Disneyland has had a Snow White ride since opening day in 1955. And although it was, and remains, the only princess ride in the park, it was scary . . . and Snow White herself didn’t even appear in the attraction. It was her story, but the guests themselves were intended to be experiencing the story through her eyes. And almost everything in the story was trying to kill her… and by extension… you!
It wasn’t until Legendary Imagineer, Tony Baxter, revamped the attraction in 1984 that a Snow White figure was added to the ride. He also added the words “Scary Adventures” to the title of the attraction so guests would understand what they were getting into.
But after decades of guests complaining about scared kids and a the strange and abrupt ending of the attraction, “scary” is giving way to “merry,” inside and out. We got to ride the revised attraction today (April 27th, 2021) and here are our thoughts, photos, and videos of the reimagined “Snow White’s Enchanted Wish”!
The new attraction poster can be seen as you enter Disneyland park through the right tunnel, from the main gate. It presents a much happier scene. The name change itself removes old memories of the scary attraction, but there are still some suspenseful elements in this attraction… and not to worry, your favorite witch is still there, leering at you from above the entry to the ride and transforming into an old hag inside.
Snow White’s Scary Adventures closed on January 6, 2020 and officially reopens to guests on April 30th, 2021. During the park shutdown, we were able to capture a few aerial images of the ride undergoing it’s transformation.
Snow White’s Scary Adventures
Before we look at the new version of the ride, let’s remember how it was before.
The first scene you encountered when walking into the queue was a dungeon, which set the mood for the attraction to come.
After a brief trip through the humble cottage to see Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, you enter a dark, scary forest before entering the mine of the Seven Dwarves.
Then you take a turn into the Evil Queen’s castle, where you see her transform into the old hag.
Shortly after leaving the Evil Queen’s castle and a trip through the scary forest, the Queen is handing you an apple though an opening door.
The ride ends fairly abruptly when the Seven Dwarves are feverishly making their way up to the Queen, and a boulder appears to have dropped on her in a flash of lightening.
But, of course, after all that darkness and things trying to poison, eat, or kill you . . . they all lived happily ever after. A bit of whiplash story-wise.
Snow White’s Enchanted Wish
Walt Disney Imagineering took on the task of adapting the ride to better tell the Snow White story, give it a proper fairytale ending, and to also honor the history of the attraction and movie. But finding the fine line between suspenseful and merry was a difficult task. Creative executive of Walt Disney Imagineering, Kim Irvine said, “The Snow White attraction has such a rich history. We wanted to take into account the beautiful scenic work that has always existed and retell the story in a special way. We believe guests will enjoy this sweet storyline in a stunning experience.”
“You’re still gonna feel a lot of suspense” said Dave Caranci, manager of creative development, Walt Disney Imagineering. “The evil Queen is still there outside the attraction opening the curtains. But there’s a warmer, inviting feel that’s drawing you inside and now it’s Snow White’s journey.”
In the new version of this attraction, the exterior of the attraction has been repainted with lighter tones to better compliment the Sleeping Beauty Castle. The external facade has a much more welcoming look with ornamental birds, butterflies, and flowers to complete the look. The Evil Queen still stands watch from her window above, opening and closing the curtains.
The dungeon scene at the queue entrance has been changed to look like the room of a princess.
After boarding a mine cart, you will become immersed in the story through the use of new animatronics, state-of-the-art lighting and projection technology with new music. Imaginers have added over 50 new figures to the enchanted attraction, to help better tell the story of Snow White.
As you begin your journey, you enter the cottage to see Snow White dancing with Dopey while enjoying the smell of a fresh apple pie baked by Doc hitting your nose.
New shadow projections show the dwarfs marching off to the diamond mine singing “Heigh Ho.”
As you ride through the mine scene, you experience glittering jewels enhanced with shimmering lighting. You will see Doc closely examining a jewel, while Dopey has jewels in his eyes while he’s in his own mine cart.
As you enter the Evil Queen’s den, you see lots of books surrounding a glowing cauldron and glass jars glowing and bubbling with potions.
As you finish your journey with Snow White, you witness her wish come true when she is awakened by her true love’s first kiss.
Snow White then reunites with her animal friends as her and her prince move toward a golden castle to complete this charming “happily ever after.”
MiceChat’s Dusty Sage took this ride-through video of Snow White’s Enchanted Wish for your viewing pleasure:
I hope you have enjoyed this preview as much as I have. The brighter colors and new animation, lighting, sound, and projection technology take that extra step in bringing you closer to the complete story of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves. I look forward to riding this attraction more often and I hope you will, too.
I want to send a special thank you to my friend George Landis, for kindly allowing me to use some of his images in this article.
Disneyland Livestream
Join Dusty and the MiceChat team for the first day back at Disneyland. The video below is the first full walkthrough of Disneyland in over a year. Dusty will take you on a guided tour all through the park, and even see Snow White’s Enchanted Wish.
Disney Ticket & Travel Deals
(Discount Theme Park Tickets and Travel Packages)
It’s time to give the family something to look forward to. Our travel partners at Get Away Today are here to help you with that by planning a future theme park vacation. There are all sorts of new theme park tickets and travel deals, including a 2 free days offer at Walt Disney World, hotel discounts, ticket deals to various theme parks, and now TICKETS TO DISNEYLAND: More details and to get a quote (HERE)
NEW VACATION SAVINGS PLAN WITH PERKS!!! Want to start saving for a big family vacation but aren’t sure where or when you’ll be ready to go? Get Away Today has created a plan which rewards you for saving up for your trip now. Place as little as $200 down and get free travel protection, travel credits, and more! Learn more and start saving now HERE!
More Disneyland News
Be sure to follow MiceChat as we cover the reopening of Disneyland every day from now through the 30th. Here are a few more stories that you’ll enjoy as the park ramps up to the grand reopening!
Disneyland Reopening Update – Everything You Need to Know and More
Everything You Need to Know About Getting a Boarding Pass for Rise of the Resistance at Disneyland
You must be logged in to post a comment.