Disneyland’s abandoned or short-lived rides continue to be a topic of interest for Disney history lovers. From the lost motor boat cruise, to the early versions of Big Thunder Mountain, there are some attractions that we will simply never see again. This can be said about California Adventure’s opening day dark ride, the only dark ride available at the time, Superstar Limo. Superstar Limo was located where Monsters Inc: Mike & Sulley to the Rescue is today. It was an opportunity for guests to take a trip into Hollywood, meet their favourite celebrities, and attend a movie premiere at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre. Though the concept was not terrible, it had flaws very early on, including a quick change in plotline.

Superstar Limo and Princess Diana

When California Adventure was in development to be the newest addition to the existing Disneyland park, Imagineers wanted it to be a direct homage to California itself. The golden gate bridge, the oranges, suns everywhere to represent the “sunshine state”. Hollywood Pictures Backlot, a land in the park, would be a place to celebrate all things Hollywood and fame. The idea of Superstar Limo was born here, to have guests live through the experience of being a massive Hollywood star.

Hollywood Pictures Backlot entrance. Image from: https://www.flickr.com/photos/91553413@N00/252369476

In the first iteration of the concept for this ride, the focus was to be a mad chase through Hollywood to get away from paparazzi. Michael Eisner, who was CEO of the Walt Disney Company at the time, would greet you at the beginning of the ride in video format to remind you to get to your movie premiere to sign a contract for your next big film. But the condition was that you had to avoid the paparazzi and make sure your image stayed clean by the time you arrived. Along the way, guests would be able to laugh at various gags involving celebrities, including Elvis. It was meant to be a high-speed, family-friendly, silly and fantastical ride with a sense of urgency. The conclusion of the ride had Michael Eisner letting you know your next contract was terminated due to you being caught by the paparazzi, and a live photo of your group was shown as a part of a tabloid.

This version of the ride quickly became problematic following the death of Diana, Princess of Whales, who tragically passed away due to a paparazzi incident and a crashed limo. Imagineers scrambled to think of new ideas for a ride… but they simply couldn’t afford an entire redesign. They finally settled on an altered version of the original idea.

The Opening of Superstar Limo

California Adventure opened on February 8, 2001. The beginning stages of the park included 22 attractions, 15 restaurants, and 4 “lands” or “districts”. Superstar Limo would be on the original map under Hollywood Pictures Backlot.

California Adventure 2001 map. Image from: https://touringplans.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/map.jpg

The exterior of the ride was nothing short of creative and cartoonish. It featured 2D homages to Hollywood, including the Hollywood sign, Union station, and the Beverly Hills Hotel. In the queue for the ride, guests could hear the voice of Joan Rivers around them, with screens of a puppet version of her, reporting on the movie premiere. The “stretch limousine” fashioned a purple colour and had 3 rows of white seats. Your narrator for the ride, Corey Burton, is also the infamous Ghost Host of the Haunted Mansion.

The exterior of Superstar Limo. Image from: https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/541206080196817397/

The interior sported a whimsical, caricature style, with models of twisting roads above you and traffic signs everywhere. Your Hollywood agent who appeared on a small screen attached to the side of the vehicle (just as it is with Mike and Sulley to the Rescue), was a puppet named Swifty La Rue. He was the stereotypical sleazy, bald-headed Hollywood agent, who smoked a cigar, and reminded you about your contracts.

“Everybody’s waiting to meet you, now don’t be late babe.”

— Swifty La Rue

Your limousine would continue on through rodeo drive, passing the famous Beverly Hills sign, and bumping into several (animatronic) celebrities along the way. The construction of the dark ride simply took you through from room to room, with the following room being a representation of Bel-Air. A cameo of a gold Genie from Aladdin was in this room, in his signature cross-armed pose. Malibu was the next room, with a large “Muscle Beach” sign greeting you at the entrance. A psychic storefront and tattoo parlous was a part of this depiction of Malibu as well. The paparazzi did end up making their appearance in the ride very briefly, with cut-outs of paparazzi hanging above a security guard in a booth, trying to snap a photo of you.

“Look up and say cheese! Show us your pearly whites!”

— Paparazzi in Superstar Limo

Miami in Superstar Limo. Image from: https://www.flickr.com/photos/barrywallis/123533642

Welcome to Superstar Studios, where Godzilla legs, dancing animals, a runaway shark and UFOs lived. You’d be greeted by a bunch of 2D screaming fans, leading you into the bright lights of movie theatre marquees. You’ve made it to your premiere at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre! To bring the plot full circle, your last destination is to show what a success your movie was, with toy stores selling your merchandise. An interactive portion was added, with a set of TV screens that showed your limo passing through, mimicking the experience of being on the news.

Interior of Superstar Limo. Image from: https://thrill.space/news/articles/superstar-limo-ride-keep-california-adventure-weird

Celebrity Figures in Superstar Limo

As mentioned above, you come face to face with some interesting celebrities in this ride. Disney had to be strategic about who they included in the ride, they wanted the stars to be big enough to be recognizable, but they couldn’t just include anyone. Majority of the stars featured in the ride had contracts already with Disney, so they had permissions to use their persona.

The celebrities guests would meet in order of appearance were:

Regis Philbin
Melanie Griffith
Antonio Banderas
Cindy Crawford
Tim Allen
Jackie Chan
Drew Carey
Cher
Whoopi Goldberg

“Say hi to me!”

— Drew Carey

Melanie Griffith and Antonio Banderas. Image from: https://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/primeval-whirl-at-disneys-animal-kingdom-experiencing-extended-downtime.955559/page-12

Cher in Superstar Limo. Image from: https://twitter.com/robjyeo/status/1260976451962245120

The Closure of Superstar Limo

Unsurprisingly with the last minute change in plot, horrifying celebrity “animatronics” and cheap-looking 2D cartoon backdrops, Superstar Limo was not a hit with guests. Though Eisner thought it would be enough to satisfy patrons who were looking to ride a dark ride, it did not pan out that way. People were upset if they had to wait in line for the ride, and eventually, the lines became non existent for it. It received bad reviews, and had a bad reputation automatically attached to it. Superstar Limo officially closed on January 11, 2002, just under a year of it being open. It was the first California Adventure ride to permanently close.

The building the ride occupied sat abandoned for 4 years. During those 4 years, ideas were passed around about what they could turn the old attraction into, perhaps removing the celebrities and adding Disney characters, or replacing them with The Muppets. None of the ideas ever panned out. It wasn’t until 2005 that a Pixar-themed ride was put on the table, and Monsters Inc: Mike and Sulley to the Rescue opened on January 23, 2006.

The 2D exterior of the ride was transformed to be the doors of Monsters Inc, which worked much better with the theming. There are other obvious leftovers from Superstar Limo, including the ride vehicles themselves to become taxis, the very first scene, and the appearance of Randall sticking his head out just as Regis did in the first room. According to Yesterworld Entertainment, the CDA figures in the Monsters Inc ride are actually the celebrity animatronics, just redressed. This theory is based upon the fact that many of the arms and leg configurations are in the exact same positions as they were in celebrity form.

Next time you ride Mike and Sulley to the Rescue, consider how riding Superstar Limo might have been like today. And don’t forget to look out for Drew Carey as a new member of the CDA!

Reference list:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superstar_Limo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-R6opiYy1HA

https://disney.fandom.com/wiki/Swifty_La_Rue

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q2L-bZiqckM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rcSBs9qdmco

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J3KbJwie_D4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VmVVph3hvRs