Posted by
Mike and Chris Pettey
on February 16, 2021
Category:
Disney vs. Disney
Tags:
Disney vs. Disney
Disneyland Paris
Indiana Jones
Tokyo DisneySea
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“Disney Pain Coasters” are compact themed outdoor roller coasters traversing a tight footprint through twists, turns, and inversions. The rides are known for being very rough, and frequently bumping rider’s heads into their large over-the-shoulder safety restraints. The attractions can be found at two of the six Disney Resorts across the globe. We’ve ridden every Disney Pain Coaster in person.
Major Similarities & Differences
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:
- Both coasters travel the exact same footprint and have the same ride layout.
- Both coasters were added to their parks at least a year after the parks opened.
- When it opened in 1993, the Paris attraction was the first Disney roller coaster ever to go upside-down.
- From 2000 to 2004, the Paris version ran its trains backwards, to provide a new and unique experience.
- The Tokyo version is one of the only attractions in Tokyo DisneySea park with a Single Rider option.
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The Rankings (from worst to least worst)
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It’s a travesty to the franchise that Indiana Jones has his name associated with this terrible attraction. Disney was wise to tuck this one into the farthest corner of the Disneyland Paris park, as it gives guests plenty of time and opportunity to select a different attraction. It may be loosely trying to mimic the mine car scene from Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, but the ride is minimally themed, and were it not for the Indiana Jones soundtrack that plays faintly throughout, it would be hard to associate it with the franchise at all. There’s really nothing redeeming here – it’s a very short journey up, around, and twisting down, in an awkward fashion that hits frequent trim brakes just as soon as anything interesting starts to happen. The over-the-shoulder safety restraints are both extremely firm and far too bulky, blocking out the ability for riders to look anywhere but forward. These are conveniently placed exactly at ear-level – so that any rough sections of the ride (read: all of it) will slam the riders head repeatedly into the hard plastic. The inversion is neat to watch, and probably the least painful part of the experience, but by the time it is reached, all riders can contemplate is when the experience will be over with. It may be interesting to look at, but there is a reason this ride commands almost no waits throughout the day. For the most excruciating 2 minutes of a person’s life, it’s a toss-up between opening the Ark of the Covenant, and riding Indiana Jones et le Temple du Peril, the worst Disney Pain Coaster on the planet.
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Defying all logic, Raging Spirits is not only Tokyo DisneySea’s worst attraction, but it is also one of the most consistently long lines in the entire park. Perhaps it’s because it is one of the few truly thrilling attractions at the Tokyo resort – and the only one to go upside down – but whatever the reason, this one is extremely popular with the local crowds, and has its own (rare) single rider line to prove it. Truthfully, Raging Spirits is a beauty to behold, with its mix of waterfalls and fire against a backdrop of ancient Mayan ruins. It’s a call to the art and architecture of The Emperor’s New Groove – though there is unfortunately no tie-in to that fantastic franchise. The attraction fits in beautifully to the Lost River Delta area of the park, and is absolutely gorgeous – especially at night. But the ride experience is only a minimal improvement over its Paris cousin, as it is basically the exact same coaster, traveling the exact same layout, with the exact same painful ride vehicles, awful restraints, and jerky, violent experience. Rather than holding on, riders will instead be constantly bracing themselves for the next head-banging, ear smashing turn, twist or dive. And while it is slightly less painful than the ride in Paris, it’s still far from anything even approaching the word enjoyable. There is no shortage of incredible attractions to experience at Tokyo DisneySea, and this is absolutely NOT one of them – justifying a pause to watch for a few minutes, but absolutely worth skipping. As foreigners in Japan, there are a lot of things we don’t fully understand about Japanese culture, but the continued popularity of this ride may top them all. It’s not much to say it’s the best of its kind, but Raging Spirits tops our list as the least-worst Disney Pain Coaster on the planet.
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
In my opinion Indiana jones at Paris is one of the most underrated rides at Disneyland Paris. It has good theming and lot’s of thrilling moments. I do understand that it’s a bit rough and I could do with theme music but I think it is still good.