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Credit: ARICAD via Wikimedia CommonsOne Disney theme park is offering its guests the opportunity to gamble on taking a final ride on Space Mountain.
When it comes to its iconic Mountain attractions, several Disney parks are undergoing an overhaul right now. Last year saw both Disneyland and Magic Kingdom axe their versions of Splash Mountain due to its links to the problematic Song of the South (1946).
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Both attractions will instead be replaced by Tiana’s Bayou Adventure later this year. While Disneyland’s opening date is yet to be announced, Magic Kingdom’s version of the ride will open on June 28 – with a virtual queue, much to the displeasure of many.
A second Mountain change is also apparently heading for Magic Kingdom. Rumor has it that Disney is considering ripping out its version of Big Thunder Mountain Railroad (AKA “the wildest ride in the wilderness”) to give it a complete makeover. As Inside the Magic reported last week, Disney allegedly wants to replace its entire track in an extensive refurbishment.
The final mountain – Space Mountain – has already undergone several makeovers of its own lately. For the past few years, both Disneyland Paris and Hong Kong Disneyland have operated the attractions as the Star Wars-inspired Hyperspace Mountain (although Paris could be about to restore the OG attraction, if the rumors are to be believed).
Later this year, one park is going a step further and tearing down its version of the indoor roller coaster for good.
On July 31, 2024, Space Mountain will take its final flight at Tokyo Disneyland. As the park first announced in 2022, the ride is closing and being demolished to make way for a reimagined take on the ride (rumored to be called “Space Mountain Earthrise”).
Tokyo Disney Resort has already started prepping its guests to say goodbye. “Celebrating Space Mountain: The Final Ignition” started in April and offers exclusive merchandise and photo ops specifically designed to mark the ride’s closure.
The park has also revealed how guests can have the opportunity to say an official farewell on the attraction’s last day of operation.
Tokyo Disney Resort has opened up an official lottery to ride Space Mountain on July 31. Anybody who visits Tokyo Disney Resort between now and June 16 can gamble on a chance to join one of 250 groups of 500 people who will be among the last to ever experience the attraction.
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Each winner will be able to bring a plus one on the attraction. Winners won’t be able to transfer their prize, with Tokyo Disney Resort noting that each rider’s identity will be validated before boarding.
For those who don’t win a final ride on Space Mountain, all hope is not lost. With winners only receiving ride slots between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m., it seems like there will still be a standby line on July 31 – although, considering how long Tokyo Disney Resort lines are at the best of times, we’re willing to bet that this will be an extremely long wait.
While we’re saying goodbye to a Disney classic, there’s no doubt that Tokyo Disney’s Space Mountain 2.0 will be even more magnificent than its predecessor. Scheduled to open in 2027, Walt Disney Imagineering Producer Kathleen Davis describes it as “a whole new ride experience” where we will “see our connection to our planet and gain a new perspective for how special it is in all the universe.”
“With the overarching story of appreciating our home (Planet Earth), we are making this change to spread awareness of caring for our Earth and what she’s gifted us throughout time as we know it,” added Owen Yoshino, Senior Creative Director for Walt Disney Imagineering.
Do you think Disney should update its other versions of Space Mountain? Let us know in the comments!