| Watch the on-ride POV |
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| The ride's former entrance | |||||||||||||||||
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| Designer / calculations | Walt Disney Imagineering | ||||||||||||||||
| Height | 21 feet | ||||||||||||||||
| Speed | 35 mph | ||||||||||||||||
| Track length | 3,500 feet | ||||||||||||||||
Rocket Rods was a high-speed thrill attraction located at Disneyland Park in Anaheim, California, United States. Opening on May 22, 1998, and closing suddenly on September 25, 2000, with an announced closure of April 23, 2001,[1] the ride is a replacement of the PeopleMover attraction and is located at the Tomorrowland section of the park. The ride had many maintenance issues and downtime before its closure.
History
In the early 90's, the original 1960's vision the Tomorrowland area of the park had was beginning to look a little tired. Looking for a way to refurbish the land, Michael Eisner and the Imagineers proposed a Tomorrowland 2055 concept as part of the Disney Decade. Many attractions were also proposed, but almost all of these ideas were shelved in part due to the underwhelming attendance figures and reception of Euro Disney (now known as Disneyland Paris.)
A new plan was proposed that saw not a complete refurbishment, but instead an overhaul that saw updates to attractions, new rides, and a complete and total tone shift from the bright white of the land to a now-bronze color scheme. However, the PeopleMover would not be spared and it would close on its announced date of August 21, 1995.[2] Construction would then proceed to take over by 1997.[3]
Disney at the time was undergoing major cost issues, so to save on costs, they opted not to demolish and build new track and instead re-use the PeopleMover track, just with a new ride system overlayed onto it. The new vehicles would be similar to the ones found on rides like Test Track, at Epcot. The entirety of the ride layout remained the same, with zero changes to the actual sights found during the course, either.
On May 22, 1998, the Rocket Rods opened to the public, as part of the New Tomorrowland refurbishment. Almost from the very beginning, the ride was a mechanical nightmare from start to end, with the ride not even operating consistently due to mechanical failures and downtime.[4] A little over a month after, on July 6, 1998, the ride would close for mechanical and refurbishment procedures. It would then reopen in October of that year.
However, even with the procedures done, the ride was still a mechanical headache. Not only that, but the track was found to have numerous stress cracks due to the stress put on the heavy vehicles and the high speeds consistently put on them. The ride's operations were also hampered as well, as the slightest breeze would force the entire ride system to shut down, as well as if the ride system caught the vehicles being in the slightest off position in the layout.[5]
Eventually, on August 29, 2000, the park announced the ride would be closing on September the following month for more refurbishments and repairs that were to last until the Spring of 2001.[6] The ride closed, and the months came and went, and no work was reported to have started on the ride. On April 27, 2001, the ride was confirmed to never reopen.[7] To this day, the track, station, and supports remain at the park, while most of the vehicles and the operating systems were destroyed.
Images
References
- ↑ Geryak, Cole (2018-01-18). "Disney Extinct Attractions: Rocket Rods". LaughingPlace.com. Retrieved 2024-10-07.
- ↑ Wheel, The News (2020-12-22). "Rocket Rods: Disney's Rocket-Powered Mistake - Pt. 1". The News Wheel. Retrieved 2024-10-07.
- ↑ Wheel, The News (2020-12-22). "Rocket Rods: Disney's Rocket-Powered Mistake - Pt. 1". The News Wheel. Retrieved 2024-10-07.
- ↑ "Yesterland: Rocket Rods". www.yesterland.com. Retrieved 2024-10-07.
- ↑ Wheel, The News (2020-12-22). "Rocket Rods: Disney's Rocket-Powered Mistake - Pt. 2". The News Wheel. Retrieved 2024-10-07.
- ↑ Strickland, Daryl (2000-08-30). "Disney's Rocket Rods Ride to Be Closed for Maintenance". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2024-10-07.
- ↑ "Disneyland Officials Confirm Closure of Rocket Rods". www.ultimaterollercoaster.com. Retrieved 2024-10-07.
