Pack
- Real mules in a line upon which you could ride to view the simulated frontierlands and deserts. After renovations and upgrades, the ride was renamed:
- 1956-1959, Rainbow Ridge Mule Pack
- 1960-1973, Pack Mules Through Nature's Wonderland; in 1973, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and Big Thunder Ranch replaced Nature's Wonderland.
- 1955-1956, Stage Coach
- A real stagecoach drawn by real horses. After new scenic landscaping, it became:
- 1956-1960, Rainbow Mountain Stage Coaches
- 1955-1960, Conestoga Wagons
- A real Conestoga wagon drawn by real animals.
- 1956-1959, Rainbow Caverns Mine Train
- A scale-model train ride through the new Living Desert. After the scenery was again redone in 1960, it was also upgraded and became:
- 1960-1977, Mine Train Through Nature's Wonderland. The Big Thunder Mountain Railroad attraction replaced this sedate train ride with a roller-coaster version. The only attraction that remained from the scenic vistas was the mighty waterfall tumbling from Cascade Peak into the Rivers of America, visible only from various boat rides around the Rivers. The structure that formed Cascade Peak and its waterfalls was demolished in 1998 after it was found to be suffering structurally from the decades of water that flowed over it.
- 1956-1963, Mineral Hall
- Next to the mine train ride, it displayed rocks which glowed in various colors under black light.
- 1956-1971, Indian War Canoes
- 1955-1971, Indian Village
- 1986-1996, Big Thunder Ranch
- A western-themed casual area for seeing shows, viewing Disneyland's horses on their breaks and days off, and dining at Big Thunder Barbecue which served ribs, chicken, potatoes, beans, and such. The Barbecue remained open for a few more years after the Ranch area became the Festival of Fools stage for The Hunchback of Notre Dame show.
- 1955-1994 and 1996-1997, Mike Fink Keel Boats
- Shut down due to an accident in 1997 when the Gullywhumper boat began rocking side-to-side on a trip on the Rivers of America. The boat capsized shortly after it was rocking side-to-side. The attraction never returned. The Gullywhumper's sister boat, the Bertha Mae, was sold on Disney's auctions site. In 2003, the Gullywhumper returned to the Rivers of America as a prop and is moored on Tom Sawyer Island where it is visible from the Mark Twain Riverboat, the Sailing Ship Columbia, and the Explorer Canoes.
- 2004-2005 Little Patch of Heaven Petting Farm
[edit] Adventureland
- 1962-1999, Swiss Family Treehouse
- Now Tarzan's Treehouse.
[edit] New Orleans Square
No attractions have been removed from New Orleans Square.
[edit] Bear Country
(Bear Country opened in 1972; it was renamed Critter Country in 1988)
- 1972-1986, Country Bear Jamboree
- An audio-animatronic show featuring traditional American folk songs sung by a variety of bears and their friends, including Henry the host and Big Al, Shaker(AKA Terrance), Bunny, Bubbles, Beulah, Oscar, Liver-Lips McGrowl, Wendell, Trixie, Teddi Barra, Zeke, Zeb, Ted, Fred and Tennessee. The content of the show was replaced by:
- 1986-2001, Country Bear Vacation Hoedown at the renamed Country Bear Playhouse. Used the same animated figures, redecorated.
- 1972-199?, The Mile-Long Bar
- A snack bar fashioned like an old-west wooden bar with brass footrail and featuring wall-sized mirrors at either end so that it appeared that the bar went on forever.
- 1972-2003, Teddi Barra's Swinging Arcade
[edit] Mickey's Toontown
- 1993-2003, Jolly Trolley
- A bright trolley with a giant winding key on top. It traversed the length of Mickey's Toontown but the small size of the area prevented operation on all but the most sparsely attended days. One of the trolleys was auctioned on eBay.
- 1993-2006, Goofy's Bounce House
- A bounce house-style attraction themed to the home of Goofy.
[edit] Holidayland
- 1957-1961, Holidayland
- Holidayland, the "lost" land of Disneyland, was a recreation area with a separate entrance before being replaced by the Haunted Mansion and New Orleans Square.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Yesterland: With photos of bygone attractions.
- General Electric Carousel of Progress at the NY World's fair and beyond, several pages of information
- Disneyland Maps: All past Disneyland large poster-sized wall maps sold in the park.
- Disneyland 50 Years of Souvenirs: Historical site with Disneyland souvenirs from all years of existence.
- Overview of Disneyland Publications from its history
