When you think about franchises, a Disney property is likely to spring to mind. Since the first Mickey Mouse cartoons in the 1920s, Walt Disney and his disciples have understood the importance of intellectual property.
Uncle Walt learned this the hard way when he lost the rights to his own creation, Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. When he built the world’s first theme park, he emphasized Disney properties with many of the rides that are still open today. And this thought leads to a question. Which franchises are the most important in Disney theme park history? Read on to find out.
Cars
Image: DisneyWhen Cars opened in movie theaters in 2006, it had modest ambitions. Pixar created a tender, melancholy story that reminisced about the era when all roads led to Highway 66. But they did something smart. They made the stars of the movie marketable.
Lightning McQueen is a race car with eyes, a thought that may haunt my dreams, but it’s also one that has a certain business savvy. Toy cars have always dominated the children’s merchandise market. Adding human traits to the vehicles gave kids a stronger connection. And the result is more than $10 billion in merchandise revenue over the years, a staggering number only surpassed by Star Wars.
Once Cars proved its strength in toy sales, Disney sagely introduced it at a theme park. In fact, they used the Toys license to reinvigorate Disney California Adventure. Imagineers constructed an entire mountain range based on the look of Radiator Springs. Then, they added an E-ticket attraction, Radiator Springs Racers, that quickly became one of the most popular rides at Disneyland Resort.
In one fell swoop, the Cars franchise reversed the fortune of Disney California Adventure.
Davy Crockett
Image: DisneyDisney fans who don’t know their history are at a loss when I mention Davy Crockett. Those who do are nodding knowingly, though. During the earliest days of Disneyland, Walt Disney was broke. He spent all of his money in creating the Happiest Place on Earth.
Once the park was open, revenue from the various attractions, merchandise, and snacks went straight to adding more amenities. This process would have moved at a glacial pace if not for an unexpected windfall.
The year before Disneyland opened, a live action television series based on the life of Davy Crockett aired on ABC. It was really more of a series of five standalone one-hour television movies than a cohesive biography. Fans didn’t care. The program became a sensation the likes of which Disney wouldn’t see again for nearly 60 years.
When Disneyland debuted to the public, fans clamored for all things Davy Crockett. The namesake canoes proved wildly popular, and the shooting range was a mob scene for the body of three years. Park officials later added Mike Fink Keel Boats to give guests another way to celebrate the franchise.
Overall, Disney earned a fortune from the Davy Crockett brand. During the height of this crazy, The Smithsonian reports that the park sold more than 5,000 coonskin hats daily! This one largely forgotten is primarily responsible for Disneyland surviving its early years.
Frozen
Image: DisneyApproximately 60 years later, the Davy Crockett phenomenon repeated itself in an unexpected way. When Frozen entered theaters in 2013, it had modest expectations due to the lackluster performances of other recent Disney animated movies, particularly compared to their sibling brand, Pixar. Also, the first trailer for the film hid its intent, instead showing an adorable sequence between a snowman and a reindeer.
Once Frozen became the buzz hit of the 2013 holiday season, Disney executives understood what they had on their hands. It wasn’t until 2014 that they fully appreciated the Frozen fever, though. A singalong show of the film became incredibly successful, and all Anna and Elsa character greetings became the longest lines at Disney theme parks.
Eventually, Disney re-themed part of the Norway Pavilion, previously based on, you know, Norway, as a real-life Arendelle complete with two attractions. Guests can meet the two members of the royal family at their Sommerhus or experience the brilliance of Frozen Ever After, a repurposing of the former Maelstrom.
Frozen has also become an integral part of other Disney theme parks. Hong Kong Disneyland is currently developing their own version of the attraction. Simultaneously, Tokyo DisneySea and Walt Disney Studios Park are constructing themed areas based on Frozen. They’re both called Arendelle: The World of Frozen.
At this moment, I think it’s fair to say that Frozen is the second-most important intellectual property in the entire Disney library, at least from a theme park perspective.
Pirates of the Caribbean
Image: DisneyAll of the other franchises discussed here started outside the parks before earning a themed presence. Pirates of the Caribbean worked in reverse. Along with the later-arriving Haunted Mansion, it anchored the first major expansion at Disneyland, New Orleans Square.
The appeal of Pirates of the Caribbean was so strong that when Walt Disney World opened without it, Floridians flipped out. Disney had understandably believed that the locals wouldn’t feel as excited about the stories that had happened in their area, but they underestimated the perception of Pirates of the Caribbean. Park officials had to cancel/delay other projects to correct their mistake quickly.
Over the years, the appeal of the franchise has endured. The film division sagely reinvigorated the brand with a series of entertaining movies starring Johnny Depp. The drawing power of those films became so strong that Depp’s character, Captain Jack Sparrow, earned placement on the attraction.
As you can see, Pirates of the Caribbean clearly has the most unique trajectory among the Disney franchises discussed here.
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
Image: DisneyNo Disney movie franchise has greater significance than Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. The first feature-length animated film ever, its failure would have set back Disney for years to come. Instead, the movie became a massive blockbuster with a lasting cultural impact on society.
Walt Disney certainly wasn’t going to build a theme park without Snow White represented. Snow White’s Scary Adventures became the first of multiple attractions starring the character. It’s still open at Disneyland today.
At Walt Disney World, a similar version of the attraction closed in 2012 to make way for the most popular attraction at Magic Kingdom. Seven Dwarfs Mine Train doesn’t just celebrate Snow White’s companions. It also repurposes audio-animatronics from the prior attraction. As a way of showing reverence to Uncle Walt, Imagineers want the first Disney Princess to have a constant presence at its American parks.
Star Wars
Image: DisneyMore than 25 years before Disney bought Star Wars, the franchise had already hugely impacted its theme parks. Star Tours drew huge crowds from the start and has maintained its popularity through a full reboot and several noteworthy plussings over the years.
Star Wars Weekends were once one of the biggest draws, too. In fact, they did so well that Disney comfortably eased into the idea of entire themed lands based on Star Wars, an idea that had circulated before the company bought Lucasfilm in 2012.
To date, Star Wars has hugely influenced theme parks, yet it’s only scratched the surface. The arrival of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge in 2019 signifies a turning point for Disney parks, one that emphasizes historically unprecedented levels of immersion. And it’s only possible because of the fully realized detail of the Star Wars universe.
Toy Story
Image: DisneySomething that should be clear from this list is the impact that Pixar has had on Disney theme parks. Three of the entries are from the Pixar library, while the classic Disney collection is only responsible for two. Everything else is either modern or started somewhere else.
Toy Story’s status here is unmistakable on multiple fronts. On different occasions, the franchise has held the title of best opening weekend and best overall performance for an animated movie. In terms of park presence, it’s absolutely dominant.
Toy Story Land is currently open in four different parks. You can visit Andy’s bedroom on three different continents! Depending on how we count the copycat rides, Toy Story has spawned somewhere between eight and 20+ attractions. Oh, and there’s even a Toy Story Hotel at Shanghai Disneyland.
