As part of Disney’s Magic Kingdom Fantasyland expansion, the park has announced that it will build a Snow White-themed roller coaster tentatively named Snow White and Seven Dwarfs Mine Coaster. The LA Times Funland Blog reports that Disney recently shifted their plans for the new area from a girl-centric focus to one less focused on the princesses. And ScreamScape has more on Fantasyland’s planned 2012 roller coaster:
According to the description the mine train will, “take guests on a rollicking, musical ride into the mine “where a million diamonds shine.” The coaster will feature a first-of-its kind ride system with a train of ride vehicles that swing back and forth, responding to every twist and turn of the track. The journey will be accompanied by music from the classic Disney film and animated figures of Snow White and the Dwarfs.”
Unfortunately, a mainstay of the park, the Snow White’s Scary Adventures dark ride will be removed to make way for the ride. Should Disney brace for a backlash from long-time fans who’ll miss the ride or will they welcome the new state-of-the-art family coaster? This isn’t a rhetorical question. I have no idea as I’m not a Disney fan and I didn’t ride the Scary Adventures on my one and only visit to the park when I was 8. I’d love to hear what people think though.
Coaster geeks are trying to decode Disney’s announcement and figure out exactly what the ride will be like. It sounds a bit like a suspended coaster, but they’re claiming it’ll be first-of-its-kind. Suspended coasters are on the endangered 
coasters list at this point, but maybe the new Snow White coaster will be the next generation suspended coaster. Lance from ScreamScape mentioned that Mack and Premier have prototype coasters that might fit the bill. The image to the right is of Mack’s Powered Suspended Coaster. It appears to only be a concept for now as there were no pictures in their gallery of existing coasters. This is how Mack describes it:
Get a great ride as our suspended powered coaster comes as a long, non swinging train which you can even make spin. This allows you to get a great system for a dark ride coaster hybrid. Great for flying through turns!
We may just have to speculate for now. But, don’t worry we’ll be looking at construction photos of the project with ‘Whistle While You Work’ subtitles before you know it.
What’s Your Take?
How do you think the new Snow White coaster sounds? Will you miss Snow White’s Scary Adventures? Leave a comment below.
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