In Space Mountain, Everyone Can Hear You Scream

Discoveryland at Disneyland Paris draws inspiration from the futuristic predictions of several visionaries of the past, but none more so than Frenchman Jules Verne. Standing majestically at the center of the land is Space Mountain, based on Verne's 1865 novel, "From the Earth to the Moon."


Space Mountain: De la Terre à la Lune opened in 1995 and introduced two major "firsts" for Disney Parks coasters. It was the first to include multiple inversions and the first to feature synchronized on-board audio. In 2005, the attraction was updated to Space Mountain: Mission 2, taking Guests beyond the Moon to the far reaches of the universe with all new special effects and a new soundtrack composed by Michael Giacchino.

Although the story of Space Mountain has expanded over the years, many of the details remain the same. In fact, in some places throughout the queue you can still see emblems with the initials "DM" for Discovery Mountain, the name intended for the attraction until right before it opened.

In Verne's story "De la Terre à la Lune," representatives from the Baltimore Gun Club build an enormous cannon to launch themselves from the Earth to the Moon. The cannon itself, named "Columbiad," is a major architectural element of Space Mountain, extending more than 70 feet along the exterior of the structure. The detailing on "Columbiad" is magnificent... and so is the scale. To give you an idea, an average size person would only stand eye-level with the words "Gun Club" on the side of the base. High above and resplendent in gold is Columbia herself, a feminine personification of the United States, her arrow poised to shoot for the stars.

The main hall of the Baltimore Gun Club is where we board the rocket for our mission to outer space. Our goal is the future, but the setting is firmly in the Victorian past, contained within a massive, riveted iron structure.

Our rocket rolls into place in the barrel of "Columbiad," and we wait breathlessly for launch. A puff of smoke, a thrust of energy and we're off!

We blast up and into Space Mountain, past the Moon toward encounters with a comet and an asteroid field. Ultimately, we reach the supernova that is our destination, only to have it explode before our eyes. In a flash of red, a hypergate opens a shortcut for our safe return to Earth, where we might be inspired to pursue other adventures in Discoveryland.

More Mountain

Have you ever had the experience of knowing you had a particular photo in your collection and simply not being able to find it? It's a frustration that seems even more prominent in the digital age, with thousands of pictures in our hard drives. Well, this morning I stumbled upon some detail shots of Space Mountain at Disneyland that I had intended to share with you in last week's article. What is it they say? Better late than never!

As we discussed last week, Space Mountain is the space port of Tomorrowland, and quite a few details were added for the attraction's 2005 relaunch to help further support that story. The photo above, taken from the upper-level queue area, shows a landing platform for spacecraft. The platform and the queue are actually on the roof of the Magic Eye Theater (now showing Captain EO). When Space Mountain opened in 1977, this space was open, and guests waiting in line had a view of the live entertainment hosted down on the Space Stage.

This graphic seen just inside the building shows us how Space Station 77 appears from outer space, where it docks with other space stations. Look closely in the lower right corner, and you'll spot a cargo ship, just like the one that hangs overhead in the loading bay.

Passing through the queue, the wall finishes and details really make it feel as though you've entered a space station. There are even air locks and gantry elevator portals.

Oh, and speaking of that cargo ship...

While the number in Space Station 77 obviously refers to the attraction's opening date, the cargo vessel docked at the loading bay bears the designation DL05 for Disneyland and 2005, the year Space Mountain opened after a nearly two year refurbishment.

Mountains in Space

Along the outside of the Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters building is this mural, dramatically depicting various spacecraft in flight. It's designed to mirror the Star Tours mural across the way, but it also puts an interesting spin on an old Tomorrowland story. The image shows Star Command ships blasting through space. We're also shown enormous space stations resembling none other than Space Mountain. Look closely, and you can even see little passenger rockets flying in and out of the docking bay.

Space Mountain opened in Tomorrowland in 1977 (after a successful 1975 launch at Walt Disney World). It was conceived as a futuristic version of the Matterhorn, but with a story line that positioned it as Tomorrowland's space port.

The interior of Space Mountain further establishes this story, as guests board their rockets inside the large docking bay. A cargo transport is docked overhead, and you can see a star field through the forward windows.

When Space Mountain at Disneyland reopened in 2005 after a lengthy refurbishment, the story was enhanced with additional effects in the docking bay and on the ride itself. It was also at that time that the Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters mural debuted. Tying it all together, the queue passages leading into Space Mountain were dressed as corridors and air locks within Space Station 77.

The temptation is to hurry through this space and get to the ride as quickly as possible. Slow down to read the graphics, though, and you'll be rewarded. In addition to those details which support and enhance the story, you'll also come across this bit of Hidden Disney. The mention of Captain J. Hench refers to John Hench, the legendary Imagineer responsible for the design of the Space Mountain attractions here and around the world.

Hidden Disney... in SPACE!

Space Mountain reopened last fall after an extended refurbishment that brought an interactive queue, updated aesthetic and new special effects to this Magic Kingdom classic. The effort also resulted in the introduction of several examples of Hidden Disney.

Space Mountain's role in the story of Tomorrowland has always been the space port, where passengers and cargo are constantly coming and going. Now, this space port has a name: Starport Seven-Five, a reference to the 1975 opening date of the attraction.

A board just inside the entrance identifies some of the connecting systems and star gates accessible from Starport Seven-Five. Look closely at the Active Earth Stations. They're nods to the five Space Mountains in Disney Parks around the world.

TOMORROWLAND STATION MK-1

Magic Kingdom (the first Space Mountain)

TL SPACE STATION 77

Disneyland (opened in 1977)

DISCOVERY LANDING STATION - PARIS

Disneyland Paris (located in Discoveryland)

ASHITA BASE - TOKYO

Tokyo Disneyland ("ashita" is Japanese for "tomorrow")

HK SPACEPORT E-TKT

Hong Kong Disneyland (with a reference to the "E" Ticket)

Heading deeper into the Starport, you'll pass several images of star charts, maps and constellations. Most of the landmarks identified are genuine, adding to the reality of the experience. Then there's this:

The reference is completely fictional, but fits in its own way. The name Hyperion recalls the address of one of Walt Disney's early studios. It also happens to be the name of one of the moons of Saturn. Of course, if you're hoping for a "Planet View" room, you'll need to give them a ring well in advance. I hear they book up quickly!

After pitching in to help clear the runway of asteroid debris, we pass the airlocks and are on our way to the boarding station for a trip through the stars. Once we touch down, we find ourselves at Tomorrowland Station MK-1.

Just past the Command Center is Baggage Claim. From the looks of things, our fellow travelers have been getting around. Stickers on the luggage mark trips to the dwarf planets of Ceres and Pluto, as well as destinations like Luna Port and Titania.

Some people have apparently also been time traveling back to visit some extinct Disney attractions. Mesa Verde was the desert community featured on Horizons at Epcot (where they were growing those great smelling oranges), and Space Station X-1 was an opening day attraction at Disneyland that offered Guests a satellite view of America (in the form of a painting seen from a rotating viewing platform).

Todayland

Disney's animated feature Meet the Robinsons is filled with fun references, from the use of the song "Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow" to the quote from Walt Disney at the end. It's this blink-and-you'll-miss-it shot, though, during Lewis's initial trip to the future, that I enjoy the most.

It's funny because for so many years it was true. Tomorrowland in the Disney Parks was originally envisioned as a realistic portrayal of what the future might hold. Unfortunately, the future kept becoming the present faster than the parks could react. It's a challenge even Walt Disney faced in the early days of Disneyland.

Tomorrowland has since transitioned from science fact to science fiction, rendering it far more timeless. With apologies to Werner Weiss, the Tomorrowland of our memories has become Yesterland. Today, we take a quick look back by way of a few pictures from my second Walt Disney World visit, this time in 1983.

The entrance to Tomorrowland was once flanked by these two giant monoliths. From 1971 to 1982, the towers and walls were painted powder blue and water cascaded down from the peaks. By the early 80s, the waterfalls had proven unreliable, and an enhancement effort brought the colorful tile pattern you see in the image above (work on the tile was completed during the first half of my June 1983 visit).

In the distance, you can just make out the oval signs touting Mission to Mars (on the left) and America the Beautiful in Circle-Vision 360 (on the right). At the end of the promenade is another sight that wasn't there on opening day, the rocket pylon of the Star Jets sitting atop the platform for the WEDway PeopleMover.

The Star Jets opened in November 1974 as the first part of a major expansion of Tomorrowland that would be completed in 1975 with the additions of the PeopleMover, General Electric's Carousel of Progress and Space Mountain.

Space Mountain was originally sponsored by RCA, as Guests could plainly see from anywhere in Tomorrowland. It was RCA computer technology that helped make Space Mountain possible, with a ride system capable of controlling multiple trains on the track simultaneously.

The rocket car seen on the pylon out front was intended to help communicate to Guests just what sort of experience awaited them inside. This was, after all, the first time a roller coaster had been built inside in the dark. A similar technique was later deployed at Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith at Disney's Hollywood Studios. There, the train is inverted to clearly show that the ride will turn you (and the music industry) upside-down.

Closer inspection of the rocket car also reveals the original seating arrangement on Space Mountain. Passengers would sit straddling one of two benches, with a friend or family member sitting in their lap (the Matterhorn at Disneyland still uses this configuration). Seat belts held passengers in place during their journey. By 1989, the seat belt cars had been replaced with the current trains, in which each passenger has an individual seat and lap bar.

To Space Mountain... And Beyond!

Space Mountain is the iconic symbol of Tomorrowlands (and one Discoveryland) the world over. The attraction, originally conceived in 1965 as Space Port, was Walt Disney's idea. He wanted to duplicate the success of the Matterhorn at Disneyland with a roller coaster in the dark, simulating a rocket ride through outer space. It would be a decade before the first Space Mountain became a reality, finally making its debut at Walt Disney World.

The main building of Space Mountain encloses a space roughly 300 feet in diameter, reaching a height of 183 feet (to the top of the highest spire). The structure was built first, and all of the track, trains and other interior elements were then brought in through the side before the walls were completed. (images ©Disney)

One of the most unique elements of the Space Mountain design is the concrete ribs along the exterior. Imagineer John Hench describes how it came about in his book Designing Disney - Imagineering and the Art of the Show:

"In the construction of the building, the engineers selected precast concrete and steel T beams for the main roof structure. They wanted the beams facing inside the building, but I wanted them facing outside, to provide a smooth surface in the interior on which we could project images. The distance between the T beams varies, from narrow at the top to wider at the bottom; on the cone-shaped roof, this gives an appropriately dynamic effect of forced perspective. The resulting exterior design is strong, simple and visually effective."

The original sponsor of Space Mountain, RCA, provided the computer technology that made the ride possible. It became the first computer-controlled roller coaster, allowing the operation of multiple trains on the same track simultaneously, greatly increasing capacity.

Space Mountain made its debut in January 1975 to great fanfare, forever changing the skyline of Tomorrowland and launching a generation of new Disney thrill attractions.

Space... Out

Space Mountain is considered by many the quintessential Disney thrill ride. Originally conceived in the 1960s as an expansion to Disneyland called "Space Port," early renderings clearly show that Space Mountain was to be Tomorrowland's answer to the Matterhorn. In this painting by Imagineer John Hench (©Disney), one can even spot points on the mountain at which the rockets would have zoomed around the exterior, just as the bobsleds do on Fantasyland's Swiss peak.

Technology wasn't quite ready to handle Space Mountain, however, so the 1967 redo of Tomorrowland at Disneyland moved forward without it. A few years later, in Florida, the Magic Kingdom opened its doors with a barely-there Tomorrowland and no thrill attractions whatsoever. The Imagineers of the day didn't think Florida's retiree population would be interested in such things. They couldn't have been more wrong - about who would end up coming to the park... or about what they would be looking for once they got there. The Space Mountain project was quickly turned on, but for the East Coast with RCA as a sponsor to help Disney hammer out the technological requirements.

The grand opening of Space Mountain at Walt Disney World (above photo ©Disney) was held January 15, 1975. Since that time, Space Mountain attractions have been added to all the Disneyland parks around the world - Disneyland (1977), Tokyo Disneyland (1983), Disneyland Paris (1995), Hong Kong Disneyland (2005). In recent years, each Mountain has been upgraded with the latest technology and special effects. Each one, that is, except the original. Now, it's Florida's turn.

Tonight at midnight, Space Mountain closes for a 7-month-long refurbishment to add some "new magic" and bring the attraction into the 21st century. I had the opportunity to visit the Magic Kingdom today, for my last chance to experience Space Mountain "classic." While many of the details of just what will be enhanced remain under wraps, I tried to capture images of those elements which seem likely candidates for improvement, replacement, or removal.

This star map and arrival/departure board date back to the Federal Express sponsorship of the attraction in the 90s, a time when the interior queue space featured television monitors broadcasting non-stop to waiting Guests. The monitors are long gone, but other remnants of the FedEx days linger.

Next are the Star Corridor and "holographic" windows (neither of which photograph well). Also in this area are a series of images of galaxies, nebulae, and other outer space phenomena.

Once in the main interior queue, the ceiling opens up to reveal a star field above and the occasional glow-in-the-dark rocket or giant meteor projection floating by. By the way, contrary to popular urban legend, those meteors are not images of chocolate chip cookies. They may not be the most realistic by today's standards, but an Imagineering artist once worked really hard to make them look as meteor-like as possible.

Here comes our rocket. The individual seats with lap bars showed up in the 1990s. Before that, the rockets had bench seats (like those on the Matterhorn) and seat belts. The newer configuration proved safer and more efficient.

Space Mountain at Walt Disney World is unique in that it is the only one to feature two tracks. Alpha and Omega are essentially mirrors of one another. When Space Mountain was finally added to Disneyland, there wasn't room for more than one track. The capacity issue was resolved by building rockets which seat Guests two across, side by side. It's this configuration which was duplicated around the world.

"Space Shuttle, this is Flight Safety. Keep your hands on the handrail or inside the vehicle, and remain seated while in motion. Prepare for launch."

Where's Michael Giacchino when you need him?!

Space-walking astronauts working on the CMB-2000 as its docked at the space station... and the rest is too dark to photograph. Besides, who takes pictures on a roller coaster ride? Honestly! (This one is actually from the Tomorrowland Transit Authority, which also closes tomorrow, reopening in August)

Finally, we make it to the exit corridor. It's another plug for FedEx which has been slightly modified to avoid directly mentioning the company, since they no longer sponsor the attraction. The basic theme seems to be that one day rocket travel will be obsolete, because we're already simply beaming cargo across the galaxy. Beaming people can't be far behind...

In the future, everyone will be on TV...

So there you have it, the final day for Space Mountain classic - the 1975 original. Now, it's makeover time. If the enhancements made at Disneyland are any indication of what to expect, I can't wait! See you November 22, old friend...