Disney Trauma? Guests Share Traumatic Childhood Memories About a Ride Geared Towards Younger Audiences

Disney Parks are supposed to be a child-friendly experience. While the company has had some misses in the past, they have usually been corrected over the years. Many fans remember the intense Alien Encounter attraction as a standout misfire. However, this may not have been the biggest culprit of childhood trauma at the Parks. A ride still exists today with a long history of disturbing younger audiences.

A Scary Adventure Aimed Towards Children, Causing Disney Related Trauma

Disney’s iconic Snow White’s Enchanted Wish attraction, previously known as Snow White’s Scary Adventure, has undergone a significant transformation since its inception. The ride still exists today at many of the theme parks. Walt Disney World in Florida eventually closed it entirely to create the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train ride. Drawing inspiration from the timeless Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs film released in 1937, the ride’s evolution eventually turned frights into delights. However, Guests on social media remember a very different experience as children.

In its initial incarnation, the ride immersed young riders in a spine-tingling atmosphere with dimly lit scenes, eerie music, and startling moments. Scenes of the Evil Queen‘s eerie castle, the menacing forest, and the Witch’s threats created a sense of unease.

Fans Share Horrifying Memories of Snow White Ride

Fans on Reddit have not forgotten their childhood trauma from the Snow White ride. Quite a few of them have listed it as the most regrettable Disney attraction experience in a thread discussing the subject. One user detailed just what made the initial ride scary for them:

Snow white’s scary adventure was the most terrifying ride at Disneyland for a while. It used to end with a lot of thunder and lightening and the witch cackling on the mountain as the dwarves try to climb up to confront her. The doors would open up and a mural painted with Snow White and her prince and all the dwarves was painted on the wall…and it said “they all lived happily ever after.“

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Another explained the reasoning that the ride is one of their earliest horrifying memories:

I was traumatized by all the same sides, when I have 6! I was horrified of the Witch in Snow White, and knew she’d be there, so I absolutely did not want to go on the ride. My parents made me, and I was sitting there with my eyes closed and ears covered the whole ride. My father said something along the lines of “its okay – she’s gone now!” right as the witch made her grand entrance. It’s probably one of my earliest, most horrified memories! And I wouldn’t trade it for anything!

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Still, another user commented that her sister thought the attraction would be “kiddie-friendly” after she didn’t like Space Mountain. This turned out to be an awful miscalculation:

When I was almost 5 my sister took me on my first visit to Disneyland. She’s 13 years older than me, and this was back in the early 90’s. She was thrilled that I was tall enough to go on pretty much everything, so she took me on Space Mountain- which ended up being too intense for my little self at the time. Thinking she would switch to something more “kiddie friendly” she took me on Snow White. The minute the witch turned around I freaked out and I told her I wanted to go home. I feel like I got my revenge on her in my early 20’s (we have a strong relationship, I mean revenge playfully)- back when GotG was still ToT she wanted to take her daughters to the parks and I was happy to join them. I got my sister to go on ToT and didn’t tell her anything about the ride. The look on her face on the ride photo still brings me joy. 

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Disney Realizes Snow White Ride Is Too Scary

Disney took steps to address these concerns to cater to a wider audience, particularly families with children. The ride’s visuals have been reimagined over the years, replacing shadowy corners with bright and vibrant settings, shedding the eerie vibe. By focusing more on beloved characters like the Seven Dwarfs and Snow White’s animal companions, the ride now offers a comforting touch of familiarity and warmth.

A pivotal adjustment was made to the presence of the Witch. Once a source of scares, the character has been softened, with a gentler and reduced prominence, ensuring a less intense encounter. One user on the Reddit thread made the changes clear:

There’s a spooky middle section of the ride — still thankfully— but overall the experience feels more evened out, and in that room where the witch turns I think she doesn’t swoop down as close like she used to, and the room is much less dark, so all that helps soften the blow. Edit: It’s very evened out and complete and called Snow White’s Enchanted Wish. The finale is so beautiful and charming.

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The climax of this transformation is a heartwarming ending, where Snow White and her friends revel in joy, replacing the former eerie tension with a sense of celebration. This alone turned the ride from a childhood source of fear to an endearing experience for one commenter:

They redid the ride 2019/2020 and it’s glorious. It has an actual ending where the prince kisses Snow White. I had a magic moment the first time I got to ride it. I told the attendant at the end who had been at the front when I got on how glorious and lovely it was and she said, ya wanna go again? And let me go through! Magic!

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Seeing an innocent dark ride with such intense childhood trauma is extremely interesting. While “scary” was in the ride’s name for a long time, it was themed around a children’s film. Many responders haven’t been on the ride since childhood because of the memories. However, some now say that they will give it another chance after learning of the updates made over the years.