These 10 Disney attractions should have a holiday overlay
One of the best parts of a Disney park at Christmas time is the holiday overlays they can put into rides. The big one is Disneyland making over The Haunted Mansion into a take on The Nightmare Before Christmas while Disney World has the Jingle Cruise. A few others stand out, as it's fun to see how inventive Imagineers can be in putting on holiday versions of these rides.
Yet there's a potential for scores of other attractions that can get a holiday makeover, making them even more fun and fantastic for the season. Some are amazingly obvious for a holiday theme, while others can be offbeat but still fun, and these attractions could be considered for a makeover for the next Christmas season.
Muppet Vision 3-D
Disney seems to be reluctant to change this attraction due to respect for the late Jim Henson. Yet as beloved as it is, it could use some updating, and having it for Christmas is best, as the Muppets are a blast for that time. It can be a take on the classic Muppet Christmas Carol film or just the Muppets trying to put on a Christmas show with their usual chaos. If nothing else, simply providing a fresh show after 30 years would be a nice treat for fans.
Journey Into Imagination
Once one of the best rides in Epcot, Imagination has fallen and needs a good makeover. So having it with the holidays would be a great idea. Figment can totally get into the Christmas spirit with fun costumes, and it's logical to mix the power of imagination with one of the most magical times of the year. Plus, seeing the pavilion's iconic building framed in Christmas lights would be lovely and give this Journey some much-needed new life.
Radiator Springs Racers
Already the busiest ride for California Adventure, this attraction could get wilder at Christmas time. The entire Radiator Springs area is fun in the holidays with the decorations, so adding in new scenes of the Cars gang celebrating Christmas in their own way could be terrific. Just imagine a Santa Claus vehicle of some sort amid the other holiday gatherings, and racing that track in a Christmas light show would make this ride even hotter.
Frozen Ever After
What better spot to celebrate Christmas than Arendelle? There's already plenty of snow, so tossing in some Christmas trees and decorations to the Frozen-themed ride is a natural. There can be some shout-outs to the old Maelstrom ride and still capture the Christmas feeling as Elsa and Anna help kids celebrate the holidays and bring the icy yet warm-hearted feeling on this cool boat ride.
The People Mover
This Tomorrowland standby refuses to die, still a nice breeze for guests. A Christmas theme for it can be a good touch, throw in some lighting for the tunnel areas and even a few special Christmas scenes that can only be viewed on the ride. It would be interesting to see more of Tomorrowland decked out for the holidays and a reminder of why the Peoplemover is one of the most underrated fun attractions in all of Walt Disney World.
Guardians of the Galaxy: Mission Breakout
The popular California Adventure ride already has a special overlay for Halloween, so Christmas would make sense. The acclaimed GOTG Holiday Special showed the interstellar heroes could get into the Christmas spirit, albeit with a unique style. It could be a rock-themed Christmas soundtrack with new footage and make this wild ride even more of a delight.
Guardians of the Galaxy Cosmic Rewind
Speaking of the Guardians, the Florida counterpart to the ride could use a fun holiday overlay too. It'd be easy to add some rocking Christmas songs to the soundtrack to listen to and adjust the video to showcase holiday themes. Heck, go wild and have Santa and the reindeer flying by the ships. A holiday version of this hot roller coaster could be an out-of-this-world showcase for Epcot.
Pirates of the Caribbean
Christmas may not be celebrated by pirates, but it would be fun to see it used for this classic ride. Okay, a Christmas tree by the skeletons would be too much, but imagine seeing the pirates raiding a town decorated for Christmas and even tossing some holiday lyrics into the famous song. Even Jack Sparrow could get into the spirit as it would be fun to hear "Yo ho ho ho" at Christmastime for the Pirates.
Big Thunder Mountain
Sure, it may be hard to see the Christmas decorations when racing along the mountain. But it would be great to see this classic Disney coaster decked out for the holidays. You could spread the lights around the mountain, from the tunnels to the washed-out town, even dangle them from the dinosaur bones, the animals sporting caps and more. Even adding lights to the trains would help make "The Wildest Ride in the Wilderness" wilder at Christmas.
Toy Story Mania
Frankly, it's amazing Disney hasn't done this already. It's easy to change the video screens to show Christmas-themed settings with targets based on trees, elves, presents and more. Not to mention how toys and Christmas go together like peanut butter and jelly. Buzz, Woody and the rest of the gang in holiday gear is a license for merchandise sales as well as a nice addition to guests wanting to score more points. This is a perfect holiday overlay just waiting to be used and Disney should take advantage to make it Christmas Mania for fans.