Disney in a Minute: What is a Dark Ride?

If you’ve seen the phrase “dark ride” when reading about theme park attractions, you may have wondered what exactly it refers to. It’s a good question, because it turns out it doesn’t mean that the ride is dark! Most amusement parks will have one or two dark rides. But they’re kind of Disney’s bread and butter. So if you’re planning a trip to a Disney theme park, let’s dig into what this term means!

By way of background, dark rides first appeared in the late 19th century. Perhaps the most well-known example is the “Tunnel of Love.” People rode in boats that floated through a few illuminated scenes. As technology evolved, dark rides increased in complexity while becoming more common.

There’s general agreement about a few shared elements that comprise a dark ride.

1. The attraction moves you through a story or sequence of scenes
2. The ride vehicle physically moves from scene to scene
3. The attraction is designed to direct where you look and what you see
4. The attraction is primarily indoors

Let’s expand on these a bit. First: the attraction moves you through a story or sequence of scenes. Sometimes (often?) the story is pretty loose. A good example is it’s a small world. You ride through several rooms of animatronic dolls representing different regions and cultures, all singing the same song in their own language. There’s a theme … but it’s hard to say there’s a plot. Yet, no theme park fan would challenge this iconic attraction’s designation as a dark ride.

Second, the ride vehicle physically moves from scene to scene. Dark ride vehicles may be a boat, a suspended vehicle, or a car on a track. The latest – and most exciting – iterations of dark rides utilize trackless vehicles to take you through the attraction in ways other conveyances could never dream of! But this requirement is why simulators aren’t usually considered to be dark rides.

Third, the attraction is designed to direct where you look and what you see. While you ride, every element of a dark ride keeps your eyes focused on the “story”. The vehicle itself functions to keep you pointed toward the area of interest. One of Disney’s patented inventions is the OmniMover, which allows vehicles to turn on the track as they progress through the ride. When you ride through The Haunted Mansion, its OmniMover vehicles twist, turn, and recline you so you’re always looking at the action.

Fourth, the attraction is primarily indoors. This one is a bit arbitrary, and there could be exceptions. But if you look at the other rules, you see why there aren’t many. The story sets, displays, and rider attention are easier to create and control indoors.

A common perception is that dark rides are slow or boring; some are, yes, but certainly not all. We’re looking at you, Cosmic Rewind, with your top speed of 60 mph. And you, Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, with your 50-foot drop. And some dark rides are dark, but they don’t need to be. EPCOT’s Living With the Land rides through a greenhouse, and it’s only dark in there when it’s dark outside.

All this is great. But it doesn’t explain why dark rides are a higher share of the lineup in Disney parks than elsewhere. For that, you need to remember that Disney parks aim to be a destination that the entire family can enjoy. Since most dark rides are slow-moving, they fit that bill nicely. Everyone can ride, from great-grandma to the infant. Motion sickness or other physical issues aren’t usually a problem either. And the indoor settings make them weatherproof, which is good for both maintenance and guest experience.

Disney in a Minute is a series of short posts designed to help you better understand a Disney term or planning topic. Do you have a Disney term that you think needs a bit more explanation? Let us know in the comments.

Thanks to Erin Foster for an earlier version of this post.