On the 83rd anniversary of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Disney Parks made an announcement that the Snow White attraction at the original Disneyland park in Anaheim would see a new theme, upgraded animatronics, and a better storyline. The dark-ride attraction had shut down for construction on January 6th, 2020, just 2 months before the park shut its gates for the remainder of the year. As an exciting announcement on December 21st, 2020, the parks showed us a sneak peek of the new and improved ride. This isn’t the first time the parks had announced an upgrade to this ride, as they did before in 1981. Let’s talk about it.

Snow White’s Scary Adventures sign at Disneyland. Image from: https://wdwnt.com/2019/12/refurbishment-dates-revealed-for-snow-whites-scary-adventures-at-disneyland/

Snow White and Her Adventures (1955 - 1981)

The Snow White attraction was an opening day attraction on July 17th, 1955, still located in Fantasyland as it is today. It sat alongside Peter Pan’s Flight and Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride, with the main idea being that you as the guest were experiencing the world through their eyes. This wasn’t a widely understood concept to the park’s guests, as they often left the ride asking, “Where was Snow White?”.

The ride’s designers were so dedicated to this idea that you would be playing Snow White, that the focus of the ride was to show you all of the terrifying scenarios she faced trying to escape the Wicked Witch. It was an interesting take on it, as many children ended up leaving the ride crying, screaming, and parents were surprised.

Snow White and Her Adventures exterior. Image from: https://disney.fandom.com/wiki/Snow_White%27s_Adventures?file=Imagineering-Disney_New-Fantasyland_Snow-White.jpg

The beginning of the original ride had you load into a mine cart, and enter the Seven Dwarfs mine and them hard at work. The original animatronics did not move very much, and of course had that creepy look that we all know so well now. At the end of the mine, Dopey would point to a “Beware of the Witch” sign. After this is when the ride takes a turn for the worst, as the original storyline goes out the window. Instead of heading toward the cottage, you head toward the Witch’s castle. You would pass through the forest of terrifying trees, into a dungeon with gates, skeletons, spider webs, and shadows. The witch would continuously show up in your face offering the poison apple, until the end where you end up in a dark room and hear the witch falling from the cliff.

The Magic Kingdom

The Walt Disney World version of the ride was MUCH scarier than the Disneyland one, including 7 different jump-scare appearances by the witch. They even added elements to the ride that were not in the original story, such as the witch attempting to drop a huge gem on you at the very end. The epitome of the ride was you trying to escape the witch trying to kill you multiple times. It’s obvious now why the Snow White attraction at the Magic Kingdom eventually closed in the 1990s.

Disneyland’s Additions

Snow White and Her Adventures were a part of the “C” tickets when Disneyland offered the A-E Ticket system. After around 1970 they added (scary) next to the rides name to ensure parents knew the ride would be scary for kids. They also added a “Beware of the Wicked Witch” sign out front in 1978 until 1981. For a brief period in the 1970s, a Snow White figure was found in the ride to satisfy those who complained that she could not be seen, but it was merely a mannequin dressed up as her and it didn’t last long. In 1981, the ride closed for reconstruction, and opened up again with New Fantasyland in 1983.

Snow White’s Scary Adventures (1983 - 2020)

When Fantasyland reopened to the public with a new look, they wanted to take everyone’s criticisms of the Snow White ride into consideration and make it less scary for children. I personally was a little confused at their approach to this because they added the word scary into the ride name, and didn’t change much even though they completely tore down the original version. Nevertheless, this is the version we all knew until its closure in 2020. The goal in the beginning was to implement more of the film’s storyline but keep it’s scary elements that the Walt Disney World version possessed.

Snow White’s Scary Adventures poster for New Fantasyland. Image from: https://comics.ha.com/itm/animation-art/poster/-snow-white-s-scary-adventures-disneyland-park-poster-walt-disney-1983-/a/7193-95252.s

To officially add her into the ride, Disneyland placed an all-new Snow White figure into the opening scene, heading up the stairs with the animals behind her. After that, the ride followed through with the dwarfs mine, then borrowed a lot of the effects for the Evil Queen that the Magic Kingdom had, such as her transformation scene by the magic mirror, the cauldron scene, and the boat scene. The ending scene was a better replication of the film’s ending, with the dwarfs up on the cliff and the witch falling to her demise.

Snow White’s Enchanted Wish (2020 - Present)

Although Disneyland has yet to reopen their doors, they announced that Snow White got a whole new makeover and we’ll be able to experience it when the park opens back up. For now, they’ve included a video sneak peek of what the ride entails. Just based on the ride name, we know that the scary elements have officially been removed from the ride after 65 years of children being traumatized.

In the announcement video, one of the workers who worked on the remodel emphasized the importance of showing Snow White’s “happily ever after”, and showcasing her throughout the ride. This is the complete opposite of the original ride concept in 1955. They’ve added new animatronics, upgraded the effects in the mine, and recoloured the exterior of the building with brighter colours. They didn’t mention much of anything to do with the witch, so it’ll be interesting to see just how scary she turns out to be.