The House of Mouse is far from perfect. Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re looking at the most embarrassing, head-scratching, and in some cases tragic incidents to plague Disney’s theme park division.
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00:00 What's going on? I just popped through that door and I have no idea.
00:03 Oh...
00:05 Welcome to WatchMojo,
00:07 and today we're looking at the most embarrassing,
00:09 head-scratching, and in some cases
00:11 tragic incidents to plague Disney's theme park division.
00:14 They want to move in and destroy real history
00:17 in order to create a facsimile,
00:19 something synthetic,
00:21 plastic.
00:23 Number 10. Journey into your imagination.
00:26 Hello there! I'm the Dream Finder,
00:29 and my little purple friend here is a figment of my imagination.
00:31 Figment, for sure!
00:33 Some Disney attractions are based on existing IP,
00:35 but the best often create their own lore.
00:37 Journey into Imagination became an Epcot staple,
00:40 with Figment the Purple Dragon, the Dream Finder,
00:42 and the Sherman Brothers' tune, One Little Spark.
00:45 You see, we fly through the air in my wonderful dream-catching machine,
00:48 gathering sunbeams, rainbows, feathers,
00:50 anything that sparks the imagination.
00:52 After more than 15 years of delighting dreamers,
00:55 the ride got revamped as Journey into your Imagination.
00:58 In addition to minimizing the presence of Figment
01:00 and the Sherman song,
01:02 the Dream Finder was replaced with Dr. Nigel Channing,
01:04 played by an inexplicably unfunny Eric Idle.
01:07 So, um, I'm not an actor at all.
01:09 I'm really a writer who just acts occasionally.
01:12 This version was so poorly received
01:14 that Disney renovated the ride again after just two years.
01:16 While Figment and One Little Spark were given more prominent roles,
01:19 Channing continued to fill in for the Dream Finder,
01:22 who has essentially been M.I.A. for 25 years.
01:24 I'm a writer. That's what I like to do.
01:26 I like to think things up, write characters,
01:28 and get other people to do them, and that's much more fun.
01:31 Number 9. Stitch Vandalizes Cinderella's Castle
01:34 Oh, great! He's loose!
01:36 His destructive programming is taking effect.
01:39 He will be irresistibly drawn to large cities
01:42 where he will back up sewers, reverse street signs,
01:44 and steal everyone's left shoe.
01:46 No trip to the Magic Kingdom would be complete
01:48 without a photo in front of Cinderella's castle.
01:50 So, you can imagine why many were annoyed
01:52 when Disney transformed the iconic castle
01:54 into an 18-story birthday cake
01:56 for the park's 25th anniversary in 1996.
01:58 Can we eat it?
02:00 You'll need a giant fork.
02:02 Where the cake at least had some taste,
02:04 the same can't be said about the makeover that Stitch supplied,
02:06 coinciding with the opening of Stitch's Great Escape.
02:08 In 2004, the castle was draped in toilet paper.
02:11 In case you were wondering who was responsible,
02:13 look no further than the graffiti reading "Stitch is King."
02:16 The stunt only lasted for a day,
02:18 but for visitors who etched out that particular date in their calendar,
02:21 it wasn't the enchanting photo op they had dreamed of.
02:23 Michael was having a great time,
02:25 especially when Stitch gave me a souvenir
02:27 you can't find in any Disney gift shop.
02:29 Phantasmic is among the most magical shows
02:35 across the Disney parks,
02:37 culminating in Mickey triumphing over Maleficent
02:39 in her fire-breathing dragon form.
02:41 The mouse's vivid imagination backfired in April 2023,
02:44 when the 45-foot animatronic dragon became engulfed in flames.
02:47 The flames started at its head
02:49 before covering its entire body.
02:51 Firefighters arrived moments later.
02:53 Guests were evacuated from the Frontierland area,
02:55 and thankfully, nobody was harmed.
02:57 However, the incident was a mix of alarming and awkward.
03:00 While no guests or firefighters were injured,
03:03 rescuers say several Disney cast members
03:05 were treated for smoke inhalation at the scene.
03:07 It wasn't even the first time something like this happened.
03:10 As a dragon float caught fire in a 2018 Disney World Parade,
03:13 future Phantasmic performances were put on hold
03:15 as the cause of the fire was looked into.
03:17 It was announced that Phantasmic will likely return to Disneyland
03:20 by spring 2024.
03:22 Alas, the fire-breathing dragon won't be coming back,
03:24 which is a climatic letdown.
03:26 - What are you doing?
03:28 - Oh!
03:30 You sneaky old scoundrels!
03:33 - Number seven, Superstar Limo.
03:35 The highly anticipated California adventure
03:37 got off to a rocky start when it opened in 2001.
03:40 - That particular period of the company
03:42 was very much one of fiscal discipline,
03:44 a really strong sense that we needed
03:46 to bring a kind of a developer's mentality
03:50 to how we do our work here.
03:52 - Disneyland's Sister Park saw various changes
03:54 over the next several years.
03:56 The first attraction to go was the ill-fated Superstar Limo.
03:59 Even before leaving the lot,
04:01 Superstar Limo ran into a major roadblock.
04:03 Guests were cast as celebrities
04:05 attempting to escape the paparazzi in a high-speed chase.
04:07 After Princess Diana's fatal car crash in 1997,
04:10 this premise was understandably scrapped.
04:12 - And suddenly, paparazzi are like, "That's a really bad theme."
04:15 "You're almost done. What do you gotta do?"
04:17 - The ride was slowed down,
04:19 with riders encountering A-listers like
04:21 Melanie Griffith, Drew Carey, and Cindy Crawford.
04:24 Operating less than a year,
04:26 this opening day attraction was replaced
04:28 with Monsters, Inc., Mike & Sully to the Rescue
04:30 four years later.
04:32 Remnants remained with celebrity animatronics
04:34 being converted into child detection agents.
04:36 - None of this ever happened, gentlemen.
04:38 And I don't wanna see any paperwork on this.
04:43 - Number six, Rocket Rods.
04:45 With Tomorrowland starting to feel a little retro,
04:47 Disneyland sought to bring the futuristic park into the '90s.
04:50 The flagship attraction for the 1998 overhaul
04:53 would be Rocket Rods.
04:55 - It's one of the new rides that uses high-torque electric motors.
04:57 - We've got some great new attractions here.
04:59 We got Rocket Rods, which is the fastest ride at Disneyland.
05:02 - This drag race ride sadly came at the expense
05:04 of the People Mover,
05:06 which had been a mainstay from 1967 to 1995.
05:09 Even if you're a Disneyland regular,
05:11 chances are you never got to ride Rocket Rods
05:13 because it was constantly breaking down
05:15 and undergoing lengthy refurbishments.
05:17 - The tires wore down fast,
05:19 which would also damage the engine from the wear and tear.
05:21 Combined with the temperamental computer system
05:23 that would shut the ride down
05:25 at any slight mispositioning of the rockets,
05:27 this meant that the ride was constantly breaking down
05:30 and out of commission.
05:32 - Those who did experience Rocket Rods
05:34 generally argued that it was too speedy
05:36 to appreciate the sights that the People Mover offered.
05:38 Yet not fast enough to be a genuine thrill ride.
05:40 After sort of operating for just under three years,
05:42 Rocket Rods closed for good,
05:44 squandering $25 million.
05:46 - Unique experience in speed.
05:48 - Wow. - Exactly.
05:50 - Number five, Star Wars Galactic Star Cruiser.
05:53 It cost $400 million to construct,
05:55 but surely a Star Wars-themed hotel
05:57 would make that investment back in no time, right?
06:00 - Yes, Greedo. As a matter of fact,
06:02 I was just going to see your boss.
06:04 Tell Jabba that I've got his money.
06:06 - Even if Galactic Star Cruiser opened at a better economy,
06:08 $6,000 for four people
06:10 or $4,800 for two
06:12 was more than most families could afford,
06:14 especially when you include park tickets
06:16 and travel expenses.
06:17 Galactic Star Cruiser exclusively offered
06:19 48-hour voyages built around an immersive experience.
06:22 - Come on, Dad. We gotta go save the ship.
06:24 - No. We're gonna save the galaxy.
06:27 - Those who wanted to stay more or fewer nights
06:29 likely took their money to another hotel.
06:31 Plus, if you want to spend the day exploring Disney World,
06:34 chances are you won't have the energy
06:36 for role-playing back at the hotel.
06:37 Star Wars is universal,
06:39 but Galactic Star Cruiser catered to a small demographic,
06:42 announcing its closure after just over a year.
06:44 - Get ready to go from zero to shocked
06:46 in less than 12 parsecs.
06:48 - Number four, Beastly Kingdom.
06:50 - First came the Magic Kingdom,
06:53 then Epcot, then Disney-MGM Studios,
06:56 and now...
06:58 [singing in foreign language]
07:03 - Opening in 1998,
07:04 Disney's Animal Kingdom was supposed
07:06 to encompass three categories--
07:08 existing animals, extinct animals, and fictional animals.
07:11 The park delivered on the promise of real-life animals.
07:13 Due to financial issues, though,
07:15 Disney had to choose between the prehistoric creatures
07:17 of Dinoland USA or the dragons and unicorns
07:19 that would populate Beastly Kingdom.
07:21 They went with Dinoland,
07:22 but Beastly Kingdom remained on the to-do list.
07:25 - Ah, now, uh, oh, the great Magikorps
07:27 sends you on your adventure with a hero's blessing,
07:29 and here's some crayons.
07:31 - Despite prematurely announcing the area
07:33 and alluding to it in ads,
07:34 Beastly Kingdom would cost at least $200 to $300 million,
07:37 and there wasn't enough in the budget.
07:39 While traces of what might have been made it into the park,
07:41 Beastly Kingdom was canceled,
07:43 with reserve space being used for Camp Mini Mickey
07:45 and later Pandora, the world of Avatar.
07:47 - See all these little vignettes going on
07:49 around you in the forest, and it just--
07:51 it just comes to life.
07:52 And then, of course, I don't want to spoil it,
07:54 but there's something pretty amazing
07:55 at the end of that river ride
07:57 that you've never seen anything like in your life.
07:59 - Number three, Euro Disney.
08:01 Nowadays, Disneyland Paris is regarded
08:03 as one of the company's most impressive parks.
08:05 This wasn't the case when it opened
08:07 as Euro Disney Resort in 1992.
08:09 - Some French critics have described Euro Disney
08:11 as a cultural Chernobyl,
08:13 a horror of plastic and cardboard
08:15 and idiotic folklore.
08:17 - Disney had been contemplating a European park
08:19 since the '60s.
08:20 The project gained traction under Michael Eisner's reign,
08:23 but the park's construction would be met with resistance
08:25 from French critics, labor workers, and locals.
08:28 Disney nonetheless expected to open with 60,000 guests,
08:31 instead netting around 25,000.
08:33 - Hotel occupancy hovered at 60%.
08:37 - We made mistakes,
08:39 thinking that we could match
08:42 what we charged a guest in France
08:45 as to what we charged a guest in Florida.
08:47 - The park's low attendance led to cancellations
08:49 across the whole theme park division.
08:51 After barely a month, nearly a quarter of staffers quit
08:54 due to reported poor working conditions.
08:56 By 1994, Euro Disney was $3 billion in debt,
08:59 but the park slowly rebounded after Space Mountain
09:01 arrived the following year.
09:03 - You have to make the park the crown jewel,
09:05 and then you can worry about everything else
09:07 on the outside of the park.
09:09 Then once that catches up, you put more back into the crown jewel.
09:12 - Number two, the death of Deborah Gail Stone.
09:15 America Sings may be the most notorious attraction
09:17 that Disneyland ever built.
09:19 This is all due to a failed design flaw
09:21 that hostess Deborah Gail Stone experienced
09:23 on the ninth day of operation.
09:25 The attraction utilized a carousel theater
09:27 that revolved counterclockwise.
09:28 At the start and end of the show,
09:30 human cast members were responsible
09:32 for getting guests into and out of the tiered seating.
09:35 - Unfortunately, this feature led to Stone's death.
09:38 America Sings only closed for three days
09:40 to clean up the aftermath, and made modifications
09:42 to avoid another accident.
09:44 - An alarm system was installed that would notify operators
09:47 whenever someone got too close
09:49 to the dangerous area between walls.
09:51 This was later supplemented by breakaway walls,
09:55 which would give way easily if anything did get trapped
09:58 between them.
09:59 - Stone's family received a settlement
10:01 while America Sings ran for 14 years.
10:03 With the attraction feeling out of place in Tomorrowland,
10:05 many of its animatronics were repurposed for Splash Mountain.
10:08 - A boom ride through a rare rabbit's country
10:10 that has you singing the songs of the South
10:12 until suddenly you're dropped off.
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10:30 - Number one, Disney's America.
10:33 In the '90s, Disney planned to invest $650 million
10:37 into a Virginia-based theme park centered on American history.
10:40 - Guests could experience a World War II dogfight
10:43 from dueling roller coasters,
10:45 the Lewis and Clark expedition from a river raft,
10:48 or the progress of the Industrial Revolution
10:51 from a mine car.
10:52 - While there's much throughout history
10:54 that the U.S. should be proud of,
10:55 the country certainly isn't without infamous chapters
10:57 that the family-friendly Disney might not be well-suited to tackle.
11:00 - Like me.
11:01 - Well, when I say uncivilized, what I mean is...
11:05 [grunting]
11:06 - Historians were especially critical
11:08 of how Disney would address the Civil War and slavery.
11:11 Disney nonetheless pushed forward with Civil War Fort
11:13 as one of the proposed themed areas.
11:15 However, between Euro Disney's disappointment,
11:17 Disney president Frank Wells' sudden death,
11:19 public protests, and looming financial concerns,
11:22 Disney canceled the park in 1994.
11:24 The company had already purchased 600 acres of land,
11:26 which was put up for sale the following year.
11:28 Since then, Disney's mainly stuck to fantasy.
11:31 - Had Frank been alive and had I been healthy
11:33 and had we not just bought "Capital Cities ABC,"
11:36 we would have plowed through.
11:38 But I just didn't have the stomach.
11:40 - Which theme park fail sucked out some of the magic for you?
11:42 Let us know in the comments.
11:44 - At least they still have those little motorboats.
11:48 - No! Not the boat!
11:52 Did you enjoy this video?
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