Fearing Imagineering
By Neethika
When I was in third grade, I went to the San Mateo County Fair with two of my friends, Misha and Ada. Early in the day, I had done a few rides with my friends, and I was looking forward to doing more. At around 2 p.m., we went on the Wiggly Worm, a coaster that seemed like it was built for two-year-olds.
“That was boring, let’s go on a more fun ride than that!” Ada said, as we exited the ride.
“Yeah, even to me, it was boring,” I stated.
“How about we look at the map to see what thrill rides we should go on?” Misha suggested.
We eventually decided on three thrill rides to go on. Scream Machine, a large rollercoaster, seemed the least scary out of all the thrill-ride offerings at the fair. But once I approached the ride, I was intimidated by the size of the ride. As I was about to back out, my friends convinced me to complete the challenge. The overall ride experience was not smooth at all. After the ride, I was very shaken. I had not gone on any big roller coasters before Scream Machine. Because of that experience, I never went on another rollercoaster again until…
Seventh grade. My family and I were at the Magic Kingdom in Disney World with my mom, sister, and dad. Many thrill rides in Disney World have really cool Imagineering, that I have always wanted to see live. However, I have never gone on any of these rides because my fear of rollercoasters limited me from enjoying and appreciating the rides. I aspire to be an Imagineer, who designs theme park rides, such as Haunted Mansion and Cosmic Rewind. To design these rides, experiencing them firsthand is beneficial to understanding both the story and thrill elements of the ride.
I was very excited to go on the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train. I had seen videos of the different ride elements, but I was sure nothing would compare to the real ride. Prior to the trip, I had watched many videos and read many articles about the experiences offered at Disney World. I was eager to see all of the Imagineering details in the architecture and composition of the assortment of rides in the Magic Kingdom. I had made a comprehensive plan based on my estimated wait times for all of the most popular and exciting rides, detailing our food options, hotel stays, and of course, the attractions we would experience. From the videos I had watched I heard that the Mine Train ride was “overrated” or “not worth all of the hype and long lines”, yet I was determined that all of these hypotheses would be proven wrong.
That day, I went on many fun rides, such as It’s a Small World, Winnie the Pooh, and the Haunted Mansion. I had been on most of these rides at Disneyland in California, but I was thinking about the rides unique to the East Coast all day. I had been monitoring the wait times for Seven Dwarfs Mine Train throughout the day, and the wait times had been pretty high. For most of the day, the line had been two hours long, but once the fireworks show started, the ride’s wait time dropped to 25 minutes.
“Amma, can we please go on the Mine Train now?” I asked, excited.
“No, Nivi and I want to watch the fireworks show!” Amma responded. Prior to the fireworks show, Amma and Nivi had gotten sick because of the teacup ride. They needed rest before attempting another ride.
We found a good viewing spot for Disney Enchanted, the fireworks show. It was actually a really fun show! The innovative projections on Cinderella Castle and down Main Street combined with the use of fireworks to contribute to the story of the show were awesome. Tinker Bell even flew through the sky at the beginning of the show! But, Tinker Bell’s star moment couldn’t help but remind me of Mine Train more, because of the height that she was placed.
After the show ended, I rushed my family over to the ride line. But, on the way, Nivi got thirsty. And so, to my utmost dismay, instead of Mine Train, we made our way over to Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Cafe, to grab a bottle of water for my sister. During our time at Cosmic Ray’s, the wait time for the ride jumped from 25 minutes to 65 minutes. Finally, after what seemed like the longest three minutes ever, we walked to Mine Train.
“You can get in line now!” the Cast Member at the end of the line exclaimed. The park was about to close, so it was unclear whether we could get in line. “It’s okay, since you’re a family, I’ll let you go. You’re the last people I’ll let in line though!” they continued. Even through my mask, anyone could see that I was beaming with happiness and relief as I entered the line of the Mine Train. The queue line had a very distinct forest-y smell. The line had different sections, starting with a standard rope queue. As we made our way through the line, we passed various sections, such as a section with polished wood walls with carvings of different scenes and symbols from Snow White, and a forest full of trees and flowers. It gradually morphed into a section that looked quite like a cave, but outside. There was an interactive game that we could play while waiting, so my sister and I had fun hitting the colored gems that were part of the game. As I continued to walk through the queue, I noticed many awesome Imagineering details and easter eggs laced throughout the walls and floors of the building. I had read about some of these details, but it was really cool to see them supersized and in person.
As I approached the front of the line, I was starting to get butterflies in my stomach. I knew that this rollercoaster was built for families and only reached speeds of up to 35 mph, but I was still anxious because of my third-grade experience. I eventually reached the front of the line and sat in a ride vehicle. When I pulled the lap bar down, I reminded myself that I was only on this ride for the animatronics, and the cool dwarf section in the middle of the ride was my reward for going through the “scary” parts. I felt excited about the ride. The vehicle took off with a launch and then slowed down up the lift hill. And then it dropped. Once we reached the bottom of the drop, there were several twists and turns before the cave portion of the ride. The outdoor portion was beautifully decorated, with many trees and rocks lining the sides of the track and the hills around it. Once we reached the cave portion of the ride, the cave was illuminated. As our train moved slowly through the cave, there were dwarves along the sides of the ride track mining for gems. The animatronic dwarves had very fluid movements and they were singing a jaunty, fast-paced song while mining. Our car moved slowly through the cave, allowing me to get a good look at the dwarves. But, it seemed like that cave segment lasted less than two seconds as our train approached the next lift hill. Our car sped down the track and took more twists and turns before the ride ended and I got off.
Wow, that was fun! I thought to myself after leaving the ride queue. I’m going to try more thrill rides after this! Unfortunately, I wasn't allowed to ride Mine Train another time since the park was closed. I left the park, satisfied that I had conquered my fear of rollercoasters and heights. Mine Train introduced me to the fact that not all rollercoasters are scary and bad. It is now my goal to conquer my fear even further by going on faster and higher thrill rides!
Sometimes, things are not as scary as they seem, and we have to be willing to take chances. A spirit of adventure is essential to enjoying life to the fullest. This is especially true when the adventure is related to something you’re passionate about. Being open to possibilities has now given me a firsthand look at Imagineering details that can only be seen live by experiencing the ride. My interest in Imagineering was already a big part of my identity before this experience. As a result of this experience, I have begun exploring different ride systems and am even considering designing an Imagineering project. As I enter high school, I am starting to think about what an Imagineering career would look like and what skills and education I would need to become an Imagineer!
