Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt will set sail in summer 2020 in the highly anticipated Jungle Cruise movie, which is actually based on a popular Magic Kingdom attraction. This isn’t the first time that Disney has created a movie based on its own theme park rides. After all, the incredibly successful Pirates Of The Caribbean franchise all stemmed from the boat ride that can be found in several Disney theme parks around the world.
The popularity and fandom surrounding the Disney theme parks means that if a good story can be created for any of the attractions, then the movies will always perform well. Let’s take a look at 10 other potential Disney attractions that would make great movies.
Big Thunder Mountain
This is the wildest ride in the wilderness and is a perfect example of how a Disney attraction could make a great movie, with this family rollercoaster having a backstory that could easily be explored in a modern Western movie with that Disney charm. Exploring how the mountain itself ended up being deserted by the locals could open up plenty of possibilities for stories, with mining, cowboys, and even ghosts all being avenues that the film could go down, utilizing Frontierland as an environment.
The movie could be set in “Frontierland” and tell the story of the history of the mountain, and while the actual railroad doesn’t have to be the entire base, simply featuring it would be a good nod to the ride for the fans.
Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin
Of course, Pixar isn’t going to create a brand new Toy Story movie based around a theme park attraction, but it would be fun to see a short film or a spin-off focused on Buzz Lightyear and his adventures as a space cadet. The story within this interactive ride has guests shooting at different robots in order to take down Emperor Zurg sees Buzz battle the classic Toy Story villain. Doing that in a short movie would be a perfect way to celebrate this attraction.
A fun little adventure movie to keep the franchise going would be a lot of fun.
Typhoon Lagoon
This isn’t just one particular ride but instead is a full water park that Disney could easily base a movie on if it wanted to, with Typhoon Lagoon itself having a fascinating backstory. It could be a fun disaster-style movie focusing on a furious storm coming across the sea, catching ships in its path and leaving everyone helpless. And in the end, there could be a tropical paradise. While there would be no need for waterslides, some subtle references would make this fun.
Having a few nods to Miss Tilly, the boat that sits as the icon of the park, or naming something in the movie after a slide would be enough to make the link between them, all while creating a fun story.
Haunted Mansion
Yes, there has already been a Haunted Mansion movie starring Eddie Murphy which was released back in 2003, but it’s fair to say that the film was anything but a success, with a 13% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. It’s a movie that didn’t do the ride justice. The popular Haunted Mansion ride has an incredibly detailed backstory and Disney could create an incredible movie based on this that is both scary and funny.
While it might be a risk to make another film based on this ride because if it flops again then there will be a lot of frustrated Disney fans, there is so much potential here that it seems a major waste to just leave it alone.
It’s A Small World
When it comes to iconic Disney rides, It’s A Small World might take the top prize, with this popular Fantasyland attraction being well known all over the world. There is no doubt that this has the potential to make a very fun film.
The idea of traveling the world and seeing different cultures with the focus simply on people getting along and being nice to each other seems like it would fit in perfectly with today’s climate, and as a possible animated children’s film, this could really work. While a movie wouldn’t be able to visit quite as many countries as It’s A Small World does, it could certainly showcase a good portion… although the song would certainly have to be featured, which would only get stuck in people’s heads.
Mission Space
Mission Space, which is located in EPCOT, already has quite a detailed storyline, which is why it would be well suited to becoming a movie if Disney wanted to, with a fun space film being something that the company hasn’t really tackled before. While it would be pretty hard to have too many clear links to the Florida attraction, simply having the same name would be enough for most Disney fans to understand what was happening. It would be a fun story about journeying to space.
Obviously, because space offers such a wide range of story options, there is a great variety of stories that Disney could tell here, which makes it a great idea for the company.
Journey Into Imagination
If Disney really wanted to commit to Figment as a character, then making a movie about him and his wild journey into the world of imagination would certainly do just that, even if it was just to be released on Disney+, rather than being put in movie theatres.
The Journey Into Imagination ride itself is a very fun one that has a wild storyline that is not only entertaining, but it’s also educational, which is another reason why it would make a fun movie, with a character like Figment already being established as someone that people could connect with.
Walt Disney Biopic
While this isn’t a ride, there would be no Disneyland without Walt Disney himself, as one of the most famous men to have ever lived who created an unbelievable empire, it is staggering that there still hasn’t been a biopic about the life of the man himself. While there have been some stories and moments where Dinsey has appeared in movies, there still hasn’t been a dedicated film, which is a real shame, especially when there is someone as talented as Tom Hanks who suits playing Walt so well.
Hanks did an amazing job in the movie, Saving Mr. Banks, and seeing him portray Walt in a feature-length film where he is the focal point really would be an amazing film.
Matterhorn
The Matterhorn is one of Disney’s most famous attractions, based in the original Disneyland theme park. This is a ride that would work perfectly in a movie environment as it’s based on the real-life Swiss Alps so Disney could even film on location for this one. There are many different ways that Disney could take a Matterhorn movie, with a wintery live-action that is quite scary as a monster causes problems for climbers on the mountains being one possible take, while a family-friendly animated film would also work.
Because the ride is so iconic, this would fall in place with the rides that have been chosen previously to be made into films, which have all also been very popular rides.
Expedition Everest
When it comes to the perfect Disney attraction to make into a movie, Expedition Everest is easily the number one pick, with this Animal Kingdom attraction being built with enough detail and backstory that it would work perfectly as a film. There’s already a great location to work with, as well as an incredibly impressive villain in the form of the yeti, which might not work properly within the ride, but is still incredibly impressive to see.
The idea of a mystic yeti haunting a forbidden mountain is a great adventure story that would be a whole lot of fun to work with if Disney felt like it, and the ride is certainly popular enough that fans would be excited about it.
