Behind the Attraction (2021) s01e05 Episode Script

ANNOUNCER 1: Remain seated, please.
(in Spanish)
Please remain seated.
(lively music)
(elephants trumpeting)
MAN 1: The love of liberty.
(moans)
(screams)
NARRATOR:
Years of research and development.
MAN 2: T-minus ten, nine
NARRATOR:
An unprecedented mobilization of manpower.
MAN 2: eight, seven
NARRATOR: A fortune spent on
never-before-seen cutting-edge technology.
MAN 2: six
NARRATOR: Culminating
in an historic Florida launch that
would change the world forever.
(firecrackers crackle)
NARRATOR: Launch trajectory
set for Space Mountain.
MAN 2: five, four, three, two, one.
NARRATOR:
Part of a majestic mountain range
that spans the globe
with five glorious peaks.
(speaking Japanese)
NARRATOR:
But the story of this iconic attraction
has more ups and downs
than a roller coa
It's not a roller coaster.
It's a thrill ride.
NARRATOR: Of course.
Because Space Mountain isn't just
a roller coaster,
even though it does have
-Dips
-Turns
NARRATOR: It's, shall we say,
out of this world, both metaphorically
-(screaming)
-(shrieks)
and in its very concept.
You are flying through space.
Hold on tight.
It's like nothing else you've ever seen.
NARRATOR: Well, yeah.
Of course, because
It's mostly in the dark.
NARRATOR: Well, let us shed some light
on the story of Space Mountain,
which kind of begins in the future.
Ladies and gentlemen,
here is your host, Walt Disney.
When Disneyland opened in 1955,
one of the keystone lands
was Tomorrowland.
NICHOLAS: All about the future,
all about going to space.
Walt really liked the idea of space
and Tomorrowland.
(echoing)
Tomorrowland. Tomorrowland.
NARRATOR: And with good reason.
In the 1950s, the limitless,
cavernous void of space
represented the next great frontier.
Many of the things
that seem impossible now
will become realities tomorrow.
NARRATOR:
Well, keeping in mind that in 1955,
VHS was still about 20 years away,
progress was, you know, progressing.
And even back during
the planning stages of Disneyland
Walt Disney felt very capable
of describing Frontierland, Adventureland,
and especially Fantasyland.
But Tomorrowland is a very curious idea.
NARRATOR:
Curious. But for Walt and the Imagineers,
a better word might have been
confusing.
This is one of the very first drawings
of Tomorrowland.
But we didn't know much about tomorrow.
NARRATOR: Well, why would you?
Because when your view of the future
is bursting with endless possibilities
Just a dream away.
those endless possibilities can start
to get a little
Curious.
NARRATOR: That's one word for it,
because soon enough,
Walt and his Imagineers found themselves
unclear on Tomorrowland's future.
There was so much discussion
and conjecture
I did this. It's not very good.
that it was the last land
to be developed.
NARRATOR: With crucial time lost
in the curious confusion,
when the original version of Tomorrowland
was finally finished
The result was we had only
a very few attractions.
NARRATOR: Including such classics
as Rocket to the Moon
Now, are you blasting off very shortly?
Uh, just a few seconds, I'd say.
and, of course, the timeless Autopia.
But beyond that
Tomorrowland was more of a place
that showcased a lot of new technology.
NARRATOR: Ah, yes.
Who could forget the Hall of Chemistry?
Um, anyone? Or, well, how about
The Bathroom of the Future.
If you can picture that.
I'm sorry I missed that.
NARRATOR: Well, you never want
to miss the toilet.
-So, take a look for yourself.
-(toilet flushes)
Walt wanted all that out,
you know, quickly.
So, it wasn't too long before we were
working on the newer Tomorrowland.
NARRATOR: So, in 1959, just four years
after Disneyland opened,
the Imagineers were flushed
with new top-tier attractions
for Tomorrowland,
like The Submarine Voyage,
complete with real live mermaids,
as well as the Monorail,
complete with real live passengers.
But also, in the great expansion of 1959,
Walt, almost single-handedly
from the looks of it,
built Disneyland's
very first roller coaster.
You can't say roller coaster. Thrill ride.
NARRATOR: Well, that thrill ride
is none other than
-(horn toots)
-the Matterhorn Bobsleds, of course.
(screaming)
That was the world's first
tubular steel thrill ride.
NARRATOR: And going totally tubular
was quite the advantage for Disney,
because while those traditional
flat track roller coasters
We can call those ones
roller coasters, right?
(riders scream)
had their own particular brand
of thrills and spills
With tubular steel,
you're able to have really sharp turns,
like going through a mountain
and going through caves.
Nobody had ever seen anything like it.
NARRATOR: But once they had,
park guests agreed
the Matterhorn Bobsleds were
Hello. Hi, dear.
peak entertainment.
NARRATOR: And so, with Matterhorn
mania sweeping the park,
Walt was looking to create
some space for his next idea.
Walt said, "You know, it would be great
if we could take a ride
like the Matterhorn
and use a space theme."
NARRATOR:
And so, they set out to do just that.
Walt and team had an idea
to do a space port within Tomorrowland,
and the feature anchor attraction
would be
NARRATOR: Space Mountain?
-Space Voyage.
-NARRATOR: Space Voyage, huh?
Well, this so-called Voyage
was inspired by the Matterhorn,
but this would be far more advanced
and twice as big.
Not as the real Matterhorn, obviously.
The original inception,
there were four tracks.
Separately weaving in and out
through each other,
through this very large mountain.
And it went out of the mountain,
just like Matterhorn.
Basically, four roller coasters in one.
NARRATOR: And if that doesn't sound
advanced enough
It's operated by a computer.
And the idea that an amusement park
would have a ride
that would use
that kind of technology was a big deal.
NARRATOR:
Maybe even too big of a deal, because
At the time, the technology
wasn't advanced enough to even build it.
NARRATOR: After all,
computers in the early '60s were
uh, computers in the early '60s.
So, the project was put on hold.
NARRATOR: And keeping true to the theme
of Tomorrowland
A step into the future with predictions
of constructive things to come.
Walt and the Imagineers knew
that these clunky old things
would catch up eventually.
NARRATOR: Because if you look at
a Disneyland map from 1968, you'll see
NICHOLAS: A thing that looks like
Space Mountain saying "Future Attraction."
And you don't know what it is,
when it's coming, but
NARRATOR: But Disney had recently come
into ownership of
-Forty-three square miles.
-Which is
Twice the size of the island of Manhattan.
for their East Coast Disney Resort.
And with so much manpower
going into Walt Disney World in Florida,
it didn't bode well
for Walt's tubular steel
passion project to the stars. In fact
That project, unfortunately, was shelved.
And just like that, the thrill ride
of tomorrow was a thing of the
past. But then
1971, Walt Disney World opens,
Magic Kingdom opens.
That was a major milestone
for the company.
NARRATOR: It was also a major success.
There are so many people that want to go
to the Magic Kingdom,
they close the gates.
There's a line of cars
leading out from the parking kiosk
simply waiting for people to leave
so they can park their car.
NARRATOR:
But by the early '70s, Disney's parking
wasn't the only thing that was stacked.
The theme park business
was kind of a thing at that point.
NICHOLAS: There were other competitors
that were building parks,
and at that time,
guests were looking for things
that were a little more exciting
and real-feeling.
NARRATOR: Such as
-JOE: Two spectacular upside-down loops.
-NARRATOR: Or even
JOE: The highest drop in the world.
NARRATOR: But because the Matterhorn
was so good, you could say
it was kind of Walt who ramped up this
steel tube arms race in the first place.
Of course, the Matterhorn had existed.
(riders scream)
And that really set the stage
for theme parks worldwide
at that point that tubular steel
was the way to go.
NICHOLAS: And in the '60s and '70s,
other companies thought,
"We want a piece of that pie.
We want to do that, too."
So, it sort of takes off.
(screaming)
And it starts to diversify.
Hey, let's try this one.
And it continued to grow
at increasing rates of speed.
NARRATOR: Well, clearly,
Disney was in pole position with
Well, the Matterhorn.
NARRATOR: Exactly, but Florida
wouldn't be getting one of those.
-Well
-NARRATOR: You know, no snow.
Uh, yeah.
NARRATOR: Uh, no. But Walt Disney World
wouldn't be doing the same old thing.
Uh, actually,
quite a few of the same things.
And who doesn't want to fly
in an elephant?
NARRATOR: Teenagers, actually.
But they'd be getting something
that even they couldn't turn
their noses up at.
Florida was the new park,
and they wanted to do
something really special.
NARRATOR: Something stellar.
Something out of this world.
-Something like
-Space Voyage.
NARRATOR: Which, just before Walt
put it on pause
Oh, yeah, VHS exists now.
Anyway, the attraction had been renamed
Space Mountain.
NARRATOR: Which made sense,
seeing as this whole thing
-started with this one
-MAN 3: Hello.
-MAN 4: Hi, dear.
-NARRATOR: Yep, hi.
So, they decided to build
Space Mountain
-NARRATOR: Not in Anaheim.
-In Florida.
NARRATOR: And why not?
The conceptual work had already been done.
But more importantly, by the early '70s,
these old clunkers had finally caught up
with Walt's original vision.
So, what exactly would these computers
be controlling?
A block system.
(beeping)
NARRATOR:
That does not compute. Please elaborate.
Block systems,
which are basically just brakes
throughout the ride,
allow multiple cars to run
on the track at the same time safely.
NICHOLAS: If one were to catch up
to another, it would slow down or stop it,
so it doesn't run into the other ones.
NARRATOR: Although, block systems
weren't a new thing, mind you.
The Matterhorn had been running on one
since '59, minus the computer control.
But Space Mountain
was extremely elaborate for its time
because it has a lot more zones
and brake areas.
NARRATOR: And, in addition to that
-Disney wanted high capacity.
-NARRATOR: Meaning?
To be able to put more guests
on the ride at one time.
NARRATOR: A longer track with more cars
on it at the same time
was way more than those old-fashioned
block systems could handle.
So because we had
the computer-controlled system
(beeping)
we can get a lot more rockets
and a lot more people through the ride.
NARRATOR: And good thing, too,
because it was looking like
there'd be a little bit less ride
than originally planned.
In the original inception,
there were four tracks.
NARRATOR: But the only scaling
on this mountain would be back.
What we ended up with was two.
NARRATOR:
Which was still quite cool. After all
-It's essentially the Matterhorn.
-(honks)
But inside a fully-enclosed mountain.
-NARRATOR: And what a mountain it is.
-It's just a cool-looking thing.
NARRATOR: Surely one of the most iconic
You know, you want
a little sculpture of it.
imaginative Disney Park designs
ever committed to paper.
NARRATOR: Before being thrown out.
And committed to paper again.
Then, eventually built.
-In Florida.
-NARRATOR: A conical dome that, in fact,
sprung from the mind of legendary
Disney Imagineer John Hench.
I think I made the first little sketches
on the thing.
NARRATOR: "Little sketches on the thing."
He designed Space Mountain
before the technology was available.
BO: You know, he was just a man
that was ahead of his time.
He could read any language
and he could talk technology
and knew color like nobody else.
That's why Walt would refer to him
as his expert at everything,
because he knew a lot.
NARRATOR: And that universal know-how
would come in handy
when designing this modern monolith.
I thought I would have to invent
a new kind of architecture.
NARRATOR: So, he kind of did.
And with an unparalleled knack
for artistry and spectacle,
John Hench whipped Space Mountain
into shape. A cone shape.
The cone is a logical way
of dispersing the energy
that is represented by lifting a car
to a certain height
and letting it run out by gravity.
(echoing)
Gravity. Gravity. In a spiral.
(sniffs)
NARRATOR: And Magic Kingdom guests
would soon grasp the
-(echoing) Gravity. Gravity.
-of their situation.
NARRATOR: Because on January 15, 1975,
Space Mountain opened its airlock
in Florida for the very first time.
They had a huge celebration,
and they called in some NASA astronauts.
And it was a big occasion
because this was the first significant
expansion to occur at the Magic Kingdom
since the park had opened,
and it really kind of set it
on a trajectory
that was the beginnings
of what became the park we know today.
NARRATOR: Now, speaking of trajectories,
well, guests were being launched on one.
It was unlike any theme park
attraction ever ridden.
You, basically, are dropped into darkness.
(upbeat music)
It really does give you a sense of like
you're flying through outer space.
There's no more lights,
there's only stars.
It feels like you're going super fast
because you can't see where you're going.
And you don't know which way is left
and which way is right.
Is that a drop or is that a hill?
You don't know what's going to happen.
NARRATOR: Which is exactly what guests
found so thrilling.
And even a little chilling.
I followed the first ride
and waited for it when they disembarked.
One woman struggled out
and knelt down and kissed the carpet.
(laughs)
NARRATOR:
But Magic Kingdom was puckering up, too,
because with Space Mountain taking off,
Walt Disney World was kissing
its thrill ride blues goodbye.
Space Mountain was extremely popular
in Disney World.
NARRATOR: Disney was on a roll, and soon,
they were ready to take the Space Mountain
launch sequence to the next stage.
NICHOLAS:
They wanted to bring it to Disneyland.
NARRATOR: And finally,
the dream of raising those spacey spires
above the Anaheim skyline
would come to fruition. But
There wasn't as much room
in Disneyland in California.
NARRATOR: In fact, the Magic Kingdom
at Walt Disney World in Florida
has dozens of acres
on Disneyland in California.
But that wouldn't make their plans
go supernova.
The solution was simple.
A smaller mountain. The one in Florida
was 300 feet in diameter.
LUC: The one in Anaheim
was 200 feet in diameter.
NARRATOR: That's a lot of track
to squeeze into a third less dome.
Walt Disney World has two tracks running
similar but opposite of each other.
NARRATOR: Luckily, Imagineers
have a one-track mind
for problem-solving,
'cause two tracks weren't going to fit.
So, they found a way to develop
their own single-track version.
NARRATOR:
But half the track meant half the cars,
and half the cars meant
half the park guests kissing the carpet.
(laughs)
But it has just as many guests on it
because the trains are bigger.
NARRATOR: Which meant
Space Mountain Anaheim would be
Just as thrilling, just as exciting.
NARRATOR: However, as thrilled
and excited Disneyland guests
boarded Space Mountain
for the first time in mid-1977,
around that same time,
secret talks were underway
It took about five years of negotiation.
the likes of which would change
the Walt Disney Company forever.
But then in 1979,
we signed an agreement
to create Disneyland.
-NARRATOR: Uh Thank you.
-Tokyo.
NARRATOR: Tokyo Disneyland
opened in April of 1983.
And being the first Magic Kingdom-style
Disney Park in over a decade,
Tokyo Disneyland would be a showcase
for Imagineering's newest
state-of-the-art innovations.
It was a creative relationship.
We brought everything we
could possibly bring to it.
NARRATOR: So, when opening day guests
lined up for Tokyo Space Mountain
(in Japanese)
it would be revealed
just how Disney had updated
this iconic ride
for a new culture and a new decade.
Tokyo Space Mountain is a carbon copy
of Anaheim Space Mountain.
NARRATOR:
Well, you can improve on perfection.
The track layout
and everything's the same.
NARRATOR: Because, as it turns out
ANNOUNCER 2: The Japanese wanted
an American experience.
NARRATOR: So
Tokyo Disneyland took the greatest hits
of Disneyland and the Magic Kingdom
at Walt Disney World,
and brought them together.
-NARRATOR: Which ended up
-ANNOUNCER 2: Saving Disney the effort
of designing a new theme park
from scratch.
NARRATOR:
Which is exactly what they'd be doing
on their next international park.
Rocketing ahead to the late '80s,
the new guard of Disney leadership
was buoyed with confidence
after the success of Tokyo Disneyland.
So, they began carving
a new and ambitious course.
And they wanted to go to Europe.
NARRATOR: Specifically,
just outside of Paris, France.
Welcome to Walt Disney Company.
NARRATOR: And assigned to oversee
this gargantuan project,
Imagineering legend Tony Baxter.
One of the most exciting things
I got involved with in my career
was getting the assignment
to bring a Disneyland to the Parisians.
NARRATOR: And Imagineer Tim Delaney
was equally excited about the plan,
although clearly too cool to show it.
And I went to Tony and I say,
"Sign me up." And he's like, "You're on."
NARRATOR: But this dream team
would have their work cut out for them,
because unlike Tokyo Disneyland, where
ANNOUNCER 2: The Japanese wanted
an American experience.
NARRATOR: what was known at the time
as Euro Disney
would have to cater
to the sophisticated tastes of the French.
And everyone was aware of,
"How do we make this park
more European-like?"
NARRATOR: But before Tony and Tim
could envision a French Space Mountain,
they'd have to consider the corner
of the park in which it would reside.
So, now we get to Tomorrowland,
and the scary thing
was most of the futures that we showed
in Disneyland and Walt Disney World
are American futures.
NARRATOR: Which would make Tomorrowland
problematic in France.
There was a consideration one time
of not having a Tomorrowland at all.
NARRATOR: What? No Space Mountain?
That's crazy talk.
So, the idea,
because we were going to France,
was that let's create a land that is more
dedicated to great visionaries.
TIM: Jules Verne. HG Wells.
Even Leonardo da Vinci.
And the idea was that each one
of those visionaries
had their vision of the future,
so this became now
a history of the future.
NARRATOR: And with Tony and Tim's vision
of a shared history,
France's Tomorrowland
became Discoveryland.
But as the costs began piling up,
Tim's discovery
was that compromises
would have to be made.
There was a gentleman
who was running our project
from a construction management
point of view.
He just said, "Look, Tim, the studio
just wants you to put
another Space Mountain in there
and be done with it."
NARRATOR: As in,
just like the one in Orlando.
And Anaheim. And Tokyo.
No. We can't do that.
We've got to do something different.
NARRATOR: But doing something different
meant Space Mountain would be pushed
to Euro Disney's Phase Two of development.
This was gonna be, you know,
the next big thing
that we did after the park opened.
NARRATOR: So, Tim got to work designing,
while Euro Disney
got on with the business of opening.
(in French)
Euro Disneyland is officially open.
(people cheer)
NARRATOR: And, with that out of the way,
time for Tim to show off his work.
TIM: I started doing a whole series
of renderings.
A bronze, brass-covered
Jules Vernian Space Mountain.
NARRATOR: Prominently featuring
what appeared to be a giant cannon.
That cannon comes
from the Jules Verne story,
TRACY: From the Earth to the Moon.
He dreamed of using things like cannons
for something peaceful rather than war.
And so, in our story, you're in the 1800s
and being shot to the moon
-in a cannonball.
-NARRATOR: Sounds like a ball.
But what makes that different
from the other Space Mountains?
I said, "Why don't we"
-(gunshot)
-"Shooting, going to the moon."
(grunts)
A catapult launch system
is the most exhilarating effect
you can have.
TIM: Like acceleration in a car.
It's extraordinary.
So, like, why not just do this
and shoot it up the hill
and let it just drop into the mountain.
NARRATOR:
A higher-caliber attraction, to be sure.
The cannon was a massive, animated prop.
It was so complex. It was so big.
(creaking)
TIM: There were these gears that turn,
you see the train go in
(hisses)
TIM: You shoot it out,
there's a big steam
It was probably
the largest asset that we've had
connected to an exterior
of a ride building, ever.
NARRATOR: And that's just the launch.
There's stuff that happens
once you get inside, too.
The ride goes twice as fast
as any other Space Mountain.
We introduced the first loops
for a Disney Park.
NARRATOR: And, as if that wasn't enough
to have park guests head over heels,
this next Disney Park first would be
It's the first onboard audio
that was ever done on a roller coaster,
where you've got to sync the soundtrack
without spoiling the tempo of the music.
TONY: And the poor composer had to ride it
a million times to get those beats
just right as you go through.
We arrived at the first parking point.
The music was still going.
It was like a slight delay there.
All right, get in. We will ride it again.
It's exhausting.
NARRATOR: But there was no time
for sleeping on the job,
because Space Mountain's
most important launch yet
was scheduled for June 1st, 1995.
Disneyland Paris launches its
latest attraction, Space Mountain.
be the most stunning thrill ride
ever created.
NARRATOR:
It seemed to be going over well on TV.
the ride of a lifetime.
NARRATOR: But of course,
it would be the park guests
who'd decide if Space Mountain
was a smash.
-And aside from one awkward thud
-(thuds)
a smash is exactly what they got.
The ride delivered.
I had never seen so many happy people
in my life.
(people cheer)
It re-launched the park.
I mean, the attendance went took off.
(whooshes)
Taking Verne's trip from Earth to Moon
and being exploded out of the cannon
up into this world of outer space,
-that just grabbed all of Europe.
-Stupendo!
All these people coming off the ride,
and this one Italian woman came off,
and she was like
(mumbles)
It was great.
I have no idea what she said.
But in fact,
you knew exactly what she said.
(shrieks)
Well, it sounds absolutely incredible.
NARRATOR: But things were about to sound
even more incredible,
because back in Anaheim,
that in-seat onboard soundtrack
developed for Paris
sounded like a good idea
to the Californian crew
That's when they brought
in the first onboard audio.
who, in 1996, went down to the beach
and brought in
pioneer surf rock guitarist
Dick Dale, surf rock tunes.
who strummed a fusion
of science fiction and surf music
into this iconic riff.
(upbeat music)
Actually, it's really cool.
I'm kind of bummed
that I never got to experience it.
NARRATOR: And the reason for that is,
nine years later,
with the mature Space Mountain
showing its age,
the attraction underwent a major overhaul
in celebration of Disneyland's
50th anniversary.
So, an updated attraction
would need updated music.
They brought in the composer
who did, like, The Incredibles.
ALISON: Michael Giacchino,
he did an updated score.
That's what's there now.
NARRATOR: And, as well as this arguably
more iconic music track,
Space Mountain got
yet another new track.
Like, the track.
Meaning, the old one had to come out.
It's like a ship in a bottle.
OWEN: Parts by parts,
they have to get the track out.
It was just dirt, and I was like,
"Wow. This is amazing."
All that that track and all that
spaghetti goes into this, but
NARRATOR: Don't worry, because
They recreated the track
exactly as it was originally.
NARRATOR: And, with Hong Kong Disneyland
under construction at the same time,
why not recreate it twice?
Hong Kong's Space Mountain is a
identical track to the one in Anaheim.
NARRATOR: But this refurbishment
wasn't just an excuse
for Anaheim Space Mountain
to clone itself all around the world.
There was still refurbishing to do.
Like the space probe
above the loading area. Most would say
It's a fantastic design,
but my job was to embellish it
with some details
to make it much more
up to date. Some propellant tanks.
(hisses)
-Emphasize the boosters.
-(dings)
The attachment gantry
that's holding the the probe up.
NARRATOR:
But Owen was just getting started.
One of the biggest tasks that I had
was coming up with the Space Station 77.
That was this imaginary space station
that we are teleported to,
to go on our journey
through outer space from.
NARRATOR: And in a kind of ode
to Space Mountain's
Tomorrowland heritage
I've designed it so that
you have all these other
ships flying in and out of it.
OWEN: You saw the Space Mountain vehicles
that are flying out of it,
as well as the X2 rocket
from Mission: Space
So, then it was kind of
this space port, airport hub.
NARRATOR: And to unveil the updated
Space Mountain, none other than
-Mr. Neil Armstrong.
-(crowd cheer)
And I congratulate
the entire Disney organization.
NARRATOR: A joyous occasion
which may very well have been
the most exciting day of his life.
That's one small step for man,
one giant leap for mankind.
Or maybe the second most exciting.
And if you're wondering
what happened to the old track
This is a part of the actual track
of Space Mountain.
It's a pencil holder or
or a paperweight.
(chuckles)
But it's kind of neat to
to own a piece of history that I didn't
know that I'd be so involved with.
So, it means a lot to me.
NARRATOR:
And Space Mountain means a lot to us all,
be it the original in Florida,
the classic in Anaheim,
as well as Tokyo, Hong Kong or Paris.
There wasn't something like Space Mountain
before Space Mountain,
and so, I think that
that's what makes these things iconic.
NARRATOR: But this iconic attraction
isn't above getting dressed up
every so often just to keep things fresh.
LUC: Ghost Galaxy,
which started in Hong Kong,
is really kind of a chance
to do a Halloween overlay
for Space Mountain.
(people screaming)
And then that became, later on,
what we could use to make,
Hyperspace Mountain.
(action music)
LUC: The Star Wars overlay is fantastic.
It's fun.
I mean, it puts you in the world,
and then, you know,
that overlay can stay on for a while,
then you go back to, you know,
classic Space Mountain,
and on to something else.
NARRATOR:
Which got the Imagineers thinking.
After almost 40 years,
just how far could they push the idea
of Space Mountain?
We said, "Why should we repeat
the thing we've already done,
no matter how great it is?"
We wanted to do something
a little different.
NARRATOR:
And they were about to get their chance,
because when they broke ground
on Shanghai Disneyland,
this time, they weren't going to wait
till after opening day
to get their own Space Mountain.
We had the budget for Space Mountain.
-We had the time for Space Mountain.
-NARRATOR: But
Our goal was to create something
that was authentically Disney
-Well, Space Mountain is certainly that.
-and distinctly Chinese.
NARRATOR: Hmm. Maybe.
In a world of high-tech architecture
and fast trains and incredible airports
NARRATOR:
Space Mountain could fit right in, right?
It didn't relate to the Chinese at all.
NARRATOR: After all,
Shanghai's maglev train,
the fastest train in the world,
moves at almost 270 miles per hour.
And Space Mountain?
Well, Space Mountain's not that fast.
Shanghai already
is the city of the future.
Which posed a problem,
not just for Space Mountain,
but for Tomorrowland itself.
It was all founded around these big
technological breakthroughs in the 1950s,
and the major one being going to space.
And the future was about going beyond
our planet and seeing what was out there.
NARRATOR:
Well, going to space? China's done that.
Space travel has lost some of the magic
some of the unknown.
NARRATOR: And, for what's it worth,
they even kinda had mountains covered.
So, we had to invent,
"What is our storyline?"
What was the ride experience
for Shanghai's Tomorrowland?
NARRATOR: With an almost blank slate,
you might say
Shanghai's Tomorrowland could be
a celebration of possibilities.
NARRATOR: And so, work began
on a promising, optimistic Tomorrowland.
Now, what to fill it with?
How we were gonna tap into the optimism
of the Chinese audience
NARRATOR: Well, having some
awesome attractions might help,
of which Space Mountain is definitely one.
So, the Imagineers got to work,
optimistically optimizing Space Mountain
for the Chinese audience.
We put all these ideas on the table.
NARRATOR: Scouring their minds
and digging deep.
SCOT: What was the ride experience
for Shanghai's Tomorrowland?
NARRATOR: Clearly, the answer
couldn't be found in 1977.
They couldn't go that far back
in the past.
So instead, they drew inspiration
from something far newer
-Tron.
-Where did you hear that name?
Well, that's your name, isn't it?
NARRATOR: Well, it's from the '80s,
at least. Cutting edge in its day.
You know, perhaps with a little bit
of updating, you could
In development was a new Tron film.
NARRATOR: Oh! Phew!
Nice.
And we saw early concept art for it,
and it was gorgeous.
Everyone saw the excitement
of doing something new and unique.
NARRATOR: And instead of guests
zipping about on rockets
Well, it's gotta be a Lightcycle.
(rattling)
NARRATOR: Of course, it does.
(whooshing)
SCOT: The Lightcycles
were such an iconic vehicle,
and I felt that those lived up
to every other iconic vehicle
that we have in all of our parks.
NARRATOR:
Well, certainly a little faster than some.
And I wanted to bring that to life.
NARRATOR: Please do.
But there's just one little problem.
(screams)
The one vehicle.
NARRATOR: Uh Yeah, there's only room
for one on a Lightcycle.
So only a fraction
of the guests of the park
would be able to experience it
throughout the course of a day.
NARRATOR: And so, similar to how
their predecessors maximized capacity
while altering Florida Space Mountain
for Anaheim
We needed to kind of configure
the Lightcycles in a train
so that we had so many people
kind of boarding at one time.
And each coach has two Lightcycles,
so you could ride right next
to your family or friend.
It's great in that everyone
gets to board their own Lightcycle,
but then they're all linked together
for the common experience.
It's a very different
ride system configuration,
the vehicle and the way you
you sit in it.
NARRATOR: But don't worry, it's not just
a matter of hanging on tight.
We found a restraint
that put people face forward,
holding on to these grips
like a motorcycle.
NARRATOR: And like in Paris,
it's all about the launch.
Space Mountain uses a
a traditional lift hill.
(rattles)
Tron uses a launch.
(action music)
It can blast outside the building
NARRATOR: You did just say outside.
-The building.
-NARRATOR: Right.
Every month, somebody tried
to convince me not to do that.
BOB: "Keep it inside the building.
We'd get rid of the whole canopy
and it'll just be inside the building.
It'll cost a lot less."
NARRATOR: Yeah, but it'd be
a lot less fun.
So, Bob kept chipping away.
'Cause it is easier to take
a conservative solution,
but that's not the Imagineering way.
We wanted to push forward,
try to do something great.
NARRATOR: Don't you mean launch forward?
And they did.
Because Walt's original idea
for what would become Space Mountain
was now finally realized here in Shanghai.
SCOT: That's something that
I think is truly unique
to the Shanghai Disneyland experience,
and we thought that was a unique way
to experience a roller coaster.
You can't say roller coaster.
NARRATOR: Especially now,
because on June 16th, 2016,
the world of high-speed thrill attractions
was about to change forever.
As Tron Lightcycle Power Run
powered up at Shanghai Disneyland,
the response was
Well, what do you think?
Look at this thing!
(rattles)
NARRATOR: At 3,169 feet long
and over 88 feet tall,
it's one of the fastest Disney coasters
at any Disney Park anywhere on Earth.
It is a very high-speed attraction.
ALEX: I think
when you come out of the building,
you get a real sense of speed.
When you're inside the building,
you have all these amazing show elements
and story points
being told all around you.
But it is just so much fun
to be face-first
and just launched out into the land.
Now, that's what I'm talking about!
NARRATOR: This Tron attraction is building
upon 40 years of history and innovation,
while probably also setting the stage
for the next 40 years of Disney
high-speed thrill attractions.
So, in the place where it all began,
Walt Disney World in Florida,
well, things are going to change.
I think that, you know, Tron is
it's a natural next evolution in this,
but it's also a step forward,
which is great.
NARRATOR:
And so, tomorrow has come to Florida
as work begins on installing Tron
at Walt Disney World.
Tron is being built right next
to Space Mountain itself.
NARRATOR:
Of course. The more, the merrier.
Because here's the thing
about Space Mountain.
If I if I was on my very last trip
to Disneyland, if I
if I could only go back one time,
and I only get to ride one ride
There are so many spectacular
Disney attractions
I've done over the years, and if I had
to just pick one to do one more time
-I think it might be Space Mountain.
-I have to ride Space Mountain.
NARRATOR: Space Mountain is unquestionably
and overwhelmingly
a favorite the world over.
It and it has such a sense
of nostalgia for me,
growing up, when I would come here,
there as a kid, to ride it.
I was a big chicken.
It was kind of bragging rights
to go on Space Mountain as a kid.
There was this moment when my
my dad took me to Space Mountain.
I must have been just a little tot.
My sister had just arrived, and Mom
was in the hospital with baby sister,
and it was gonna be
Dad's day out at the park.
And I had never been
on Space Mountain before.
And he took me on Space Mountain,
and I got off,
and my heart's thumping 200 beats
a minute, and he sets me down,
and he was so nervous.
But there's that connection.
(sniffles)
Wow.
(laughs)
Wow.
Yeah. It's, it's It's family.
Space Mountain is really, really special.
NARRATOR: It surely is.
But why does Space Mountain
mean so much to so many?
It was done so right.
The the architecture
of the building is so iconic.
MICHAEL: Once you see it,
it's like nothing else you've ever seen.
NARRATOR: But as for the experience
inside that dome,
it's not the heart-pounding speed.
Space Mountain doesn't go that fast.
But feels extremely fast.
NARRATOR:
Well, come on. It is pretty fast.
And this simple idea of a rocket ship
hurtling through space,
used not so much a vision of the future
Many of the things that seem impossible
now will become realities tomorrow.
but more a creative vision
that used both technology
There are so many firsts
on Space Mountain.
and ingenuity,
and took it to a whole new level.
JOHN: And letting it run out by gravity.
NICHOLAS: You might be,
what appears from the outside,
to be inside a dark dome.
But when you're inside that,
you don't really think of that.
You don't remember that.
You're in the star port.
You're going into the spaceship.
You're getting on. The music intensifies.
You're going up the hill.
The lights are flashing.
It builds a lot of excitement,
a lot of anticipation.
The countdown at the top of the hill.
It's really dark.
And then, before you know it,
you're going down the hill.
And you're going, and you're going,
and you're going, and you're going.
And you don't know which way is left
and which way is right.
Was that a drop, or was that a hill?
You don't what's gonna happen.
NARRATOR: Well, Walt knew.
WALT:
After entering the Disneyland space port,
visitors may experience the thrills
that space travelers of the future
will encounter when rocket trips
to the moon become a daily routine.
However, scientists tell us
that it could be many years
before space travel becomes a reality.
If only Walt could see us now.
MAN 2: Five, four, three, two, one.
(rattles)
(closing theme music)