Credit: Dangerous MindsWhen most people think of places like Disneyland or the Walt Disney World Resort, fun afternoons and cute cartoons are typically the images that come to mind. With castles, roller coasters, and hugs from Mickey and Minnie, it’s hardly the place for anything freaky or frightening. Not so for one Disney employee.
Disney has created some scary rides and attractions in the past; just look up ExtraTERRORestrial and Shanghai Disney’s Nightmare Experiment if you don’t believe us. That being said, the Disney Parks thrive on that sugary-sweet reputation, which was not the case for one Disney Park Guest.
A Dark Ride at Disney World
Ridley Pearson is the author of the Kingdom Keepers books, a series of YA fantasy novels about a gang of teens that unite to defend the Disney Parks from the studio’s most infamous villains. Naturally, several scenes in the series involve darker versions of beloved Disney attractions like Expedition Everest and Pirates of the Caribbean. One of the most iconic, however, involves that happiest cruise around the world.
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From Talky-Tina of the Twilight Zone to Chucky of the Child’s Play franchise, creepy dolls and puppets have been a prominent horror feature for decades, and it seems even Disney isn’t immune. There’s a very unsettling scene in the first Kingdom Keepers novel where the mechanical children from “it’s a small world” go on the rampage when their home is threatened, and Pearson himself might have just revealed its horrifying inspiration.
A World of Hope and a World of Fears
@disneyd23 You can hear more “terrifying” stories from Ridley Pearson on this weeks epsiode of the D23InsideDisney podcast! Link in bio! booktok
@itsdjkento said it best in the comments, “Official Disney account basically admits Small World is haunted…” and we can’t say we’re surprised. “it’s a small world” has always had something of a reputation amongst certain Disney Park Guests, but a few cases of automatonophobia are a bit of an unexpected side effect.
Of course, this could all be a case of “play stupid games, win stupid prizes.” Not many of us would want to ride any Disney ride in total darkness (apart from Space Mountain), but riding in total blackness with no music, no lights, and no power in a room full of hundreds of mechanical puppets is just asking for trouble.
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Fans wanting to know more can find find Ridley Pearson’s books, including the Kingdom Keeper’s series, wherever books are sold. Additionally, the entirety of the interview in the TikTok above can also be found on D23’s official podcast where fans can listen at their, hopefully without a pair of creepy dolls waiting in the dark.
Have you seen anything creepy happening at the Disney Parks? Tell Inside the Magic about it in the comments below!