The Unbuilt Alice in Wonderland Ride: Dangerous Funhouses and Disney's Wildest Ideas

The History of "Ghost Trains" and Early Disneyland

• 👻 The concept of a "ghost train" or "haunted house" attraction was common in amusement parks before Disneyland's opening.
• 💡 Disneyland aimed to include familiar ride types, like the "ghost train," in its initial Fantasy Land design.
• 🎢 Rides like Dumbo the Flying Elephant and Mad Tea Party were also inspired by existing amusement park attractions.

The Never-Built Alice Walkthrough Attraction

• 🐇 A 1953 Disneyland prospectus described a walkthrough attraction based on Alice in Wonderland, featuring a maze of doors, giant flowers, and a Queen of Hearts encounter.
• 🎡 This proposed attraction was envisioned as a funhouse, incorporating elements like a Hall of Mirrors and a rotating disc, a common feature in early amusement parks.
• 🎨 Legendary Imagineer Bruce Bushman created detailed site plans for the walkthrough, estimating it as a six-minute attraction.

Dangerous Funhouse Elements

• ⚠️ Classic funhouse attractions often included hazardous elements like collapsing stairs, rotating barrels, and "push bags" (sawdust-filled bags that hardened over time).
• 💥 These features, while common in early amusement parks, would be considered too dangerous and difficult to maintain by modern safety standards.
• 🎢 The proposed Alice walkthrough included a rotating barrel exit, which was deemed too difficult to maintain and likely to fail quickly.

Why the Alice Walkthrough Wasn't Built

• 💰 The high cost of building and maintaining a complex walkthrough with numerous props and moving parts was a significant factor.
• 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Concerns were raised about guest behavior, including potential damage to props by teenagers and the difficulty of managing guest flow and safety.
• 🤔 Walt Disney may have found the concept too "carnival-like" and not aligned with his vision for a family-friendly experience that appealed to all ages.

Alice Attractions That Came to Life

• 🌟 Elements of the unbuilt walkthrough, particularly the best ideas, were incorporated into the dark ride version of Alice in Wonderland that opened in Disneyland in 1958.
• 🌳 In Disneyland Paris, Alice's Curious Labyrinth opened in 1992, fusing the Alice IP with the familiar English hedge maze concept.
• 🎬 The Shanghai Disneyland version of the Alice maze was themed to Tim Burton's live-action film, reflecting its greater recognition in China.

Legacy of Unbuilt Attractions

• 🎢 The concept of a villain-themed funhouse queue for California Screamin' (now Incredicoaster) was explored, with purple coaster cars hinting at Hades and Ursula.
• 🧐 Imagineers often pursued multiple concepts, with elements of unbuilt attractions sometimes appearing in later projects or as subtle nods within existing ones.