Disney’s Magic Kingdom opened in 1971, rapidly establishing Walt Disney World as the world’s number one theme park resort. Since then, it has welcomed hundreds of millions of guests, and remains the most popular theme park on the planet. Of course, the park’s attraction line-up has evolved significantly since its opening day. Rides and shows have come and gone, sometimes being rethemed to become something new, and other times being torn out altogether. Let’s take a look back at 22 long-lost Magic Kingdom attractions!
22. Plaza Swan Boats
Opened in: 1973 Closed in:1983 When the Magic Kingdom opened in 1971, it was desperately short of ride capacity. To address this, Disney installed a Swan Boat ride on the canal in the plaza surrounding Cinderella Castle. The ride operated seasonally from 1973 to 1983, circling around the hub and carrying guests into Adventureland. You can still view the loading dock (and the canal itself) at the park today.
21. Flight to the Moon / Mission to Mars
Opened in: 1971 Closed in: 1993 Replaced by:ExtraTERRORestrial Alien Encounter Flight to the Moon – a clone of a Disneyland attraction – was an opening day attraction at the Magic Kingdom. It tooks guests on a simulated flight to the moon, but was instantly outdated as NASA had already landed men on the moon by the time it opened. The ride was replaced by the updated Mission to Mars in 1975. In the pre-show area, known as Mission Control, the audio-animatronic flight director explained the background to the mission. Guests then boarded a “spacecraft”, which contained a circular theater with stadium-style seating, for a journey into space, onwards to Mars, and then back to Earth.
20.The Walt Disney Story
Opened in: 1973 Closed in: 1992 Replaced by: Exposition Hall The Walt Disney Story, hosted in what is now the Town Square Theater, celebrated the achievements of the man who conceived Walt Disney World. It closed in 1992, but a larger attraction – Walt Disney: One Man’s Dream– now operates at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
19. ExtraTERRORestrial Alien Encounter
Opened in: 1994 Closed in: 2003 Replaced by:Stitch’s Great Escape! Championed by former Disney CEO Michael Eisner, the infamous ExtraTERRORestrial Alien Encounter was designed to be one of the scariest Disney attractions ever built. It opened for previews in 1994, but was retooled after Eisner claimed it wasn’t intense enough. The official opening came in June 1995. The highlight of the ExtraTERRORestrial Alien Encounter was an encounter with the titular alien in a circular chamber. “4-D” effects such as spraying water added to the experience. Though it built up something of a cult following, the attraction was replaced by the more family-friendly Stitch’s Great Escape! after less than a decade in operation.
18. Shrunken Ned’s Junior Jungle Boats
Closed in: 2012 Located next to the Jungle Cruise, this coin-operated, radio-controlled boat attraction was torn out in 2012.
17. Diamond Horseshoe Revue
Opened in: 1971 Closed in: 2004 Replaced by: Diamond Horseshoe Saloon The saloon-style Diamond Horseshoe Revue was the headline show at the Magic Kingdom when it opened in 1971. The western-style show featured up-tempo song-and-dance numbers, and survived for more than three decades (albeit with a name changed to the Diamond Horseshoe Jamboree in 1986). In 1995, it was renamed once again to the Diamond Horseshoe Saloon Revue, nefore being replaced by the similar Goofy’s Country Dancin’ Jamboree. The attraction closed for good in 2004, with the location becoming a sandwich shop.
16. Mike Fink Keel Boats
Opened in: 1971 Closed in: 2001 The Mike Fink Keel Boats navigated the Rivers of America in Frontierland for three decades, and were inspired by Davy Crockett’s Keel Boat Race. Guests seated inside the boats could watch episodes of Walt Disney’s Davy Crockett. One of the boats is still visible on the banks of Tom Sawyer Island.
15. Davy Crockett Explorer Canoes
Opened in: 1971 Closed in:1994 The Davy Crockett Explorer Canoes were an opening day attraction at the Magic Kingdom, ferrying guests around Tom Sawyer Island. A C-Ticket was required to ride in the 35-foot-long canoes.
14. Main Street Cinema
Opened in: 1971 Closed in: 1998 Replaced by:The Art of Disney store The Main Street Cinema is still a functional attraction at Disneyland, but became retail space in 1998 at the Magic Kingdom. It showed classic Disney animations on a loop.
13. Mickey Mouse Revue
Opened in: 1971 Closed in: 1989 Replaced by: Fantasyland Theater The Mickey Mouse Revue was an audio-animatronic show hosted by Mickey Mouse, who conducted an orchestra made up of famous Disney characters. It was torn out of the Magic Kingdom in 1980 to be shipped to Tokyo Disneyland, as there was deemed to be too little time to build a clone at the Japanese resort.
12. If You Had Wings / Delta Dreamflight / Take Flight
Opened in: 1972 Closed in: 1998 Replaced by: Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin Three versions of this attraction taught guests about the wonders of flight, starting with If You Had Wings in 1972. This was replaced by Delta Dreamflight (sponsored by Delta Airlines), which offered a simplistic overview of the history of flight, employing audio-animatronic characters and projection effects. Highlights included scenes from 1930s Tokyo and Paris, as well as a trip through a jet engine. The ride continued to operate until 1998 (being renamed as Take Flight when Delta’s sponsorship ended). It was replaced by Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin.
11. Magic Journeys
Opened in: 1987 Closed in: 1993 Replaced by: Magic Journeys was an opening day attraction at EPCOT Center, and was situated in the Journey Into Imagination Pavilion. It also ran at Disneyland for two years from 1984, before being removed from both parks to make room for Michael Jackson’s Captain EO. That wasn’t the end, though – it made a comeback in the Magic Kingdom’s Fantasyland Theater in December 1987, where it continued to play until December 1993. The film offered a look at the world through the eyes of a child, following children as they flew a kite, rode on a carousel and visited the circus. The catchy pre-show song, Makin’ Memories, is probably still stuck in the heads of many 1980s Disney guests.
10. Mickey’s Birthdayland
Opened in: 1988 Closed in: 1990 Replaced by:Mickey’s Toontown When Mickey Mouse turned 60 in 1988, Disney decided to install a temporary land at the Magic Kingdom. A recreation of the town of Duckburg, its primary attraction was a birthday-themed meet-and-greet with Mickey and Minnie. It proved to be so popular that it was replaced by the permanent Mickey’s Toontown.
9. Penny Arcade
Opened in: 1971 Closed in: 1995 Replaced by:Main Street Emporium The Penny Arcade on Main Street USA was a clone of a Disneyland attraction, featuring a host of vintage arcade machines. Like the Main Street Cinema, it was removed to make way for more retail space.
8. Star Jets
Opened in: 1974 Closed in: 1994 Replaced by: Astro Orbiter Similar in style to Dumbo The Flying Elephant, the Star Jets was a spinning ride in Tomorrowland. It was remodelled to become Astro Orbiter following its closure in 1994.
7. Timekeeper
Image: Disney
Opened in: 1994 Closed in: 2006 Replaced by:Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor A clone of an opening-day attraction at Disneyland Paris, Timekeeper merged audio-animatronic effects with a Circle-Vision movie. It was dubbed into English, with Robin Williams starring as the Timekeeper.
6. Admiral Joe Fowler Riverboat
Opened in: 1971 Closed in:1980 The Admiral Joe Fowler Riverboat chugged around the Rivers of America, and was named after the retired navy admiral who led the construction of Walt Disney World. It was badly damaged in an accident in 1980 and never returned.
5. Legend of the Lion King
Opened in: 1994 Closed in: 2002 Replaced by: Mickey’s Philharmagic The Festival of the Lion King show at Disney’s Animal Kingdom wasn’t the first theme park spectacular to be based on the smash-hit animated movie. In 1994, Legend of the Lion King debuted in Fantasyland at the Magic Kingdom. The 500-seat theater – formerly home to the Mickey Mouse Revue and Magic Journeys – accommodated a show that featured fully-articulated puppets. Although it is now gone, one of its main songs, I Just Can’t Wait to be King, is part of its replacement: Mickey’s Philharmagic.
4. Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride
Opened in: 1971 Closed in: 1998 Replaced by: The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh Just as it was at Disneyland back in 1955, Mr Toad’s Wild Ride was in place on the opening day of the Magic Kingdom. The classic Disney dark ride was based on the firm’s adaptation of The Wind in the Willows, and featured two slightly different rides depending on which boarding area guests queued for. The near-misses with scenery made it hugely popular, but Disney ignored fans’ protests and tore it out in September 1998 to make room for The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh.
3. Snow White’s Scary Adventures
Opened in: 1971 Closed in: 2012 Replaced by: Princess Fairytale Hall Snow White’s Scary Adventures opened in 1971 alongside the rest of the Magic Kingdom. Criticised by many parents for being too intense for younger children, it received a major overhaul in 1994 that removed many of the scarier elements. It was removed to make room for the New Fantasyland expansion, although a new Snow White-themed ride, the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, will open soon. Very similar versions of the ride can still be found at Disneyland, Disneyland Paris and Tokyo Disneyland.
2. Skyway
Image: George Thomas, Flickr
Opened in: 1971 Closed in:1999 The Magic Kingdom’s Skyway cable car ride debuted with the rest of the park on October 1, 1971. Like Disneyland’s version, it carried guests from Tomorrowland to Fantasyland, and vice-versa. The Magic Kingdom’s Skyway outlived its Disneyland counterpart by 5 years, before being removed in 1999. The Fantasyland station was recently demolished to make way for the Tangled meet-and-greet area.
1. 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea: Submarine Voyage
Opened in: 1971 Closed in: 1994 Replaced by:Under the Sea – Journey of the Little Mermaid 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea: Submarine Voyage was not Disney’s first attempt at an underwater attraction. Disneyland’s own Submarine Voyage ride first debuted in 1959, some 12 years before the Magic Kingdom opened its gates. Naturally, the Imagineers working on the Florida project wanted to create something bigger and better. They expanded the scale of the attraction so that it could accommodate 12 submarines, with the tank sprawling across a large area of Fantasyland. Crucially, they also opted to adopt the 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea theme, providing a storyline instantly recognisable to fans of the book and Disney’s 1954 movie adaptation. After more than two decades of entertaining Walt Disney World guests, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea was closed on September 5, 1994. At the time, Disney claimed that the closure was temporary, but it finally conceded in 1996 that the ride would never reopen. The submarines were dismantled, with many of the parts being auctioned off to collectors.
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