Among the many treasures to be found on Disney +, one is buried deep in the documentaries section. And it’s a real gem for fans of the Disney Parks. Behind the Attraction, as the name suggests, is a series giving the history of some of the most popular and beloved rides in the parks.
The first season of five shows is narrated by actress Paget Brewster in a pleasantly perky and jokey style. Despite the main purpose of the show obviously a being thinly veiled advertisement for the Disney parks, there’s a lot of information and trivia for fans to digest. The first show takes us behind the story of Jungle Cruise, a solid staple of the Anaheim and Orlando resorts since their opening. The choice of Jungle Cruise as an opener isn’t surprising, nor are the on-camera contributions of Dwayne Johnson. He is, after all the executive producer of the series and he has a film to promote, coincidentally named Jungle Cruise.
Moving on, we see the history of The Haunted Mansion, tracking its development from the original concept of a walk-through to the ride it is today. The sheer ingenuity of the Disney Imagineers is very much on display, as many of those responsible are interviewed for their recollections. There are subtle differences between the same rides in different parks, and those differences in The Haunted Mansion (U.S. version), Phantom Manor (Paris), and Mystic Manor (Tokyo) are explored.
Of course, the Disney organisation would be remiss if they didn’t take episode 3’s look at Star Tours, the Star Wars-themed ride to also plug their latest venture Galaxy’s Edge, which frankly looks amazing. Thus proving their not-so-subtle advertising is working.
But nothing remains the same forever and episode 4 shows us that the popular Twilight Zone Tower Of Terror has, in Anaheim at least, been given a makeover. Though the concept of a thrilling drop ride as they’re known in the business remains, the theme is now firmly based on helping the Guardians of the Galaxy escape the clutches of The Collector rather than entering Rod Serling’s fifth dimension.
Speaking of change, even the legendary Space Mountain featured in the fifth episode doesn’t stay the same forever. In Paris it’s themed as an additional Star Wars ride, while in Disney Shanghai, it’s a TRON experience. And who wouldn’t want to ride a lightcycle? It might bode well for a third TRON movie…
Overall, the series is engaging and enjoyable. More importantly, it’s entertainingly accessible. There’s enough technical detail for a “wow” factor but the audience won’t get confused and left behind in laborious details. And it’s entertaining enough not to be an out-and-out hard sell, though it is a well-made slab of product placement.
Surprisingly, and perhaps disappointingly, there’s not an episode about The Pirates of the Caribbean. But Disney are obviously playing it safe here – there’s no mention of the classic Splash Mountain either, so they don’t need to acknowledge Song of the South. Maybe for season 2?
