Greg Maletic
Page 5 of 5

7. The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror
Perfection. Perfect queuing area and pre-show. Mind-blowing effects that are still mystifying to me. Ride vehicles that somehow move horizontally as well as vertically. Only one in the world--at least at the moment--so Disney-MGM Studios of course has the best implementation.

8. The Indiana Jones Adventure
It's hard to come up with enough superlatives for this ride. The ride vehicles are brilliant. The queuing area is the most spectacular that's ever been created. It's completely innovative: when it was launched, no other attraction was anything like it. The only complaints I could possibly come up with are 1) the ride is perhaps one scene too short; 2) the "rat" scene isn't nearly as effective as it should be; 3) I'd like to see more "practical" set elements rather than painted-on ones (the tunnel with the poisonous darts whizzing past you comes to mind.) As much as I'd like those problems fixed, they're really nitpicks. (And at least some of them are fixed over at Tokyo DisneySea!) You can't get much better than this.

9. Swiss Family Treehouse
Disney's best attractions make me want to jump out of the queue and live in them. The Swiss Family Treehouse is a prime example; I used to love fantasizing about climbing into one of the little bedrooms--some of them, amazingly, with running water--and spending a summer there.

 

10. Jungle Cruise
I'm sure it's not anything like a real cruise in the jungle, but it's just exactly how I'd like one to be. This attraction forms the cornerstone of what Adventureland is. The Adventureland that lack this ride--Disneyland Paris--just doesn't make the same kind of sense.

11. Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
Great theming, and always a lot of fun. Each park's version is slightly different, but all are equally enjoyable.

12. Pinocchio
Of all the Fantasyland dark rides, to me, this one has the most going for it. It's based on Pinocchio, I think the best of the Disney films, so it has good source material. The recreation of my favorite scene in the movie--the visual walkthrough of Gepetto's cottage, displaying his handmade cuckoo clocks--is recreated almost perfectly. Unusual for the standard Fantasyland ride, it even has some nice special effects: when Monstro the whale jumps out at you, it really is stunning. And the appearance effect of the Blue Fairy is a step beyond what you see in most of these rides (even though the effect rarely seems to be working.) Yes, Peter Pan's Flight is great, but given the amount of real estate devoted to flyovers of London and Neverland, that attraction finishes before it even gets rolling. Not that I'd want to change Peter Pan, but Pinocchio's ride has a beginning, middle, and end--a real story.

13. Country Bear Jamboree/Enchanted Tiki Room
Nostalgia reasons make these two of my favorite attractions to see at the Disney parks. Country Bear Jamboree has what I still would consider some of the best Audio-Animatronic figures found in any Disney show.

14. Disneyland Railroad Trip Through the Primeval World
A perfect way to relax from the tension of a typical day at Disneyland. It's hard to believe that Disney World's designers didn't see fit to include the trip through the Primeval World in its railroad. Even more mystifying: why do these dinosaurs look more convincing than any built since?

15. California Screamin'
I think this is my favorite roller coaster in the world, and that's saying something. Most coasters are great at the beginning but lose steam at the end. This one doesn't. Disneyland Paris's Space Mountain beats it hands-down for theming, but I don't think I've ever been on a roller coaster that's this much fun.

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-- Greg Maletic

-- Posted February 12, 2002