Jim Hill
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Inside the Test Track Heat Chamber

Unfortunately, there were no quick fixes for the "Test Track" situation. And -- since Disney didn't dare open the attraction until they were absolutely sure that it was safe -- General Motors had no choice but to trash its "Test Track" campaign. Needless to say, the folks back at GM Headquarters were not happy.

In the end, the Imagineers determined that it wasn't one single design flaw that had led to the "Test Track" crash. Rather, their investigation revealed that a lot of little things had combined to cause the vehicle to leave the track. So -- just to play it safe -- WDI revamped the attraction's entire computer control system as well as added dozens of new safety zones to the ride track. After an exhaustive test-and-adjust period, the Imagineers announced that "Test Track" was finally safe for guests to ride. This was in the Spring of 1999 ... Some 22 months after the attraction's original projected opening date.

Needless to say, General Motors was furious about the nearly two year delay in opening "Test Track." So they decided to teach the Mouse a lesson. GM told Disney that it was reneging on its promise to sponsor Disneyland's Rocket Rods ride. Without corporate funding to underwrite construction of this New Tomorrowland attraction (a radical revamp of the park's "People Mover"), Disney was only able to build a bare bones version of this high speed thrill ride.

The end result ... We all know about. Just like "Test Track," "Rocket Rods" was bedeviled by technical problems. Only weeks after opening in the summer of 1998, this Tomorrowland attraction had to be closed because cracks had appeared in its concrete ride track. It would be months before the Imagineers were able to determine the cause of the cracks and get the "Rocket Rods" rolling again.

 
A Rocket Rod approaches the station while another prepares to launch

But -- in the end -- WDI just wasn't able to find an affordable way to keep this New Tomorrowland attraction up and running. Without the necessary funding from GM to do Rocket Rods right, this ride was probably doomed from the start.

So -- in this case -- there's actually two different organizations to blame for the demise of this Disneyland ride. General Motors -- for not keeping their end of the bargain and coming through with the cash necessary to do Rocket Rods right, as well as the Walt Disney Company management -- who should have had the sense to realize that you can't build a $50 million attraction if you've only got $25 million in your budget.

Rather than do a half-hearted version of Rocket Rods, an attraction that could have turned out to be a franchise for the company (I.E. an attraction that they could have installed at the company's theme parks worldwide), Disney opted to go the cheap route. Which ultimately meant that the corporation ended up with a deeply flawed attraction that never worked the way it was supposed to.

All because Disney inadvertently upset GM.

The Rocket Rods officially closed in April 2001

The moral of the story: Be nice to your sponsors. Otherwise, they'll just end up pulling funding on you (Just as GM did back in 1998 and just like Metropolitan Life is doing right now with Epcot's "Wonders of Life" pavilion. Expect all the Met Life signage around Future World to disappear later this month), leaving you -- and your theme park guests -- stranded.

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Related Links

• Jim's original Rocket Rod article on AmusementPark.com

-- Jim Hill

-- Posted June 5, 2001