Ah, Disneyland. The original Magic Kingdom. Probably the most iconic theme park in the history of theme parks. Its impact on popular culture over the last 70 years cannot be understated. It’s also the only Disney theme park that Walt Disney personally oversaw, and that alone makes it incredibly special. Its myriad of iconic attractions, some of which have been operating since the park opened, have become household names and are beloved by many. That makes doing this Disneyland ride ranking challenging. Even its rides that no longer exist still have a cult following.

Opened in 1955, Walt Disney dedicated Disneyland to the “ideals, dreams, and the hard facts that have created America”. That spirit permeates every corner of the park today, with different areas or lands dedicated to the spirits of Adventure, Tomorrow, and Fantasy. During its lifetime, Disneyland has seen different rides and attractions come and go. These changes have morphed the park many times over the decades, leading it to become what it is today: a theme park with a diverse and eclectic collection of rides. I would even argue it has the best collection of rides of any Disney park. 

Being in Disneyland makes my heart swell. I truly believe that it’s the happiest place on earth. Magic lives in every pocket of that place. There’s something about thousands of people all congregating together to experience joy that makes me want to go back and experience that joy again and again and again (you could say I’m hooked).

And I’ve been hooked for a very long time. If this is the first time you’re reading a post from my blog, let me introduce myself. My name is Stephen and I’ve been a diehard Disney fan since I walked into Hong Kong Disneyland, my first Disney park, for the first time in 2006 when I was 9 years old. Since then, I’ve visited every Disney theme park in the world and have even been a passholder for 3 of the 6 resorts.

Disneyland in particular is very special to me. Ever since I moved to LA in 2021, I’ve visited Disneyland a grand total of 70 times in 4 years. I’ve been a Magic Keyholder since the program started in 2021, and I’ve made some of my best memories over the last four years in the parks. So when I tasked myself with making a Disneyland ride ranking, I knew it wouldn’t be easy. 

Disneyland, in my opinion, is the second best Disney park in the world, only after Tokyo DisneySea. And it gets that distinction mostly because of the amount of incredible rides that can be found here. From small, intimate dark rides to grand, over the top experiences, Disneyland earns the distinction of being the Disney park with the most rides located within its berm. Fantasyland alone has more rides than both Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World. 

But for the sake of helping you plan your next trip to Disneyland, I’ve decided to undertake this gargantuan task for your benefit (you’re welcome). But before we begin the Disneyland ride ranking, I have a couple of things I wanted to talk about first.

Rankings like this are always difficult, because it’s hard to quantify how one ride is better than another. Sure, Rise of the Resistance is better than the Main Street Vehicles in terms of storytelling and narrative immersion, but the Main Street Vehicles are successful in providing kinetic energy to Main Street and making the land it’s in feel more alive, something Rise of the Resistance doesn’t do. 

Every attraction has its own strengths and weaknesses, and my job before we begin this post is to come up with criteria for judging these rides. If you’ve read my other ranking posts, you’ll know that I’m basing my Disneyland ride ranking on the following criteria: how much they add to the identity of Disneyland, how they are viewed by the public, how much they contribute to the story and theme of the land they’re in, how well they execute their story and theme, how groundbreaking (or not) they are, how they act operationally, and my own personal preference with regards to their quality.

At the end of the day, even if I try to make this Disneyland ride ranking as objective as it can be, it will always be tainted by my subjectivity. Everything is a matter of taste. I can’t promise that you’ll agree with me, but please don’t come after me if you don’t. Just remember that all of this is the opinion of a guy on the internet. Ergo, it’s not that deep.  

If you’d like to see my post ranking the rides at California Adventure, head over here. 

So now, without further ado, let the Disneyland ride ranking commence! 

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37. Rafts to Tom Sawyer Island 

This ride is here more so on a technicality. For the purposes of this Disneyland ride ranking, I’m defining rides as having a vehicle that moves you through a space that you would otherwise not be able to move through without it. This technically qualifies as that, so I have to include it.

Just like my ranking for Tarzan’s Treehouse in HKDL, if this were being ranked together with Tom Sawyer Island, I would have ranked it a couple of places higher. Tom Sawyer is the one attraction at Disneyland that was personally designed by Walt Disney himself. Exploring the island is also fun as it has many inlets and bays that were crafted for guests to discover. However, Tom Sawyer Island (as is probably obvious to any of you who have been to Disneyland) is not a ride. And as such the rafts must stand on their own merit. 

I do appreciate the theming of the rafts themselves which makes them look like they’re made out of wood. That adds another layer of storytelling and theming to the attraction as a whole. But at the end of the day, this is just another form of transportation that is obviously not one of the best Disneyland rides in existence, which is also why it ranks last in this Disneyland ride ranking. 

36. Main Street Vehicles

Another mode of transportation, the Main Street Vehicles are a series of old cars and trolleys that go up and down Main Street USA. They’re one of only 2 rides that can be found on Main Street, the other being the Disneyland railroad. 

There are 4 vehicles to choose from at Disneyland: the horse-drawn street car which, as the name suggests, is pulled by a horse, along with the jitney, which is a car without a roof. There’s also a fire engine, and an omnibus, which is a two-storey open-air vehicle. The vehicles have two stops on opposite ends of Main Street. One is in Town Square by City Hall, and the other is by Sleeping Beauty Castle. The horse-drawn street car is the only vehicle that is on a track. 

Like I said in the introduction of this post, the Main Street Vehicles are by no means among the best Disneyland rides. They don’t have that high a capacity and to be honest, walking to the castle is probably faster than taking any of these transportation options. Sure, they’re cool to ride, especially the Omnibus, but their value isn’t in being the most exciting ride, but in the fact that they add so much theming, storytelling, and energy to Main Street.

Main Street is supposed to feel like a turn of the century small town in the middle of America. After all, it’s modeled after Walt Disney’s own childhood home of Marceline, Missouri. The facades and interiors of the Main Street buildings contribute to immersing you in the world of this small town. But it’s the vehicles that make Main Street feel lived in. By having real vehicles traverse the length of Main Street, it gives the area a certain level of authenticity and believability. Not to mention the kinetic energy that comes from seeing them in action.

Kinetic energy is something very important in theme park design as it makes spaces feel alive and invigorating. Something about seeing the vehicles on Main Street just transports you to that time period, and the kinetic energy they bring has a lot to do with this. 

Like every Disneyland attraction, the Main Street Vehicles serve their purpose of enriching Main Street USA. However, at the end of the day, there’s nothing exciting or groundbreaking about them. They’re good for a relaxing ride, and good to look at, but not much else. It’s for that reason that I rank it so low in this Disneyland ride ranking. 

35. King Arthur Carousel 

One of the original rides that’s been at Disneyland since its opening in 1955, and our first actual ride on this Disneyland ride ranking, King Arthur Carousel is Disneyland Park’s one and only carousel. Located smack in the middle of Fantasyland, King Arthur Carousel is named after King Arthur, Aurora’s father in Sleeping Beauty. He is not to be confused with Arthur from the Sword in the Stone. 

Carousel’s play a huge part in Disney history. The story goes that Walt was watching his daughters from a bench in Griffith Park as they rode the Griffith Park carousel when he got the idea for what would eventually become Disneyland. This ride is also historic in that the carousel itself is over 90 years old. It was built by the Dentzel Carousel Company in Philadelphia and eventually landed in Sunnyside Beach Park in Toronto in 1922. It was from this park that Walt Disney acquired the carousel. 

The carousel initially had animals other than horses, but Walt wanted every guest to be able to ride a horse like King Arthur. And so vintage horses were tracked down and added to the ride, which now consists of 68 horses. 

Riding King Arthur Carousel is pretty straightforward. First you enter the queue from the back of the Carousel facing Dumbo. While boarding, take some time to notice the Sleeping Beauty vignettes that adorn the inner part of the carousel. They showcase some iconic scenes from the movie and really make this carousel feel like a work of art.

Before choosing which horse to ride, I have to mention the one horse that Disneyland insiders all gun for when riding this ride: Jingles. Jingles is the lead horse of the ride and she got that distinction after Walt’s wife Lillian proclaimed it as her favorite horse. She also was the one who named her Jingles, and during the 50th anniversary, it was also the horse that was painted gold for the celebration. 

Jingles also has ties to Disney Legend Julie Andrews as she was dedicated to the famous actress in 2008 as an homage to the scene in Mary Poppins where they ride carousel horses. You can spot Jingles because of the bells that adorn her, and by the number “50” and the words “Honorary Ambassador” located on her front. 

Once you’re on a horse, the ride begins and you start to spin counter clockwise. Instrumental Disney music plays on the ride and honestly the whole experience is pretty magical. It’s one of the simpler attractions in the park, but what it lacks in thrills or storytelling it makes up for in charm. 

However, its charm isn’t enough to catapult it above the other rides on this Disneyland ride ranking. At the end of the day, it’s a standard carousel, and because of that it doesn’t rank highly and is not one of the best Disneyland rides. But if the line is short (which it normally is) I would encourage you to ride it! If anything so that you can say you rode on Jingles. 

34. Mad Tea Party

Another ride that’s been around since opening day, the Mad Tea Party is an Alice in Wonderland themed attraction that was Disneyland’s original thrill ride. Originally located in the center of Fantasyland behind King Arthur Carousel, the ride was moved to its current spot after the refurbishment of Fantasyland in 1983, creating an Alice in Wonderland mini-land with the Alice in Wonderland dark ride. 

The ride features about 18 teacups, all affixed to one of three turntables. Once the music starts, which in Alice in Wonderland fashion is very zany and eccentric tunes that you can hear in the Alice movie, the turntables begin to spin and you can also spin your teacup. The faster you spin the center wheel, the faster your teacup spins. It used to spin a lot faster, but after an incident of someone getting flung from the ride, they’ve toned down the speed.

The ride goes on for about a minute and a half before it stops and lets new riders in. It’s kind of funny seeing riders exit the ride as they stumble off-balance making their way to the exit. This isn’t a ride I do often, mostly because I don’t like rides that spin. It’s also a fairly simple ride, but I can see why it was the original thrill ride of the park because those things are FAST.

I think the biggest strength of the ride is its setting. The Disneyland version of the ride is the only version that doesn’t have a roof. Instead, the lanterns are suspended from plants that traverse above the attraction. This gives it a very unique look compared to the 4 other Mad Tea Partys in the world (only Shanghai Disneyland doesn’t have a Mad Tea Party, instead having a Hunny Pot Spin themed to Winnie the Pooh). The area looks especially pretty at night with all the lights lit up. 

However, as aesthetically pleasing as the ride is, it just lacks the depth and breadth that other attractions have. And that’s not its fault. Some attractions were meant to be simple experiences. A theme park isn’t complete without these kinds of experiences. So while it isn’t the most exciting ride, that doesn’t mean it doesn’t accomplish what it sets out to do. It’s goal is to be a small flat ride that guests go on when they’re looking for something light and fun, and there’s no shame in that. 

But that being said, because of that, I can’t rank it any higher on this Disneyland ride ranking. I think it’s better than the carousel mostly because its theming is better and its decoration is really pretty. But is it one of the best Disneyland rides? I would say no, but again, that doesn’t mean it’s a bad ride. Just one that’s simple.

33. Astro Orbiter

I think you can begin to see a theme here. The spinner or flat rides are all towards the bottom of this list. This is mostly because none of them have the complexity or story layers that a more advanced ride like Rise of the Resistance has. Just like I said in the Mad Tea Party section, that doesn’t mean they’re bad rides. It just means that they’re a lot simpler, and I like more complex rides with stories built into them, which to be honest is Disney’s bread and butter. 

Astro Orbiter is another spinner, but this time it can be found at the entrance to Tomorrowland. Its earliest iterations were an opening day attraction, and it used to be called different names like Astro Jets and the Tomorrowland Jets. 

The ride used to be located on top of the old PeopleMover loading building. In fact, part of the old skeletal structure of the ride can still be seen above the PeopleMover building, now called the Observatron sculpture. When the ride was redone as the Astro Orbiter, the mechanism and rockets were too heavy for the PeopleMover building. As such, they decided to stick it in the front of Tomorrowland, where it remains to this day. 

The ride is fairly simple. You load onto a rocket and then ascend upwards. When you get to the highest point of the ride, you then begin to tilt towards the central axis. This can be kind of terrifying. Ok, I lied: it’s incredibly terrifying. I’ve only ridden this ride once and the spinning coupled with the tilt had me mortified. I will admit that it’s still a cool experience, even if the rockets spin too fast for my taste. 

The main reason why this is ranked at number 33 is because of its location. Unlike other rides on this list, this is the one ride in the entire park that feels shoehorned into a location where it doesn’t fit. It’s so tall that it dwarfs the buildings beside it, and it makes the whole thing feel a little out of place. They should really find a way to relocate it back to the top of the PeopleMover building, but I’ve resigned myself to the fact that that’s not going to happen. 

For the thrill you get while riding it and for its cool, futuristic design, I put it above the other spinner and flat rides on this list. But I can’t rank it above any of the other rides that follow it on this Disneyland ride ranking just because its location makes it stick out like a sore thumb. I hope when they eventually re-do Tomorrowland (because they should) that they put it back on the top of the PeopleMover building where it belongs (and while they’re at it, bring back the PeopleMover too). 

32. Dumbo the Flying Elephant

The last of the spinner and flat rides in this Disneyland ride ranking, this one is without a doubt the best spinner of them all. I will admit a big reason why I ranked this above the other spinners is not only because of my nostalgia for this ride, but because I also think that this ride is one of the most beautiful spinner rides in the entire resort (probably tied with Silly Symphony Swings for the top spot).

When it debuted a month after Disneyland’s opening in 1955, Dumbo was an instant Disney classic ride from the moment guests experienced it. Something about flying so high up in the sky and seeing all of Fantasyland from above just makes me, and a lot of other guests, smile ear to ear. Interestingly enough, the ride almost didn’t include Dumbo himself. It was originally going to be themed around the pink elephants from the movie. 

The original Dumbo looked quite different from the current one that now sits in Fantasyland. It used to only have ten Dumbos until it was updated in 1990 to include 16 of them. At one point, they were constructed to have their ears move, but this was ultimately shelved due to mechanical issues. Dumbo was also supposed to be included in a Dumbo miniland called “Dumbo Circusland” but this was ultimately shelved by Disney. 

 

Dumbo is located towards the back of Fantasyland. Its setting is actually pretty lovely. The central hub is a gorgeous contraption that also doubles as a fountain. The queue is also one of the few queues for an outdoor ride that is in the shade. While the area pales in comparison to Magic Kingdom’s Dumbo, it’s still a quaint little area of the park. 

After queuing up, you’re then assigned a number and are told to stand on your number in the waiting area. Each Dumbo is numbered so it’s pretty easy to find your specific Dumbo. After everyone enters the ride area and is strapped in, the Dumbos begin to fly. There’s a joystick located in the Dumbo so that you can control how high or low you want it to go. The ride ends with every Dumbo rising to the top of the ride, and then slowly making their way down. 

This is without a doubt the prettiest spinner at the park. Its central hub, as mentioned, is gorgeous, and the views you get of Fantasyland from up there are striking and beautiful. It doesn’t really have a story to it, but the little details of the ride like the Timothy Mouse standing on top of the middle of the ride are all pretty cute. But more than the details, this ride is special because of how iconic it is to Disney Parks as a whole. It’s the only ride located in all Disney parks, and going on it has become a rite of passage for every kid that visits Disneyland. 

Like I said, it’s not groundbreaking by any means. But it is a Disneyland classic, and deserves its spot in this Disneyland ride ranking above the other spinners because of its reputation and design. Again, is it among the best Disneyland rides? Of course not, but it does what it has to do well, which still has merit to it. 

31. Chip ‘n’ Dale’s GADGETcoaster

Based on the hit animated TV show Chip ‘n’ Dale Rescue Rangers, Chip ‘n’ Dale’s GADGETcoaster (I’ll be referring to it as Gadgetcoaster from now on) is a junior coaster found at the back of Toontown. The tamest of all the rollercoasters at the Disneyland resort, it’s also the only one that’s primarily geared to children. 

Opening with the rest of Mickey’s Toontown on January 24, 1993, this is the first Junior coaster built in any Disney theme park. A version of the ride also currently exists in Tokyo Disneyland in their version of Toontown. 

The theming of the attraction is where this ride shines. The story goes that Gadget, the cheeky inventor from the Chip n Dale series, created this contraption for the enjoyment of Toontown’s littlest visitors. You can see throughout the ride that she’s used various household objects to construct the coaster.

The ride experience starts in the queue that leads to Gadget’s garage where you can see some of her tools and inventions. You then hopped in a retrofitted acorn, which can usually fit either one adult or one adult and a small child. You then begin your ascent on the coaster, with Gadget showing you her plans as you go up the lift hill. After a couple of twists and turns, you end up back on solid ground and proceed back to the station. 

Like I said, this ride’s strength is its theming. The coaster does look like it’s made out of different objects and really helps create the illusion that you’ve shrunk down to the size of a chipmunk. I will say, however, that it is jarring seeing Mickey and Minnie’s houses beside the coaster at “normal size” while everything here is large. So while it’s good theming, it’s not consistent. 

The ride itself is a great little ride for youngsters. It doesn’t do anything crazy, which is what you expect from a Junior Coaster. It doesn’t rank that highly for me, however, because it’s not really that exciting or groundbreaking. It’s an inoffensive coaster that, while well themed, isn’t a headliner by any means, which is why it is where it is in this Disneyland ride ranking. Not the best Disneyland ride, but it does provide stunning views of Toontown, especially at night. 

30. Davy Crockett’s Explorer Canoes

I know, I know, some of you are shocked to see this ranked so high on this Disneyland ride ranking. This ride is infamous in the Disneyland community for being unbearable. No one goes to a theme park expecting a workout (although I’d argue that Toy Story Midway Mania and Web Slingers are as physically grueling as this ride). Also, how can I rank a ride that is barely operating most of the year so high on this Disneyland ride ranking. Well, let me explain. 

The Davy Crockett Explorer Canoes opened on July 4th, 1956, a year after Disneyland opened, as part of an expansion of Frontierland. It was originally called the Indian War Canoes until it was renamed to promote the Davy Crockett Miniseries that was popular at the time. It is one of only two Disneyland attractions that has been in 3 different lands at Disneyland without being moved. 

In the ride, 20 guests and 2 guides get into a canoe. Everyone is given a paddle and smaller children are given life vests to wear. The attraction is known for being the only attraction at Disneyland that is completely powered by guests. It’s also the only Disney ride that isn’t on any sort of track, instead being steered by one of the guides at the back of the canoe (ok technically the trackless rides don’t have tracks, but those have rfid tags that they follow in the ground and I count that as a track).

Ok, now for the explanation. This ride doesn’t have any significant theming other than the canoes and paddles which, to be fair, look authentic. You see the same things on the Rivers of America as you would see on the Mark Twain or the Sailing Ship Columbia. So what actually merits it being above the other rides on this list. Well, it’s here for one simple reason: originality. 

Like I mentioned, this is the only ride in the park that is powered by guests. I know it can be tiring, but there’s a certain fun in being able to row your canoe with 19 other guests as you all struggle to circumnavigate the Rivers of America. Also, it being the only untracked ride in the whole park makes it very unique too. It makes you really feel like you’re on an adventure through the American wilderness. 

The perspective you get of the Rivers of America is also unmatched. Rowing past the Mark Twain and the Sailing Ship Columbia and the other encampments along the river really immerses you into the experience of cruising down this river. The canoes also add a lot of kinetic energy to the area and breathe life into all the lands they pass by. It’s for these reasons that it’s ranked where it is in this Disneyland ride ranking. 

29. Autopia

You can hear and smell this attraction from a mile away. Located in Tomorrowland, Autopia is a driving attraction where you get in a car and cruise along the highways of tomorrow, as the blurb says. It’s essentially an opportunity for kids to get behind the wheel of a car and drive around a big part of Tomorrowland. 

Autopia is one of the few attractions in Disneyland that opened with the park in 1955. It was meant to be a look into the future of America’s multi-lane highway system, something that hadn’t been developed yet at the time. Disneyland’s Autopia had 4 different versions throughout its history, including Fantasyland Autopia and Junior Autopia. Tomorrowland Autopia, the only one that still exists to this day, is also the longest running version of the ride. 

Autopia is a fairly simple ride. You enter a car and are reminded that to brake you just need to take your foot off the gas and that you should not bump the car in front of you. For those of you who have never been on the attraction before, there’s a guardrail in the center of the road that the cars all drive over, which prevents the cars from crashing. After being reminded of the rules, you then begin driving through the landscapes of Tomorrowland. 

You pass through different installations, including multiple ones of a robot named ASIMO who is tied to the sponsor of the attraction, Honda. My favorite part of the attraction is when the road “ends” and you proceed to go off-road on the attraction. You then drive back to the station and disembark from the ride. 

I ranked this ride as low as I could possibly rank it in a way that makes sense. Obviously it’s a “better” ride than the spinners in that it’s more unique, but it honestly shouldn’t be in Disneyland anymore. It’s just not the best Disneyland ride in my opinion. I understand it used to represent the future of highways, but that future has now been around for decades. The attraction is just really dated and takes away from Tomorrowland, the one land that should NOT be dated. 

It also just takes up too much space. They could fill that space with a Tomorrowland expansion or even another land if they wanted to. Instead, Disneyland management chooses to keep it around. They’ve also committed to keeping it around by gradually converting all the gas powered cars into electric cars by Fall 2026. Which is a good thing, but I beg every Disney park that still has an Autopia to follow Hong Kong Disneyland and just get rid of it so that they can build something cooler on it. Unless you’re under the age of 9, you won’t find this ride particularly exciting, which explains its placement in this Disneyland ride ranking.

28. Disneyland Monorail

From this point onward, these are attractions that I go on regularly at Disneyland. Even some of the ones that are ranked relatively low on this Disneyland ride ranking I still consider some of my favorites. Sure they may not be the best rides on paper, but I appreciate them for their history as well as their legacy. One of those attractions is the Disneyland Monorail. 

Originally envisioned by Walt as the future of American public transportation, fascination with automobiles and the explosion of automobile use sidelined monorails to only being found in Disney theme parks. The original monorail was designed by legendary imagineer Bob Gurr. The monorail opened on June 14, 1959 along with the Submarine Voyage, Matterhorn, an expanded Autopia, and the motor boat cruises. 

The monorail originally comprised just a single station. It would take a grand circle tour of Tomorrowland before returning to its one station. It, however, became a true transportation system in the 60s when it was expanded 2 ½ miles and added a stop near the Disneyland Hotel. Currently the Mark 7 monorails are the ones in use at the Disneyland resort. 

The Monorail starts either at Downtown Disney or at the Tomorrowland station. Once guests have filed in, the Monorail then makes its 2 ½ mile loop around the resort, passing California Adventure and the Grand Californian, as well as going around the Submarine Lagoon, Autopia, and the Matterhorn. When you arrive at the second stop you have a choice of whether or not to get off or ride the attraction in a full loop. 

I personally love this attraction, and it’s a testament to Disneyland’s strength as a theme park that I can love an attraction ranked so low on this list. It gets points for how innovative it was at the time and for how much kinetic energy it brings to the lands it inhabits. It also gets points for being the only Disneyland ride that takes you OUTSIDE the park for a tour of the entire Disneyland Resort. 

I couldn’t rank it higher than this, however, as it’s still basically just a transportation system that doesn’t have anything cool like the Grand Canyon and Dinosaur dioramas that can be found on the Disneyland Railroad. It’s simple to a fault, which isn’t a bad thing. But because of that, I think it should be ranked at this point in this Disneyland ride ranking.

27. Casey Jr. Circus Train 

The Casey Jr. Circus Train is a cute Fantasyland attraction based on the film Dumbo that takes you on a whimsical tour of Storybookland, a small sub-land of Fantasyland that features miniature versions of iconic Disney Animated movie locations. This is one of two rides that can be found in Storybookland, the other being the Storybookland Canal Boats.

This ride opened with the park on July 17, 1955. It was closed for a bit the day after opening for safety reasons but was reopened 2 weeks later. There’s a counterpart version of this ride located in Disneyland Paris, but that ride is more like a rollercoaster. The Disneyland version is almost like a mini version of the Disneyland Railroad. 

The queue for the attraction is a simple switchback queue that can be found on the western side of Fantasyland near Red Rose Tavern. After lining up, you’ll get to choose where you want to sit on the ride. I wouldn’t recommend any of the cages, especially if you’re claustrophobic. The ride gives you an amazing view of Storybookland. Although you can’t really stop to admire the details of the miniatures, it’s fun to go around the mini-land. 

My favorite part of the ride is when the train recreates the scene in Dumbo when Casey Jr. tries to get up a steep hill and motivates himself by saying “I think I can” over and over again. It’s a fun little addition to the ride, and the ride even slows down a bit during this part. Another thing that makes the ride great is its music, which incorporates the Casey Jr song from Dumbo. After riding around for about a minute, you’re brought back to the station. 

This ride gets plus points for how the trains are designed, as they look as cute as they do in the actual movie. While the ride is fun and well-themed, and some of the train elements do a good job of immersing you in the world of Dumbo and Storybookland, it doesn’t really do anything exciting or special, aside from the little slowdown on the hill to mimic the movie. 

It also gets deducted points because you can’t really admire Storybookland while on the ride as it moves fast. The Storybookland Canal Boats do a better job of immersing you in the land and showing you the details of Storybookland than Casey Jr. Circus Train does. It’s still a fun ride, but definitely not the best Disneyland ride, nor even the best ride in Storybookland, which means it’s low on this Disneyland ride ranking. 

26. The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh

Situated in the newly renamed Bayou Country, the Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh is the first dark ride on this list. Now don’t get me wrong, I love Winnie the Pooh. He’s my third favorite Disney character of all time after Mickey and Stitch, and the Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh is one of my all time favorite Disney movies.

But just like Autopia, I had to rank this here on this Disneyland ride ranking because it is objectively the worst dark ride in the park, and only outranks the other rides on this list because it at least tries to tell a story (focus on the word “tries”). But make no mistake, this is the worst Winnie the Pooh ride in the world.

Infamous for replacing the much beloved Country Bear Jamboree during the equally as infamous Paul Pressler era of Disneyland, The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh starts outside the show building before it dips inside and brings us to the Hundred Acre Wood. 

The ride begins with a blustery day that then transitions into a flood scene. After that, we meet Tigger, who guides us to Pooh’s house where he dreams of heffalumps and woozles. We then enter a psychedelic heffalumps and woozles world. It’s revealed that Pooh was just dreaming of that world and, after waking up, the characters celebrate his birthday and the ride exits back outside to the loading station. 

This is the worst Winnie the Pooh ride mostly because of its story. The story, as you can tell from my description above, makes absolutely no sense. Why do we go from a blustery day all of a sudden to a flood then to Pooh’s house. There’s no overarching thread. It’s like it took the ride at Magic Kingdom and jumbled it all up in order to make it “different” but it ends up just being a mess. Say what you will about the Pooh attraction in Magic Kingdom, at least it still follows a clear narrative, has story structure, and even has a beginning, middle, and end. This has none of that. 

It also lacks the “bouncing” portion of the ride that is found in the other 4 Pooh rides around the world (most notably the Pooh ride in Tokyo does that extremely well). While I will admit that it has the second best Heffalumps and Woozles scene (only second to Tokyo), none of that matters when you have a clunky narrative. 

In addition, the scenes are poorly constructed. You can clearly see more than one Pooh at once in between the blustery day scene and the flood scene. Those scenes, the blustery day and flood scenes, also are just shortened versions of the ones found at Magic Kingdom, lacking any of the detail or placemaking that make the Magic Kingdom scenes great. This I think is partly because of how big the ride vehicle is that it eats up the scenes around it because it needs the space to move. Also, now that the land has been renamed Bayou Country, this ride feels out of place. 

It’s also unfortunate that it replaced a great attraction in the Country Bear Jamboree. I honestly think they should tear this one down and start over again. Winnie the Pooh is one of the most popular and iconic franchises that Disney has, and it’s a shame they were given such a mediocre ride at Disneyland. 

That being said, having a bad Pooh ride is better than having no Pooh ride at all, so I sometimes still ride this ride just to get immersed in the world of Winnie the Pooh. It’s ranked this high only because it at least attempts to tell a story and has a decent amount of sets and animatronics. It always leaves me wondering how much better the immersion would be if it just fixed its story and design problems. 

25. Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage

The next entry in this Disneyland ride ranking is the Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage! This over-hated and underrated attraction can be found in Tomorrowland right by the Matterhorn, with its loading area being underneath the Monorail’s Tomorrowland station. This attraction also has a lot of history behind it. 

Originally opening as the Submarine Voyage, the ride debuted with the Monorail and the Matterhorn as part of Disneyland’s first ever expansion. At the time, it was the 8th largest submarine fleet in the world. The submarines would run for almost 40 years before closing in 1998 to make way for a new theme to be added to the attraction. After multiple Disney movies were considered, they stuck with a Finding Nemo theme after that movie was a box office success. 

During the ride, you enter a yellow submarine and are seated in a row of benches in front of a porthole. The porthole lets you view the action that’s taking place in front of you. I will admit, the whole set-up is a little claustrophobia inducing, so if you can’t take being in tight spaces, you may want to skip this ride.

Once the ride starts, you then “dive” down via a bubble effect and end up looking out over the Great Barrier Reef. A new contraption is then turned on so you can actually hear fish talk, which is when you encounter the fish characters from Finding Nemo. In the story, Nemo is lost again as he and Squirt try to look for an underwater volcano. Along the way they encounter Anglerfish, explosive mines, and even a jellyfish or two. The whole thing culminates in the submarine getting swallowed by a whale. 

The story is a bit disjointed and hangs on very loose threads. In addition, the projections of Nemo and his friends could use an upgrade. But for what it is it’s a solid attraction. There’s also nothing quite like it anywhere else in the world. Even 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea at Tokyo DisneySea doesn’t quite capture the same experience that these submarines do. 

I appreciate the submarines for their uniqueness, but loathe them for how slow they go. The attraction also seems to go on for way too long, trapping you in that tight space for a while. I can therefore see why people hate it because you’re essentially trapped in a small enclosed space with 30 other people all breathing the same air. But the way people talk about this attraction you’d think it slapped them in the face. 

People like to point out its flaws but if you think about it, where else in the entire world can you actually board a working submarine. That’s an experience 99% of people will never experience in their lifetime, and it adds to the character and identity of Disneyland. 

I also have to mention the crazy gorgeous lagoon we get out of it (which looks even better at night). It may not be perfect, but it’s earned its place in Disneyland and should be appreciated for its rich history and one-of-a-kind ride experience, which is why it’s ranked as such in this Disneyland ride ranking. 

24. Pinocchio’s Daring Journey 

The first of the Fantasyland dark rides to appear on this Disneyland ride ranking, Pinocchio’s Daring Journey is the most recently built Fantasyland dark ride, having opened in 1983 as part of Disneyland’s New Fantasyland remodeling. It replaced the much loved Mickey Mouse Club Theater. Versions of this attraction also exist in Tokyo Disneyland and Disneyland Paris. 

The loading area of the ride features a giant mural with almost every Pinocchio character being represented on it. The ride vehicles, similar to the ones found in Snow White’s Enchanted Wish, are made to look like they were built out of wood and each has a carving of either Cleo, Figaro, or Jiminy Cricket in its design. 

When the ride begins, you first end up in Stromboli’s theater. After he tries to capture you, you escape and end up in Pleasure Island. This is by far my favorite scene in the ride. It really captures that environment perfectly. The little details in the sets and props really breathe life into this scene of the ride. It’s also the only place you can see Honest John and Gideon in the ride. 

After that, you see the scene where Lampwick turns into a donkey. It’s at this moment when the most iconic part of the ride happens. It’s not guaranteed that you’ll get this line when you ride as he says a few different lines seemingly at random, but once you ride past the Pleasure Island fellow manning the ticketbooth in the Lampwick donkey scene, he may say a certain curse word to you as you pass him. It’s the only instance of when a Disney ride incorporates a curse word. This is a family friendly site so I won’t give it away, but it does have something to do with donkeys. 

After that scene you’ll then pass by several donkeys in cages and you almost get trapped in a box and shipped to the salt mines. This is the most disturbing scene in the ride and I sometimes can’t believe that it actually made it in the ride. There was no way to do a Pinocchio ride without it, but it still shocks me that they included it. 

You then go out into the open sea and encounter Monstro, the infamous whale. He sort of jumps out at you and, while he’s not that big, the scene will leave an impression. You then make your way back to Geppetto’s cottage where we see that, through the magic of the Blue Fairy, he’s reunited with Pinocchio. You then go through his toy shop and then exit the ride. 

I absolutely adore this ride as I love the movie Pinocchio. I think some of the sets are well-done and appreciate that it’s a little darker in theme than the other dark rides. However, I do have to admit that this is the worst Fantasyland dark ride, mostly because it doesn’t really have anything unique or special going for it. Snow White’s Enchanted Wish and Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride have their incredible final scenes, Alice in Wonderland is two stories tall and has an outdoor section, and Peter Pan’s Flight has you flying over Neverland. This one doesn’t have anything special like those things. 

I also don’t think the story of Pinocchio should start at the marionette show. It would have been cool to see a scene where Pinocchio is given life by the blue fairy and THEN goes to the marionette show. It’s an odd place to start the ride. I would have rather they allocate some of the Pleasure Island space to that scene. 

Like I said, I like the ride, but I can’t objectively rank it higher than the other ones on this list. There’s a reason why it never gets more than a 15-20 minute wait even on busy days. Some tweaking, however, could really elevate the ride above some of the others on this Disneyland ride ranking. 

23. Sailing Ship Columbia 

The first of two vessels that transport riders around the Rivers of America, the Sailing Ship Columbia is a vessel exclusive to Disneyland and is modeled after a ship named the Columbia Rediviva. It’s said that in the 1950s, Walt Disney wanted to increase the capacity of the Rivers of America by adding another ship to circumnavigate the river. 

Imagineer Joe Fowler, after scouring maritime museums around the country, settled on making a replica of the Columbia Rediviva. However there was one problem: there was only 1 picture of the ship in existence. So with the help of the Library of Congress, Joe and his team were able to design and build a working replica. 

Just like the Mark Twain, the Columbia departs from the dock opposite Big Thunder Mountain. You need to climb some stairs to get to the upper deck of the ship. It then makes a 12 minute journey around the Rivers of America. As you journey around the river, you’ll see views of New Orleans Square, Bayou Country, and Frontierland, including some Native American villages. 

About ⅓ of the way through the journey, the Columbia will blast a “cannonball” out of its canons. Every time I ride the Columbia I forget that it’s going to happen and it startles me every time. Just be wary of that as it is kind of loud. 

If you go below deck, you’ll see a mini-museum of sorts that displays authentic items that would be found on a ship like the Columbia hundreds of years ago. It’s cool that this museum just exists on the ride. Don’t miss it when you’re on it!

I personally love this ride and the Mark Twain Riverboat. There’s never a long line for either of them, and it’s the perfect way to spend a short 15 minutes away from the hustle and bustle of the rest of the park. Don’t let their placement in this Disneyland ride ranking deceive you. They’re classic Disneyland attractions, and ones that you should experience when you visit. 

22. Mark Twain Riverboat

Similar to the Columbia, the Mark Twain Riverboat is a vessel that circumnavigates the Rivers of America. It’s named after famous American author Mark Twain. Walt Disney had plans to include a Mississippi steamboat back when he wanted to build a park across the street from Disney’s Burbank offices. It later became the Mark Twain Riverboat which, when it was under construction, Walt Disney personally funded just to get it completed on time. 

Featuring narration on board, as well as three decks you can choose from, the Mark Twain also sometimes has meet and greets with Princess Tiana on board as it circles the river. From the top deck you get amazing views of New Orleans Square, Haunted Mansion, Bayou Country, and the various settlements along the river. It’s also particularly cool to see the train go by as you’re on the ride.

While the Columbia may be the more unique ship, I prefer the Mark Twain only because you can get some shade while on the ride, it’s the more beautiful of the two ships (at least in my opinion), and I prefer the narration on this boat compared to the Columbia. 

The Mark Twain Riverboat is also my favorite of the two ships because of the role it plays in the nighttime spectacular Fantasmic. In the show, Disney characters dance on the boat to signal that Mickey has defeated the Disney villains. It’s a scene that always brings a tear to my eye, and how they utilize both the Mark Twain and the Columbia is stellar. Great example of working with what you’re given. 

I rank this closely with the Columbia on this Disneyland ride ranking because they’re both basically the same ride experience, with just the aesthetics of the two ships being different. As I’ve said, I prefer the Mark Twain Riverboat, but if you just want to cruise down the river, then either of the two ships will work. 

21. Storybook Land Canal Boats

Another opening day attraction finds its way into this Disneyland ride ranking! The Storybookland Canal Boats is the second of two Storybookland attractions on this list. Believe it or not, this ride opened without any landscaping or miniatures when Disneyland opened, earning the nickname The Mud Bank Ride. Landscaping was added two months after opening, however, and soon this area was transformed into one of the most beautiful areas of the park. 

After guests step into the boats, the boats then head for the open mouth of Monstro, the whale from Pinnochio. Monstro acts as our intermediary between Fantasyland and Storybookland. After going through him, you end up in a river with miniature versions of Disney locales located along the riverbanks of the ride. 

Included in the miniatures you see are locations from Pinocchio, The Three Little Pigs, Peter Pan, Alice in Wonderland, The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad, Snow White, Cinderella, and the Silly Symphony cartoons. Recent additions placed after the ride debuted include Aladdin and Frozen. 

As you make your way through Storybookland, you’ll be accompanied by a cast member guide who will point out all the miniatures and little details throughout the ride. The narration they provide is probably the weakest part of the ride. I know it’s not supposed to be funny like the Jungle Cruise, but they could at least refresh the script a little bit so it doesn’t sound so repetitive. 

I personally adore this ride. It oozes charm and is just such a quintessential Disney experience. Getting to see the different locations and the details that abound in them is such a treat for anyone who loves animated Disney movies. This whole sub-land in Fantasyland is just gorgeous. I know some people brush it off as just being “for kids” but the level of artistry that went into making every aspect of this mini-land is amazing. 

I think I can confidently say that the rides from this point onwards are objectively “good” rides. The ones before this point can also be considered good, but from this point onwards it’s indisputable that these rides are some of the park’s best. It’s crazy that I can say this about a ride that sits at number 21 on this Disneyland ride ranking. 

By the way, while I don’t recommend riding the Canal Boats first thing in the morning, the first guests to ride the attraction everyday get to sign a special guest book. So that’s a little incentive for you if you want to have a little magic moment to begin your day. 

20. Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters

The pioneer when it comes to Disney’s shooting-style rides, Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters is an incredibly fun ride. Opened in Disneyland in 2005, it’s one of four Buzz Lightyear shooting rides still in operation, with the other three being in Walt Disney World, Disneyland Paris, and Shanghai Disneyland (the locations in Hong Kong Disneyland and Tokyo Disneyland have closed)

In the ride, Buzz Lightyear recruits guests to become Junior Spacerangers. Zurg has been stealing the crystallic fusion power cells from toys and using them to create a secret weapon with the intent of defeating the Spacerangers and ruling the galaxy. It’s up to us to retrieve the stolen battery cells and stop Zurg from perfecting his secret weapon.

The shooting mechanism of the ride is incorporated into its story. The targets we are hitting are robots working for Zurg or weapons and trinkets that contribute to the building of his secret weapon. We are given the task of helping Star Command by blasting these secret weapons and machines in order to weaken Zurg. 

It all makes for a very fun ride, with the animatronics and show scenes being so immersive. If you want to score high in this game, keep in mind that targets are worth more when their borders are lit up. Targets also increase in potential points depending on their shape, with circular points being the lowest valued targets, followed by squares then diamonds then triangles. 

This ride is really fun for me and is very nostalgic because I used to go on the Astro Blasters ride in Hong Kong a lot when I was younger. My family would always compete while we were on it and we’re all proud members of the 999,999 points club. But I guess you’re probably wondering, if I like it so much, why is it ranked relatively low on this Disneyland ride ranking.

It’s mostly because of the upkeep. The attraction is in poor condition. The lead Buzz animatronic in the queue is in rough shape, as are the ride vehicles that all feel dirty and have chipped paint. The shooting mechanisms of the ride are also very buggy and sometimes you can get a blaster that doesn’t work. Because of this, I can’t rate it higher than the other rides, but with a good refurb or two it should jump a few places in this Disneyland ride ranking. 

19. Roger Rabbit’s Car Toon Spin

Our second Toontown ride on this list, Roger Rabbit’s Car Toon Spin opened in January 1994, a year after Toontown opened at Disneyland. The ride is based on the now classic movie Who Framed Roger Rabbit (although only the original animated characters from the movie appear in the attraction, which means no Mickey or Bugs Bunny or Eddie Valiant).

In the ride, guests first enter what is probably one of the best queues in Disneyland. They pass through alleyways and dark corners of Toontown, filled with many things to look at and pass the time with. They then board cabs and enter the wacky world of Toontown. They at first encounter some weasels spilling Dip onto the streets, causing the cars to turn. From this point on, the ride allows riders to spin their cars, ensuring they get a 360-degree view of the ride.

After crashing through a China Shop run by a bull, the riders meet up with Roger Rabbit in the Toontown power house. Roger has an electric fight with Psycho, which causes the factory to explode and has us sailing high up in the air. The next scene is my favorite scene of the ride, when we begin falling down through the sky and end up in a building where Roger says he will fix the situation. 

We then enter the gag factory where Roger, Jessica Rabbit, and the guests defeat the weasels right as they try to douse the riders with Dip. Roger then pulls out a portable toon hole (which has a neat effect of looking like we’re heading through a flat hole away from a wall) and the riders then safely make it back to the Toontown Cab Company and to the offload station. 

The ride is really well made, with the set design and animatronics contributing to the immersiveness of the attraction. It’s ranked below the other rides on this list, however, because of its convoluted and confusing narrative. We never really know why the weasels want to cover the whole Toontown in Dip given that they’re animated characters too. 

In addition, the whole trip to the power house where Roger has a fight with Psycho comes out of nowhere and doesn’t really connect to the rest of the scenes. Roger then, after we’ve fallen from the sky, says that he’ll take care of the problem. But we have no sense of what the problem even is. It’s all very fast paced, to its detriment. Guests are just subjected to a sensory overload that doesn’t really pay off in any meaningful way. 

I rank it higher than the rides below it because its execution is amazing. But it could use some work in the story department. It’s also curious that they decided not to include the other animated characters into this attraction, which to me seems like a wasted opportunity. Imagine having Mickey and the gang helping Roger and Jessica Rabbit fight off the weasels. Now THAT would’ve been cool. 

18. Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run

The first of two Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge attractions on this list, Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run is kind of a mix between Star Tours and Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters and is similar to Mission: Space at Epcot. Operating like a multiplayer video game on steroids, guests who board the ride have the chance to participate in flying the Millennium Falcon from the Star Wars films. 

Set between the movies The Last Jedi and the Rise of Skywalker, the ride begins with Hondo Ohnaka explaining the ride while guests are in the queue. Guests are then loaded onto the Millennium Falcon where they can either be a Pilot, Gunner, or Engineer. Once their color is called, they walk through the Millennium Falcon and enter the flight deck.

The ride focuses on Hondo and the guests as they try to steal cargo from First Order TIE Fighters. The two pilots control the ship’s flights, the gunners handle shooting down enemy ships, and engineers are in charge of repairing the ship. Your score is based on how well you can all work together to achieve the goal of the mission. After riding you’re then taken out of the Millennium Falcon and exit back into the land. 

When talking about this land, we have to mention Chewie Mode. Chewie Mode is a secret mode in the ride that replaces Hondo with Chewbacca for the mission. It can be done by doing a certain sequence of button mashing before the ride starts or, if you’re lucky, a cast member can turn it on for you. I recently went with someone who had the cast member turn on Chewie mode for their vehicle. 

This is a very immersive ride that does a good job transporting you into the Star Wars universe. I rank it in the upper half of attractions mainly for its unique gameplay. It’s similar to Mission: Space, but its execution is a lot more enjoyable (and less nauseating). 

It’s a strong ride that gets docked a few points because it’s not really that re-rideable. You receive the same mission again and again in the ride, meaning repeat riders already know what to expect. This is why I think that Star Tours is still the superior Star Wars motion simulator in the park as it constantly gets updates to keep it relevant with current released Star Wars movies and shows. 

That’s all going to change when Smugglers Run gets its new storyline featuring the Mandalorian in 2026. Hopefully they give riders an option whether to ride the old storyline or the new one, but that remains to be seen. Seeing this ride go in that direction that Star Tours did, though, is a welcome change and one that I hope continues in the future. 

17. Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride

The second of the five Fantasyland dark rides on this Disneyland Ride Ranking list, Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride is a zany, chaotic, and whirlwind ride that takes you through the streets of London on  an adventure as Mr. Toad. Yes, you read that right, in the attraction you ARE Mr. Toad, which helps explain why he’s nowhere to be seen on the attraction. 

The ride starts with you entering Toad Hall via your motor car. You then enter a library and nearly crash into the librarian, which signals the start of your journey as Mr. Toad. After crashing into some characters in the hall, your journey then takes you outside the hall and into the countryside where you have a few run-ins with different townsfolk, almost crashing into a lot of them. 

You then enter a dock and, to avoid crashing into the river, the car swerves into a warehouse with dynamite and crashes into this, triggering explosions. Following a few more run-ins with people in London, you are brought to a courtroom and found guilty of public disturbance. You’re then put in a jail cell, only to be brought to a railroad track where you are run over by a train (yes, you read that right, you die on this ride).

Following your death you enter what is possibly the most iconic scene in the ride: Hell. Yes, there is a Disney Park ride whose story has you ending up in hell. In the story, you meet a devil version of the judge before you encounter some smaller devils and a green dragon who is coughing up smoke. The room is even heated to help with the immersion. After your jaunt through hell, you then get off the ride at the loading station. 

This is a great ride that is exclusive to Disneyland. I rank it in the middle of the pack for three reasons: its stylistic design, its narrative, and its famous ending scene. The decision to make the characters feel like cardboard cutouts instead of using animatronics makes for a very stylistically interesting ride. No other ride contains characters and scenes made in this way, adding to the ride’s uniqueness.

It also gets points for being the Fantasyland Dark Ride with the most fleshed out narrative. From its start in Toad Hall till its end in hell, the ride takes you on a journey and has a clear beginning, middle, and end. And of course, its final scene has made this ride legendary among theme park fans and remains the one Fantasyland dark ride I recommend riding if you only have time for one of them. 

That being said, there aren’t any jaw-dropping or captivating scenes on this ride, which is the reason why I rank it as the second lowest Fantasyland dark ride. The other 3 Fantasyland dark rides ranked higher than Mr. Toad all have scenes or moments that, to me, deliver up quintessential Disney magic. 

That’s not to say that Mr. Toad doesn’t do this, but the other three just ooze Disney magic more than Mr. Toad in my opinion. This is something unquantifiable and very subjective, so others may not agree. But Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride is still an incredible ride that everyone should get to experience when at Disneyland. 

16. Disneyland Railroad

The first ride that people see as they enter Disneyland, the Disneyland Railroad is one of Disneyland’s most iconic attractions. Born from Walt Disney’s love of trains, the Disneyland Railroad is an opening day attraction for the park. Featuring stops in Main Street, New Orleans Square, Toontown, and Tomorrowland, the Railroad does a 1.2mile clockwise loop around the whole park.

The ride experience, and where I recommend you get on the train, starts in Main Street. Take note, however, that this is the only station that is not wheelchair accessible. The train then begins its journey, passing the Jungle Cruise and Adventureland before eventually reaching the New Orleans Square station of the attraction. 

The train then makes its way to Toontown station, passing Bayou Country and getting a peek at Tiana’s Bayou Adventure’s finale scene before making its way on the perimeter of the Rivers of America. Here you will get to see Native American tribes on the riverbank before passing the back of Fantasyland to get to Toontown station. The route from Toontown to Tomorrowland famously passes over It’s a Small World before making its way past Autopia and the Monorail before stopping at Tomorrowland station.

Now the Tomorrowland to Main Street leg is my personal favorite part of this attraction because you get to see two incredibly themed and detailed dioramas: the Grand Canyon diorama complete with many different critters and the Primeval World diorama that features over 20 different animatronic dinosaurs.

This is one of the more unique attractions at the park because, aside from the other Disney Parks around the world, how many theme parks can claim that they have a full-sized steam engine circumnavigating their park. It doesn’t do anything groundbreaking aside from the dioramas, which is why I put it at this point in the Disneyland ride ranking, but make no mistake: this is an incredibly iconic attraction that everyone should experience at least once on their trip to Disneyland.

If you don’t have time to do the entire grand circle tour, then the section between Tomorrowland and Main Street USA is where you want to ride. This will give you a great view of the dioramas which, to me, are the most impressive parts of the entire ride. The train sometimes gets overlooked by a lot of people because, admittedly, it isn’t the most exciting ride in the world. But I think that riding it is important to understanding the identity and character of Disneyland, which is why I recommend that you do so. 

15. Snow White’s Enchanted Wish

Formerly known as Snow White’s Scary Adventures, Snow White’s Enchanted Wish is a refreshed and updated version of Scary Adventures that opened in 2021 when the parks first reopened from the pandemic. I unfortunately have only ridden the Scary Adventures version of the attraction in Disneyland Paris so I can’t compare them, but I am a big fan of this ride. 

Enchanted Wish tells the story of Snow White as you see it in the movie. The whole first half of the movie is cut from the ride, though, which is why it gets docked a few points for me. The ride starts in the dwarfs cottage where we can see Snow White dancing with the dwarfs. We then exit the cottage and see the Evil Queen spying on Snow White and the dwarfs. 

The next scene is my favorite scene in the entire ride: the dwarfs mine scene. Here we see Dopey and Doc inspecting the gems they got from the mines as the room is filled with multi-colored crystals. We then end up in the Evil Queen’s castle where we see her change into the hag and make the poison apple. Through a magic mirror we see Snow White eat the apple, which is quickly followed by the dwarfs strorming the Evil Queen up a cliff. 

The next scene shows Snow White being woken up by a kiss from her prince, as white sparkles envelope the room. We then see the dwarfs celebrating her being awoken by the prince. In the final scene of the ride, Snow White leaves with her prince for a castle in the sky. A book reminds us that they lived happily ever after, then the ride ends and guests unload at the station. 

I think this ride is leaps and bounds better than the Scary Adventures version of the ride. It feels a lot more Disney. I actually like it better than Peter Pan’s Flight, although that ride is ranked higher due to its originality and innovativeness. The ending scene of the ride is one of the best Disney dark ride scenes anywhere. The way the lights surround you and sparkle is just pure DIsney magic. 

The ride is bogged down on this Disneyland ride ranking by the fact that it only tells half the story of the movie, which I understand is due to space limitations. I still feel, though, that they could have added some more scenes from the first part of the movie, or at least some more about the prince to really round out the story. But for what it is it’s an amazing dark ride that you shouldn’t miss on your trip to Disneyland. 

14. Peter Pan’s Flight

The undisputed most popular Fantasyland dark ride, Peter Pan’s Flight is a dark ride located in the front portion of Fantasyland. It’s the most known Fantasyland dark ride, and for good reason too. It’s an opening day attraction and, considering it was built in 1955, it’s impressive that they were able to come up and execute this ride way back then. 

In the ride, you board a pirate ship and enter the Darling’s nursery. That’s where Peter and Tinkerbell sprinkle pixie dust on them, making them fly. Then, in one of the most impressive dark ride scenes ever, you then fly over London. It’s a jaw dropping scene, and one that instantly transports you into the world of the film. 

You then turn a corner and fly over Neverland. You get to see things like Captain Hook’s Pirate Ship and Skull Rock as you encircle this gorgeous recreation of Neverland. You’re then taken to a scene on Captain Hook’s ship where Peter rescues the Darlings from the Captain. He then commandeers the ship and brings them back to London, ending the ride. 

This, on paper, should be the best dark ride in Fantasyland if it weren’t for one thing: it’s runtime. It’s by far the shortest of the Fantasyland dark rides. It’s all over in about a minute and a half and, while what it does in that minute and a half is spectacular, its short runtime doesn’t justify the over 45-minute waits it gets during the day. 

I would recommend still riding this ride as it is THE classic Fantasyland dark ride, but I wouldn’t recommend waiting more than 20 minutes for it. If you can, rope drop it at the beginning of your day so that you save time. This is actually one of the better rides to rope drop because it’s usually open in the morning unlike other rides like Rise of the Resistance or Indiana Jones Adventure.  

Another reason why I don’t rate this ride as the best Fantasyland dark ride is its queue. The queue for Peter Pan is one of the worst queues in the park. It’s basically in direct sunlight for 70% of the queue, meaning it’s incredibly hot. Not only that but the switchbacks are laid out in such a way that it feels packed when you’re in line. It’s not a fun experience to be in that queue so this gets dropped a few places on this Disneyland Ride Ranking. 

13. Alice in Wonderland

This is without a doubt the best of the five Fantasyland dark rides. Unlike Peter Pan’s flight, Alice in Wonderland is not an opening day attraction. Instead, it opened in 1958, 3 years after the park opened. Because it was constricted to the space already somewhat occupied by Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride and Peter Pan’s Flight, the Alice dark ride has you going up to a second floor, which is the only Fantasyland dark ride to do so. 

In this ride, you ride on a caterpillar and start by falling down a rabbit hole and entering a door into Wonderland. Alice is seen chasing after the White Rabbit, then Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee give you directions on where to go. You then turn a corner and your caterpillar starts climbing up to the second floor of the attraction. This ramp is themed to the golden afternoon scene in the movie. 

After exiting the garden, you end up in Tulgey Wood as the Cheshire Cat leads you astray and into the territory of the Queen of Hearts. You see some cards painting the roses red, then play a game of croquet with the Queen herself. She ends up losing to you, thus ordering the guards to capture you with her trademark “off with their heads” line. 

The caterpillar then takes you to the outdoor part of the ride. You have an amazing view of this side of Fantasyland as your caterpillar takes you back down to the loading area of the ride. Before taking you to the loading station, however, the car passes by the Mad Hatter and the March Hare who are in the middle of an unbirthday party. A cake is seen about to explode before you head to the unloading station. 

I have many different reasons as to why I rank this higher than Peter Pan’s Flight on this Disneyland ride ranking. Its use of space is ingenious, it’s the only Fantasyland dark ride that tells its movie’s complete story (or as complete as it can be given the 5 minute length limitation), its updated visuals and effects are stunning, and its outdoor sections make it very unique among all the Fantasyland rides. 

It’s also a lot longer than Peter Pan and the variety in scenes and locations makes it a lot more visually interesting. Peter Pan has it beat in terms of ride apparatus, but I believe that Alice beats Peter Pan in every other category. It also gets points for being exclusive to Disneyland since the ride’s inception. This ride usually gets quite a long line and is usually second only to Peter Pan’s Flight. This makes it the perfect second ride to do after you rope drop Peter Pan’s Flight.

12. Jungle Cruise

The first ride in my top 1/3rd of Disneyland attractions, the Jungle Cruise is as classic as you can get. Opening with the park in 1955, the Jungle Cruise was inspired by a series of documentaries produced by Disney called the True Life Adventures. These were nature documentaries that explored different exotic locales and animals, which Walt wanted to bring to life in his park. 

In the ride, guests board a boat and begin their journey through the rivers of the world. They are accompanied by a Cast Member skipper who is tasked with guiding guests on their journey. The skippers however, are mostly known for one thing: their punny jokes and quips. 

For those of  you who have never been on the Jungle Cruise before, a big part of the fun of the ride comes from the jokes the skippers tell their passengers. They’re all just really corny dad jokes, but they really add to the attraction.

The attraction is also a lot more comical than it used to be. The Jungle Cruise used to be a very serious ride until it was changed a few years after opening to be more comedic. The visuals on the ride are also very comedic. From chimps overtaking a Jungle Cruise boat to elephants taking a shower and a research team getting chased up a tree, the Jungle Cruise just bursts with visual comedy. 

Some more fun facts about the Jungle Cruise: the boats are actually all on a track and they dye the water green to conceal the track from guests. The Jungle Cruise is also so close to Main Street USA’s west side that Walt used to complain that he could hear the sounds of the Jungle Cruise from his apartment on Main Street. 

Jungle Cruise earns its spot this high up on my ranking because of its comedy, its design and set pieces, and its quintessential charm. There’s something so special about this attraction. Everything from the set pieces to the narration to the landscaping makes it one of the most enjoyable and immersive rides in the entire resort. It really feels like a real jungle whenever you cruise along the rivers of the world. Everyone needs to do this attraction during their visit (and maybe even twice, because it’s so different at night). 

11. Star Tours

The second Star Wars ride on this Disneyland ride ranking, and the only one that is not located in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, Star Tours is an absolute delight of a ride. When Star Tours opened in 1987, it was way ahead of its time being one of the first motion simulator rides to ever open at a theme park. Since opening, it has gone through many changes, the most recent of which was its changeover to Star Tours – The Adventures Continue, which replaced the classic Endor mission with a random assortment of scenes that you could get with each ride through. 

The ride begins in the queue, which is one of the most iconic queues in the entire resort. You begin by seeing an exact replica of the Starspeeder vehicle being inspected by C3PO and R2D2. You can see a list of various departures on a nearby screen, kind of similar to a departure and arrival board at an airport. 

You then enter the second room which is the luggage scanning room. Two robots can be seen scanning bags as they enter the space port. You then pick up your glasses and are prepared to board your Starspeeder. After entering the Starspeeder, everyone is strapped in and the ride begins. 

C3PO accidentally gets stuck on your ship as he’s inspecting it, inadvertently making him the pilot. A droid stops you as you’re leaving the port and scans the riders, saying that they’re looking for a rebel spy. One guest is then randomly chosen to be the rebel spy and their picture appears on the screen. Before you can get stopped, however, you’re blasted out of the spaceport and into hyperspace. 

The next section of the ride consists of 4 scenes: the first big scene that puts you in an iconic Star Wars location, the second scene which features a brief call with a Star Wars character, followed by another big immersive scene, and then a scene of the Starspeeder landing in another space port. In the end, you’re able to protect the rebel spy and land safely.

This is one of Disney’s strongest and most innovative rides. While the ride system might be considered outdated now, the way Disney utilizes it is still very creative. Having multiple possible scenes as options greatly adds to the re-rideability of the attraction, and the fact that they update it depending on what new Star Wars series or movie is released at the time helps keep it relevant for fans. 

The ride set the bar pretty high for every other motion simulator that would follow it, and to be honest none of them really measure up to the immersiveness of Star Tours. I can only think of The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man at Universal’s Islands of Adventure as coming close. This is a strong attraction and deserves the place it gets in this Disneyland ride ranking. It’s filled to the brim with fun and joy and still delights guests to this day, also proving that great attractions don’t have to die, They can instead be updated for future generations, something I hope Disney continues doing in the future. 

10. Matterhorn Bobsleds

We’re now down to the top 10 attractions at Disneyland, and coming in at number 10 in this Disneyland ride ranking is what is probably the roughest ride in the entire resort. You can see it towering from almost anywhere in the park, with this imposing structure being home to the world’s first steel tubular roller coaster: Matterhorn Bobsleds. 

Opening with the Submarine Voyage and the Monorail on June 14, 1959, the ride was inspired by Walt Disney’s extended vacation in Switzerland while he was filming Third Man on the Mountain. He was so mesmerized by the beauty of the Swiss mountain that he bought a postcard of the Matterhorn and mailed it to Imagineer Vic Greene with the words “Vic. Build This. Walt”.

The cool thing about the Matterhorn (aside from the basketball court located in the attic of the attraction) is that it’s actually two roller coasters meshed together. The two coasters, or two sides, of the Matterhorn twist and turn and interweave amongst each other. They have completely different track layouts, although seeing the yeti twice is guaranteed on both. 

The ride starts with an ascent to the summit of the mountain. As you’re climbing upwards, you pass the yeti as he looks at you through blocks of ice. You then pass the remains of an expedition that looks like it was attacked by the yeti. The ride then careens all over the mountain as you make your way back down. And let me tell you, the journey down is ROUGH.

You have to remember that this is the first steel roller coaster. At the time, something like this had never been done before. So it’s safe to say that the imagineers didn’t know how to make a smooth steel roller coaster. Age and wear and tear have also contributed to the ride’s roughness. I’m not kidding when I say it’s the jerkiest, most jarring ride in the entire resort. 

But that doesn’t mean it isn’t fun. Once you’ve escaped from the yeti and have splashed down to the loading station, I guarantee you’ll find yourself smiling. It’s a fairly simple concept for a ride, but it gets points for its innovativeness, its historical significance in the world of theme and amusement parks, and its execution. The Matterhorn proves that not all good rides need 15 layers of backstory to be considered good. Sometimes a well executed, yet simple story is more than enough. 

9. Tiana’s Bayou Adventure

Coming in at number 9 is Disney’s newest ride, and quite possibly their most controversial. Replacing the much beloved Splash Mountain, Tiana’s Bayou Adventure has generated a lot of controversy. Some Disney fans think it’s inferior to Splash Mountain due to the creative decisions Disney made regarding the ride. Others have praised it as a fun experience. I am in the middle of the two: I think the ride isn’t as good as Splash Mountain, but I also think it’s still a great ride with great animatronics, music, and a finale scene that surpasses Splash Mountain in my opinion. 

Tiana’s Bayou Adventure opened at Disneyland on November 15, 2024. Featuring an all new story that takes place after the events of The Princess and the Frog, Tiana’s Bayou Adventure centers on Tiana, now owner of a food coop called Tiana’s Foods, as she enlists Louis and the guests’ help to try and find critters who can join the band for her upcoming party. 

This is arguably the weakest part of the attraction. The plot doesn’t generate a lot of excitement, tension, or stakes, something that Splash Mountain excelled at and why it’s still considered one of the best Disney attractions of all time. That being said, the plot is executed very well for what it is. After splashing down into the bayou, Tiana and Louis come across cute critters playing instruments. Tiana, however, wants to find more critters for the band, and enlists Mama Odie’s help to shrink the guests so they can look for smaller musical critters.

This plot point makes great use of the second drop, which signifies you shrinking down to the size of frogs. After shrinking, you then encounter frogs playing instruments, and after finding them, are led to the big final drop as you “get bigger” and take a shortcut to the bayou party. This is another thing that Splash Mountain does better. Splash Mountain had a lot of tension at the final drop, which helped make it feel more exciting. Tiana’s drop is merely a “shortcut to the bayou” which isn’t that exciting. 

Finally, the finale scene where the critters and the people of New Orleans celebrate in a New Orleans mansion is jaw dropping. It has a bigger impact than the Splash Mountain finale and is undoubtedly more impressive in its scale and animatronics. You’ll find yourself smiling ear to ear, and bopping along to the new song composed for the ride. 

That’s another thing the ride excels at: its music. I believe that, even with Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah, Splash Mountain’s music doesn’t come close to Tiana’s Bayou Adventure’s music. Hearing Almost There, Gonna Take You There, and Dig a Little Deeper is so energizing and adds another layer of fun to the ride. 

While it’s not a perfect ride, Tiana’s Bayou Adventure is a welcome addition to the park. It’s great to see Disney investing so much time and effort into creating a ride that utilizes physical sets and animatronics. In a world where screens are becoming the norm at theme parks, it’s nice to see an experience bringing physical sets and animatronics to the forefront. In the end, this is a winner for Disney, and will only get better with age. 

8. Space Mountain

Disneyland’s most thrilling ride, Space Mountain has cemented itself as a classic Disney experience. It’s concept is simple: have guests feel like they’re hurtling through space by putting a rollercoaster indoors in complete darkness to create the sensation of barrelling through space.

Opened on May 27, 1977, Space Mountain closed in 2003 and reopened in 2005 with better audio and an improved track. The track needed to be replaced due to the onboard audio making the trains heavier, compromising the structural integrity of the ride. This was all for the better as Space Mountain received new onboard audio, created by Oscar-winning composer Michael Giacchino.  

The music is what makes the ride so special and what elevates it above the Walt Disney World version. The music is, in my opinion, one of the best pieces of theme park audio in the entire world. It’s thrilling, matches the ride perfectly, and adds so much excitement and joy to the ride. I’m convinced that, without the iconic music, Space Mountain wouldn’t be as good an attraction as it is today. 

The attraction starts in the queue where you get briefed on your mission. You then head to the launch bay which, in my opinion, is the most impressive loading station in Disneyland. A spaceship hangs above you as you make your way down to the loading area. You then enter these rockets and your adventure begins. 

You begin by ascending to the top of the “mountain” as supernovae and cosmic bodies circle around you. The coaster then begins and you begin hurtling through the cosmos as the heart pumping score by maestro Michael Giacchino plays in the background. After some drops, twists, and turns, your ride ends and you make your way back to the station. 

This is, without a doubt, Disneyland’s most thrilling ride. You genuinely can’t tell where you’re going because of how dark it is. Its thrills, coupled with how well it delivers on its basic concept, are why I rank it as high as I do. It gets some negative points for how simple its story is, but its execution is probably one of the best in the entire resort. 

During Season of the Force, Space Mountain becomes the resort’s fourth Star Wars attraction when it receives its Star Wars overlay known as Hyperspace Mountain. In the overlay, you are caught in the middle of a fight between the Empire and the Rebels as you take to the stars and help the Rebels defeat the Empire. It’s a great overlay that is worthy of the Space Mountain and Star Wars name. 

7. Big Thunder Mountain

The highest ranked roller coaster on this Disneyland ride ranking, Big Thunder Mountain is an excellent middle-of-the-road coaster. It’s more intense than The Matterhorn but not as intense as Space Mountain. It’s also the coaster with the best theming, lore, and backstory, which is why I rank it above the other coasters on this list. 

Big Thunder Mountain opened on September 2, 1979 and takes inspiration from the American Southwest. The story goes that miners struck gold on Big Thunder Mountain, which led to a gold rush of prospectors overtaking the area. Unbeknownst to them, however, Big Thunder Mountain is on sacred Native American land, and soon a tragedy befalls the canyon (it’s not explicitly stated what the tragedy is) which causes the miners to leave. 

After the prospectors left, new people discovered that the mine trains on Big Thunder Mountain seemed to be possessed, operating and moving as if they had minds of their own. Barnabas T. Bullion saw this as an opportunity to revamp the town into a tourist attraction where guests could ride on the mine trains. And that’s the context for the ride as it appears today. 

The ride starts in the caverns below Big Thunder, then the train heads up a hill and through a waterfall. The train then careens its way down the mountain, passing by wolves, rattlesnakes, and other critters. It then heads up the second hill where we encounter the unofficial mascot of the ride: the TNT-eating goat. After turning around and heading down, you enter a cavern filled with even more TNT. The TNT explodes and sends you barreling down the mountain, passing Rainbow Ridge and heading back to the station.

Big Thunder might not have the music of Space Mountain or the history of The Matterhorn, but it makes up for it with detailed story elements, fun sight and sound gags, and an explosive (pun intended) finale. It had big shoes to fill replacing the popular Mine Train Thru Nature’s Wonderland, which it did with a lot of flair and thrill. 

Among all the Disneyland coaster rides, this one is definitely the most detailed. The rock work is stunning, as are all the small audio animatronics that really fill the space and breathe life into the attraction. I also love how it incorporates new technology while still feeling like an old world experience, which is evident in the TNT scene of the ride. It’s sure to leave a lasting impression on guests who experience it, as it has been doing so for the past several decades. This is Disneyland’s best coaster, no doubt about it. 

6. It’s a Small World

Originally created for the 1964-65 New York World’s Fair, It’s a Small World, and its now iconic song, have become household names. It’s a Small World’s influence has only grown with time, with replica attractions popping up in four other Disney resorts worldwide, Its eccentric design, and timeless message, have catapulted it into the number 6 spot on this Disneyland ride ranking. 

It’s a Small World’s design was created by Disney Legend and Imagineer Mary Blair. Her distinctive visual flair influenced the exterior of the attraction, as well as the interiors. This probably makes it Disneyland’s first auteur attraction, where the design and mechanisms of the ride were greatly influenced by one person, which alone makes it worthy of its spot in this Disneyland ride ranking. 

The ride doesn’t really have a story per se. Instead, it revolves around a singular theme: world peace. This theme is accentuated by the animatronic children of the ride, who are supposed to represent childlike innocence and wonder. The uniformity of design of the dolls and sets, as well as the lyrics of the song, all contribute to the theme of oneness and how we are more alike than we are different. 

Speaking of the song, it was written by none other than the Sherman Brothers. When Walt thought of the idea for It’s a Small World, he originally wanted each doll to sing their respective national anthem. But after a test run of the ride where it sounded like a cacophony with all these competing anthems, he commissioned the Sherman Brothers to write the song It’s a Small World. The rest, as they say, is history. 

The ride also features one of the most aesthetically pleasing exteriors in any Disney Park. What’s great about all the different versions of this ride is that they each do the exterior of the ride differently. Disneyland’s white version isn’t my favorite, but during Christmas time when It’s a Small World Holiday is running, the facade comes alive at night in a way that will leave you speechless. 

The ride has you going through different continents around the world as you encounter dolls and sets that represent different countries. You’ll pass by France, Spain, and Italy in Europe, encounter the vibrant Latin American culture, and cruise through the Pacific Islands before making your way to the final room where all the dolls you encountered on the ride return wearing white versions of their costumes. It’s a powerful scene that really reinforces the message of the ride. 

This is one of Disney’s best rides. It’s colorful, vibrant, and empowering. Everyone should include this ride on their Disneyland itineraries, and it pains me to put it just shy of the top 5 of this Disneyland ride ranking. I don’t know if we’re ever going to get a non-IP based ride of this scale again, but I’m honestly just glad that this ride exists. 

5. Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway

The second to the newest ride to open at Disneyland, and the first ride in our Disneyland ride ranking top 5, Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway is a trackless dark ride that is a clone of the ride that opened in Disney’s Hollywood Studios. It now serves as the anchor of the newly improved Toontown, which is one of my personal favorite lands in the entire park. 

I have to say, the best part of this ride might not even be the ride itself, but the queue. The queue is, without a doubt, the best queue in the entire RESORT. Filled with memorabilia and props from different Mickey Mouse shorts, the queue is full of interesting sight gags and things to look at that just make the space so vibrant. From parody Disney movie posters to a concession stand featuring treats with punny names, this queue is peak imagineering and is a big reason why this ride is this high on this Disneyland ride ranking . 

After walking through the queue, you enter the amazing pre-show of the attraction. This is destined to become a classic pre-show. From the blast that opens the portal into the toon world to the cast members talking to Goofy, this pre-show is a hit and helps us get acquainted with the world in a very fun and unique way. The song used in the pre-show is destined to get stuck in your head the way It’s a Small World does. 

Then it’s time for the ride itself, which is a hoot. Your car gets accidentally bumped off its tracks by Mickey, and he and Minnie spend the whole ride trying to rescue you. A series of impressive sets whisk you from one cartoon world to the next. From the wild west to a carnival to a tropical island, the ride cuts between these scenes jarringly, just like a cartoon would. 

You then end up in a factory where you’re almost vaporized by a pulverizer. But Mickey and Minnie save you, you car returns back to the track, and you see Mickey and Minnie picnicking in a park as they sing the rides theme song. Fireworks explode above you as your car makes its way to the unloading station. As you’re walking out, be sure to look behind you to see you exiting through the same portal you first entered. 

This ride is an almost-perfect masterpiece. The set design, immersiveness, story, and tension are all pitch perfect for a zany theme park adventure. It was about time that Mickey and friends got a theme park attraction, and this could not have been a better ride. I know it gets a bad rap from Disney World fans because it replaced the Great Movie Ride, and I’m actually on the side of they shouldn’t have replaced it with Runaway Railway (or any ride for that matter) but there’s no denying that Runaway Railway is a great attraction and will become a Disney classic.

It also fits incredibly well in Toontown. Also, while some people don’t like the fact that the ride is modeled after the newer Mickey Mouse shorts, I believe that it fits the style of the ride perfectly. This is a winner all around, and I’m glad it’s at Disneyland.

4. Indiana Jones Adventure

A classic, a behemoth, and one of my favorite attractions anywhere in the world, Indiana Jones Adventure is an experience that’s hard to put into words. Part thrill ride, part dark ride, and all parts absolutely spectacular, the only downside to this ride is the downtime it experiences at least three times almost everyday. That, I will admit, can get annoying, but the ride itself is amazing and everyone needs to experience it at least once.

Remember what I said about Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway having the best queue in the resort? Well this comes in at a VERY CLOSE, second. I just gave the distinction to Runaway Railway cause it personally appeals to me more, but most people will probably say Indiana Jones has the best queue in the entire resort. And for good reason!

Starting in the outdoor jungle, you then enter the temple and make your way through its chambers and rooms, passing caverns, a room with skeletons, and more fun things to look at before you reach the loading area. It’s creepy, it’s eerie, it’s detailed, it’s groundbreaking, and it goes on and on and on and on. Seriously, you’ll feel like you’re exiting the park with how deep it goes (which technically, you are). 

Then there’s the actual ride itself. It’s still impressive even to this day for something that opened in the 90s. Its scale, depth, and immersion are only matched by a few other attractions (mainly the three that succeed it in this Disneyland Ride Ranking). It is loaded with practical effects and lots of special effects, all coming together to create a revolutionary ride experience. 

The ride starts with you entering the chamber of destiny. However, we look into the eyes of the idol, and are thus ushered into the gates of doom. Indiana Jones, however, holds the gates at bay for us, and we are sent into the rest of the temple as we try to find a way out. Along the way we encounter skeletons, snakes, bugs, spirits, blow darts, and a massive rolling ball. Luckily, we make it out alive. 

This ride was and still is one of the most popular rides at the park (and is always my first choice for rope drop). It’s so popular that they’re building a new version of the ride with an all new story in Disney’s Animal Kingdom at Walt Disney World. Opening in 2027, the ride is going to feature Indy trying to find an ancient bird deep within a temple. I can’t wait to ride that version of this ride, but this one will always have a special place in my heart. 

3. Pirates of the Caribbean

One of the best, if not the best, Disney boat ride in the entire world, Pirates of the Caribbean is an epic attraction. It’s the last attraction Walt Disney personally supervised, and his storytelling prowess and that of the Imagineers is on full display here. Located in the New Orleans Square section of the park, Pirates of the Caribbean has spawned a media franchise that includes the highly successful films inspired by the ride. 

I would say the only thing disappointing about Pirates of the Caribbean is its queue. It’s a fairly simple one, and a lot of it is outdoors with minimal to no shade. In the California heat it can feel quite uncomfortable if I’m being honest. But soon after you enter the building and see the boats cresting the turn to head back to the loading station and you’re just filled with excitement.

After arriving at Lafitte’s Landing, you board your boat and enter the Louisiana bayou. After cruising past the Blue Bayou restaurant, you encounter a talking skull. The talking skull beckons you forward, leading you to the first drop of the ride. That is quickly followed by the second drop, which takes you into the caverns. After turning a corner, you’ll see that the caverns are full of treasure and pirate skeletons. 

You then pass by a dark section of the caverns that features a skeleton that magically (through mirrors) transforms into a man. The cavern melts away into a bustling Caribbean port town as pirates begin to invade the town. A pirate ship is stationed outside the fort and, after entering the town, you see the pirates ransacking the town. There’s the famous auction, the scene with a pirate being lowered in a well, and the town eventually burning. Throughout the ride we see Captain Jack Sparrow, who was added after the films came out. 

Proceeding after the burning town scene is the iconic dungeon scene where the pirates are trying to entice the dog holding the keys to come to them. We then see pirates shooting each other, a final image that reinforces the message of the ride and its commentary on the nature of human greed. We see Jack Sparrow with the treasure and then proceed up a waterfall and into the unloading station. 

Pirates of the Caribbean was, in my opinion, the first great Disney ride ever built. It probably has one of the best stories of any Disney Park, and the execution of said story is just jaw droppingly insane. The layers in its stories and its minute details make it so re-rideable. I’ve ridden it upwards of 50 times at this point and I’m always discovering something new in the attraction. It’s innovativeness, immersion, message, and scale are all reasons why it’s number 3 on this Disneyland ride ranking. 

2. Rise of the Resistance

I know, I know, some of you are shocked that this isn’t number 1 on this Disneyland ride ranking. I would argue that most Disney fans nowadays consider this the best ride at Disneyland. Rise of the Resistance is an absolute masterpiece for a lot of reasons. From its multiple pre-shows, amazing queue, narrative story elements, and the ride itself, Disney knocked it out of the park and proved that they can still make amazing attractions with layered stories. 

The ride starts in the Rey pre-show room where she briefs you on your mission: to get to the secret base on Picara as Batuu is no longer safe. We’re going to get escorted to Picara by Beck and Poe Dameron. We enter our transport vehicle and blast off. However, as we’re heading to Picara, first order TIE Fighters show up and ambush us. We’re then pulled into a star destroyer. 

Notice how this isn’t even the ride yet. It’s just the pre-show. This ride has the best pre-show of probably any ride in the WORLD. It’s immersive, full of tension, and exciting. You’ll find yourself completely engrossed in the world of the movie. The transport vehicle scene is also famous for a certain trick it does, which I won’t spoil so that you can be surprised when you see it for yourself. 

You’re then captured by the First Order, and are sent to a holding cell. This is the most fun part of the ride as the Cast Members are acting like First Order soldiers, being cold and rude to guests on purpose to further the narrative immersion of the ride. You then enter the cell and encounter Kylo Ren who says he wants the location of the secret base. After he leaves, you’re broken out of the cell by Resistance agents, who then load you on a transport vehicle so you can get out of the ship. 

I won’t spoil what happens on the ride as there are a few surprises that’ll knock your socks off, but it’s pretty spectacular. Ginormous set pieces, fluid animatronics, and a final surprise that’ll catch you off guard if you’re riding for the first time. It’s literally a pitch perfect attraction. 

Ride videos don’t do the whole experience justice. The whole experience just feels like you’re stepping into the movie. I hope that future attractions are as immersive and groundbreaking as Rise of the Resistance. I am biased towards non-IP attractions, but if IP-based attractions are as incredible as Rise of the Resistance is, then the future of Imagineering is bright. 

1. Haunted Mansion

If you know me at all, you know that nothing else could be number 1 but this attraction. I love this ride so much. To me, it’s THE gold standard Disneyland attraction and one of the best rides on planet earth. It has also spawned two of my other favorite rides in the entire world: Phantom Manor in Disneyland Paris and Mystic Manor in Hong Kong Disneyland. Mystic Manor is my favorite ride of all time, and it wouldn’t exist without the behemoth known as the Haunted Mansion. 

It’s such a simple concept for a ride. You’re just touring this old abandoned house that is supposedly crawling with ghosts. 999 ghosts to be exact. But the ride is the best ride at Disneyland and deserves the number one spot in this Disneyland ride ranking because of how well it executes and builds on that fairly simple concept. 

The ride starts in the stretching room, probably the most iconic pre-show ever made for a Disney Park. As the room stretches around you and the paintings get longer and longer, you actually are going down a big elevator to access the rest of the ride. You then walk through the portrait gallery where lightning reveals the more sinister undertones of the different paintings. 

After boarding your Doom Buggy, you then go on a creepy tour of the mansion. You pass by a floating candelabra, a skeleton trying to get out of a coffin, and a seance room where Madame Leota, a disembodied head, is conjuring up spirits and telling them to awaken and make themselves known. 

Following that are the three most impressive scenes of the ride: the ballroom scene where the pepper’s ghost effect makes the animatronics look like ghosts, then the attic scene where we encounter the bride. The bride was recently updated in 2025, with her story being changed from murderer to bereaved widow. Then the final scene – the graveyard scene – comes into view. At this point, the ghosts have fully materialized. It’s a fun scene full of sounds and sight gags. Finally, you encounter the hitchhiking ghosts, one of whom enters your doom buggy and “follows you home”. You then exit the ride and pass by the last ghost before ending up outside.  

The Imagineers behind the ride really outdid themselves with the Haunted Mansion. Each ride element is perfectly done and captures the mood they were going for expertly. The story of the ride also flows impeccably well. From the stretching room to the hitchhiking ghosts, you feel like you’re being immersed in a complete story, the finer details of which you can discover on multiple ride-throughs. During Halloween and Christmas it transforms into Haunted Mansion Holiday, a Nightmare Before Christmas overlay that is probably the best overlay in any Disney Park. 

Haunted Mansion’s sets, costumes, animatronics, music, and effects all work together to achieve a singular effect and serve a singular story. I wish Walt Disney could have experienced this attraction because he would have been so proud of it. Haunted Mansion is, without a shadow of a doubt, the best ride in the entire resort and deserves the top spot in this Disneyland Ride Ranking.

Disneyland Ride Ranking Conclusion

Disneyland is one of the most special places on planet earth. The childlike wonder that radiates from every corner of the park is something that can’t be described, and the rides play a big part in that. Every single ride, the good and the not so good, all contribute to the magic-ness of Disneyland. They all have an integral part to play in the guest experience, and are a big reason why guests keep coming back. They all deserve to be celebrated, as together they make Disneyland the best theme park in America.

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