My Favourite 10 Rides at Disneyland

(ok and also California Adventure if we're being technical)

At the end of last year, I was lucky enough to venture to the United States of America and experience one of the wonders of the modern world: Disneyland in Anaheim, California. After traveling through smog and walking past all of the funny little hotels (and also that one guy on the street telling us to find Jesus), you will find the very unassuming gates of Disneyland. 'Really? This is the entrance? It's kind of sneaky' is what I thought. But there's a great big world behind those gates. A world where you can ride up to the top of a mountain, watch a Broadway-level half an hour version of The Lion King, or talk to a guy dressed as Aladdin who you know is just a guy but everyone acts like he is Aladdin and it's kind of awkward because he's probably your age.

I'm doing a class this semester called 'Immersive Screen Technologies' which focuses on creating VR or AR spaces to tell stories. The uses of this technology are endless: anything from narrative, to documentary, to advertising, to education. Disney are masters of immersivity (not a real word). They are pioneers of escapism. My class has given me time to reflect on some immersive experiences I've experienced and so I thought it was a good time to highlight some of my favourite rides at Disney....because I think they are the pinnacle of what can be described as 'immersive'. You are physically moving in a simulated way. You are seeing, smelling, hearing things that are designed specifically to invoke a mood or atmosphere or memory. Disneyland as an entire institution is just one big augmented reality station. Anyway, here are my top ten Disney rides and why.

10. Peter Pan's Flight

Disney Photoblography

This is one of the oldest rides at the park which is terrifying to think about when you are suspended above the ground (which comes to you as a surprise) on a creaky little pirate ship. But this ride is beautiful! A lot of the dark rides in Fantasyland are! (Pinocchio's Daring Journey, I am NOT talking about you). They manage to evoke a level of nostalgia in a whimsical way that fits in with my fondest memory of Disney movies. This ride would bring a smile to even the most Disney-hating individual because it is lovely (and kind of scary!).

9. Goofy's Sky School

HAHAHA I put this one here because it was so unserious. What looks like a normal little kiddy coaster is actually the hardest you will ever be thrown into a corner. I think most people hate this one but I love it. It is terrifying the entire time, you feel like you're going to die, and you just get this soundtrack of Goofy giggling in your ear like he's masterminded the whole thing. Genius.

8. Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway

This was the first ride we went on in Disneyland and it was a new one. It was lovely and it made me realise what we were in for: next level IMMERSIVE entertainment. This ride utilised Disney's new projection animatronic technology to make characters move realistically. It actually wasn't very creepy on this one because it was new and lit well (again, Pinocchio's Daring Adventure did not get the memo with the lighting).

7. Indiana Jones Adventure

This is one for all the dads! In fact, my dad went on it twice! This is a lot of fun and has an extremely immersive (yet claustrophobic) queue. Once you travel into the depths of the cave? temple? archaeological dig site? you get to hop on a Jeep and ride around. It is bizarre how realistic this ride felt. And yes, I screamed when the giant boulder was going to fall on us.

This is the scary boulder!! (Facts and Figment)

6. Space Mountain

Futuristic and very fun. Hop on a spaceship and fly around the cosmos (in the dark where you can't really see anything) listening to probably my favourite soundtrack of any of these Disney rides. It's an indoor rollercoaster where you can't see anything, of course it's going to be fun!

5. Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance

Probably the most immersive a Disney ride has gotten. This ride is kind of hidden in the even more insanely immersive Galaxy's Edge, where you walk around and go 'what planet am I on? Seriously, is this still Disneyland?' (And if you are me 'Kylo Ren stay away, I am very scared of you!') Rise of the Resistance is THE Star Wars ride and probably one of the most well engineered experiences at the park. You basically get to roleplay being resistance spies and work with the rest of the gang (I was excited to see my boyfriends Oscar Isaac and John Boyega) to defeat and probably embarrass Kylo Ren and General Hux. It's really fun, it's just a long process. It was difficult for me to rank this one this low but I was thinking in terms of re-rideability. I would need a couple days rest before I embark on this journey again.

4. Radiator Springs Racers

I would NOT, however, need a rest for this one. This is the ride in California Adventure that normally always has a two hour plus wait time. And now I understand why. It is VERY FUN. What starts out as your typical dark room ride (with really exceptional animatronics I might add) turns into an interactive race to the finish (a mini coaster?).

Like, where are we right now?

For some reason I thought this ride was new. It's not, it has just remained epic since 2012. Did I mention the surrounds are kind of like Galaxy's Edge where you're like 'where am I? Is this Arizona or something?' It's awesome. First time we went on this, we were stopped and evacuated which was an experience. Luckily it was the open air part so it was almost like our car broke down and we were waiting for the NRMA to start the battery up again.

3. Incredicoaster

If you grew up with The Incredibles, you will love this. I was really apprehensive (I was genuinely shaking walking up the steps) because I hadn't been on a rollercoaster in, I don't know...ever! Most people will tell you that this isn't that bad. But....that dreaded loop! I thought I would just fall out or something. Obviously, I didn't listen much in physics because you don't even really realise you're in the loop until you're out of it. This is again just loads of fun. Your stomach drops a lot but it's the good kind. I screamed a lot and my sister laughed at me as I screamed.

2. Soarin'

Probably the most relaxed I have ever been on a ride ever. Had more leg room than the plane over to the US. On this ride you are calmly whisked away from the craziness of California Adventure and flown all over the world. This ride in particular exemplifies the whole 'immersive' idea with projections and sounds on a gigantic dome screen whilst your seat moves gently so you feel like you're flying. Oh and yeah, they spray these very specific scents that kind of vaguely resemble the images on screen (my favourite was grass). I would live on that ride if I could. It is so lovely.

1. Guardians of the Galaxy - Mission: BREAKOUT!

If you asked me about Disneyland, I would have mentioned this ride. Now listen, the Guardians are my favourite Marvel characters so I was extra excited for this. But the whole place, the whole building is decked out in this rustic yet futuristic decor. You're given a debrief by Rocket (an animatronic) and then you have to sit in the elevator. I haven't mentioned that this ride is a drop tower ride so yeah, expect to be dropped. I was scared, I screamed a lot. BUT I also laughed a lot.

Here's a weird little photo I took of the inside.

I think the thing that this ride does so perfectly is make you feel like you are a part of the team (even though all you do is literally just sit there). We are part of the fun! And it is fun! And when you walk off the ride to 'Surrender' by Cheap Trick you think 'damn, life really is a movie' and then you go and ride it again and think the same things but the song's different (they rotate them apparently). Fun and happiness exists as this ride in California Adventure. I didn't want Disney to get me with their consumerism and nostalgia bait, I thought I was too smart for that. Being on this ride bypassed any cynical part of my brain allowing me to exist as just this aura of smiles and laughter. Lol.