Ranking Every Disney Theme Park Attraction With A Movie Connection

This is a banner week for the Walt Disney Parks and Resorts. This Friday, Walt Disney Pictures releases the new entry in the Pirates of the Caribbean film series, Dead Men Tell No Tales; it's the fifth film based on the classic 1967 attraction. Also Friday, at the Disney California Adventure theme park in Anaheim's Disneyland Resort, Marvel will make its presence known in the Guardians of the Galaxy: Mission – Break Out! attraction, taking over from The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror. But wait, as they say: there's more. This weekend, Disney's Animal Kingdom in Walt Disney World gets a whole new land, Pandora, themed to James Cameron's Avatar. This combination of theme-park and movie-centric unveilings is the inspiration for the following, admittedly massive ranking of every single movie-inspired or movie-adjacent Disney attraction.

Get comfortable. We're going to be here for a little while.

A few caveats: first, there are two notable, newer attractions omitted from this list: Frozen Ever After in Epcot's World Showcase and Seven Dwarfs Mine Train in the Magic Kingdom's Fantasyland. There's a simple reason why: I haven't been back to Walt Disney World since these attractions opened. Whatever opinions I may have of, say, putting a Frozen ride in Norway (hint: they're not positive), I can't fairly place it or the Seven Dwarfs roller coaster on this list without riding them. Second, this list is not just a ranking of rides, but some of the stage shows as well, those of which focus on a specific film. (So, for example, the wonderful nighttime experiences Fantasmic! and World of Color don't show up here.)

This film's message is undeniably valuable: we must save our natural environment before it's too late. Utilizing characters from Disney's massively popular The Lion King is a fair way to marry education and entertainment. However, the attraction opened in Epcot's The Land pavilion in January 1995, so it's shown its age for a while. There are slighter, equally noticeable, distractions throughout: Matthew Broderick doesn't voice Simba, though Nathan Lane, Ernie Sabella, and James Earl Jones appear. Plus, the grafting-on of elements from The Lion King, specifically its music, is a reminder of how shoehorned-in the characters feel, as Timon and Pumbaa try opening a resort in the Pride Lands. (Yup.) The message is vital...or was more so in the 1990s. As successful as The Lion King is, it's time to replace this with something more apt to modern times.

Much like Heimlich's Chew Chew Train, Francis' Ladybug Boogie is low on the ranking because it's themed to a film that hasn't stuck around in the cultural consciousness nearly long enough. Essentially, this is an updated version of an attraction we'll discuss later, Mad Tea Party. This time, it's not teacups in which you spin, but ladybugs. It could be argued that the theme makes sense: Francis may be a ladybug, but his major trait is defensiveness at seeming less than masculine. Surviving a spinning ride is tough, especially since you can choose to spin these ladybugs as much as you want. (Plus, the attraction is designed in a Figure-Eight style.) The roughness of the ride, coupled with the minimal theming here, is enough to put it low on the list.

A truncated stage version of a wildly popular and beloved Disney Renaissance film, housed in Disney's Hollywood Studios. Where have we seen this before? Oh, right, the previous entry. So what is it about Voyage of The Little Mermaid, which is shorter and reliant on video effects, that makes it slightly better than Beauty and the Beast Live on Stage? The theming of the indoor theater, along with the in-show effects and puppetry, is just enough to make this stand out. Because the theater is indoors, too, there's more effort to make the entire environment feel like it's straight out of The Little Mermaid, even extending to the nautically-themed queue. Voyage of The Little Mermaid is long in the tooth and well past ready to be replaced, but it's a bit more magical.

Cars Land, to the Imagineers' credit, is a very well-themed area. Unlike A Bug's Land, the land feels much more immersive and fully realized in the way that a great themed area in Disneyland or Walt Disney World can. One of its attractions, in spite of being similar to another Disney thrill ride, will rank fairly high on this list. Mater's Junkyard Jamboree isn't that attraction. Arguably, the non-thrilling attractions in Cars Land aren't as impressive in part because the theming of the queues and rides themselves aren't as impressive. Mater's Junkyard Jamboree is a riff on the setpiece in Cars where he and Lightning McQueen tip tractors, which has a certain charm...presuming you like that kind of humor. If not, the attraction is merely a time-killer in an otherwise decently designed environment.

The Magic Carpets of Aladdin is little more than Dumbo the Flying Elephant with a different theme. It would be wrong to say it's nothing more than that, though; the big difference is that you can watch people get startled by a spitting camel perched at the front of the attraction. The Magic Kingdom's Adventureland in Orlando is, generally, a wonderful themed environment and is home to some of Walt Disney World's finest attractions, from The Jungle Cruise to Pirates of the Caribbean. So The Magic Carpets of Aladdin serves its function as a way to siphon young kids away from some of the other attractions, but it's not exactly remarkable. Dumbo the Flying Elephant may not have a spitting camel, but...well, there's a good reason why.

Luigi's Rollicking Roadsters, taking the place of Luigi's Flying Tires, is a mild step above Mater's Junkyard Jamboree. The queue is a bit more expansive, with quaint details suggesting that you're walking through an Italian-inspired auto shop. The ride itself, now trackless, isn't terribly remarkable; the original version was more of a headache, as it required riders to understand how to commandeer their tire-shaped vehicle while riding the attraction. (Flying Tires was inspired by the Flying Saucers attraction from Disneyland back in the 1960s, itself known for causing guest consternation.) Rollicking Roadsters' queue doesn't count for a ton when you're in the ride. But it's something.

A version of this attraction will show up later in the list, but Tarzan's Treehouse still lags behind its counterpart at the Magic Kingdom. Originally called Swiss Family Treehouse to tie into Swiss Family Robinson, Tarzan's Treehouse has been themed to the animated film since its release in 1999. A number of the tableaux you get to explore, themed to events in the film and with the setup that you're reading from Jane's diary, are well designed and intricate. That said, while it was a very successful film, Tarzan hasn't stayed in a lot of people's minds long enough for it to merit standing next to Indiana Jones Adventure in Disneyland. At this point, Disney would be better off bringing back the Robinson family.

For the past decade, the Mexico pavilion in Epcot's World Showcase has been the home of the Gran Fiesta Tour boat ride, featuring Donald Duck, Jose Carioca, and Panchito Pistoles, the Three Caballeros. The story of the attraction is fairly silly: Donald has gone missing in advance of a big concert, and someone has to find him! Donald and the others show up primarily via video screens placed carefully through each scene of the attraction, evoking elements of Mexican culture from food to outdoor activities, and so on. The original version of this attraction, El Rio del Tiempo, was cheesy but felt more worthy of its placement. Gran Fiesta Tour is pleasant enough, but no less cheesy and a bit more distracting because of its Disney-fied nature.

This attraction is partly so low on the list for personal reasons. Nothing against Dumbo, but if you are a person over a certain height, Casey Jr. Circus Train is uncomfortable. Like, physically uncomfortable. (I'm 6'2", which isn't that tall, but it's too tall for this.) From the outside, this train ride is quaint and charming, and the tie to the 1941 animated film is decent enough. The ride passes over miniaturized versions of scenes from other Disney classics that take center stage in Storybook Land Canal Boats, which is a plus. But if you're looking for a decent, Dumbo-themed attraction in Fantasyland, you better be tiny to pick this one as your favorite.

A variation of this attraction appears later in the list, as the film accompanying Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage is essentially duplicated in Epcot. The success of Finding Nemo inspired the Imagineers to retheme the 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea submarine attraction in the mid-2000s, where it remains today. It's unquestionably cool to set foot in a legitimate submarine that takes you on a brief tour of the deep blue sea, interacting with Nemo characters. Having said that, the queue for the attraction is essentially nonexistent (just a long, winding line in the open, overlooking the bay where you enter the sub), and anyone who's a mite claustrophobic will have a hell of a time maintaining their composure during the ride.

The Storybook Land Canal Boats, unlike the Casey Jr. Circus Train, is not themed to a specific film. (I'm allowed to break my own rules.) Like that train, it covers a lot of the same ground, passing by a series of handsomely appointed miniaturized scenes from various Disney animated films of the past 80 years, from Frozen to Alice in Wonderland to Pinocchio. Arguably, the on-boat narration can be hit or miss depending on the enthusiasm of the cast member leading you around the canal. But the design of those mini-versions of beloved films and the way music from each film is carefully linked to specific sections of the attraction without overlapping is enough to make this a charming throwback to the days of old Fantasyland.

In a lot of ways, It's Tough to be a Bug has been showing its age for a while. The attraction has been part of Disney's Animal Kingdom since its opening day in 1998 (seven months before A Bug's Life was released in theaters), and at Disney California Adventure since 2001. The 4D film is charming enough, and the queue is full of goofy puns that once lined the walls of the queue of DCA's now-closed MuppetVision 3D. The attraction is also easily the best part of A Bug's Land. That said, almost every other original DCA attraction has been overhauled in some way; if this isn't going away, it needs a spruced-up film print or queueing, instead of the same old thing.

Theme-park aficionados can fall prey to a great debate: Disneyland or Walt Disney World? With some attractions, the debate is simple. Disneyland got the long end of the stick with the Indiana Jones films, with a thrill ride that will show up later on the list. Disney's Hollywood Studios in Walt Disney World doesn't have a ride, just the Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular. The half-hour show brings to life a number of memorable stunts and fights from the films, primarily Raiders of the Lost Ark, and gets audience members in on the fun. The show has been part of Disney's Hollywood Studios since 1989, so it's certainly old; however, Raiders of the Lost Ark is so timeless that many of the stunts remain exciting to watch even as the performers show you how the sausage is being made.

It's one of the most iconic images in a theme park: going round and round on a vehicle shaped like Dumbo. The ride is as simple as it gets: you sit in the vehicle, it's lifted in the air and with circus-style music blaring on the speakers, you go in a circle for a few minutes. What makes Dumbo the Flying Elephant so potent, for children and adults alike, is the genuine sense of flight coupled with the wonderful view of Fantasyland and the edges of both Tomorrowland and Frontierland. While this ride is simplicity to the extreme, sometimes, simple is the equivalent of exhilarating.

You're forgiven for seeing this entry and thinking "What movie is this related to?" The answer is the ride's title: Dinosaur, the Disney film that's now largely forgotten despite being the 11th highest-grossing film of 2000. Granted, the movie doesn't involve humans traveling in time to rescue dinosaurs. But the ride, renamed from Countdown to Extinction, does involve a time-travel rescue mission. Plus, the preshow has Phylicia Rashad! Dinosaur has a similar ride design to the Indiana Jones Adventure in Disneyland. The theming within the attraction – more appealing than that of the queue, which is reminiscent of a natural history museum – is suitably impressive, even if the ride vehicles move so fast you're not always able to appreciate it. The ride is rollicking enough, but it's not quite the same as that Indy ride, nor is the movie tie-in nearly as worthwhile.

Who Framed Roger Rabbit is an all-time great; the attraction inspired by the film isn't quite up to the same standard, but it's still enjoyable. It's another theme-park hybrid: a mix of a dark ride and a spinning attraction a la Mad Tea Party. In the attraction, guests ride Benny the taxicab, who almost immediately gets his wheels stuck in some of Judge Doom's nasty Dip, causing him to spin around. And around. And around. Even if you don't yank on the large wheel in your vehicle, you spin a lot, which is disappointing considering how extensive and manic the theming is. Still, the attraction is an appropriately wild take on the Toontown section of Who Framed Roger Rabbit, and has a bafflingly cool final gag.

It may be a slight stretch to dub this an attraction: Cinderella Castle is home to one of the more popular sit-down restaurants in the Magic Kingdom as well as a hair salon where girls and boys can undergo royal makeovers. But it's also where nightly fireworks shows are set, and just a jaw-dropping structure to walk through on its ground floor. Disneyland has Sleeping Beauty Castle, and its diorama-laden walkthrough is a cool addition. Here, though, the "blessing of size" Walt Disney always mentioned is most clearly crystallized: Cinderella Castle is massive, housing a royal suite that was originally designed for Disney himself. Here, size is what makes the castle superior.

The greatest of all Disney animated films hasn't inspired the best dark-ride attraction, but Pinocchio's Daring Journey comes close. This attraction sends you through the major setpieces of Pinocchio, from the marionette's performance at Stromboli's, his visit to the garish excess of Pleasure Island, and his final battle with Monstro the whale. The first major flaw is simple: unlike other dark rides, this one essentially sidesteps the first 30 minutes of the movie. If you know the film, you probably won't need to catch up, but anyone (especially kids) who doesn't know the story may be mighty confused. It's a longer dark ride than a couple others on this list, but the storytelling within is just too haphazard.

The Winnie the Pooh films are among the most pleasant and soothing Disney has ever made. So it makes perfect sense that the attraction is similarly low-key and charming. The Anaheim and Orlando versions aren't exactly the same, though they cover similar ground: in Anaheim's Critter Country, the ride vehicle rocks back and forth to simulate a "very blustery day", whereas the Orlando ride vehicles bounce to mimic Tigger once he shows up. Though the styles may differ, and while some may remain furious that Pooh replaced Mr. Toad's Wild Ride in Orlando, this remains one of the sweetest, calmest, more pleasing attractions at the Disney theme parks.

The major Toy Story-themed attractions at Disneyland and Walt Disney World are interactive video games, but Toy Story Midway Mania pushes its technology beyond the Buzz Lightyear attractions in Tomorrowland. Here, you sail through a 3D series of carnival-inspired midway games with various franchise favorites guiding you every step of the way. The game is roughly the same in Anaheim and Orlando, but the queues are much different: in Disney's Hollywood Studios, the queue (largely interior) reflects Andy's bedroom, where the DCA queue is largely exterior and meant to evoke a boardwalk setting. Because the track makes it slower to load guests onto the attraction, Toy Story Midway Mania isn't the best of the Toy Story attractions, but it comes very close.

Peter Pan's Flight, like many great Disney attractions, offers a traditional theme-park ride with a valuable tweak. Think of Space Mountain: it's a roller coaster...but in the dark. Peter Pan's Flight is a typical Disney dark ride...but you're flying. Instead of the track being laid into the ground, it's on the ceiling, lifting you up as you see Peter face off against Captain Hook, Tinker Bell soar through the air, and so on. The ride's effects were recently renovated, adding to the excitement; it's roughly similar in both the Orlando and Anaheim Fantasylands, where the biggest flaws are the same: first, the lines are always extremely long and second, the ride is always over before you know it. But it's beloved for good reason.

Technically speaking, Mickey's PhilharMagic, in the Magic Kingdom's Fantasyland, isn't connected to a specific film. (I'm breaking the rules again!) It's here, though, for one reason: it's wonderful. Mickey's PhilharMagic, a 4D film, is related to many of Disney's animated classics, from Peter Pan to Aladdin to The Little Mermaid. Despite the name, the film mostly focuses on Donald Duck, who gets a hold of Mickey Mouse's magical Sorcerer Hat and inserts himself into the scenes of the aforementioned films as well as others. For animation buffs, PhilharMagic is notable because some of the films' animators – Glen Keane and Nik Ranieri, for example – aided the project in re-animating characters like Ariel and Lumiere in 3D. For anyone else, it's a delightfully manic, goofy play on Disney films.

This is a standard-issue dark ride: you ride through major scenes from the film, climaxing with the evil Queen (in her haggardly form) falling off a cliff in the rain to her doom. If you've seen Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, the various scenes and characters will be familiar. (I assume most of you have seen Snow White.) What makes this attraction so special, and so deserving of the word "scary" in the title, is that the Imagineers didn't skimp on adding a foreboding atmosphere to most scenes in the ride. When your vehicle shifts from the transforming Queen, into her dungeon and the spooky forest that's trying to grab you...well, it's no wonder kids can walk out of this attraction terrified. Snow White's Scary Adventures tells a familiar story very well.

That Mr. Toad's Wild Ride has survived over 60 years at Disneyland is somewhat wild. Unlike other films represented in Disneyland, Mr. Toad's Wild Ride is based on a much less popular film (The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad), and is inspired by the famed children's book The Wind in the Willows. But when the attraction was shuttered at Walt Disney World in 1998, the resultant outcry may have scared Disney off from touching the original. Since it opened, Mr. Toad's Wild Ride, arguably a better experience than the film inspiring it, has been tweaked, but remains one of the weirdest, more jolting dark rides at Disneyland. It's this high not just because of the ride and queue design, but because...listen, few attractions could try to end in Hell. This one does it, and pulls it off.

In 2003, Walt Disney Pictures released a film heavily inspired by an enduring attraction that began its life in Disneyland's New Orleans Square, to massive acclaim. That was Pirates of the Caribbean. Later that same year, Disney tried to capture lightning again and failed with the Eddie Murphy-led version of The Haunted Mansion. Since that time, the Haunted Mansion attraction in Disneyland has indeed incorporated elements of a film into the ride: The Nightmare Before Christmas. This attraction is so high on the list primarily for the version that's not themed to the exploits of Jack Skellington and friends. But even that holiday-themed version can be a spooky jolt to ride through. It can't top the original, steeped in old-fashioned thrills and gallows humor, but then, what can?