There’s a fascinating backstory of the original attraction that resided in this space: the infamous Superstar Limo. That ride was so horrifically bad that it didn’t even last a year in the park. It was shuttered, and the Imagineers were tasked to come up with a very quick replacement to shoehorn into the building. Fortunately, they drew on a great IP that translates well into a dark ride. Unfortunately, they simply overlaid this new theme onto the existing vehicles, track, and ride layout, recycling many of the props. And to make matters worse, much of it was done on the cheap. This is a classic “book report” ride – where the story is just an abridged version of the movie – so there’s nothing really new to see or experience. The props are extremely static – in many scenes the characters are little more than minimally-moving bobbleheads. And while there are a couple of fun moments of sight, sound, and smell (Harryhousen’s comes to mind), the ride contains absolutely nothing in terms of impressive or advanced technology. It’s almost a cut and paste of the old school 1950’s dark ride blueprint – but without any of the charm. The finale is a nice moment with Roz which can be personalized when the Cast Members utilize the effect, but it doesn’t redeem an otherwise ho-hum experience. Ultimately Monsters, inc. Mike & Sulley to the Rescue! is a victim of circumstance – a low budget band-aid to prop up a failing theme park. And that means it’s got to settle for last place on our list.

There almost couldn’t be a bigger gap between #2 and #1 on this list. The Tokyo ride is without question a “do-not-miss” attraction – and that’s saying something in a park that already contains fantastic versions of Splash Mountain, Pirates of the Caribbean, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Jungle Cruise, and Haunted Mansion, not to mention unique headliners with Pooh’s Hunny Hunt and Enchanted Tale of Beauty and the Beast. Monsters, Inc. Ride & Go Seek takes the classic dark ride experience and adds in both an interactive feature and an engaging backstory: after the events of the movie, riders are invited to a game of flashlight tag in Monstropolis. Shine a “flashlight” as many places as possible within the ride, and watch interactive features come to life. This feature is so encaptivating that it’s remarkable that the ride was still given high quality animatronics with moving facial features, as well as dozens of other hidden easter eggs and special effects. The repeatability factor is very high, and it’s entirely plausible that the flashlight feature could be completely ignored and the ride would still be one of the most impressive Disney dark rides on the planet. Add in Tokyo’s A+ ride maintenance program to ensure that all of these features are always working, and it’s clear to see why Fastpasses run out almost instantly on a busy day. Monsters, Inc. Ride & Go Seek is a fully realized Disney dark ride experience, and it’s not only the best of its peers, but also one of the best Disney dark rides in the world. It sits rightfully atop our list for these very reasons.