Why Disneyland was FORCED to REBUILD Space Mountain

UPDATE: I changed this video's title because I feel it more accurately represents the video's content.

Shout outs to the engineer who said "This is not safe, we have to close it" and not succumbing to pressure from above to keep it going out of fear of losing business.

This video was reuploaded due to the Mandela Effect. For some reason, I distinctly remember Vekoma manufacturing the track for Space Mountain after it was redone. However, it was actually Dynamic Attractions. Some sources also say that they re-tracked most of the ride and not the whole thing.

I miss the glow in the dark rockets and the ride viewing room. Same thing in Florida. It was so retro and cool watching the rockets run around in the dark

"Brown Mountain" just might be one of the ugliest exterior re-themes ever in retrospect. The "oxidized copper" look just did not fit with the architectural style of California's Space Mountain at all. It's really no wonder they almost immediately reverted the exterior back to its original color when they started rebuilding the interior coaster in 2003.

The fact that Disneyland wanted to update the trains but not the track makes clear that they should've thought thing trough before acting out on them, it was just lucky for them that they caught the wear and tear before anything serious happened.

Let's tell the truth: Even without the audio system, park guests are heavier today than they were in the 1970s.

I was once on Space Mountain when something happened. The lights turned on, and our group slowly came to a stop. Space Mountain with lights on looks like a traveling carnival ride. It was underwhelming. This happened at the end of the ride, so we were on a flat stretch before the exit. It was terrifying hearing and seeing other cars still moving around above us.

I lived near Disneyland in the mid 90s; I remember being there the first day the new soundtrack was on the trains. It blew us all away. And then I was fortunate enough to be there on re-opening day in 2005 and heard the new soundtrack. While I missed the Dick Dale tune, the new music by Michael Giacchino worked very well with Space Mountain. The onboard audio just enhances the whole ride experience.

I had zero clue this happened at Disneyland! They sure are good at covering their tracks!

The Dick Dale soundtrack was so fantastic. The otherworldly beginning through the lift hills was perfectly retro sci-fi sounding, and the little guitar flourishes that synced up with exciting moments of the ride were so great. Disneyland Space Mountain holds a special place in my heart along with that soundtrack. I've only been to Disneyland since they redid it, and I missed the nostalgic guitar tune even though the new soundtrack is good too.

I almost passed out on the Epcot NASA ride in 2002! I was so dizzy that I crawled to the grass and laid there for 45 minutes! Just horrible!

I think its so interesting how Disney is painted to be this perfect park where they never mess up, but in reality they screw up just as much as a Six Flags park or something.

Interesting. When I worked at WDW right when Space Mountain opened, a problem immediately developed - the curves weren't banked enough and the drops were too sudden and abrupt. The ride ended up being retracked, one side at a time, only a few months after opening. (I rode the original during cast member previous and was thrown around so much the seatbelt actually slid open!. I was like you're not seriously opening this ride like this!)

The brown paint made Space Mountain look like Jabba's Palace. Maybe they Star Wars theme it.

Just went on Space Mountain two weeks ago, and it was still out of this world! Glad to see that younger generations will be able to enjoy it as much as we did.

I didn't realize Disneyland's space mountain had to be reconstructed because of severe damage from the heavy vehicles. At least on the plus side, it gave the ride special visuals and effects that Disney world s doesn't have.

I was a Disney Firefighter working the day the ride was shut down. The track was worked on every night by welders re-welding the track. During an engineer inspection it was discovered one of the main supports had moved from its base plate by about an inch. The engineer tasked with the inspection would not sign off on the inspection and ordered the ride to closed. The ride was completely gutted and dug about 20 feet deeper to accommodate the new track. Construction crews worked 24/7 to complete the ride for the 50th anniversary but missed the 50th by about 6 months. I watched the entire tear down and rebuild and have pictures of the project. Paul Presley was responsible for the complete refurbishment of Disneyland on stage and back stage. Before he arrived the previous presidents let the Park deteriorate to save money. Their motto was, `run it till it breaks’.

While we’re still on the topic of bad ride makeovers, you should try a video on bad dark ride refurbs. There are many dark rides that have been butchered such as Epcot’s Journey into Imagination and Kennywood’s Old Mill and I’d love to see a video highlighting these mistakes.

Magic Key holder here. Space Mountain in Florida is basically Space Matterhorn. And speaking of Matterhorn, the last ride vehicle refurb gave it Space Matterhorn ride vehicles which hold just 3 per vehicle compared to the old 4 per vehicle where the plus was having your date in your lap. 😉 Finally, despite what one hears, Disney is very focused on safety. My daughter is an Imangineer and one reason both coast's Splash Mountains are closed for re-theming is because they were falling apart.