Just because they’re Disney parks doesn’t mean Disneyland, Disney World and all the rest are Disney-only.
The Walt Disney Company has let properties that they don’t own become a part of their theme parks, to varying degrees of success. Here are 7 things in the parks not based on Disney properties.
1. Captain EO (1986)
Many of the attractions based on non-Disney properties came from the mind of George Lucas. It’s funny that, 26 years later, Disney would buy Lucasfilm, his film and television production company. 1986, though, marked the first time Disney and Lucasfilm would join forces with Captain EO, a 3D science-fiction film that played at the Disney parks for the next ten years.
The movie had an insane amount of talent attached to it. Michael Jackson was the star, which is why the attraction returned to the Disney parks briefly in 2010 after his death. In addition, Francis Ford Coppala of the Godfather trilogy directed Captain EO and George Lucas produced. The movie has only aired once officially outside Disney parks, on MTV in 2D, though bootlegs for the film are out there. Because of the success of Captain EO, Lucasfilm would continue their collaboration with the Disney parks.
2. Star Tours (1987)
Lucas’ own Industrial Light & Magic produced the movie footage, which was then carefully synchronized with the motions of the simulators. The total cost ballooneed to a then-astronomical $32 million – but it had been worth it. Simulator rides had existed before, but none had been this convincing.
Star Tours proved to be an enduring hit, remaining in place at Disneyland for more than two decades and spawning clones at Walt Disney World, Tokyo Disneyland and Disneyland Paris. Rides such as SeaWorld Orlando’s Wild Arctic owe a lot to Disney’s creation.
Eventually, in 2010, Disney shuttered the rides at Disneyland, Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Tokyo Disneyland. All three underwent a major makeover, re-emerging as Star Tours: The Adventures Continue. Continuing the pioneering spirit of the original creators, the Imagineers this time reworked the ride so that it features multiple storylines, each spliced together from individual scenes. The result? An attraction with more “re-rideability” than most others.
3. Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular! (1989)
A little over two years later it was time to bring Indiana Jones to a Disney park. Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular arrived at Disney’s Hollywood Studios on August 25, 1989. It’s a live amusement show where various stunts scenes are reenacted from the classic Raiders of the Lost Ark. I
t’s executively produced by George Lucas and proved to be very successful for Disney World, encouraging Disney to bring Indiana Jones to another park.
4. Twilight Zone Tower of Terror (1994)
The Tower of Terror debuted in 1994 at the Orlando park that was then named MGM Studios and is now Hollywood Studios. That’s despite the fact that the 1959 black-and-white television series it is inspired by is the product of CBS Studios rather than the Disney-owned TV network ABC.
It’s likely that the Imagineers were big fans of the show. After all, they screened every episode of The Twilight Zone twice to help them conceptualize the Tower of Terror. That’s 170 hours right there, and they also watched Twilight Zone episodes important to the Tower closer to four or five times. In addition, all of Rod Serling’s opening and closing comments were viewed at least 10 times, since his narration of course plays a huge role in the Tower of Terror attraction. Because of the critical and commercial success of it in Orlando, Disney had every incentive to build Towers in other parks.
5. Indiana Jones Adventure (1995)
The attraction, which debuted as Indiana Jones Adventure: Temple of the Forbidden Eye, is an enhanced motion vehicle dark ride that was made for the Disneyland Park in Anaheim by George Lucas and the Disney Imagineers after the success of Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular! It’s in many ways a bigger production than their previous effort.
A lot of concepts for the attraction were considered, such as a walk-through adventure, high-speed mine car adventure and a Jungle Cruise. Ultimately they settled on a dark ride, and when it launched special guests attended its debut including George Lucas, then-Disney CEO Michael Eisner, Dan Aykroyd, and Carrie Fisher. The thing that made the Indiana Jones Adventure extra special, though, was that an original story was developed for it about the Temple of the Forbidden Eye, giving fans who attended Disneyland an exclusive addition to the legacy of Indiana Jones.
6. American Idol Experience (2009)
The attraction was announced on February 7, 2008 by previous American Idol winner Jordin Sparks during the Season 7 finale of the show. At the time, it was pretty much a no-brainer for Disney, even though American Idol is not a Disney property. It had a huge following at that point, reaching at least 10 million television screens every week.
The grand opening included Idol icons like Ryan Seacrest, Paula Abdul and creator Simon Fuller. Since Season 7 The American Idol Experience has been promoted by winners of the American Idol, appearing in commercials and proclaiming “I’m going to Disney World!”. But, of course, as interest waned in American Idol the attraction became less relevant, leading to Disney World closing it as recently as Auguyst 30, 2014.
7. Pandora – The World of Avatar (2017)
Like it or not, Avatar is gracing/invading Disney World’s Animal Kingdom. That’s despite the fact that Avatar is owned not by Disney but by James Cameron and 20th Century Fox. How did it happen? You can thank/blame The Walt Disney Company’s chief executive officer Bog Iger, who proposed the idea to Cameron of a land based on Avatar’s alien world Pandora.
On September 17, 2011, a long-term exclusive deal was struck between Disney, Cameron’s Lightstorm Entertainment and 20th Century Fox. The deal was made public on September 20 on the Disney Parks Blog. Attractions include the chance for guests will learn to fly with a mountain Banshee and a boat ride attraction showcasing the native fauna and flora of Pandora.. Expect Avatar Land sometime around 2017. It might not feature the characters everyone wants, but the land certainly has potential.
What do you think about attractions not featuring Disney characters? Are they good for the parks? Bad for the parks? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
