Matterhorn Bobsleds, the first roller coaster ride attraction at Disneyland Park and the very first tubular steel coaster in the world, is rumored to be torn down and rebuilt in a new location of the park as part of the reimagining of the nearby Tomorrowland.
Tomorrowland Reimagining
At last month’s D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event, Disney announced that the full reimagining of Tomorrowland at Disneyland will finally happen. Inspired by Walt’s original optimistic vision, there will be new attractions and new open spaces. This project is just getting started, and no plans have been formalized at this stage. In fact, only the above art was shown at the time of the announcement.
Tomorrowland is one of the original lands for Disneyland Park and has gone through a few reimaginings: first in 1967, again in 1998, and in phases to fix the 1998 project’s mistakes throughout the 2000s.
Disney has not announced any of the specific details of the changes, but said it will be on a very large scale.
So, where does the Matterhorn fit into this?
Matterhorn Bobsleds Relocating?
A rumor is circulating that, in order to better transform Tomorrowland, Disney will need more space to make that happen, requiring the Matterhorn to be removed from its current location. It’s currently located on the southeast end of Fantasyland, near Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage and Buzz Lightyear’s Astro Blasters in the adjacent land.
This latest rumor aligns with what’s circulated in the past: that Disney wants to rebuild its rough, older roller coasters in favor of smoother experiences. Specifically, we’ve heard that Disney World may close Space Mountain for a major reimagining at Magic Kingdom.
Matterhorn has a reputation of being notoriously rough and bumpy (a.k.a. the chiropractor ride). It’s also been around since 1959, and Disney has added onto and replaced portions of the structure over dozens of refurbishments in the past 70 years. In short, it could definitely use a major upgrade, although that will come with the erasure of some very important Disney history.
There is also speculation that Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage, the Autopia, and the carousel theater (Star Wars Launch Bay in more recent years) could also be demolished . According to @sometimescastles, he believes these changes to be more believable than removing the Matterhorn due to the way the large mountain helps maintain proper sight lines in the park. However, it’s worth noting that the Matterhorn has been looming over the Tomorrowland skyline since 1959 and was never deemed a visual intrusion before.
Where Would It Go?
It’s unclear where the move would be to, and honestly, it could be just across the path and closer to “it’s a small world”. The timing of the rumor is also suspect as Disney Imagineering has been teasing Matterhorn Bobsleds becoming part of the Society of Explorers and Adventurers, the fictional organization tying together several attractions all around the world.
Essentially, the clues appear to tie together Matterhorn Bobsleds and Big Thunder Mountain, with the thief using a time-traveling device to move the stolen artifact. One such clue referenced a jewel that was discovered “in the caverns” that has a “colorful glow” in a town called “the biggest little boom,” while the newspaper clipping references a climbing group headed to Switzerland, where the Swiss Alps are located.
Could Disney be connecting these two attractions together in the S.E.A. timeline? It would make sense that the new Matterhorn, if built, would need some new scenes and story to excite guests about the loss of the original mountain and the building of a new one.
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The post RUMOR: Matterhorn Bobsleds to be Torn Down & Rebuilt in New Location as Part of Tomorrowland Reimagining appeared first on WDW News Today.
