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In Memoriam: Snow White’s Scary Adventures, 1971-2012

In the spirit of the “In Memoriam” segment found in the upcoming, well-known Hollywood awards show, the WDW Radio Blog will be honoring Walt Disney World attractions and/or locations we have loved and lost over the years.


On May 31st, 2012, Walt Disney World closed one of its original and most unique dark rides to begin the New Fantasyland expansion. That ride was Snow White’s Scary Adventures, my favorite attraction as a child.

Snow White’s Scary Adventures was one of the few remaining attractions still operating since opening day at both Disneyland and WDW. The original version was designed to make you feel like you were Snow White herself, and it definitely was a little bit scary. But in 1994, the ride was renovated to tone down the creep factor and add some appearances from Snow White. That is the version that I’ve always known, although I’ve watched the original on YouTube, and it looked very fun. I’ve always had a love for Disney’s scarier attractions (like The Haunted Mansion, The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, etc.), so I wish they wouldn’t have changed it.  This attraction will always be my favorite, no matter what version it is or wether or not I ever get to ride it again.

When I found out it would become extinct back in 2012, my heart was so broken! SWSA was the first attraction I ever rode at WDW when I was 16 months old, so it’s been in my life for as long as I can remember. (Even though my first ride through wasn’t very enjoyable, I was scared of the dark and began to cry as soon as I saw the Evil Queen turn around! Haha!) But as I got older, I learned to love the little bit of scariness the attraction provided and Snow White and the Seven Dwarves started to become one of my favorite movies. I would get so excited every time I saw Snow White sitting by the well holding the bird on her finger, and a smile would spread across my face anytime I entered the room of Dwarves dancing and singing. Every time I went on SWSA (and now whenever I watch a video of it), it just made me happy. And isn’t that why we love the attractions we love? Sometimes we need something like a ride, movie or song to remind us we have a lot to smile about. Happiness is all around us and that is something that Walt Disney World and its attractions remind us of and have us look for. I also think that is why we get so attached to them and so sad when we hear they are going to be shut down.

SWSA is still located in Disneyland, Tokyo Disneyland and Disneyland Paris, so hopefully one day I can travel to one of those parks and experience it again. I thankfully got to ride Snow White’s Scary Adventures during the last week it was running, and I went on it nearly everyday I was in Magic Kingdom Park. And on the last day, I made sure to go on three times in a row.

(Photos from the author’s personal collection.)

What’s your favorite extinct Walt Disney World attraction? Tell me your stories in the comments below!

Thanks for listening and have a magical day! – Ruby 8:)

 

Ruby is a fifteen year old Disney fan, and she credits her mom with starting her early love of Disney. In addition to her enthusiasm for Disney, Ruby enjoys singing, drawing, reading, listening to music and writing. She enjoys reviewing Disney-related topics that are of interest to younger Disney fans—and their parents and grandparents!

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About Lou Mongello

Lou Mongello is a former attorney who left the practice to pursue his passion, and is now a recognized Disney expert, author, speaker, and host of WDW Radio. Learn more…

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