20,000 Leagues Under the Sea

It's been sitting idle for so many years now...and will soon be refurbished and reinvented as a new Finding Nemo exhibit (anyone else like the irony there?). So while digging through some old slides of mine from the Old Days, I came upon a shot of the original 20,000 Leagues ride when it was still operating. This was taken in 1984:



While I love Finding Nemo, and always trust Disney to make excellent rides and displays, there is always a measure of sadness to see bits of Disney history fade away in people's memories - I can finally sympethize with my elders in seeing the march of time and progress rendering things from their childhood insignificant or unworthy of tribute. The films and the rides will always change with the times, which has kept Disney on top. But as Mr. Toad, 20,000 Leagues, and others disappear...just a little bit of my childhood goes with them!

 

You're welcome, Little Flower. I only remember that ride as a little child too - to be honest, even though it was still in operation into the 90s, I think the last time I went on it was probably when I was 16 or 17...around the time I took the photo. I always associated it more as a 'kids ride' in my teen years and 20s, and stopped going on it. In fact, after moving to California for 4 years in 1990-1994, and going to Disneyland each year instead of Disney World, rekindled my desire to enjoy all the rides from when I was a kid. I was no longer embarrased to go on them (teens get very stubborn about not being kids anymore), and revisited rides/shows I hadn't been on in many years - Country Bear Jamboree, Tiki Room, Autotopia (Grand Prix/Tomorrowland Speedway in Florida), etc.

In 1994, I moved back to Florida and my beloved Disney World. While in Disney that Memorial Day, I thought about going on 20K again - it had been a long time! But the line was long, it was hot, and I decided that since I would be back in November, I'd hit it then when the lines were shorter. When I returned in November, and headed over to 20K...I was disappointed to find it was 'temporarily closed for renovations'. Oh well, I'll be at Disney 4 or 5 times a year...I'd just wait for it to reopen. 4 more visits in 1995, and another in Jan 1996 - and still temporarily closed! What the heck was going on??!! Then, Disney dropped a bomb...it actually wasn't closed temporarily - they had decided to make it permanent. The green walls were taken down, and the lake was now decorated with flowers and Ariel from Little Mermaid.

Disneyland is still rumored to be converting their Submarine Voyage to a Finding Nemo ride...a nice idea I think. When the green walls went back up at Disney World, I really got excited that we might get a Nemo ride too - keeping the theme similar. But my friend who went on the Dumbo ride revealed that she could see into 20K - and it was all being filled in with dirt! Aaah!!! Lost forever. What a knife to the heart.

I guess the rumor now is that Pooh's Hundred Acre Wood will be inhabiting that spot. I love Pooh...so nothing against that - but it will still be hard to swallow that walking through Hundred Acre Wood, I will be standing on the grave of the brave Captain Nemo and his beloved Nautilus.

 

Rumor?

Try June 17 opening. Think the new Sea Cab ride, longer, better effects. They've put boxes underwater to do the digital effects, and it is happening.

 

Sounds good. I'm jealous that the west is getting to keep an underwater-based ride at the 20K location, instead of bulldozing it all away like ours!

 

Well, WDW's got the TTA(Peoplemover). It's not coming back to Anaheim.

In the old or TTA form.

Something else, MAYBE. But I doubt it.