This text is part of the special Pleasures notebook
Since September 22, the Florida theme park of Disney World has been celebrating 100 years of The Walt Disney Company, its parent company. An excellent opportunity to revisit this immense fun area which is constantly evolving and, why not, to include the destination in the list of family Christmas gifts to give yourself.
Gone are the days when Disney World only rhymed with fairy tales, cute rides for toddlers and photo opportunities with Mickey and Cinderella. If all this still exists (and remains very popular), recent years have seen the birth of high-flying attractions likely to provide crazy thrills.
Of course, it is still possible to take a world tour full of clichés from another era (It’s a Small World), to sing Let It Go in chorus with the Snow Queen or to be transformed into a princess at the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique (by registering on a six-month waiting list). But over the past ten years, thrilling attractions from another generation have begun to appear. Here are five, tested and approved.
1. Tron Lightcycle/Run (Magic Kingdom, 2023)
What strikes you first is the power of the acceleration. Unlike the good old roller coasters, where you only gain speed on the first descent, Tron’s light cycles take off as if you were starting with the pedal to the floor in an F1 car. Thanks to an ingenious back system, you are firmly pressed against the frame of these futuristic motorcycles before speeding along the rails of this new indoor attraction. The sequel is nothing less than extraordinary: we relive the cult lumicycle racing scene from the film Tron: Legacy, with many special effects and hyper-realistic staging of collisions and lurches, to the sound of Daft Punk’s brilliant soundtrack. We come out shaken with only one desire: to start again.
2. Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind (EPCOT, 2022)
After a staging where we discover the “wonders of the planet Xandar”, along the endless queue, we are duly rewarded. From the start, the tone is set: as the carts of these indoor roller coasters can rotate on themselves, we chose to make them start backwards, which initially gives the impression of being on board a a ship that takes off and moves away from the universe in the middle of the Big Bang, on the giant indoor screens. The rest of the 1.7 km course of twisted rails is just as confusing, as you cross at 100 km/h through portals from one dimension to another, encounter the terrifying Eson the Celestial and travel through space studded with stars, listening to hits from the 1970s, like in the trilogy. All with all the special effects you can imagine made possible by… US$500 million in investments. “My name is Groot”? Exactly.
3. Rémy’s Ratatouille Adventure (EPCOT, 2021)
How can you make the story of a rat chef who works hidden under a chef’s hat exciting in an attraction? Very simple: by recreating the crazy scene where Rémy-the-rat-cook falls in the kitchen of a Parisian restaurant and flees over and under the counters, the pantry and into the dining room. On board an autonomous cart, we relive all the incredible adventures of the squirming rodent, at the height of a rat, feeling the heat of the flames of a gas oven or receiving water from a mop in the face . An excellent idea exploited with mastery which allows you to experience 5 minutes of intense pleasure.
4. Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge (Hollywood Studios, 2019)
This fascinating sector recreates with striking realism part of the planet Batuu, with its souk, its X-Wing fighters, a few AT-ATs and an atmospheric bar where tasty smoke cocktails are served. Two major attractions make the place even more thrilling: Millenium Falcon – Smugglers Run, a flight simulator which allows you to pilot Han Solo’s legendary ship as if you were there, and Rise of the Resistance, where you are first put arrested as a rebel before taking off in an autonomous vehicle. The rooms of the First Order ship that we then cross are incredibly well recreated and devilishly impressive. Between original scenes from the films, high-level projections, spectacular special effects (when Kylo Ren’s lightsaber pierces a wall) and performances from animatronic robots, we are blown away by the astonishing staging of this exhilarating trip of around fifteen of minutes.
5. Avatar Flight of Passage (Animal Kingdom, 2017)
It is, by far, one of the most sensational attractions at Disney World, where the planet Pandora has been brilliantly recreated to provide a totally enchanting simulated flight experience. After connecting his nervous system to that of a banshee of the mountains – winged creature from James Cameron’s film – we begin to feel the beast’s breathing between his legs, just before the inevitable fall preceding his flight. What follows is absolutely breathtaking: thanks to 3D glasses, a gigantic immersive screen and an ultra-sophisticated simulator, we glide at high speed into the magical world of the floating mountains of Pandora, with a strong smell of tropical humus, wind on the cheeks and incessant jungle noises. Then, we move from pure wonder to the adrenaline rush as we slip between the crevices of a cliff or under aerial branches, before flying over the sublime nocturnal version of Pandora’s fluorescent fauna and flora. A moving, exhilarating and indescribably beautiful experience that has no equal at Disney World — or probably anywhere else in the world.
The author was a guest of Air Transat and Disney World.
This content was produced by the Special Publications team at Duty, relating to marketing. The writing of the Duty did not take part.