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.