Posted by
Mike and Chris Pettey
on October 20, 2020
Category:
Disney vs. Disney
Tags:
Autopia
Disney vs. Disney
Disneyland
Disneyland Paris
Magic Kingdom
Autopia is an outdoor car ride where riders control the speed and direction of their vehicle while assisted by a central guide rail. The attraction can be found at three of the six Disney Resorts across the globe. We’ve ridden every Autopia attraction in person.
Major Similarities & Differences
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You can watch fantastic videos of all versions of the attraction online, so we won’t spend time re-hashing the details of each experience. Instead, we will just point out the major similarities and differences we feel are worth calling out:
- The California park originally had three separate Autopia attractions: Midget Autopia aimed at very young riders, Fantasyland Autopia, which boarded near the Matterhorn entrance, and Tomorrowland Autopia, which boarded near the Submarine attraction. The Midget Autopia was removed in 1966, and the Fantasyland and Tomorrowland Autopia attractions were combined as one larger Tomorrowland-based attraction in 2000.
- The Florida attraction has been shortened over the years as various nearby attractions and lands were added including Space Mountain, Mickey’s Toontown Fair (now Dumbo’s Storybook Circus), and Tron Lightcycle Run.
- Both the Hong Kong and Tokyo resorts also had their own Autopia attractions, but both have since closed. Hong Kong’s version, which was the only electric-powered Autopia attraction with lights and on-board audio, was removed to make way for the future Avengers e-ticket attraction. Tokyo’s version, which much more closely resembled that found in Florida, was removed for the Fantasyland/Beauty and the Beast expansion.
The Rankings (from worst to least worst)
We’ll be direct: we’re don’t like any of the Autopia attractions. While we understand the appeal to children who have yet to drive a real vehicle, the concept of spending vacation time in a theme park doing something most people try to avoid as much as possible (driving in slow moving traffic) confounds us. The rides are dated, smelly, and among the least magical things in a Disney park. That being said, it really speaks volumes that the Florida version is by far the worst of this already uninspiring bunch. The landscaping and theming here are almost non-existent. The track is by far the shortest of any version in the world, and the constant side-by-side path might be fun if the ride lived in any way up to its unique “speedway” name. It smells bad, it looks dated, and it’s about the last thing we worry about riding whenever at Magic Kingdom park, only taking time to do so when the wait is less than 15 minutes. It’s amazing Disney isn’t taking the opportunity to give this one a shot in the arm with the upcoming Tron coaster being built right next door, but that doesn’t appear to be happening. As a result, it’s the worst version in the world of our least favorite Disney attraction.
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Autopia at Disneyland Paris will feel very familiar to those who remember the pre-2000 Autopia at Disneyland. Here guests board “classic” (read: dated) vehicles – recently re-painted with all new, unique color schemes for each car – and travel around one of four completely different tracks. Each track weaves in and out of the others, sometimes passing in opposite directions, at other times racing in parallel. The landscaping and scenery throughout the attraction are gorgeous, cohesively blending with the rest of the fantastic Discoveryland area. Additionally, new LED lighting added during the 2019 refurbishment add a nice touch at night, especially around the massive “coils” at the attraction’s entrance. As a whole, it’s a breath of fresh air compared to the Florida version. What is not a breath of fresh air are the usual fumes from the gas-powered vehicles, which are at times unbearable. Further, like all the other versions, the pace is slow and boring, and the poor responsiveness of the steering and gas pedals can lead to a rough and jerky ride around the track. It’s all style and no substance, but still a very pretty ride in a very pretty park. And while it’s a better bet to just enjoy Disneyland Paris’ scenery by foot, this Autopia is still good enough for second place on our list.
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When you’re the best of the worst, what does that make you? Probably not worth answering, but California’s Autopia is certainly the best version out there. This Autopia is placed in a lush corner of the park, intertwined with several other functioning and defunct attractions: the Disneyland Monorail, the Submarine Voyage, and the Peoplemover/Rocket Rods track. The former Motorboat Cruise lagoon also winds nearby, as does the Disneyland Railroad. It could be argued that all this surrounding kinetic energy does more for the attraction than the ride itself – it really adds a lot here. And the landscape has enough elevation change that the ride at least looks like it’s going somewhere interesting, even if the journey itself is a snoozer. Disneyland’s Autopia is also quite lengthy – which may or may not be a positive – but no sane person would argue that it should be longer. It’s also hard to argue that it doesn’t belong in Disneyland’s Tomorrowland, as this area of the park has long since abandoned any effort to focus on the “future”. The cars still spew fumes, the ride is still way too slow, and the theming is a bizarre vision of futuristic kitsch. But hey, the kids love it. And while the parking lot tram typically provides a more entertaining ride experience, California’s Autopia is still the best of this bunch, and the least-terrible Autopia ride on the planet.
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Written by
Mike and Chris Pettey
YOUR THOUGHTS?
Agree or disagree with our rankings? Have you experienced any of these attractions – either in person, or virtually via the internet? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
1 Comments
Honestly surprised the ride isn’t removed at all disney parks, other than the nostalgia factor…