OpEd: Three Disney Parks Rides That Deserve a Movie

This past week, we learned that Walt Disney Studios was beginning work on a movie based on the iconic Disney Parks roller coaster Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. This, along with the Haunted Mansion reboot, will be only the latest Disney movie to be inspired by an original Theme Park attraction following great successes like the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise and Jungle Cruise, as well as some duds like The Country Bears and Tomorrowland. 

Read More: Report: Big Thunder Mountain Movie Confirmed!

While this list of silver-screened attractions is already extensive, I believe that there are still a few Disney Park attractions that come with a strong enough story and are iconic enough to be worthy of their own movie adaptation.

Here are my top three:

The Matterhorn, Disneyland Park

Related: Video: Guests Catch ‘Unique’ View of Disney Fireworks When Ride Breaks Down

One of the most iconic mountains in the world. An epic bobsledding adventure and a run-in with the abominable snowman. The Matterhorn was Disney’s first E-Ticket thrill ride attraction and the first roller coaster to feature the tubular track. The name and sight of the Matterhorn alone spark feelings of adventure and some level of fantasy. Let’s go into the mountains and have an epic bobsledding adventure.

Maybe it is a “don’t mess with nature” parable about some tycoon who wants to build a permanent bobsledding course on The Matterhorn despite people warning him about what would happen if he did it and ran into the abominable snowman.

Kilimanjaro Safaris, Disney’s Animal Kingdom Park

While many might think of Kilimanjaro Safaris as nothing more than just a normal ride, the perfect movie plot was already written. Many Fanatics might remember that years ago, Kilimanjaro Safaris had a more Theme-Park-ride feel to it. Guests who boarded a safari truck would be called into action to help save a baby African elephant Little Red from poachers that snuck onto the Harambe Wildlife Reserve. Safari drivers were trained to respond to radio messages, and evasive action was necessary.

All was well at the end, though. The poachers were caught, and the baby elephant was saved. It is not difficult for me to see Disney turning this into a movie of some kind.

Here is a video of the now-deleted scene from Kilimanjaro Safaris:

Related: Elephants ‘Get Busy’ In front of Animal Kingdom Guests

Mystic Manor, Hong Kong Disneyland

Who doesn’t love the idea of watching a good-natured yet mischievous little monkey accidentally unleashing havoc in a mystical mansion filled with mysterious and supernatural artifacts and antiquities from around the world?

A movie starring Albert and Lord Mystic–with Danny Elfman’s music–seems to be a delightfully exciting family feature bound to be filled with heartwarming moments and tons of laughs. Out of the three, this is the only one that I can actually imagine being animated rather than live-action.

Again, these are only three examples from an extensive list of original Disney Parks attractions that come straight from the creative minds of Walt Disney Imagineering that could be the inspiration for some fun cinematic adventures.

As of right now, Disney Fanatics will soon get to see a movie based on Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Haunted Mansion, and the Tower of Terror.

We at Disney Fanatic will continue to update our readers on those projects as well as other Disney Movie and Disney Parks news and stories as more developments come to light.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are the writer’s and may not reflect the sentiments of Disney Fanatic as a whole.