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In your opinion, what Disney ride is the pinnacle of Imagineering?

In your opinion, what Disney ride is the pinnacle of Imagineering?

  • Rise of the Resistance

    Votes: 10 32.3%

  • Haunted Mansion

    Votes: 3 9.7%

  • Pirates of the Caribbean

    Votes: 3 9.7%

  • Indiana Jones Adventure

    Votes: 3 9.7%

  • Journey to the Center of the Earth

    Votes: 3 9.7%

  • Mystic Manor

    Votes: 1 3.2%

  • Big Thunder Mountain

    Votes: 1 3.2%

  • Splash Mountain

    Votes: 1 3.2%

  • Expedition Everest

    Votes: 2 6.5%

  • Other

    Votes: 4 12.9%
  • Total voters
    31
  • Poll closed .
Zeock

Zeock

TS Member
Favourite Ride
Is Wastelands Penitentiary (Tulleys Shocktober Fest) a ride? If not, my favourite ride is Nemesis.
Considering that most people believe Disney is on a downwards spiral, what ride would you say represents the pinnacle of Imagineering?
POVs for people who have not seen or experienced these rides before (I do not own any of these videos):
Rise of the Resistance:

From: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KWbWghpV0Q8

Haunted Mansion:

From: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZAnYRlNDM5A

Pirates of the Caribbean:

From: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d0sfFNC0FNg

Indiana Jones Adventure:

From: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=--x4MzxyyeU

Journey to the Center of the Earth:

From: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iEzlc1dkhEY

Mystic Manor:

From: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BeDx6V8dmXg

Big Thunder Mountain:

From: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IMEnvpo2Ebs

Splash Mountain:

From: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pBBatgCUDVI

Expedition Everest:

From: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KTji1hOICEI
 
Last edited:
Tim said:
Florida's Tower of Terror also needs including.
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I would have, but there were only 10 options available when I created the poll so I added 9 options plus an 'other' option which covers iconic attractions such as Tower of Terror, Pooh's Hunny Hunt, Matterhorn Bobsleds etc.
 
I'm lucky enough to have visited all the Disney parks. I can't speak for anything post 2015 at WDW, post 2018 at HKDL, SDL or TDR, post 2019 at DLR nor post 2021 at DLP.

With that in mind, the single most impressive thing I have encountered is the Mysterious Island port at Tokyo DisneySea. It's stunning. The rides are also very impressive.

Galaxy's Edge is a close second although Rise was NOT yet open on my visit.

Sent from my SM-G991B using Tapatalk
 
AstroDan said:
With that in mind, the single most impressive thing I have encountered is the Mysterious Island port at Tokyo DisneySea. It's stunning. The rides are also very impressive
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Despite having sadly never been to DisneySea, from videos online showing it, I will have to agree with you. It looks especially impressive after dark.
 
Very difficult to try and give a single answer, and something I can’t really narrow down into a poll response. However:

Rise is absolutely insane in terms of its scale and ambition. There’s so much detail and wow factor to it, even before you’ve boarded the ride itself. Coupled with Smugglers Run and Galaxy’s Edge it’s a mind blowing achievement that I think really shows that despite the challenges Disney as a company can face, WDI and the talented people who work there are still able to bring the impossible to life when given the chance.

With that being said though, I personally enjoy riding Runaway Railway more. “Joyous” is the word I use when describing it. The love, care and responsibility needed to deliver Mickey and Minnie’s first actual attraction really shines through, and it redefines the meaning and boundaries of a screen-based attraction. The creative angle is that you’ve stepped into the cartoon and it manages to capture the feeling perfectly. Even down to the queueline railings suddenly becoming wavy and wonky, the light fittings all having that cliché yellow halo around them, or the cast outfits changing from traditional theatre ushers into colourful stream train engineers. Everything is so well executed and yet so simply. Some of the attractions most impressive effects are accomplished in such basic ways, but still to great effect.

Florida’s Tower of Terror is hard to beat for immersion and atmosphere and I’d also shout out Paris’ Pirates as being incredibly grand. Far far superior to its Florida incarnation.

A curveball one I’d throw in there for consideration is Star Tours. The ride manages to blend IP and sci-fi fantasy with a good helping of realism and relatability, then throws in plenty of tongue-in-cheek humour to keep it entertaining. I’ve always admired how the the queue and boarding procedure manages to really capture the spirit of an airport. You have security, baggage control and holiday promotions, but all with this space travel twist on them. Somehow, it helps pull the whole attraction together a bit more and makes you think “yes, I can believe that’s what it’s like”. The power of IP certainly helps, though I’m not even a big Star Wars fan and still enjoy the ride on so many levels.

Thank you for flying Star Tours. Buh-bye!

From: https://youtu.be/oPfRpMn9fAk



For a non-ride achievement though I don’t think anything will ever top Animal Kingdom for me. The park’s a true masterpiece of Imagineering. The detail and atmosphere is next level. For me, it’s a true definition of the word “escapism”.
 
Ian said:
With that being said though, I personally enjoy riding Runaway Railway more. “Joyous” is the word I use when describing it. The love, care and responsibility needed to deliver Mickey and Minnie’s first actual attraction really shines through, and it redefines the meaning and boundaries of a screen-based attraction. The creative angle is that you’ve stepped into the cartoon and it manages to capture the feeling perfectly. Even down to the queueline railings suddenly becoming wavy and wonky, the light fittings all having that cliché yellow halo around them, or the cast outfits changing from traditional theatre ushers into colourful stream train engineers. Everything is so well executed and yet so simply. Some of the attractions most impressive effects are accomplished in such basic ways, but still to great effect.
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For me, via watching videos, Runaway Railway feels like a tech demo showing what the trackless ride system can do, especially in the Daisy dance room. I feel like some of the floor could have been better themed, but that's minor.
Ian said:
Florida’s Tower of Terror is hard to beat for immersion and atmosphere and I’d also shout out Paris’ Pirates as being incredibly grand. Far far superior to its Florida incarnation.
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If we're talking about an impressive Pirates, Battle for the Sunken Treasure in Shanghai has to be remembered. Paris' Pirates is amazing though.
Ian said:
For a non-ride achievement though I don’t think anything will ever top Animal Kingdom for me. The park’s a true masterpiece of Imagineering. The detail and atmosphere is next level. For me, it’s a true definition of the word “escapism”.
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Animal Kingdom looks incredible, but Tokyo DisneySea looks like it is in (20000) leagues of its own.
 
zeock said:
For me, via watching videos, Runaway Railway feels like a tech demo showing what the trackless ride system can do, especially in the Daisy dance room. I feel like some of the floor could have been better themed, but that's minor.
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It’s my favourite attraction at WDW - a tech demo it is not. The ride system is really cool but doesn’t do anything more than others of the same model do particularly. As Ian says, the transition into the cartoon world is fantastic with the astonishing attention to detail, and the ride itself is just brilliant fun!
 
Burbs said:
It’s my favourite attraction at WDW - a tech demo it is not. The ride system is really cool but doesn’t do anything more than others of the same model do particularly. As Ian says, the transition into the cartoon world is fantastic with the astonishing attention to detail, and the ride itself is just brilliant fun!
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You've been on it, I haven't, so I'll take your word for this.
 
I think trying to simplify the works of WDI to a single greatest triumph is unrealistic, as the vast variety and quality of their work is world and industry leading, and can’t simply be reduced to one single choice in a rather limited poll.

If you were to perhaps break them down into areas such as the best immersive experience, the best story-telling experience, the best technological advancements, the best thrilling experience or maybe even the best emotive experience, I think it would be a lot easier to think of what attractions and experiences fit into these categories.

Otherwise it would be far too easy to simply select whatever the latest attraction or experience output from WDI is, as rather commonly from a technological perspective they continue to innovate and release technology integrated experiences like no other.
 
Joel said:
I think trying to simplify the works of WDI to a single greatest triumph is unrealistic, as the vast variety and quality of their work is world and industry leading, and can’t simply be reduced to one single choice in a rather limited poll.

If you were to perhaps break them down into areas such as the best immersive experience, the best story-telling experience, the best technological advancements, the best thrilling experience or maybe even the best emotive experience, I think it would be a lot easier to think of what attractions and experiences fit into these categories.

Otherwise it would be far too easy to simply select whatever the latest attraction or experience output from WDI is, as rather commonly from a technological perspective they continue to innovate and release technology integrated experiences like no other.
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Perhaps I should! I will think about this post in the following weeks.
 
Very difficult to judge these things as ROTR is brand new and able to pull on ultra new tech that wasn't available when Pirates and Haunted Mansion were built.

They are all incredible rides in their own right. I think Pirates and Haunted Mansion were probably as equally impressive on their opening days as ROTR is today. It's just a different era now.
 
Definitely Pirates of The Caribbean for me. Was probably the first proper high quality Dark Ride built, and one of the first rides to obtain a pirate theme, which must've made it really unique at the time, that, along with unique scenes, an amazing soundtrack, really funny gags, huge set pieces, and great lighting!
 
Trooper Looper said:
Definitely Pirates of The Caribbean for me. Was probably the first proper high quality Dark Ride built, and one of the first rides to obtain a pirate theme, which must've made it really unique at the time, that, along with unique scenes, an amazing soundtrack, really funny gags, huge set pieces, and great lighting!
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I adored Pirates at Disneyland Paris, and I can see that the original in 1967 must have been mind-blowing to people back then.
 
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