Alice in Wonderland (Disneyland attraction)
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- For the 1951 movie, of the same name, see Alice in Wonderland.
For the character, see Alice.
For the Tim Burton 2010 live-action movie, see Alice in Wonderland (2010 film)
| Alice in Wonderland | |
| Disneyland | |
| Land | Fantasyland |
| Designer | WED Enterprises |
| Attraction type | Dark Ride |
| Theme | Alice in Wonderland |
| Opening date | June 14, 1958 |
| Ride duration | 3:38 minutes |
The ride follows the path of the movie, as the riders (as Alice) follow the White Rabbit down the Rabbit Hole into Wonderland. They spin through scenes in a madcap fashion, dodging absurd creatures in the Tulgey Wood with some questionable guidance from the Cheshire Cat. When the Queen of Hearts loses to Alice at croquet, she threatens to chop off the innocent girl's head as she (and the ride vehicles) push their way through brigades of playing cards. The vehicles then leave the ride building's second floor (a rare occurrence in a non-thrill ride at a Disney park) and descends by people waiting in line on a winding giant vine, before heading to the climactic scene at the Mad Tea Party. The White Rabbit quivers as a giant unbirthday cake with a dynamite candle on top of it explodes and the ride vehicles escape back to where they began.
Alice herself is only seen in the singing flower garden, hidden behind a leaf to the visitors' right.
Contents |
Summary
Guests board a magic Caterpillar and go down the rabbit hole, where the Doorknob swings his door open for the riders to pass through, entering Wonderland, encountering the Tweedles and seeing the White Rabbit bouncing up and down outside his house complaining about how late he is.
Next, the guests travel through the singing flower garden. The Flowers sing "All in the Golden Afternoon" while smoke appears on a black screen above the Caterpillar saying "Who are you?". Once finishing the climb to the ride's second floor, a Dandelion pops up, roaring.
The guests then enter the Tulgey Wood, encountering the Cheshire Cat, an accordion-necked owl, an eyeglasses bird, an adult honking horn duck with its ducklings, an umbrella vulture, a birdcage bird, a pencil bird who writes the words "Which Way" on a sign and a pair of hammer birds nailing up a sign that reads "Watch Out".
From there, the guests enter the Queen of Hearts' garden and passing some singing and marching card soldiers as the White Rabbit announces the Queen. She plays croquet, using a flamingo as a club and a hedgehog as a ball. The King of Hearts, standing behind the Queen, says "Rule 42: The Queen should always win" as the guests go through a dark tunnel, where a hedgehog appears on the screen, then crashes and rolls back. The guests then enter the courtroom where the guests see an angry executioner card brandishing an axe and the Queen shouting "Off with their heads!". Various cards yell as the guests push through them, emerging back out into daylight and beginning a trip back down to the ground level on a long green vine.
The ride culminates at the Unbirthday Party, where the Mad Hatter and the March Hare sing "A Very Merry Unbirthday to You". The White Rabbit stands next to a giant unbirthday cake with a dynamite candle on top of it, shaking nervously. The cake explodes as the guests exit the scene and arrive at the unlod area to exit the caterpillar.
The ride was temporarily closed on July 15, 2010 after California's Department of Occupational Safety and Health pointed out that it needed handrails on the second floor outdoor portion of the ride. The ride re-opened with the new safety rails on August 13, 2010.
Voice Credits
- Alice - Kathryn Beaumont
- White Rabbit - Corey Burton
- Ace of Clubs - Thurl Ravenscroft
- Cards - Corey Burton
- Cheshire Cat - Tony Pope
- Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum - Corey Burton
- King of Hearts - Tony Pope
Changes
In 1983, the ride was updated as part of an overall refurbishment of Fantasyland, as the Upside-Down Room and Oversized Room were eliminated and the Mad Hatter's Tea Party was moved to the very end of the ride. A new narration track by Kathryn Beaumont, the actress who voiced Alice in the film, was recorded. To create more unified theming in Fantasyland, the Mad Tea Party attraction was moved from a location at the rear of Fantasyland to a location adjacent to the Alice in Wonderland ride that same year. The Alice in Wonderland ride, however, did not reopen until 1984, one year after the rest of the new Fantasyland opened.
In 2010, the exterior track was mostly covered up and given additional side supports as a result of safety concerns by the Orange County Safety Administration. The current coverings are temporary as Imagineers are working on a more permanent solution to the safety concern.
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