From the beginning of Disney Park’s history, The Walt Disney Company has prided itself on the forefront of technology, always striving for the best of tomorrow. They have wowed guests with some of the most impressive animatronics, created countless nighttime spectaculars, and set a new bar in the art of immersive ambiance.
Over time, the approach has changed regarding the attractions themselves. Once upon a time, rides were filled with tried and true technology, only dotted here and there with the ground-breaking enhancements that would later become an industry standard. In those times, a breakdown in each aspect never meant a dealbreaker of the ride, with most continuing to function almost seamlessly without an element or two in motion. Looking at modern rides, most are so heavily reliant on the technology that fuels them that when one aspect goes down, the whole ride comes to a temporary closure.
If you’ve spent some time in the Disney Parks over the last 5 years, you would likely have noticed a distinct upturn in downtime, with more rides than ever spontaneously closing. It’s disappointing enough when you realize that scheduled maintenance on your favorite ride will see its inactivity during your visit. Still, it’s even worse when that disappointment is compounded by rolling closures of all the other rides you love throughout the day. I can’t help but think it comes down to one thing: an overreliance on technology.
We’ve all seen Tiana’s shocked face when the audio-animatronic in Tiana’s Bayou Adventure goes down. Her eyes are wide, shocked, and terrified, as though she has seen a ghost. Luckily, this isn’t enough to close the attraction completely, though it seems to experience breakdowns frequently. Another attraction I’ve noticed that is heavy on tech and frequent on closure is Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway. On my last visit to Disneyland, this ride closed countless times throughout the day, making it hard to access at all. When you consider the alternative, older rides like Space Mountain are capable of running with most of the special effects turned off, even when all the house lights are turned on. For many, this is actually quite a surreal experience and doesn’t seem to close the ride off to waiting guests. Dark rides are another example, which, in my experience, seem to spontaneously close far less frequently than those of their newer counterparts.
With wall-to-wall panel screens taking the place of physical scene-setting decor, we might be enjoying an enhanced, animated experience, but at what cost? Is the technology being used in newer rides letting Disney down?
