Credit: Muhammad Faiz Zulkeflee, UnsplashThe internet likes to joke that “Disney Adults” are part of one big cult, but at least one cult is pretty active within Disney theme parks.
Any diehard Disney parkgoer can attest to the fact that fans can get passionate about what they love (and what they don’t love) at Disney. If you need proof, just see the reactions to the closure of Splash Mountain and the opening of Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, which generated such a frenzy that some people tried, unsuccessfully, to picket The Walt Disney Company offices.
More recently (and more validly), there’s been an outcry over the prospect of Muppet*Vision 3D being shuttered at Walt Disney World Resort to make way for the Monsters, Inc. (2001) land and attraction announced for Disney’s Hollywood Studios at D23.
While Disney is yet to confirm anything, a source told The Wrap that Disney is contemplating two options: go the cheap way and infuriate fans by ripping out The Muppets and using the existing buildings in Grand Avenue, or splashing out and replacing Star Wars: Launch Bay and the cast member offices that currently sit behind Animation Courtyard.
The point here being: when Disney fans care, they care. A lot.
A video recently emerged from Tokyo Disney Resort proving just how much some fans care about their favorite attraction. TikToker @itsakidearest shared a video on the platform in May which is currently doing the rounds on X (formerly known as Twitter), shocking some users by revealing a popular cult at Tokyo Disneyland.
The cult in question centers around The Happy Ride with Baymax, a relatively recent addition to the park’s Tomorrowland area. This is a whip ride (similar to Alien Swirling Saucers at Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Mater’s Junkyard Jamboree at Disney’s California Adventure) themed to Baymax, the “personal healthcare companion” popularized in Big Hero 6 (2014), that opened in 2020.
As the backstory goes, Hiro Hamada – the 14-year-old robotics prodigy who serves as the Disney film’s protagonist – realizes that the first step to making people healthy is to make them happy, which leads to the creation of this ride.
The ride features a soundtrack that cycles through six songs, all of which have become extremely popular with Disney park guests, thanks in no small part to their corresponding dances choreographed by Disney cast members.
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“Extremely popular” may be an understatement. As per the video, crowds regularly turn up to The Happy Ride with Baymax to dance and sing along to the ride – not just for a few minutes, but for hours at a time.
“I thought, ‘Wow, she must just be a really big fan,'” the TikToker says, “but then I noticed people joining in. And then there were even more people joining in, and they were hyped up, and they were here from the moment that the park was open to when it closed.”
As far as cults go, we’d say this is a pretty wholesome one to join. According to the comments, this is a daily occurrence. “This ride is like a club I swear,” said one user. “People standing around watching are dancing to the music. It’s always a party at the Baymax ride.”
Another said, “I went on that ride last year on Halloween and there were literally so many of them dancing at the side and I thought I was required to join.”
Tokyo Disney Resort is renowned for its enthusiastic guests, outdoing even those in the likes of Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World. The hype around The Happy Ride with Baymax can be found in several features of the resort, including merchandise (especially that themed around Duffy and Friends, who rival Mickey Mouse for popularity at Disney’s parks in Asia).
Aside from The Happy Ride with Baymax, Tokyo Disneyland’s Tomorrowland is pretty quiet right now. In July, the park closed its version of Space Mountain for good. This will soon be demolished to make way for a bigger, better version of the classic indoor roller coaster. In October, the park will also close Buzz Lightyear’s Astro Blasters, which will be replaced by a ride inspired by Wreck-It Ralph (2012).
If you had to join a Disney cult based around one ride, what would it be?