Attraction Profile: Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith

Now for another Attraction Profile! By request, here's Rock 'n' Roller Coaster.

Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith (commonly referred to as simply Rock 'n' Roller Coaster) is an enclosed steel roller coaster ride at Disney's Hollywood Studios at the Walt Disney World Resort and at the Walt Disney Studios Parkin Disneyland Paris. The Florida attraction opened on July 29, 1999 and is located at the end of Sunset Boulevard, next to The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror attraction. It's one of my favorites because, i'm a thrill geek

The coaster accelerates from 0 to 57 miles per hour in 2.8 seconds (making this the second-fastest attraction at the Walt Disney World Resort, behind only Test Track and the fastest ride at Disneyland Paris). The riders experience 4.5g (44 m/s²) as they enter the first inversion, more than an astronaut does on a space shuttle launch. Both versions of the attraction feature five trains, although only four can run at one time. The remaining train is kept in backup while being serviced (each train is rotated out periodically for safety reasons).

When Disney first thought of doing this ride, the band hosting was going to be the Rolling Stones. The band was too pricey, however, and Disney wanted a cheaper alternative. Aerosmith was the most affordable.

The ride's story is different in each park. In Florida, guests have to get to an Aerosmith concert on time, because they have scored backstage passes. The story of the Paris version is that Aerosmith, working with engineers, have created a revolutionary new music experience at the Tour De Force Records studios. After watching the pre-show which features Aerosmith's Steven Tyler hyping up the ride, guests are lured into the testing area where they board the prototype vehicle for the new experience, the Soundtracker.

The ride at both parks has two inversions- a roll over and a corkscrew. The coaster wasn't designed to be indoors, so Disney built the track first, then the building. This is one reason the ride's as smooth as it is.

Well, that's all I've got here. Write a comment and tell me which attraction I should profile next. See you soon!

Attraction Profile: Journey into Imagination

This year marks the 30th anniversary of one of the most beloved theme park attraction of all time: Journey into Imagination at Epcot at Walt Disney World in Florida. This is the first in a new segment called Attraction Profile. It'll talk about the most beloved theme park attractions of all time. Let's get started shall we?

Journey into Imagination was opened in 1983 at Epcot as the signature attraction at the Imagination pavilion. The pavilion's other attractions Image Works (a high tech playground) and Magic Eye Theater ( a 4-D cinema which has shown over the years Magic Journeys, Captain EO, and Honey, I Shrunk the Audience) opened the previous year. Journey into Imagination was a last minute decision to Epcot, and could not open with the rest of the park in 1982. The ride was a wondrous adventure which featured Dreamfinder and his friend, a purple Dragon (green would offend the pavilion's sponsor Kodak) on an adventure to collect colors, sounds, and other stuff to create ideas.
Here's a link to a photo of the characters.

www.startedbyamouse.com

In 1998, the ride went down for rehab. The main reasons (at least i my opinion) were
1. The turntable at the opening scene was a maintenance nightmare.
2. Ever since the release of "Something Wicked This Way Comes" in 1983,the Dreamfinder started to resemble the villain, Mr. Dark. Parents felt that younger kids would be terrified by a ride who resembled a character from what is possibly the scariest movie Disney made.

The new version was to feature Eric Idle as Dr. Nigel Channing, a role he originated at Honey, I Shrunk the Audience. The retitled Journey into YOUR Imagination opened in 1999 to universally negative reviews, mostly due to the absence of Figment and Dreamfinder. Disney redid the ride AGAIN in 2002 into its current form, Journey into Imagination WITH FIGMENT. Even with the Changes, the ride remains a walk-on. Bob Iger, if you're reading this,

Will you please make a Journey into Imagination IV?

Well, that covers today's Attraction Profile. Be sure to let me know which attraction should be next. Send E-Mail to themeparkdiary@gmail.com . See you soon!