Disney’s retheming and repurposing of existing ride systems – DePaoli on DeParks

Theme park attractions are temporary and there’s always demand for something new. But building an attraction from the ground up is an expensive task. So, sometimes Disney will take an attraction where the popularity has waned and give it a new life. And sometimes it’s done for the purpose of bringing new Disney characters into the parks or to fix an arguably controversial attraction.

One of the most famous examples is when Maelstrom closed at Epcot in 2014 to make way for Frozen Ever After’s opening in 2016. Maelstrom certainly has its fan base, but there’s no denying that Frozen Ever After has much more appeal to the general masses based on wait times. And with a mega-hit movie like “Frozen”, I’m sure the ability to speed up construction for the ride was a big consideration.

Having the track and infrastructure in place saved a lot of time and money allowing the attraction to open as soon as possible. As it was, the ride opened less than three years after the film’s release. That is a fast turnaround not commonly seen in Disney parks. The fastest way to bring a popular property into the parks is through characters and shows. But a ride based on the new characters and stories typically takes many years.

Whether or not you were a fan of Maelstrom, it’s sad to see a one-of-a-kind attraction go away forever. Luckily, that’s not the case with this next example. The first time the Guardians of the Galaxy were to get their own ride, they took over the ride system of a beloved attraction. But luckily it wasn’t the only one.

Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: BREAKOUT! opened at Disney California Adventure in May of 2017 replacing that park’s Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, which closed in January of 2017. A quite impressive turnaround. Disney had several good reasons to do this. Firstly, Disney wanted to get Marvel into the parks where they could. Plus, Disney doesn’t own “The Twilight Zone”. By removing The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, I assume they saved some money on licensing rights.

One of the more impressive things about the changeover between those two rides is they took the same ride system and made it go from scary to simply fun. The same motions are in place. But with some reprogramming and thematic changes, it’s gone from terror to delight. And luckily for Twilight Zone Tower of Terror fans, the original and arguably better version still exists at Walt Disney World with various other versions in parks around the world.

Sometimes a retheming of a ride is necessary because the entire land around it is changing. In 2018, Paradise Pier at Disney California Adventure transitioned over to Pixar Pier. Therefore, California Screamin’ roller coaster needed to get a Pixar reskinning. That fact made the way for the Incredicoaster featuring characters from “The Incredibles”. With the addition of some new character statues and a new choreographed music track, Disney California Adventure got another “new” ride.

But what happens when a land closes entirely losing a whole slew of rides along the way? Well, sometimes those rides are saved and repurposed. A fairly “simple” task when it comes to “off the shelf” flat rides found in amusement parks.

As Pixar expanded their footprint in Disney California Adventure in 2018 with Pixar Pier, they also lost some ground with the closure of A Bug’s Land that same year. With its closing came the closing of Flik’s Flyers, a traditional flat ride spinner attraction. But with a move across the park to Pixar Pier, a new Pixar franchise reskinned the spinner as it became Inside Out Emotional Whirlwind. It’s very much the same ride in a new location and with a new look.

Overall, there are many reasons for an existing theme park ride to shut down only to be repurposed with a new Disney property and story. Sometimes the reasons are good. Other times the reasons are questionable. But the fact is it’s not as uncommon as you might think.

What do you think? Are there any Disney attractions that you wish stuck to the original ride and/or are better as the updated version? Are there any other repurposed Disney rides using the same ride system that you can think of? Leave a comment and let me know.

Jeff DePaoli is an event producer and voiceover artist living in Los Angeles. He can be heard as the voice of Disney Trivia on Alexa as well as the host of “Dizney Coast to Coast” podcast, where he and his special guests share honest opinions on all things Disney. Get your FREE gifts of “America’s Hidden Mickeys,” “On the Rohde Again,” “Theme Park Comfort Kit” and more at DizneyCoastToCoast.com. DePaoli’s opinions are his own and do not necessarily represent Attractions Magazine.