The Amazing Disappearing Article That's Worth Reading Again: Disney CEO Fumbles Entry to China

Here's an article that appeared- and then was quickly removed- from the Huffington Post. A powerful piece that criticized Robert Iger and the Walt Disney Company's plan for their entry into the Chinese market, and its potential effect on Shanghai Disneyland. It must have angered him so much that Iger used his wife's influence to have it yanked. I hate that kind of corporate or governmental power play!  So, here it is below, courtesy Google.  Thanks to the WDWMagic Boards where the article was originally resurrected. What will happen to Disneyland Abu Dhabi? Will there be lessons learned from the past?

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Sorry Mickey, they're just not that into you. Minnie, you either.

For that matter, you can take the whole stable -- the "Fab Five" of Walt Disney's animated creations -- and, despite a media machine that churns a very different story, China has largely been a land where the fabled wishes, dreams and magic of the Walt Disney Company and its brand have virtually no connection with the consumer. As valued as that consumer is in the economic theater of globalism, the iconic brand synonymous with America has little appeal and less traction among the newly seated audience in the Chinese mainland.

To its 'vanilla on toothpaste' helmsman, Robert A. "Bob" Iger, who has shown himself to be an able cobbler of assets but a less than visionary leader of the media colossus that is the Walt Disney Company, this troubling if known and growing headwind threatens to undermine the content-heavy but culturally aloof purveyor of demographically unshackled product. For in his zeal to expand its library of content, Bob Iger has drop-kicked the Disney moniker to enter new and expanding marketplaces only to position a product that runs well afar of the expectation of the Disney bounce.

In so doing, the once unrivaled status of the Disney brand has become a catch-all for entertainment and its associated byproducts that are increasingly a strange and sometimes conflicted ragbag of franchised acquisitions presented as some sort of media mélange for all ages and all palates. Or, as John Dreyer, the longtime and immediate past head of corporate communications for the Walt Disney Company, said upon the publication of the column Disney CEO Readies Magic Carpet for Exit, "Disney losing its Disney way."

With the company making its grandest play for a market that dwarfs all others, Disney has found itself adrift in a crisis of identity that breaches the foundation of the castle upon which an empire was built. For as turrets were raised, wings were added and a moat of meticulously positioned whimsy was filled in to expand the Disney footprint, something that looks decidedly more pedestrian than the fantastical inspiration for one of the world's most coveted brands has emerged.

Leverage has become the arch of entry into the Disney-verse, while the brand has been marginalized into a holding vehicle for assets that are worth more separately than that vested in the castle itself.

As Mr. Iger said at the 2013 Fortune Global Forum held in Chengdu:

I think the first thing you have to do is you have to obviously be aware of what your most significant brand attributes are. What makes your brand your brand? Why is it great? You have to focus on quality and on those attributes that, again, created the value in the first place. You can't look to cut corners. You can't look to make something with your brand on it that's any cheaper simply because it's going into a market that may not be able to afford it the way another market may have. You can't compromise in that regard. So it starts with what I'll call quality and a respect for an allegiance to the very brand attributes that created the value in the first place.

Now, considering Shanghai Disney is preparing to make its 2016 debut as Disney's first foray into the renminbi rich Chinese mainland after a less than stellar arrival in the former British colony of Hong Kong in 2005, there are lessons aplenty to learn from that delayed embrace and the long stalled entry into the single largest consumer market on offer to the world -- the whole of China. 


Under Mr. Iger's stewarding, Disney has partnered with the Shanghai Shendi Group, an umbrella name placed on a panoply of government-owned companies created to facilitate Western investment as a massive anti-graft campaign is just now rattling Beijing and beyond, to introduce a Disney 'branded' park to those consumers. A flag in the ground for Disney. A flag that has been in the works since the prime of Michael Eisner's reign at Disney and one that nearly collapsed entirely by the summer of 2006.


Indeed, Mr. Iger had to leave the annual Herb Allen retreat for media moguls, tech tycoons and other scripters of society in Sun Valley for an unscheduled trip to Shanghai that day in 2006, scrambling to save face and leading to a denouement worthy of great scrutiny by any company -- especially those entities whose trade is in intellectual property -- wanting to enter China.

Or, as Dalian Wanda Group Chairman Wang Jianlin, whose real estate and entertainment empire is building its North American headquarters adjacent to the Beverly Hilton at 9900 Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills, said on the same panel at the Fortune Global Forum:

[W]e have so many Western companies in China, but you cannot simply replicate the Western ideas and philosophies in China. They need to adapt to the Chinese realities... So for Fortune 500 companies in China it's very important, it's imperative for them to learn traditional culture in China and how is it interrelated with the modern business culture.

Curiously though, the world beyond the berm is told the 330 million or so Chinese within a three-hour trip to the site on the other side of Shanghai's Pudong International Airport cannot wait to queue up for a boat ride on "It's a small world"or whatever Disney is offering up for its reported $5.5 billion marker. As, no, there will apparently be no attraction of that name at Shanghai Disneyland.

Not in China. Not in a country where Mickey, Minne and the rest of the gang are barely known. In a country where Disney might as well be Smith or Jones or Johnson. Well, maybe not that last one as Johnson & Johnson is actually a reasonably well-known brand throughout China.

The Walt Disney Company has a history of stumbling if not outright tumbling in its efforts to export Disney's brand of Americana. For reference, look no further than Euro Disney -- now known as Disneyland Paris -- and Hong Kong Disneyland. Of the latter, it is worth note that Disney has been known to Hongkongers from the early days of the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio. Yet, to this day, with a direct link by MTR line to points throughout Hong Kong, Disney is barely able to keep up with the brand devoid, geographically hemmed in and animal exhibit heavy Ocean Park in Aberdeen.

Over lunch earlier this month at Neptune's in the Grand Aquarium, Ocean Park Hong Kong CEO Tom Mehrmann, who began his career as a street sweeper at Knott's Berry Farm just up the road from Walt's original Disneyland, said, "Disney still has to explain to some of its guests exactly what a 'Disney Park' is. We don't have that problem."

To further illustrate this point, visit Disney's outpost on Lantau, a parcel of reclaimed land near Hong Kong International Airport, and you will notice a different Disney. Some call it 'Disney-lite'. Others refer to it as 'McKingdom'. Regardless, there is a definite feel of a diminished product -- of a diminished brand -- on stage for the public's consumption.

For, on a spit of land with an audience topping seven million attached by subway line having a familiarity and a kinship with the West, sits the real experiment of Disney's entry into the Chinese market. And there, on a recent day, at a performance of The Lion King in a theater designed for Disney's Animal Kingdom in Orlando dropped into the Walt Disney Company's first Disney branded park in China, the actors sought to lead the audience in a rendition of the hit tune from this classic of Disney's second golden age of animation: Hakuna Matata.

Hakuna Matata. 
What a wonderful phrase. 
Hakuna matata. 
Ain't no passing craze.
It means no worries. 
For the rest of your days. 
It's a problem free philosophy.
Hakuna matata.

Arms raised high in the air, cast members -- on stage and off -- encouraged the capacity crowd to sing the infectious chorus. With lyrics blasting through the speakers and flashing on screens in the theater, they sought a simple singalong to the catchy and commercial hit written by Elton John and Tim Rice. Unmoved, the audience sat stone-faced. Child and adult alike.

Considering most individuals reading this are likely humming the tune or hearing it play as part of the soundtrack of their lives, that speaks poorly of Disney's penetration into the far less foreign landscape of Hong Kong. As for Shanghai, Mr. Iger continued on at the conference in Chengdu:

We're a brand that is viewed as good for me and good for my family. There are values to the Disney brand and what it stands for that have interested people all over the world. But, it's very, very important that while we bring Disney to a market we make sure that in that market it feels like, for instance, China's Disney.

In leaving the park on that recent evening, the dressed by and for Disney MTR cars filled with tired visitors exposed to, saturated in, that which is the Disney Parks experience offered up in Hong Kong. Looking to the left, to the right, all around, not one visitor had that uniquely American rite of passage positioned upon their head. Mickey ears. Not one.

And, in the second largest market for its product and the largest consumer market on the planet, Disney's Frozen, the highest grossing animated film ever having delivered over $1.27 billion in ticket sales and the fifth-highest grossing film of all time, earned little more than $48 million. Less than four percent of its global box office.

Welcome to China, Bob.

Gary Snyder is a member of the Redstone family, whose company, National Amusements, owns Viacom and CBS, among other media assets. He is an advisor on Western media and culture to China.

Rare Hong Kong Disneyland Attraction Poster

Some Disney park attraction posters are rare and some are really rare! This one was only shown publicly at the Hong Kong airport in late 2019 and early 2020. It was designed to give residents and visitors a small taste of what their reimagined castle would look like. The Castle of Magical Dreams turned out much better than I would have thought! The reaction has been more positive than not, and I agree 100%- each Disney castle park should have a unique icon. Don't you agree?

The 50 Year Anniversary of Walt Disney World's Space Mountain: What a Story!

It is almost unbelievable, but Disney's iconic Space Mountain is 50 years old! 50! On this day in 1975, Florida's Magic Kingdom debuted one of the most popular attractions ever built. Walt Disney World may have been home to the first one, but every single Disney castle park aside from Shanghai Disneyland has it. And for good reason! When television shows as popular as Friends reference it, folks who don't even frequent theme parks are familiar with it. 

Riding Space Mountain has become a rite of passage for American youth. The attraction is so popular, the Oriental Land Company who owns the park has decided to give it a huge update. That's the piece of concept art shown above. It should be, like most everything in Tokyo, fantastic.

 

The original Space Mountain set the standard for all that came after. Upon opening, this roller coaster in the dark was groundbreaking with immediate impact. Whether the building guests see is the classic, iconic structure found in Florida, California, and Tokyo, a similar but slightly different one placed in a cartoonish and now Marvel based Tomorrowland in Hong Kong, or the absolute best one of all- the stunning, elegant Jules Verne styled masterpiece in Paris (which looks spectacular at night with all its neon), the sheer sight of the attraction makes park guests run to it immediately at park opening as well as queue up for it all through the day and night. 

Blasting off through the universe has stayed a must-do experience for any park visitor, but for the very earliest of Disney park fans, this wasn't always the case. As with most things worth the result, the road to success was very long. Very long but worth it!

Read on for this attractions amazing story, tons of concept art, and a few personal photos.

Clem Hall's watercolor version of what would become 

Disneyland's mountain classic.

Concept art with an inside view.

This piece alone sold me on a ride!

A new view planned with Disneyland's new Tomorrowland 98.

It had been almost a decade since Walt Disney had passed away when Space Mountain debuted at Florida’s Magic Kingdom on this day in 1975- even though he had planned it for Disneyland many years prior. Imagineers such as John Hench drew some of the earliest plans for a Disneyland space station and its fast moving rocket adventure. They knew it would happen eventually...

At the opening of the Walt Disney World resort four years earlier, the new park's Tomorrowland section was fairly empty, certainly incomplete and just as sad a state as the original rushed version of California's Disneyland due to shortage of time and money. Smaller attractions were quickly added to the section making it a bit more well rounded, but the best was yet to come.

Certainly, guests found If You Had Wings charming, the Skyway and the Grand Prix Raceway fun, Circle-Vision 360 enjoyable, and Flight to the Moon (later Mission to Mars) provided minor thrills, but the land still lacked that special "E Ticket" calling card. This did not go without notice, but the Imagineers were already quickly working to enhance the area by adding a major blockbuster- and several supporting attractions.

My 2005 photo.

Space Mountain was the centerpiece of a slate of these much needed additions. Like most all of the early classic attractions, its roots came from Walt himself for Anaheim, but the technology wasn't there yet to make it happen. The ultimate space adventure would eventually make it to its originally intended destination a couple of years later in a much smaller, single track configuration than what would first be built in the East. It would not only dominate the Tomorrowland skyline, it would act like a shining beacon to everyone who came to the Magic Kingdom. Guests just couldn't stay away from it!

A larger closer view!

This was used to promote California's version as well.

A nice pencil sketch.

This design is more squashed-

sort of like the mountain found at Hong Kong Disneyland.

In 1969 with American astronaut Neil Armstrong's steps on the moon, America’s refreshed obsession with space travel provided the perfect timing for this major thrill ride to come into existence. The technology needed was coming into its own. Finally.

The future had always fascinated Walt, and this love was reflected in his films, the television series, and at Disneyland. He loved science, space exploration, and new technologies. When the Magic Kingdom was designed, it was only natural that a futuristic themed land would also be in the plans. His Imagineering team had been working on a New Tomorrowland (1967) for Disneyland, and it would make its debut after Walt's unfortunate passing. Even so, the groundwork was being laid for Florida.

New Tomorrowland for the Magic Kingdom.
Carousel of Progress and the Peoplemover join the line up.

As discussions continued with his team about bringing an outer space rocket adventure to the Anaheim park, concept art for Walt’s Space Port began to emerge. As you can tell from all the concept art in this article alone, the Disney Imagineers created many different looks which were considered before settling on its initial timeless exterior. Variations included multi-level walkways, exterior coaster track as well as interior, smooth round roofs, roofs with spires of various sizes, access directly into the mountain, acmes via a covered pathway, etc. Nothing was tossed out, and as we know, no idea was wasted.

Imagineers Herb Ryman and John Hench each came up with their own designs but they would be slightly blended for the final result, leaving earlier designs by Clem Hall to be left to Disney art books for coffee tables throughout America.  

Wow!

Once the mountain's unique design was settled upon, a detailed model was built, giving the Imagineers a chance to view how the attraction would fit into the Magic Kingdom. the decision was made to take guests under the railroad tracks and into the mountain. This trick was used to good effect at Disneyland with the Pirates of the Caribbean and The Haunted Mansion. Guests were slowly taken out of the ordinary and into another world. In this case to a space port, one somewhere in a galaxy far, far away... and long before Star Tours thrilled guests.

 

Exterior changes to Epcot's old Universe of Energy building.
 

One of the major benefits of this particular configuration came from the attraction's placement just outside the park perimeter. Guests from the Magic Kingdom parking lot, the Contemporary Resort and the Polynesian Village Resort could view the gleaming white spires of the mountain from the other side of the Seven Seas Lagoon with little clutter of other attractions vying for attention. It was the perfect siren call for a new and innovative attraction.

(Current changes to the World's transportation systems have made the impact less powerful. Arriving at the Magic Kingdom via bus so close to Space Mountain lessons the wow factor to a large degree. What hasn't changed is the visual impact from viewing it high atop the Contemporary Resort from its California Grill restaurant deck.)

At Epcot, the Imagineers re-envisioned the old Universe of Energy building to house the new Guardians roller coaster. Like Space Mountain is viewed from the outside of the Magic Kingdom, guests arriving at Epcot from the main entrance can see the attraction. They may just not know it. That big blue box that punctuates the skyline and is visible from most anywhere in the park is what houses the coaster. It's not beautiful to say the least. 

A model for the Magic Kingdom version.

Notice the rockets outside the structure?

With much fanfare after a couple of years of construction, Space Mountain opened, becoming an instant theme park icon and the new "must do" attraction. Imagineering and the money men knew they had a hit on their hands, so they took advantage of "The blessing of size” as Walt said, and enabled the Imagineers to build a full dual tracked thrill ride for the Magic Kingdom. The new coaster was a serious bid for the teen market who found much of the Magic Kingdom and its emphasis on slow moving attractions and shows not of interest. 

Audio-Animatronic musicals like Tropical Serenade (Enchanted Tiki Room), Country Bear Jamboree, and The Mickey Mouse Revue, were still popular with young families and older guests, but it was time to round out the attraction roster and add to their reputation. Mission accomplished!

 

Perhaps its the same mindset that caused the character infusion into Epcot. Mainly due to lack of investment and refreshing in the park's major attractions,  Florida's second Disney park was losing attendance. It needed a big, big draw to bring people back in- particularly teens who seemed to be too young for the drink around the world game during the various Food & Wine Festivals and too old for simple character interactions. Expedition: Everest did wonders for attendance at Animal Kingdom. A coaster was needed for Epcot. Then, there's the Marvel factor. Disney suits were hot to make the most of their acquisition as quickly as they could. Guardians fit the legal issues.

Great view of the Mountain from Florida's Peoplemover.
One reason their Tomorrowland is better than Disneyland's-
for the time being.

The most recent attraction poster for the Florida mountain.
New poster for a new century.

Some art from the old official Disney blog.

The popular Magic Kingdom coaster attraction has seen very few changes over the years, save the removal of the sponsorship from the company that helped fund it, RCA. Park leadership spent years relying on it to keep the crowds coming as they neglected to make significant investments into the Magic Kingdom. Beyond opening Big Thunder Mountain Railroad in 1980, funds were only made available for changing out smaller rides until finally a New Fantasyland made its appearance in 2012. That's 30 years of neglecting its flagship theme park in Florida.

A few years ago, a quick refurbishing to Space Mountain meant a change in the music, new stereo sound, and a sparkling new attraction poster. Nothing else. The ride itself remains very rough. Much like Disneyland's classic Matterhorn Bobsleds, an entirely new track is needed. Long time Disney park fans know that maintenance is not a strong suit at Walt Disney World. When Tron Light Cycle Run finally opened, the suits may decide it is time to close Space Mountain for some much needed enhancements and revisions. If nothing else, it needs to be done for guest safety.

Back to our story. At Disneyland in Anaheim, California, the astounding success of the attraction in Florida meant one just had to be built in Anaheim. It only made sense as Walt first intended the space adventure for this park. 

With land being more limited, the mountain was squeezed into a Tomorrowland that had a slice of room for growth. The smaller ride footprint demanded a similar but much smaller mountain, so there would not be the visual wow factor upon approaching the building. As Disneyland designers tend to do, they made good use of the problem and added a stage, a restaurant, and even a game arcade to round out the expansion. For the attraction itself, paring down was necessary. This also meant only single track and less ride capacity, a queue with a different loading zone, and a much tighter flight route. In spite of the changes, the public's response was no less incredible.

I love attraction posters!

Prior to the opening of California Adventure, it was possible to enter the Disneyland parking lot area right next to Space Mountain. Since I lived nearby, I took advantage of the opportunity to drive by regularly, collecting Disneyland guidebooks and memorabilia. 

 

And I was always watching projects under construction.

When the attraction finally opened in 1977, I was among the first to ride. And what an enormous line it was! (Years later, I was also at the opening of the Indiana Jones Adventure as well.) At one point, the queue snaked all the way down Main Street. Hours passed as flights were on then off again during its test period. The initial flight experience was quite the rush at opening. The atmosphere was much darker, and the rockets much faster.

One of the earliest renderings of the attraction- for Disneyland.
Another Clem Hall creation.

The 1967 version of Tomorrowland was epic, but by the end of the 20th Century, the Imagineers were tasked with enhancing the land. Imagineer Tony Baxter was given the difficult task but with a very limited budget. A newly bronzed Space Mountain appeared after the transition alongside the most recent addition, the now defunct Rocket Rods. A couple of cheaply built cloned attractions from Florida completed the project. The revised land was not well received, and the epic mountain soon painted back to its original white scheme. 

Copper mountain from Disneyland's Tomorrowland '98.

New art for a revised Tomorrowland. 

With someone else's cash to burn and carte blanche access to the plans from Imagineering, Disney worked alongside the Japanese investors handpicking attractions from two differently designed Disney kingdoms. Tokyo Disneyland was an instant hit. Even with access to the larger Florida version, the Japanese executives chose California’s much smaller attraction as the one to be duplicated. When the park opened in 1983, visitors found this space journey to have an entirely different feel, a blending of both American parks and few unique elements at opening. 

With Disney, it's usually better in Japan!

Tokyo's mountain and the proposed remodel that never happened.

In a strange twist that lasted for decades until the addition of The Enchanted Tale of Beauty and the Beast, Tokyo Disneyland's Tomorrowland remained relatively untouched but in contrast to Florida, every single attraction was kept in pristine shape. Parkwide. What a show of respect for its guests and for the Imagineers who work so hard to bring a premium experience. The Oriental Land Company knows its business and does it well!

With the building of the amazing Tokyo Disneysea taking priority, its Magic Kingdom styled park retained its 1970s-ish take on the future. Plans for a revision - including a new exterior treatment for Space Mountain- were scrapped. In the long term, this may have worked to its advantage. 

How do you build a Disneyland in one of the most magical cities on earth? This was the challenge handed to Tony Baxter, and he and his team succeeded beyond belief. In the world's most beautiful city, Paris, the most beautiful of Disney kingdoms makes is home.

For years, European fans had to travel to the Sunshine or Golden State for a Disney vacation experience. Later, they could go to Japan. Once Disneyland Paris opened in 1992, it was a different story. Despite all predictions of doom and gloom, Discoveryland, the Parisian version of Tomorrowland, dazzled guests with its Jules Verne inspired roster of attractions. The entire park is a work of art.

Discovery Mountain was on the agenda but not there on opening day. Debuting in 1995, the iconic white mountain was swapped out for a steampunk inspired adventure but with the iconic attraction name. In contrast to previous versions, this one began outdoors next to a shimmering lagoon with its own Nautilus submarine. 

My photo of the best Space Mountain yet!

At opening, the Jules Verne styled attraction 

and its gorgeous soundtrack made it specular!

The attraction inside was as different from its cousins as was its exterior: the open air loading station sends its rockets into a smoke-spewing cannon as guests are launched upwards into the mountain. The views over Discoveryland are amazing, but they are nothing compared to the thrills found inside!

Photographer/artist unknown-

but what an image of Paris' version!

The track layout included multiple inversions- the first for a Disney park anywhere- and the addition of a majestic musical score to accompany the journey. This new twist on an old favorite brought in the crowds. Some could even debate Space Mountain saved the resort. It certainly did bring in the crowds.

Although the exterior building concepts remained largely the same, the Imagineers presented several different ideas for what was to be built inside the mountain. In addition to Space Mountain, ideas ranged from a Nautilus adventure including a restaurant inside the submarine, to a unique use of the technology that makes The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror so popular for an additional attraction themed to a different Jules Verne novel. All would be found inside the mountain.

An appropriate poster for a Jules Verne themed mountain!

(For more information and concept art, 

track down the wonderful book 

Disneyland Paris, From Sketch to Reality by Alain Littaye and Didier Ghez.)

Yes, these images are of what was planned to be found

inside the mountain!

Dining with Nemo? 

Yes, not with the fish, but with the Captain.

Upon our first visit to Disneyland Paris in 1998, Space Mountain: De la Terre à la Lune, and Phantom Manor were at the very top of my must-do list. I must say, I did not expect every corner of the park to be as beautiful as it was. Every aspect has been brought to its fullest potential. It is a work of art from every view, every angle, every aspect. No other Magic Kingdom comes close. Well done, Tony and team! Well done.

Once I finally entered the Space Mountain queue and hopped aboard the rocket, the ride was as scenic and incredible as I had imagined it would be! Smooth as silk! The Jules Verne man in the moon smiled as we zoomed by, bringing a smile to my face. I couldn’t wait to ride it again and again! I promptly returned to the queue for another trip. 

Viewing the mountain and watching the Columbiad cannon send explorers on their journey was every bit as compelling as seeing the beautiful Eiffel Tower. I couldn’t take my eyes off the attraction. Original music by John Debney is the perfect icing on the proverbial cake, or should I say butter on the croissant. 

Discoveryland and its mountain are beautiful during the day but like most things, absolutely spectacular at night. With its magnificent lighting, this Space Mountain was the ultimate execution of the trendsetting concept. Period. Until a "reintroduction" of the attraction and a new theme.

When we visited the park once more in 2007, we were shocked to find that the original story had given way for "Mission 2". It was a poor design and marketing choice, as much of the stunning set pieces and effects had disappeared as well as the original majestic theme music. Perhaps it will return one day.

The opening of the first Disneyland in China, Hong Kong Disneyland (2005), provided an opportunity for building yet another version of the Magic Kingdom classic. It would be the first kingdom to open with this attraction, but the park opened to a collective thud of a response. 

Due to budget adjustments and misguided opinions of what makes a Disney park, it remains short on attractions. Newer additions of a new Frozen themed land, Grizzly Gulch, Mystic Manor, and even a bigger castle bring a more complete experience, but the park is still lacking. For now.

The attraction poster for Hong Kong Disneyland's Space Mountain.

The setting of this Chinese Tomorrowland is more akin to a Saturday morning cartoon than previous versions of the future. The mountain adventure itself is a near duplicate of California's, albeit in a more compact form. In a brand new take on the mountain's use and design, it also houses a show based on the main character from Lilo and Stitch. The mountain may be the only original Hong Kong Tomorrowland attraction to be spared by the relatively new Marvel takeover. 

Is this a good look for Tomorrowland?

 

Space Mountain remains so popular and an instant draw, that the Disney suits decided a comparable attraction would help Epcot Center's dwindling attendance. With some obvious similarities, how does Space Mountain hold up to the newer Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind? The comparisons are too many to list, but after all, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. I'd say the original Magic Kingdom adventure is going nowhere- except hopefully down for rehab and a brand new track.

Once the new Japanese exclusive version of Space Mountain is complete, the next question is: Where will the next other worldly mountain show up? No one knows for sure. For all the questions we may have, one thing is certain. Space Mountain will continue to draw and thrill millions of visitors all over their world in their quest to explore the universe!

(Top photo by Tripster. All concept art and Tokyo Disneyland photos copyright The Walt Disney Company; all other photos by Mark Taft)