A Portal to Wondrous, Dark Adventures

Sleeping Beauty Castle is more than a fanciful park icon; It beckons you into a land containing the best collection of classic-style dark rides on the planet. And, once upon a time (before the mid-eighties), those rides were darker and more mysterious. Today's guests experience the adventures of Snow White, Pinocchio, Peter Pan and Alice as journeys into film worlds they're well acquainted with. Mr. Toad's movie remains relatively obscure, but at least the film's available.

But the dark rides weren't always visits to familiar film worlds. Two factors originally combined to make each ride a stranger, more thrilling experience, particularly for children. Sure, there was the massive Fantasyland makeover in 1983, but most of it revolves around the fact that Disney animation was not always something you could view anytime you wanted.

Anyone who grew up in the 1950's, 60's or 70's might remember the particularly strong sense of otherworldliness Fantasyland held. Because...

In the pre-home-video days, more park guests knew the Disney versions of Alice, Snow White, Peter Pan, and Mr. Toad from their Fantasyland dark rides than from the films themselves.

Dark Ride Loading: Pinocchio's Daring Journey

The five Fantasyland dark rides each have a unique style to their loading area, but all aim to provide a smooth transition from the (relatively) real world to the glowing black-light realms inside the building.

At Pinocchio's Daring Journey, we feel as if we're entering a picture book that's springing to life, with three-dimensional set pieces emerging from background paintings.

The Pinocchio That Never Was (with Fish Heads & Crumbs)

The entry for Pinocchio's Daring Journey, featuring the cheerful title character, misleads some first-time riders into thinking it's a happy trip through a puppet show. If you've seen the film, you know how that scenario plays out, and the ride is every bit as dark and full of villainy.

During the film's production, Walt Disney and co. made a wise decision when they scrapped their original concepts for the character -- which stuck fairly close to the book version -- in favor of a more likable, naive personality an audience could actually care about. Carlo Collodi's book is an amazing work of fantasy, but his Pinocchio is one of the most obnoxious, self-centered and irritating characters in children's literature.

Thank goodness you don't have to worry about running into that version of Pinocchio on the Disneyland dark ride. Er....

Pinocchio's Daring Journey in 1983

Pinocchio's Daring Journey opened in Disneyland as part of the massive Fantasyland remodel in 1983. Then and now, guests encounter a bit of foreshadowing as they enter the queue and pass this deceptive, cheerful poster for Stromboli's show.

The above image is from this past summer, but all the following photos are from my family's first trip to "New Fantasyland" in the summer of 1983.

Ride vehicles designed to look hand-carved by Geppetto begin the journey by entering Stromboli's Theater. Guests have about two seconds to watch Pinocchio on stage before veering to the right as "Something Goes Terribly Wrong."

Strange Things 4: More Offbeat (and Epic!) Disney Tunes

Welcome to another crazy off-ramp on the Disney Music Highway! We've got banjos, dragons, Mickey Rooney as Pinocchio and amazing park music...but our first pick actually makes Disney history!

Track:  THAT'S WHAT HEROES DO
Album: Epic Mickey 2

Mickey and Oswald perform in a song together for the first time! Sure, they only get one line each (most of this song is performed by the Mad Doctor), but -- What a cool little moment in animation history! Spoiler alert: the lyrics give away the game's ending.

You don't need to play the games to enjoy the music of the Epic Mickey world; Jim Dooley wrote fun, atmospheric scores for both the games, and part 2 has the additional kick of being a semi-musical. With track titles like "Skeleton Dance" and "Autopia Exploration," this album's going to make a lot of Disney fans smile.

And now, Dragon meets Steel Drums...

Darker Than You Think: Pinocchio's Daring Journey

I love the whimsical puppet theater exterior of Pinocchio's Daring Journey at Disneyland. Yet this 1983 dark ride is a lot spookier than it appears from outside. If you've seen the classic film, you know why.

My family witnessed a little scene while waiting in line. A nervous little girl asked her father, "What's going to happen on this ride?"

"Happen?" snapped the Dad, confused by the question. "Yer gonna see Pinocchio!" The girl was not reassured; clearly, she (unlike her pop) knew the story.

Yes, folks, "Yer gonna see Pinocchio." Yer also gonna get locked in a cage by Stromboli, stumble down Tobacco Row, watch kids turn into donkeys, nearly get shoved into a crate, and get attacked by Monstro the Whale, all while Jiminy Cricket yells, "Look out!" and "You're going the wrong way!"

I love this ride, but -- similar to what happens with Snow White's Scary Adventures -- parents should remember that Disney dark rides reflect their source material quite well, and Pinocchio's journey is loaded with villains, threats and narrow escapes. Just as with all good films and rides, the happy ending must be earned.