Ride on Snow White's Early Disney Attraction Revealed as Sinister and Nightmarish
vague memories of Snow White's Scary Adventures at Disneyland, a sheer terror-inducing ride from my childhood, linger in the depths of my mind. The woods, with their shadowy monster trees, were almost too much for a young soul to handle. Every crunch beneath the ride vehicle was a heart-stopping moment, as the old witch leaped out to scare the living daylights out of me time and time again.
More than anything, it was the hag-like Evil Queen that haunted my dreams. Her face, contorted into a permanent expression of evil, was seared into my memory from the Disney Sing-Along Songs: Disneyland Fun! VHS tape – one of my all-time favorite childhood relics. I can still remember the excitement I felt in anticipation of our annual trips to Disneyland as a native of Southern California.
Snow White's Scary Adventures was certainly a far cry from the cheerful fairytale fare that surrounded it. The ride, lasting from 1983 to 2020, was a notorious departure from the Disneyland opening attraction of the same name, which debuted back in 1955. This darker version was a thrilling journey into the equally horrifying woods as Snow White, encountering the evil Queen at every turn.
Unfortunately, I never got to experience the Walt Disney World version of the ride, rumored to have been equally frightening before being replaced with a Princess meet-and-greet area and the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train family coaster. But rest assured, there were once two Snow White attractions with no Snow White herself, both offering terrifying journeys into the eerie woods.
The Imagineers spared no expense in crafting this dark masterpiece. The disturbingly disorienting woods, complete with monster tree faces, stood in stark contrast to the cheery and bright exterior. The Evil Queen animatronic went through a transformation just as chilling as her character, with her contorted face making an indelible impression on all who witnessed it. Her screeching cackles still echo in my mind.
Like the haunting figure of the old hag, the Evil Queen's figures remained frozen in their creepy expressions throughout the ride. It was truly terrifying – a gateway ride for little horror fans in the making – meant to hook theme park visitors on the thrill of a good scare.
Now, as Disneyland marks its 70th anniversary, the third iteration of the Snow White attraction, Snow White's Enchanted Wish, has taken the place of the beloved but frightening original. While some of the fun, spooky elements have been stripped away, a few standout features remain. The Evil Queen's epic transformation is still the showstopper, and the poison apple sequence continues to captivate audiences. Sprinkled throughout the new, more family-friendly narrative, are a few memorable appearances from the Evil Queen as well.
Sadly, it seems that official images of the original Snow White's Scary Adventures have been scrubbed from Disney's official channels, and I can't help but wish that Disney would embrace its wacky past and acknowledge the impact that this ride had on generations of visitors. After all, these kids were then introduced to the more intense thrills of rides like the Haunted Mansion, Tower of Terror, and Space Mountain's Ghost Galaxy.
Personally, I am thankful that my daughter was exposed to the more family-friendly Snow White's Enchanted Wish as her first ride, despite my longing for the scarier, more immersive original. I love how it now combines scenes from the animated film with a dazzling mine sequence and more fairytale romance, serving as a delightful introduction to the world of Disney for young ones.
If Snow White's Scary Adventures were still in operation today, I doubt it would have been my daughter's first choice. But maybe one day, the magic of the old ride will be resurrected, and my daughter can experience the terror that captured the imaginations of so many before her.
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- The frightening Evil Queen, with her chilling appearance and screeching cackles, remains a lasting impression from the earliest versions of Snow White's Scary Adventures at Disneyland, a technology that leveled the playing field for little horror fans in the making.
- I can't help but be glad that my daughter was introduced to a more family-friendly Snow White's Enchanted Wish instead of the scary original, which showcased a darker, scarier version of the tale in comparison to the cheerful fairytale fare that surrounded it.
- Disney's decision to replace the aged Snow White's Scary Adventures with Snow White's Enchanted Wish in the future might have been a clever move aimed at appeasing a broader audience, but it's hard not to feel a sense of nostalgia for the old-school terror-inducing ride that was a staple of Disney's eerie and dark past.
- The Evil Queen animatronic, with its haunting expression and chilling mannerisms, was undoubtedly a testament to the level of detail and innovation in technology that made Snow White's Scary Adventures stand out as an unique and unforgettable ride among Disneyland's collection, even if it kept visitors on edge and filled with fear.
