Since its inception, the tradition of Disneyland has been to build rides based on the company’s most popular movies. However, some of these rides have more to offer than others, being better constructed to showcase production design and thrill guests. One of their biggest draws might be that they are located in one of Disneyland’s best lands, conveniently close to other great rides plus the best shopping and dining options.
There have been a lot of new rides based on movies in recent years with Disney’s acquisition of Lucasfilm and the MCU, as well as the transformation of Pixar Pier. Unfortunately, the best rides based on movies are also the Disneyland rides people should go to when the park opens to avoid massive lines. Luckily, Disneyland has Wi-Fi to allow access to the app and other tools, so guests can best plan their day around waits and proximity.
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10 Rise Of The Resistance
Located In Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge
Image credit: Disney/Disney Parks
Rise of the Resistance was the highly anticipated second ride to be added to Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, which takes guests on a mission with the Resistance and showcases elements from multiple eras of Star Wars. On their mission, riders encounter AT-ATs, Stormtroopers, and Kylo Ren himself. Different areas of the ride are walk-through or via transport, similar to the classic Haunted Mansion ride.
While Smuggler’s Run is primarily based on the original trilogy, Rise of the Resistance is a homage to the sequel trilogy. It might not be as clever in terms of the vehicle or the interactive elements, but die-hard fans will enjoy the life-size characters and machines lifted straight from the movies just the same. After all, all of Star Wars Land is about the thrill of seeing what these things would look like in reality.
9 Peter Pan’s Flight
Located In Fantasyland
Image credit: Disney/Disney Parks
Peter Pan’s Flight is one of the original Disneyland rides which still delights guests of all ages. Disney’s Peter Pan came out two years before Disneyland opened, followed by the ride featuring the characters and settings from the movie. Peter Pan’s Flight is within the line of sight of the park’s entrance at Anaheim, making it one of the ideal rides to go on first. It’s not a high-speed rollercoaster, but it has some great dips and twists.
Probably the highlight of the production design is the flight over Neverland, in a darkened room illuminated by twinkling stars. Additionally, Peter Pan’s Flight is surrounded by other classic rides based on movies, such as Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Pinocchio, Dumbo, and Alice in Wonderland. However, it still outshines them all because of how it immerses guests in a dream-like world.
8 Pirates Of The Caribbean Battle for the Sunken Treasure
Located In Treasure Cove (Disneyland Shanghai)
Because Pirates of the Caribbean is another original ride, Disneyland Anaheim is reluctant to change it too much, despite Johnny Depp’s Captain Jack Sparrow and Bill Nighy’s Davy Jones being added and the action scene being redesigned. However, free from such nostalgia at Disneyland Shanghai, the Imagineers got really creative with this park’s version of Pirates of the Caribbean, which is based on the movie’s plot. This ride utilizes screens to highlight aspects of the movies, especially Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest.
The ride features Davy Jones and the Kraken as its narrative’s main antagonists, finishing with a sea battle against the Flying Dutchman and ending with Jack Sparrow having now acquired a vast amount of treasure. The different Pirates of the Caribbean rides have different merits, and many will argue for the classic, enigmatic atmosphere of the original. However, Pirates Of The Caribbean Battle for the Sunken Treasure pulls off one of the biggest feats in terms of spectacle in Disney park history.
7 Indiana Jones Adventure
Located In Adventureland
Image credit: Disney/Disney Parks
Long before the acquisition of Lucasfilm, Disney successfully negotiated the rights to include Star Wars and Indiana Jones-themed rides at Disneyland. The result was Indiana Jones Adventure, not quite a rollercoaster but just as fast and terrifying. Guests are launched into a spooky cavern filled with snakes, traps, and a gigantic spherical bolder that *almost* crushes them at the end of the ride. Indiana Jones Adventure is the perfect immersive experience for die-hard fans of the movies.
True to its name, the Indiana Jones ride was built into a corner of Adventureland, making it the only thing close to a rollercoaster in this section of the park. Jungle Cruise is a classic but much slower and outdoors, while most of the rest of Adventureland are interactive or viewing experiences. However, it is all a stone’s throw away from Frontierland, New Orleans Square, and Critter Country, with so many more rides to go on after Indiana Jones.
6 Smuggler’s Run
Located In Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge
Image credit: Disney/Disney Parks
Smuggler’s Run is the ambitious flagship ride of Galaxy’s Edge, propping up the new themed land when there were no other rides there. Galaxy’s Edge had many other amazing experiences for Star Wars fans since the beginning, such as the incredibly detailed cantina, the clandestine lightsaber-building workshop, and the droid construction class. However, anyone who believed that Disneyland really is all about the rides had to brave the two-hour line for Smuggler’s Run when there were no other options.
An impressive amount of thought went into Smuggler’s Run to bring Han Solo’s world to life for his oldest fans.
Admittedly, the long line takes guests through some impressive production design while they wait, including animatronic characters explaining their mission. Groups then enter a Millennium Falcon cockpit and are given different tasks (pilot, guns, cargo), and set out on a dangerous flight where they each have control over a part of this real-life video game. An impressive amount of thought went into Smuggler’s Run to bring Han Solo’s world to life for his oldest fans.
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5 Radiator Springs Racers
Located In Cars Land (California Adventure)
Image credit: Disney/Disney Parks
Radiator Springs Racers covers aspects of multiple different kinds of rides but connotes another one of the longest waits in Anaheim (this can be avoided by joining the single riders line for groups that do not mind being split up). Several scenes in Cars try to convey the beauty of the natural landscape surrounding Radiator Springs, which is difficult for the audience to fully appreciate. However, Radiator Springs Racers takes guests through the reconstructed mountains and roads, accompanied by the movie’s stellar score.
The ride has some slow sections with goofy animatronics spouting jokes from the movies, which some people might find cloying and others classic. However, the last section of the ride is a fast race with Doc’s theme from the movie, resulting in an incredible experience, especially when riding at night. Radiator Springs Racers instantly became a favorite when it opened, also making it one of the rides in California Adventure to go on first.
4 Incredicoaster
Located In Pixar Pier (California Adventure)
Image credit: Disney/Disney Parks
Incredicoaster is the most daring, best all-around rollercoaster Disney has to offer. Previously known as California Screamin’, the ride was redesigned with the branding of Pixar’s hit superhero movie, along with the rest of Paradise Pier being remade as Pixar Pier. The idea of this rollercoaster might scare some people because of its huge drops and one full loop, but it moves so fast that the terror of these things is lost in the adrenaline rush.
The Incredicoaster is the best option for anyone who loves a classic rollercoaster, with many fun details.
Additionally, the elements from The Incredibles only elevate the Incredicoaster. The movie’s James Bond-esque score is perfect to accompany this adventurous ride, while the models of the Parr family are fun inclusions. The designers committed to detail with Jack-Jack’s part of the ride: As the guests go up a tunnel into another drop, they see Jack-Jack searching for cookies, with a fresh cookie smell being spritzed into the air. The Incredicoaster is the best option for anyone who loves a classic rollercoaster, with many fun details.
3 Mad Tea Party
Located In Fantasyland
Image credit: Disney/Disney Parks
Alice in Wonderland predates Disneyland’s opening by four years; while the Mad Tea Party was there at the beginning, the official Alice in Wonderland ride came a few years later. However, it is safe to say that the former is the better and far more creative ride. Guests sit in giant teacups with their friends or family before the whole thing starts spinning — they are given a wheel to rotate if they want to spin their individual teacup even more.
With the bright colors and cheery tune, the ride is wonderfully chaotic. It is also located next door to the famous Mad Hatter shop, the ultimate place in Disneyland for ears and hats. This little corner of Fantasyland which is all about Alice in Wonderland embraces the best parts of the story, including the Mad Hatter and March Hare’s crazy antics and their need to celebrate something at every available opportunity.
2 Tiana’s Bayou Adventure (Splash Mountain)
Located In Critter Country
Custom Image by Leah Nucum
Splash Mountain is a longtime Disneyland staple, famous for the biggest drop in the park and a cast of cuddly animals singing “Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah.” However, Splash Mountain is currently closed at Disneyland for renovations, undergoing a design change to showcase 2009’s The Princess and the Frog instead of the highly problematic Song of the South. The new Tiana’s Bayou Adventure will retain the best aspects of the ride.
Splash Mountain exhibited a strange combination of cheerful animals and tunes blended with the horror-like buildup to the drop and the darkened environment. The Princess and the Frog provides the foundation for the same thing, with both happy characters like Ray and Louis and villainous ones like Dr. Facilier, plus plenty of catchy tunes. The ride will still have its famous drop after a twisting voyage through the bayou, which is the whole point of its appeal.
Tiana’s Bayou Adventure opened on June 28, 2024 at the Magic Kingdom in Florida, while it is expected to open on November 15, 2024, at Disneyland in Anaheim.
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1 Star Tours
Located In Tomorrowland
Image credit: Disney/Disney Parks
Present at Disneyland long before the release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Star Tours does very well with a simple concept (although it is not so enjoyable for guests prone to motion sickness). Guests enter a “spaceship,” which features a movie theater screen that brings their adventure to life. The room moves around to capture the feeling of flying through space, as a hilariously incompetent droid pilot narrates the journey.
Star Tours previously only had one possible adventure, which ended with the group joining the famous trench run. However, Disney has since upgraded Star Tours to include a variety of different planets to visit, with guests randomly being assigned to one when they arrive. Disney not only comes up with creative rides based on its best movies but builds upon them as the years pass to impress and thrill new generations.
Disneyland
Disneyland is the Walt Disney Company’s first theme park that opened in Anaheim, California in 1955. Several attractions have filtered out of the park over the years, with Haunted Mansion, Space Mountain, and Pirates of the Caribbean being some of the most popular rides. Dubbed “The Happiest Place on Earth,” Disneyland sees millions of fans from all over the world come to visit every year to experience the iconic park’s magic.
Website https://disneyland.disney.go.com/ Best time to attend According to Disney, mid-September through mid-November, as well as mid-January through mid-March, are months with typically lower attendance. Location(s) Anaheim, CA Countries United States Attractions Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room, Matterhorn Bobsleds, Space Mountain, Indiana Jones Adventure: Temple of the Forbidden Eye, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, It’s a Small World, Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride, Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Caribbean, Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance Expand