For better or worse, Disneyland Resort is always changing.

When Disneyland Park first opened in 1955, Walt Disney declared that it would never be complete “as long as there is imagination left in the world.” The Walt Disney Company has stayed true to Walt’s word and innovated not just Disneyland but all of its theme parks over the years, which has often meant tearing down and replacing existing attractions.

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In the past few years alone, Disneyland Resort has demolished Big Thunder Ranch to make space for Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, and is currently gearing up to do some more damage to make way for its new Avatar land and Avengers Campus expansion at Disney California Adventure.

Walt Disney World Resort flattened the Streets of America to do the same for Galaxy’s Edge, plans on eradicating the Rivers of America at Magic Kingdom and Grand Avenue at Hollywood Studios for new lands in the near future, and already shuttered most of DinoLand U.S.A. earlier this year to prepare for its Tropical Americas takeover.

All are necessary sacrifices for the sake of progress within Disney’s theme parks – but what’s next on the chopping block in Anaheim?

The evolution of Disneyland

Some rides, such as “it’s a small world,” Space Mountain, Haunted Mansion, and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, are so synonymous with the Disney Parks brand that they can be presumed safe forever. However, as characters and films fall out of favor, and others take place, it’s only natural that the parks would evolve to meet this new demand.

While Walt Disney World and Disneyland Paris are blessed with plenty of space to expand, other resorts are much more limited. Enclosed by the city of Anaheim, Disneyland Resort has to find creative solutions to add new attractions to its two parks (although the approval of DisneylandForward has opened new doors in that regard).

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In the past, this has meant tearing out the existing parking lot to build what is now Disney California Adventure. But as Disney injects $60 billion into its theme parks over the next ten years, closures seem inevitable in Southern California in the coming years. These are the Disneyland rides we fear are most at risk.

Autopia

The Disneyland ride everybody loves to hate. Autopia is an opening day attraction, with versions also found at Magic Kingdom (where it’s known as the Tomorrowland Speedway) and Disneyland Paris. However, the Disneyland ride isn’t exactly beloved by parkgoers, who often complain about the noise, the smell of gas, and the lack of shade.

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Tomorrowland’s biggest flaw is that it no longer feels like a reflection of ‘tomorrow.’ A ride based around vintage-looking cars in 2023 doesn’t exactly help that reputation. It also takes up a considerable amount of land, which could easily be developed into a new attraction (something Tomorrowland hasn’t received since 2011, and even that was just an upgraded version of Star Tours).

Disneyland Park wouldn’t be the first to cull its version of Autopia. Tokyo Disneyland (which referred to it as the Grand Circuit Raceway) and Hong Kong Disneyland have already axed theirs in favor of new attractions.

Disneyland was previously also home to three other versions of the ride – Midget Autopia, Fantasyland Autopia (Rescue Rangers Raceway), and Junior Autopia – all of which are long dismantled. Considering how many guests admit to skipping it while visiting the park, this could be at the top of Disney’s ‘to-go’ list.

Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage

Also located in Tomorrowland, Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage rarely seems like a priority for Disney. The underwater attraction, which sees guests journey under the sea with Nemo and friends, remained closed for a year after the rest of Disneyland reopened post-COVID lockdown.

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Eventually, the lagoon was drained, Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage was repainted, a figure of Hank from Finding Dory (2016) was added, and the ride reopened. Despite its refurbishment, however, it’s been noted that the attraction is rusty and in poor condition, with The Orange County Register writing that “for a theme park that prides itself on perfection, the rust stains on such a high-profile attraction represent the height of what Disneyland calls ‘bad show.’

While the Finding Nemo (2003) overlay was added in 2007, the classic Submarine Voyage attraction first opened in Tomorrowland in 1959. Back then, it was one of Disney’s first ‘E-Ticket’ rides. Guests boarded ‘nuclear’ submarines that simulated the voyage undertaken by the USS Nautilus, which shares its name with the submarine in 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954), beneath the Arctic Ocean’s polar ice cap.

When the original Disneyland ride became outdated, it closed for nine years before it embraced Nemo. Guests agree that the ride is slowly creeping towards irrelevance once again, with some claiming they actively avoid riding it. This may put it on Disney’s hit list when looking for real estate for new attractions.

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Mickey’s PhilharMagic

Hopping over to California Adventure, there’s Mickey’s PhilharMagic, an enchanting 4D film attraction that takes guests on a whimsical journey through the magical world of Disney.

In this captivating experience, Donald Duck – in his true mischievous spirit – finds himself ‘borrowing’ Mickey Mouse’s iconic Sorcerer hat, leading to a series of unforgettable adventures within classic Disney movies. The lineup includes The Little Mermaid (1989), Fantasia (1940), Beauty and the Beast (1991), The Lion King (1994), Peter Pan (1953), Aladdin (1992), and, as of 2021, Coco (2017).

While the original opened in 2005 at Magic Kingdom, you can find duplicates of the attraction at Hong Kong Disneyland, Tokyo Disneyland, and Disneyland Paris. California Adventure was the last park to receive Mickey’s PhilharMagic, with the show opening in 2019.

Unlike its other locations, there’s not a great deal of work that went into adding Mickey’s PhilharMagic to the park. The theater has received minimal theming, meaning it very much feels like a temporary attraction.

With the rest of Hollywood Land standing pretty barren – and its convenient location next to Avengers Campus, which will soon be creeping beyond its current boundaries – fans have long slated it as the next in line for a renovation.

Goofy’s Sky School

While technically listed as a “coaster-style attraction,” Goofy’s Sky School is nothing short of traumatic. It’s a ‘wild mouse’-style ride with tight corners and sudden turns, which means it can be pretty painful – especially for adults.

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Found in the corner of Paradise Gardens Park, it’s one of the last vestiges of the original California Adventure. It was once known as Mulholland Madness and was otherwise an identical attraction until Disney decided Paradise Pier needed more characters. In 2011, it subsequently reopened as a ride inspired by the short Goofy’s Glider (1940).

Like a lot of the repurposed remnants of California Adventure, Goofy’s Sky School is showing its age. Its steel and concrete exterior also screams ‘eyesore’ more than it does ‘Disney Look.’ With the rest of the park mostly IP-ified over the past decade – and Disney’s other wild mouse coaster, Primeval Whirl, closed and demolished in 2020 – it only seems like a matter of time before this unpopular attraction goes the same way.

There were previously rumors that the ride would be enclosed and rethemed to Coco, which would make sense if Disney decided to expand Pixar Pier into Paradise Pier Gardens.

Silly Symphony Swings

Speaking of Paradise Gardens Park, Silly Symphony Swings (previously known as Orange Stinger) is more carnival-like than the rest of Disney’s attractions. While that was the original theme of the area, California Adventure has ditched that idea over the past 15 years, meaning this ride looks a little out of place.

Like all swing rides, guests sit in metal seats that rotate at high speeds (and relatively high heights). Thanks to the Silly Symphony theming, they do so to music from the Mickey Mouse short The Band Concert (1935) while Mickey himself conducts from high atop the ride.

As Disney has previously proven during its refurbishment, the attraction can (like an actual carnival ride) be easily dismantled and removed when needed. If it isn’t replaced in the near future, a retheme to a popular IP seems inevitable, especially seeing as how Walt Disney Studios Park just unveiled plans for an extremely similar attraction themed to Up (2009).

Golden Zephyr

Another attraction inherited from Disney California Adventure 1.0. Unlike its neighbors, Golden Zephyr has never received a retheme. Guests board Buck Rogers and Flash Gordon-themed rocket ships that take them on a relaxing trip, similar to attractions like Dumbo and Astro Orbitor.

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Its 1940s seaside boardwalk theming was perfect for the old vision of California Adventure, but it just doesn’t gel with the park in its current state. It’s also incredibly impractical as it cannot operate at wind speeds over 10 miles per hour. Like everything else in Paradise Pier Gardens, it seems at risk of being enveloped by a Pixar Pier expansion – perhaps adopting another big IP like Toy Story – one day.

Jumpin’ Jellyfish

Located in (surprise, surprise) Paradise Pier Gardens, Jumpin’ Jellyfish is another Disneyland Resort ride that hasn’t changed since 2001. Seated in vehicles designed like jellyfish, guests are lifted 50ft into the air, where they can enjoy views of Pixar Pier before dropping back down to the ground.

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It’s not Disney’s only version of the attraction. A second Jumpin’ Jellyfish can be found in the Mermaid Lagoon at Tokyo DisneySea, where it fits the land’s The Little Mermaid (1989) theme to a tee. At California Adventure, not so much. Again, a retheme or a replacement seems inevitable.

What’s your least favorite ride at Disneyland Resort? Let us know in the comments!