Many of the Disney attractions are filled with suspense, but a lot of them are imbued with their fair share of mystery as well. Questions like what happened to Madam Leota’s ring (covered on Theme Park Tourist here) fill the various Disney parks. Here are six fun (and mostly silly) mysteries that have yet to be solved.
1. What’s going on at the Big Thunder Mountain saloon party?
On The Big Thunder Mountain Railroad attraction we see that Professor Cumulus Isobar’s rainmaking machine was clearly far too effective, because the saloon is flooded. However, a party is still clearly going strong on the second floor. All we can see is a guest spinning around in a bathtub. When the ride first debuted the flood waters were a lot worse, but even now such an incident begs you to ask questions. What were the people in the saloon celebrating? Why did they continue to celebrate after the place was flooded? Were they too intoxicated to notice? Did the flood just make the day’s events more exciting? I doubt Disney will ever give us an official answer to this lingering question, but still I ask: what was happening at the saloon party during the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad attraction?
2. Why are the pirates in jail in the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction?
The movies answered this in their universe, but we’ve yet to be told a sufficient answer about why the pirates in the world of the Pirates of the Caribbean attractions have been left to rot in prison. They’re trying to coax the key away from a disobedient guard dog; that coercion of an animal certainly paints a negative picture of them. Still, manipulating a dog is not a crime. So on what charges and sentencing were those pirates placed in prison for, and are they innocent or guilty? We certainly don’t want the unjustly accused and sentenced to rot in jail, even if they are filthy, skeevy pirates. The facts of their imprisonment must come to light before any of us can feel comfortable riding the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction ever again.
3. Why is the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror hotel still fully functional?
This is baffling. It’s made clear that the fateful night that led to its closing happened many years ago. That makes you wonder why in the world an abandoned, probably haunted hotel is still in full working order. It’s not in great condition, no, but it still seems like an awful lot of work to put into it. If the townspeople were convinced that the hotel was haunted or cursed then it would have been shut down a long time ago. This is a continuity flaw that the Disney Imagineers have yet to address. We still need a legitimate reason why a spooky, obviously dangerous hotel continues to greet guests.
4. What is the yeti on Expedition Everest so mad about?
On Expedition Everest we see a track that’s been ripped apart by an apparently angry yeti. At no point during the ride are we informed why said yeti is so darn angry. This yeti who chases us away from what he decided was his territory never even offers a valid reason why it belongs to him! That’s unacceptable. We need to hear yeti’s grievances. If we humans are at fault, we need take steps towards righting any wrongs we made.
5. What the heck is up with that goat and the stick of dynamite on the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad?
Another juicy Big Thunder Mountain mystery. The attraction includes a goat chewing on a stick of dynamite. Isn’t that goat afraid it’s going to blow to smithereens? Is it that dumb that it doesn’t recognize an explosive when he sees one? This is yet another question from an attraction that the Imagineers have failed to answer in the many years since it first opened, and most likely never will.
What other Disney mysteries need solving? Let us know on Theme Park Tourist’s Facebook page and in the comments below.
