Today I present a Top 5/Editorial fusion that should shed some light on some of the darker times of theme park attractions. Although theme parks and theme park attractions take us away to places we've always wanted to explore and create thrilling experiences, sometimes they don't always work out as planned. Of course, those histories aren't always talked about aside from the fan community, so I now present for your reading pleasure the Top 5 Attractions with a Troubled Past.
Please note that when I say troubled past, I'm talking about technical issues or community responses. Nothing more.
5. Body Wars (Epcot, 1989 - 2007)
Body Wars was Epcot's first true thrill ride not including Maelstom, which really isn't a thrill ride. It operated as part of the now defunct Wonders of Life Pavilion. Similar to the plot of Fantastic Voyage, guests boarded a body prob vehicle and were shrunk down to the size of a blood cell to eradicate a virus spreading in a human body. The ride used the same simulator technology as Star Tours (which opened late in the same year), which caused the ride's popularity to dwindle. The controversy surrounding Body Wars involves guests constantly getting sick (unlike Star Tours) and forced Disney to cut several minutes of the ride film after opening. Director Leonard Nimoy of Star Trek fame abruptly cut a segment of film where the vehicle kept jolting back and forth through the lungs, which caused many guests to feel queasy. After the cut was made and the film was shortened to 7 minutes (Star Tours currently lasts about 4 and a half). The attraction, along with the pavilion that housed it, closed in 2007 and is now used as an events pavilion.
4. Test Track (Epcot, 1999 - 2012)
The original Test Track was set to become the next big thrill ride after the opening of Tower of Terror in 1994. It was a state of the art thrill ride made in partnership with General Motors (the pavilion's sponsor) that was set to open in May 1997. The opening was delayed unexpectedly for almost 2 years due to the ride's computer system being unable to keep up with the vehicles. It was built using a first of its kind ride system, but a delay of this magnitude was very surprising. It finally soft opened to the public in December of 1998 and grand opened in March of 1999.
3. Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit (Universal Studios Florida, 2009 - Present)
Rockit is the first outdoor coaster to grace the skyline of Universal Studios Florida. Originally set to open in Spring of 2009, the opening was delayed due to issues with the ride's vertical lift hill. It eventually opened to the public in August 2009. However, the delayed opening wasn't the end of this coaster's troubles. The ride didn't operate for most of 2010 due to fatigue on the ride vehicles, which had to undergo extensive changes. The ride's builder, German company Mauer-Sohne went out of business shortly after problems kept happening. In 2013, a glitch in the control system caused a vehicle to be stuck on the ride's vertical lift hill. Riders were trapped for almost 3 hours while Orange County Fire and Rescue worked to get them off the ride. Today, the ride appears to be working fairly well due to Universal's diligence to keep it running smoothly, but its hard to deny this one has a tough history.
2. Journey Into Imagination with Figment (Epcot, 2002 - Present)
When it opened in 1983, the original Journey into Imagination was the pinnacle of Disney dark rides. It feature colorful and creative visuals, a super catchy song and two terrific hosts in Dreamfinder and his quirky sidekick Figment. Figmant became the star of the show and the unofficial mascot of Epcot. That is, until 1998 when Disney and sponsor Kodak decided to close the attraction to give it a new feel. The result was Journey Into Your Imagination, and it was one of the least imaginative attractions Disney ever built.
For starters, in order to bring the popular Imageworks downstairs, the ride was cut in half. Secondly, the ride's theme was aligned with Honey, I Shrunk the Audience, the popular 3-D film next door in the Magic Eye theater, so it became less about imagination and more about the supposed science behind imagination. The result was a ride that was spent mostly in complete darkness, which isn't exactly what is meant by a dark ride. The straw that broke the camel's back was the almost complete removal of Figment from the ride, relegating his role to a cameo in the preshow and finale.
The removal of Figment caused such a stir that protest groups formed and stood outside the attraction demanding that Disney brought back their beloved purple dragon. Unlike protests of the past (such as the closing of Mr. Toad's Wild Ride) Disney responded by closing the ride less than 3 years after it opened and replaced it with Journey Into Imagination with Figment in 2002. The current version is a very similar setup to the previous version except there is far less darkness and a lot more Figment. The protest group Friends of Figment is referenced in the attraction in the upside down house scene, which is one of the very few surviving scenes from the second version of the ride.
1. Jaws (Universal Studios Florida, 1990 - 2012)
Jaws was intended to be one of the marquee attractions when Universal's Orlando park opened in 1989. The entire park had numerous technical issues just after opening due to how advanced many of the effects used in the ride were. Jaws opened in June of 1990 and was plagued by constant technical issues. The ride closed in 1991 for a redesign.
After 2 years down, Jaws reopened in 1993. Two major show scenes were replaced in the new version: one where Jaws bites the boat and drags it in a circle via a submerged turntable and the ride's finale, where the shark was blown up by a grenade launcher. The first scene was replaced with a dock explosion scene where the boat travels through a fire line and the second was replaced with the shark being electrocuted after biting a submerged power line.
Even after the technical problems slowed down, the trouble didn't quite end. In 2005, Jaws shut down unexpectedly due to the rising cost of petroleum due to hurricanes hitting Central Florida the previous summer. The ride reopened in December 2005 and operated seasonally until 2007, when it resumed normal operation due to numerous guest complaints. In December 2011, Universal announced Jaws, along with the rest of Amity would close in January to make way for a new experience. Jaws closed for good January 2nd, 2012 to make way for The Wizarding World of Harry Potter: Diagon Alley.
So there you have it, 5 attractions with dark and mysterious pasts. I hope you enjoyed it and encourage you to look for more Top 5s to come in the near future!
Sources: Touringplans.com, Wikipedia, insanitylurksinside.blogspot.com