Credit: DisneylandDisneyland is constantly undergoing a state of refurbishment, retheming, or renovation.
The Park just recently announced its annual closure of the Haunted Mansion in order to start working on the seasonal overlay the attraction gets for Halloween and Christmas each year. This is a tradition that fans have started to tire of, citing that the ride spends half the year in its seasonal variation, with several weeks of downtime in between for decorating and removing pieces. Fans have also pointed out that the attraction is already perfectly themed for Halloween and it’s high time The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) just received its own attraction.
Beyond the Haunted Mansion, rides go down all the time for unplanned maintenance issues or planned refurbishment throughout the year. Most recently, Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride, Peter Pan’s Flight, and Alice in Wonderland all went through a planned refurbishment period. The three attractions share a ride building, meaning that the entire building was shut down for a few weeks while maintenance and upkeep was performed.
Now, Disneyland has announced yet another closure for a major ride, right as the Park enters one of its busiest seasons. Radiator Springs Racers will be closing on August 18 for an indefinite amount of time. Similar to Walt Disney World’s Test Track, Radiator Springs Racers is a technologically complicated ride, unfortunately down for technical issues more often than not.
The ride is based on Pixar’s Cars (2006), with riders strapping into a car-themed ride vehicle and taking an exhilarating ride around Radiator Springs. Guests can see Lightning, Mater, Doc, Luigi, Ramone, and other favorite characters throughout the track while taking in the breathtaking Red Rock re-creations that inspired Radiator Springs.
Usually, the ride is down for a few weeks for repairs and other maintenance. Guests attending Disneyland at this time may be disappointed to learn that both Radiator Springs Racers and the Haunted Mansion are down at the same time, considering both draw in long lines and large crowds.
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