Disney often goes all out to celebrate anniversaries of the parks and events, yet oddly, not so much for a specific attraction. This is why some may forget this week is the 25th anniversary of one of the biggest Disney rides ever!
For a long time, Disney and “thrill rides” didn’t quite go together. Disney was more about family attractions and it wasn’t until the 1970s that theme parks started adding faster roller coasters boasting inversions and high speeds. Space Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain were good but most coaster aficionados would call them tame when compared to the stuff at Six Flags parks.
Disney did start changing it with the Tower of Terror in 1994, but things took a turn when word came of Universal preparing to open Islands of Adventure, a park emphasizing thrill rides. Disney also realized that a new generation of guests expected more excitement, and the classic “dark rides” of Epcot, or what was then the Disney MGM-Studios, wasn’t going to appeal.
So, the groundwork was laid for what turned into a daring new ride for Disney, which made the Studios a must-visit park.
The Rock n Roller Coaster starring Aerosmith.
Even though fans may want a remake of it, this ride is still a marvel of engineering that can thrill experienced roller coaster fanatics, and it is remarkable how long it’s lasted.
The history of Rock N Roller
Contrary to popular belief, Rock n Roller Coaster is not the first Disney coaster to send guests upside down. That honor goes to Indiana Jones and the Temple of Peril, which opened in Disneyland Paris in 1993. Surprisingly never copied in other parks, it recreates the mine car chase from Temple of Doom with that inversion a highlight.
Disney had always planned an indoor coaster for the Sunset Boulevard expansion and even began construction before a theme was settled. Surprisingly, rather than the usual history of scores of ideas to work through, Imagineers hit almost instantly on the concept of guests touring a fictional record company, invited to a concert and having to enter a “super stretch limo” to get there.
At the time, “launch coasters” were becoming more popular and Disney realized this was the perfect fit for them. They already knew an indoor setting would fit both for the space in the area and because, like Space Mountain, being in mostly darkness with no idea what curves were coming would make the experience wilder. That meant being without the traditional large hill to set the coaster off.
So Disney worked with renowned coaster creators Vekoma to create a fantastic linear motor electromagnetic technology for acceleration. That meant a then-record launch of zero to 60 mph in 2.8 seconds. While Islands of Adventure’s Hulk coaster likewise uses a launch system, it only goes 40 mph, although it makes up for it with more inversions.
Disney had the theme, they had the tech, they had the building set up fast. All they needed was the right artist.