Disneyland’s ‘Alice in Wonderland’ Dark Ride Updated with Digital Projections

(Whew, long title.)

Yesterday, Disneyland reopened the Alice in Wonderland dark ride, which had been updated with digital projections.  The update also took care of some safety issues, after a cast member slipped in 2010.

Image from Wikipedia.

Inside the Magic took a POV video of the new ride:

Both videos from YouTube.

To understand the changes, here is Inside the Magic’s explanation followed by a video of the previous version of the dark ride.

Besides the safety enhancements, WDI took the rehab time to install several new Alice figures and many new digitally projected effects. New effects can be seen immediately as one rides down the rabbit hole into the attraction. A fully animated scene from the movie is projected onto a set piece showing Alice chasing after the White Rabbit. There are several more projected animated bits in the flower section and in the Queen of Hearts section.

None of the figures feature video-projected heads, like those seen in the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train attraction in Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom, despite the rumors on other Disney fan sites.

The newly rebuilt down ramp still features the twists and turns regular Disneyland visitors remember, albeit on a wider track. The new rails on the exit (left) side of the vehicles reflect the vine architecture of the exterior. There is also a digitally projected animated tea party seen when entering the final scene at the bottom of the down ramp.

Check out Inside the Magic’s article for more, including a former Imagineer’s opinion of the changes.

ttfn!

***UPDATE***

Here's a video my friend Sara shared on her blog, The Disney Den.  It provides a side-by-side comparison of the old and the new.  Enjoy!