My Top Five Attraction Tributes

One of the sad but inevitable parts of getting a new Disney attraction is having to give up an old favorite. Winnie the Pooh seems to be a master negotiator, having evicted both Mr. Toad and the Country Bears in separate parks. Star Tours replaced Adventure through Inner Space. 20,000 Leagues is being replaced by about seven new things at the Magic Kingdom. While these attractions will be sorely missed, Disney Imagineers almost always put tributes to what came before, if you know where to look. And if you want to know more about attractions that have become part of history, make sure to check out Werner Weiss' amazing website, Yesterland.com. So, without further ado, my top five tributes to attractions that exist no longer:

5. Indiana Jones Adventure
Ok, so technically Indy wasn't built on the site of a former attraction. Not many people who went to Disneyland will have fond memories of the Eeyore parking lot that it was built on. But apparently someone in Imagineering had a soft spot for the lot Indy replaced, so if you look into the rafters in the projection room of the queue, you can see a sign from the lot. If you can't find it, a cast member is usually on hand who will point it out to you.

4. Journey Into Imagination
The much-maligned redo of this ride was not very popular with Epcot guests, who wondered what happened to the lovable Dreamfinder and Figment characters that were the center of the ride previously known as Journey Into Your Imagination. When the Imagineers redid the redo, they brought Figment back front and center, but the only mention of Dreamfinder is in the queue line on a door labeled 'Dean Finder'. Kinda flimsy in my opinion, but I guess that something's always better than nothing...

3. Star Tours
Adventure Through Inner Space, created in cooperation with chemical giant Monsanto, was a favorite of many guests. The enclosed, dark spaces were very popular on Grad Nights and other special events. This ride was shut down in the mid-80's and replaced with Star Tours. The new ride featured two references to ATIS. The queue line featured one of the 'miniaturized' Atomobiles, while the Mighty Microscope itself appeared in the ride film when you first escape the launch bay.

2. Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
The Disneyland BTM resides on a plot of land formerly occupied by the Mine Train Thru Nature's Wonderland. You departed from the lovely town of Rainbow Ridge, went through the desert, past Rainbow Caverns, and under a fossilized T Rex before the ride was over. BTM has kept a lot of props from the MTTNW, including the dinosaur skeleton and all of Rainbow Ridge. Keep your eyes peeled while holdin' on to them hats and glasses on the wildest ride in the wilderness.

1. Mr. Toad's Wild Ride
If you surveyed people about which Disney attraction they want to see return, the answer would be either the subs or Toad. His enduring popularity is odd, considering that the ride is based on a rather obscure package film and literally sent riders to Hell. Fun for the whole family, no doubt. Toad was so loved that he got three- count 'em, three- tributes at the Magic Kingdom. Two are located in the Pooh ride, which I'll get to in a moment, but my favorite tribute to him is a gravestone shaped like Toad in the Haunted Mansion's pet cemetery. Oddly fitting, and I hope that Toad made it to heaven after sending so many happy guests to the depths of the earth for almost 30 years. The other two tributes are pictures of Toad and Owl inside Owl's house and one of Moley and Pooh in Pooh's home. You'll see many Disney fanatics (the ones with more than one pin lanyard around their neck most of the time) looking wistfully at the ground, fondly remembering that Toadi Acceleratio Semper Absurda.

Hollywood Boulevard- Disney's Hollywood Studios

The plaza in front of the Great Movie Ride used to be one of the coolest Hidden Mickeys ever planted by the Imagineers. It was complete until Sunset Boulevard was built in 1994, destroying one of the ears. The face and Echo Lake ear remained until the giant Sorcerer's Hat was placed in 2001. If you look closely on a map, you can still see Mickey's eyes and the lake ear. Or you can enjoy the Hidden Mickey in its original glory by scrolling down.

Kingdom Keepers V: Shell Game

The Kingdom Keepers series is one of the few book series that will be repeatedly referenced on this blog, partly because of the obvious Disney Parks connection, but mostly because the series is REALLY good. The general premise of the series is that five Orlando teenagers have been chosen by the Imagineers to help protect the Disney Parks from the Disney Villains, who are known as the Overtakers. These thrillers are written for a teen audience, but can be enjoyed by anyone of any age. Ridley Pearson painstakingly researches (read: gets to go to the empty parks and look around for ideas) each book, and the Disney Park nerd in me really appreciates the rich detail of the novels. Until Shell Game, my favorite book in the series was the first one, Disney After Dark. The three that have come out since then are great books, but haven't captured my imagination like the original did. After packing the last few books with exposition, Pearson is finally able to hit the ground running with this book. Out of all the books so far, Shell Game is easily the darkest. It's a war book. The Keepers are drugged, attacked, and driven apart by the Overtakers nefarious plot to take over the Disney Dream on its inaugural voyage from WDW to DLR. I won't give away the plot, but I was surprised who was on the OT's side in this story, and can't wait until the next book is released. If you hate cliffhangers, don't read Shell Game until the next book is released, because this is one the first time that a cliffhanger has made me mad due to the story being so good. I can't wait for KK6. Five out of Five Stars.

Note: in the spirit of full disclosure, A copy of this book was not provided for free by the publisher. I bought it myself, and this price in no way affected my review.