New Look at Big Thunder Mountain Railroad- the Wildest Ride in the Wilderness

After two posts in a row about Universal Orlando Resort, I wanted to make sure my Disney Bloggers membership card wasn't pulled from me, so I have a pretty great piece of concept art for today's post. Look at this very cool rendering! What you're seeing is a rare Big Thunder Mountain Railroad illustration. Check it out in its largest form for all the details- broken track, canyon gorges, and water features. 

When Imagineer Marc Davis' original plan for Thunder Mesa with its Western River Expedition, a cowboy and Indian version of Pirates of the Caribbean were cancelled, the runaway mine train attraction as part of the larger complex was saved. Young Imagineering protégé Tony Baxter jumped on the chance to elaborate on the original design. The end result? An instant classic built in multiple parks and our family's very favorite mountain attraction. 

The "Wildest ride through the Wilderness" is very good at Disneyland, even better at Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom, and just plain fantastic at Disneyland Paris where the riders begin their adventure aboard by going under the river. In fact, Frontierland in France is the best of them all with an expansive, thematically consistent area rich in detail, story, and top notch execution. You've got to see it to believe it.

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. Anyplace you ride it, you'll find one great attraction in the old school, Disney Imagineering tradition. And what a great thing that is!

(Art copyright The Walt Disney Company.)