List of former Disneyland attractions

Disneyland is a theme park in Anaheim, California conceived by Walt Disney. This is a list of attractions – rides, shows, shops and parades – that have appeared at the park but have permanently closed. Character meets and atmosphere entertainment (e.g., roving musicians) are not listed. Also not listed are permanently closed attractions from Disney California Adventure Park.

Contents

Main Street, U.S.A.

Main article: Main Street, U.S.A.
1955–1962, Main Street Shooting Gallery

A shooting gallery themed to the 1920s

1955–1993, Disneyland Branch of Bank of America

A bank of America with three ATMs to use

1955–1995, Story Book Shop

A book shop operated by Western Publishing

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

A meuseum showing exhibits on how Walt Disney changed the world

1973–1989, Disneyland Presents a Preview of Coming Attractions

A preview center for up-coming attractions

1993–2005, Bank of Main Street U.S.A.
2005–2009, Annual Passholder Center

Main Street Opera House shows

The Main Street Opera House has housed the following shows:

1965–1973, Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln, Theater presentation featuring an audio-animatronic Abraham Lincoln.
1973–1975, The Walt Disney Story, Biographical film of Walt Disney.

A 500-seat theater with the film about Walt Disney's life from birth to death. The show originally appeared at Walt Disney World in 1972.

1975–2005, The Walt Disney Story featuring Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln, A combination of the two previous shows
2005–2009, Disneyland: The First 50 Magical Years, Film on the history of Disneyland, narrated by Steve Martin.

Currently, Disneyland: The First 50 Magical Years is presented in the lobby, accompanying a new version of Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln.

Tomorrowland

Main article: 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 American Motors, 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. The building now houses Buzz Lightyear's Astro Blasters. 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, "America the Beautiful"
1955–1966, Clock of the World

A clock tower in the center of Tomorrowland

1955–1966, Monsanto Hall of Chemistry

A hands-on meuseum-like attraction teaching guest the romance of chemistry

1965–1966, Monsanto's Fashions and Fabrics through the Years

See the history of women's attire from the stone age to the space age

1955–1960, Space Station X-1, renamed Satellite View of America in 1958

A circular screen shows America from space

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

A refurbished version of rocket to the moon with a mission control pre-show

1975–1992, Mission to Mars
Now the site of Redd Rockett's Pizza Port.
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. Later became the site of Submarine Voyage, now Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage.
1955–1960, The World Beneath Us 

A fast-paced film about man's quest for energy

1955–1966, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea Exhibit 

A walk-through with sets from the 1954 film

1955–1966, Flight Circle 

A show about planes,cars and boats

1955–1966, Hobbyland 
1955–1966, Art Corner 
1955–1960, Aluminum Hall of Fame 
1955–1963, Dutch Boy Color Gallery
1956–1964, Astro Jets  
A rocket-spinner ride originally located between Submarine Voyage and Flight to the Moon. Astro Jets has undergone the following name and location changes:
1964–1966, Tomorrowland Jets 
New name for the original attraction after corporate sponsor disagreements. Later became the site of Carousel of Progress and America Sings (see below); now the site of Innoventions.
1967–1997, Rocket Jets 
Opened in new location above the PeopleMover loading platform. Now the site of the Observatron.
Its present incarnation is known as Astro Orbitor, located at the entrance to Tomorrowland from Main Street, and debuted in 1998.
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 a plus sign 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 King Triton'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 portholes 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 and named after US Navy nuclear-powered submarines but were repainted high-visibility yellow in the 1980s. The attraction returned as "Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage" in 2007.
1960–1966, The Art of Animation
1961–1966, Flying Saucers
Guests rode in single-rider cars on a cushion of air that were steered by shifting body weight. The air cushion was supplied from below through holes in the floor that opened when the cars passed over. Later became site of Tomorrowland Stage; now site of Magic Eye Theater. In 2012, a revamped version of the ride, Luigi's Roamin' Tires, inspired by Pixar's Cars, will open with Cars Land at Disney California Adventure Park.
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." In 1974, Carousel of Progress was moved to Florida's Walt Disney World, and the show building was used for America Sings (see below). It is presently the site of Innoventions.
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 sometime in the next few years. The Walt Disney World version is still active in the Magic Kingdom under the name of Tomorrowland Transit Authority.
1967–1985, Adventure Thru Inner Space 
This originally Monsanto Company 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. A clever feature was the demonstration's use of a frozen crystal of water molecules, each of which, on extreme magnification, is reminiscent of the shape of Mickey Mouse's head.
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, the old stages and some offices. Today, Innoventions occupies the same building.
1977–1984, Space Stage 
1984–present, Magic Eye Theater, which still exists with current 3-D films, also featured the following
The 3-D technology used in the Magic Eye Theater is also used in multiple theaters at Disney's California Adventure
1955–1999, Tomorrowland Autopia 
In 2000, a new, expanded Autopia opened at the same location, using much of the same infrastructure as the original.
1996–1997,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 Premiere Shop location outside of the Circle-Vision 360 theater. Now the site of the FASTPASS Distribution Center for Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters, as well as part of the attraction itself.
1986–2010, Star Tours 
Built at the original site for Adventure Through Inner Space, this was Disney's first attempt at a motion simulator ride, based on the Star Wars film series. It was closed in late July 2010 to allow the area to be remodeled to a new attraction, Star Tours: The Adventures Continue which features all new simulators, along with a new story line and other changes, including the film being shown in high-definition 3-D.

Fantasyland

Main article: Fantasyland
1955–1964 Mickey Mouse Club Theater 
Walk-in theater continuously showing animated Disney films and shorts, similar to the Main Street Cinema
  • 1964–1982, Renamed Fantasyland Theater (not to be confused with the present-day theater)
Now the site of Pinocchio's Daring Journey
1955–1956, Mickey Mouse Club Circus

A show blending circus arts with Disney characters.

1955–1983, Merlin's Magic Shop 
The original magic shop in the park. A second one on Main Street, U.S.A. opened in 1957[1] and continues to this day. Steve Martin worked at the store for three years beginning in August 1960.[2] "I knew every nook and cranny of the shop" he recalled in later years and credited working there as helping hone his performing skills.[3]
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

A pin-sized version of Autopia for todlers

1959–1991, Fantasyland Autopia
  • 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)

A dinning experience related to Captin hook's pirate ship.

1957–1991, Motor Boat Cruise 
Simulated experience of navigating waterways in a motor boat
  • 1991–1993, Renamed Motor Boat Cruise to Gummi Glen, based on the Gummi Bears television show
Dock is now a seating area called Fantasia Gardens
1985–1995, Videopolis 
Originally a dancing area for young adults, Videopolis was converted into an amphitheatre in 1990 and was renamed Fantasyland Theatre in 1995. See below for shows

Videopolis/Fantasyland Theatre shows

"One Man's Dream" 
Stage show about Walt Disney
"Dick Tracy: Diamond Double-Cross" 
Based on the 1990 film Dick Tracy
"Beauty and the Beast" 
Stage version of the 1991 Disney adaptation of Beauty and the Beast
"Plane Crazy" 
Original show featuring characters from The Disney Afternoon television shows
"The Spirit of Pocahontas" 
Based on the 1995 film Pocahontas
"Animazement—The Musical" 
Musical featuring characters from several Disney feature films
"Snow White—An Enchanting Musical" 
Based on the 1937 film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

Frontierland

Main article: Frontierland
1955–Present, Golden Horseshoe Saloon
  • 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.
  • 1986–2003, 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 Billy Hill and the Hillbillies (who still perform in this location).
1955–1956,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 were ridden to view 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 mine 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. Only one of the four Locomotives and two cars from the ride remain on a stretch of track where Cascade peak once stood, as a staged wreck scene. The train, however, was removed in early 2010 during the Rivers of America refurbishment. The cacti that were apart of the Living Desert section were mostly relocated to the Magic Kingdom version of Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. Other remnants from Nature's Wonderland include the tunnel from Bear Country, the buttes from the Living Desert, the tunnel into Rainbow Caverns (though half buried in concrete), and the jumping fish seen in Bear Country, all visible on Big Thunder Trail. The animals, however, were buried in concrete as the Imagineers didn't know where to place them.
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  
Now Davy Crockett's Explorer Canoes, and part of Critter Country.
1955–1971, Indian Village  
Now Critter Country.
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. The area is still referred to today as Big Thunder Ranch and is used for special events and seasonal attractions.
1956–1994 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  
Petting zoo located at Big Thunder Ranch to promote the film Home on the Range.

Adventureland

Main article: Adventureland (Disney)
1962–1993, Tahitian Terrace 
Dinner show with various Polynesian entertainment. Replaced by:
  • 1993–1995 and 1997–present, Aladdin's Oasis: Dinner show based on the 1992 film Aladdin. The dinner show ended in 1995 and the stage show was brought back in 1997.
1962–1999, Swiss Family Treehouse 
Treehouse based on the film Swiss Family Robinson. Rethemed as Tarzan's Treehouse in 1999 and still open under that name.

New Orleans Square

Main article: New Orleans Square
1987–2007, The Disney Gallery 
A gallery of Disney-related art. The Disney Gallery was the only area listed on Disneyland maps as both an attraction and a retail location. The Gallery sometimes featured preliminary artwork and sketches from certain attractions or movies, sometimes (as in the 100 Mickeys exhibit) the displayed art was associated only with Disney and not with any specific attraction, film, or event. Often, prints from the exhibit were available for purchase via the print on demand system, and the Gallery always featured items such as books about Disney artwork. The Gallery used to sell prints of the ride posters featured in the tunnels leading to and from Main Street. The former gallery is now the site of the Disney Dreams Suite. In October 2009 the gallery re-opened, but now it resides on Main Street, U.S.A..

Bear Country/Critter Country

Main articles: Bear Country and Critter Country

Bear Country opened in 1972 and 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 Country Bear Playhouse: Used the same animated figures as Country Bear Jamboree, redecorated.
Now the site of The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh.
1972–1988, 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. Later became Brer Bar and is now the site of the expanded Pooh Corner store (formerly Crocodile Mercantile).
1972–2003, Teddi Barra's Swinging Arcade
Video arcade, now the site of the expanded Pooh Corner store.

Mickey's Toontown

Main article: Mickey's Toontown

1993–2003, Jolly Trolley Three trollies that would run through-out Mickey's Toontown. they were designed to resemble the area with a wind-up key on top. Recently they have been sold on eBay.

Holidayland

Main article: Holidayland (Disneyland)
1957–1961, Holidayland 
Holidayland, the "lost" land of Disneyland, was a recreation area with a separate entrance before being replaced by New Orleans Square. Holidayland fetured a baseball dimond, a circus and a picnic area and more resembled a park than a themed land.

Parades

1960–1964, Mickey at the Movies
1965–1976, 1980–1985, Fantasy on Parade
1972–1975, 1977–1983, 1985–1996, Main Street Electrical Parade
1975–1976;, America on Parade
1983, Flights of Fantasy
1984, Donald's 50th Birthday
1986, Totally Minnie
1986–1988, Circus on Parade
1987, Snow White's 50th Anniversary
1987–1988, Come to the Fair
1988–1989, Mickey's 60th Birthday
1989–1990, Hooray For Disney Stars Parade
1991, Celebration, U.S.A.
1992, The World According to Goofy
1993–1994, Aladdin's Royal Caravan
1994–1997, The Lion King Celebration
1996–1997, Cruisin' The Kingdom
1997, Light Magic
1997–1998, Hercules' Victory Parade
1998–1999, Mulan Parade
2000–2005, 45 Years of Magic Parade 
Renamed Parade of the Stars in 2001
2005–2008, Walt Disney's Parade of Dreams
2009–2010, Celebrate! A Street Party
2011–, Mickey's Soundsational Parade

Fireworks

1958–2000, Fantasy in the Sky
2000–2004, Believe... There's Magic in the Stars
2004–2005, Imagine... A Fantasy in the Sky
2005–present, Remember... Dreams Come True

See also

Southern California portal

References

  1. ^ Chronology of Disneyland Theme Park
  2. ^ Martin, Born Standing Up, p. 39
  3. ^ Steve Martin (Parks & Resorts)

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