At the time of writing this, Space Mountain opened exactly 50 years ago today on January 15th, 1975 at the Magic Kingdom!
Space Mountain is probably my favorite Disney attraction of all time, and I take a lot of pride in knowing that Walt Disney World's Space Mountain is the original. As such, I thought it would be fitting to take a deep dive into the fabled history of this iconic and classic Disney thrill ride!
If you'd like to see a video version of this article, be sure to watch my recent video essay about Space Mountain's history by clicking here.
Now, let's begin!
Disneyland - 1955
Our story begins back in 1955 with the opening of Disneyland. Disneyland opened its doors to the world in Anaheim California on July 17th, 1955, and was nothing short of an instant success. However, even with its massive success, there were many parts of the park that were originally rushed during the construction process, leaving Walt with a longing sense of discontent. But if there’s anything that we know about Walt Disney, it’s that he never stopped dreaming and looking towards the future.
With Walt’s open and optimistic mindset about Disneyland’s future, he looked for an opportune area in the park where he could invest and improve. He ultimately settled on an empty plot of land right in between Tomorrowland and Fantasyland (which at the time, was called Holiday Hill), and in 1957, just two years after the park had opened, work began on three new headliner attractions for the park. This included the Disneyland Monorail System and Submarine Voyage in Tomorrowland, and the Matterhorn Bobsleds rollercoaster in Fantasyland.
All three attractions opened together on June 14th, 1959 during an event called “The Second Opening of Disneyland.” But by far the highlight of these three new attractions was the Matterhorn Bobsleds, which instantly became the most popular attraction in the park. The Matterhorn was Disney’s original thrill ride and rollercoaster, and just like many of the coasters that would come after it, has stood the test of time for decades in the park’s history.
Disneyland's 10th Birthday - 1965
Fast forward to 1965 for Disneyland’s 10th birthday, and it was officially announced that work was underway for a complete revamp of Tomorrowland. As I mentioned earlier, Walt was initially discontent with Tomorrowland ever since it debuted, as it was rushed from the beginning, even with the addition of the Monorail and Submarine Voyage. The initial plans to bring Tomorrowland to Walt’s original vision included a multitude of new attractions, one of which was a high speed indoor rollercoaster themed to space travel.
The attraction, originally called “Space Voyage” began development shortly after the 1964-1965 New York World’s Fair and was designed by legendary Disney Imagineer John Hench. From its early inception, Space Voyage would be a four-tracked roller coaster in the dark with controlled lighting and projections to simulate space travel. The idea was originally pitched to Walt, and he reportedly loved it.
Sadly, Walt Disney passed away the following year in 1966, but work still continued on the Tomorrowland overhaul. Finally, in the Summer of 1967, Disneyland’s Tomorrowland transformation was officially earmarked as complete with the addition of a staggering 4 new attractions. This included the Carousel of Progress from the 1964-1965 New York World’s Fair, the Rocket Jets, the Peoplemover, and Adventures Thru Inner Space.
Unfortunately, the vision for a space-themed rollercoaster never made it off the drawing board at Disneyland, but that was all about to change with the opening of Walt Disney World in Florida just a few years later...
Walt Disney World - 1971
Walt Disney World opened in Orlando, Florida on October 1st, 1971, and just like its California predecessor, was an immediate smash hit. However, when the Magic Kingdom opened, most of the attractions were simply just duplicates of the ones you could find out in Disneyland, with few differences.
Believe it or not, there were only 3 opening day attractions that were original to the Magic Kingdom. This included the Country Bear Jamboree in Frontierland, the Hall of Presidents in Liberty Square, and the Mickey Mouse Revue in Fantasyland. As such, as the Magic Kingdom completed its first year of operation, it was clear that not only was there a need for more original attractions, but for more thrilling ones as well.
To meet guest demand, Disney went back to the drawing board and back in history in search of some inspiration. The Imagineers eventually landed on the formerly abandoned idea of a space-themed rollercoaster that was originally slated for Disneyland. And with the green light from then CEO Donn Tatum, the Imagineers officially broke ground on the now named Space Mountain on December 15th, 1972 at the Magic Kingdom.
As ground broke for Space Mountain at the Magic Kingdom, the concept art for the attraction also changed quite a bit. Take a look at the progression below!
Space Mountain Opens - 1975
After just over 2 years of construction, Space Mountain officially opened its doors to guests on January 15th, 1975 as Walt Disney World’s first ever rollercoaster and thrill ride. Standing at a whopping 183 feet tall and 300 feet wide in diameter, Imagineer John Hench designed Space Mountain to look like a truly modern and futuristic, yet timeless piece of architecture. Its sleek and unique design comes from the supporting beams of the building being located on the outside rather than on the inside, making Space Mountain a true Disney park icon in its own right.
In fact, Space Mountain became such a smash hit at Walt Disney World that a second version opened at Disneyland just two and a half years later in the Summer of 1977, finally fulfilling Walt’s original vision for Disneyland’s Tomorrowland. The coaster has also been duplicated in Disney’s international parks as well, including Paris, Hong Kong, and Tokyo.
Hong Kong's Space Mountain is the version that matches the closest to the American Space Mountains. Other versions, such as Paris for example, take on different aesthetics. Paris' version is located in Discoveryland and takes on a Jules Verne inspired theme. It's also the only Space Mountain where guests get launched up a hill, and features an inversion! As for Tokyo, they are currently in the process of completely redoing their version of Space Mountain to better match with their more modern and sleek Tomorrowland. The reimagined Space Mountain is set to reopen in 2027! See the concept art below.
Shanghai Disneyland remains the only "castle park" in the world to not have a Space Mountain. Instead, they have Tron Lightcycle Run, but now Walt Disney World has the attraction, too!
But back to Disney World’s Space Mountain. With advances in computer control technology and an initial sponsorship of the Radio Corporation of America (RCA), Space Mountain was the first rollercoaster in the entire world to be fully programmed and controlled by computers. In fact, Space Mountain is a lot of firsts in general. Here's a bulleted list of fun facts that only Space Mountain could boast:
Space Mountain Fun Facts:
Walt Disney World’s Space Mountain is the original and the Magic Kingdom's first rollercoaster/thrill ride.
Walt Disney World's first "mountain."
Was the first rollercoaster in the entire world to be fully operated by computers.
The first fully-enclosed rollercoaster in the world.
Is currently the oldest still-operational rollercoaster in the entire state of Florida.
The initial coaster manufacturer was Arrow Dynamics, who also manufactured Disneyland's Space Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain.
Standing at 183 feet tall, Space Mountain is only 1 foot shorter than the NASA Space Shuttle, and only 6 feet shorter than Cinderella Castle!
The Carousel of Progress also opened alongside Space Mountain in 1975! The original show opened at Disneyland in 1967 following its debut at the 1964-1965 New York World's Fair, but Walt Disney World's is the only version that still exists today.
It’s no wonder why Space Mountain has become one of the most historically significant Disney attractions out there. Not only has it been beloved by guests from day one, but the coaster was groundbreaking in computer technology and architectural design.
Summary
Space Mountain is a time-tested and classic rollercoaster that is easily a must-do when visiting Walt Disney World. Originally inspired by the success of the Matterhorn Bobsleds out in Disneyland, it has become not only a Disney parks staple around the world, but a true testament that “no good idea at Imagineering ever truly dies.” This is especially true in that it pays tribute to the original vision of Walt Disney. And now, 5 decades later, I think it’s safe to say that Space Mountain has easily earned a rightful spot in both the hearts and minds of countless Disney fans around the globe. It’s a piece of nostalgic Americana that has helped define so many memories at Walt Disney World, and I’m proud to call Space Mountain my favorite Disney attraction of all time.
But that pretty much wraps up this article! I hope you enjoyed reading all about the history of this iconic Disney attraction as we celebrate 50 years of timeless thrills in Tomorrowland.
But what about you? What special memories do you have from Space Mountain? Were you surprised by any parts of its history? Let me know in the comments below!
Thanks for reading everyone, and happy 50th anniversary to Space Mountain!
Commenti