Changes

{{Template:Infobox Disney ride |

| land=Tomorrowland

| park= Magic Kingdom

| opened=December 15, 1974

| sponsor=RCA (1975-1993)

Fed Ex (1994-2003)

Space Mountain is an attraction located in [[Tomorrowland]].

==Attraction History==

Concept art for the attraction was created by Hench, Clem Hall, George Mcginnis and Herb Ryman. Early on, the attraction's name was changed to "Space Venture", as ideas for it continued to be refined <ref name="mouseplanet_space"> http://www.mouseplanet.com/7135/WDWs_Space_Mountain</ref>. To help make the attraction a reality, WED partnered with the Arrow Development Company, who had helped to design the Matterhorn track. In June of 1966 WED employees voted, and decided to change the name once again, this time to Space Mountain. Plans for Space Mountain were put on hold indefinably however, in 1966, when Walt Disney died. After Walt’s passing, a new company wide focus was put on completing Walt Disney World. This, combined with the spatial and technological limitations of Disneyland, made the construction of Space Mountain unfeasible for the time being. Although the Space Mountain idea was dead in Disneyland, it soon found life in the newly constructed Walt Disney World. The popularity of the new park surpassed even Disney's expectations, and Disney World proved to be especially popular with teenagers and young adults. Almost as soon as the park opened, plans were made for a new thrill ride <ref name="mouseplanet_space" />.

Disney’s first choice for a thrill ride was to construct and east coast version of the Matterhorn. It soon became apparent however that Walt Disney World’s Fantasyland was not big enough to house the iconic attraction. Instead, Disney decided to revisit the tabled Space Mountain idea, as Disney World’s Tomorrowland had more than enough space for expansion <ref> http://disneylandreport.blogspot.com/2013/06/the-history-of-space-mountain.html.</ref> With the new location in mind, Imagineers got back to work on the development of the coaster. One early decision that Disney made was to develop the track for Space Mountain “in house” as opposed to using the Arrow Development Company. WED Engineers further decided to make the coaster a "pure gravity" ride, meaning that Space Mountain would feature no boosters or retarders <ref name="mouseplanet_space" />.

One of the next decisions that Disney had to make involved sponsorship. Like many of the early Walt Disney World attractions, sponsorship money was an intricate part of Space Mountain’s creation. Accepting Disney’s offer of sponsorship, RCA agreed to give 10 million dollars towards the construction of the coaster <ref> http://www.mouseplanet.com/10533/Remembering_the_Magic_Space_Mountain </ref>. Due to this agreement, Space Mountain’s original queue and post show were designed to feature RCA products <ref name="mouseplanet_space" />. Although the basic concept of the attraction was agreed upon, the final designs of the interior structure, queue and post show all changed various times before Space Mountain was finally built. The shape of Space Mountain was also a topic of debate amongst Disney Imagineers. Some wanted Space Mountain to look like a dome, while others wanted to use a "cone" shape. The cone shape idea eventually won out, and on January 15, 1975 Space Mountain officially opened.

From 1973 until 1994 Space Mountain was sponsored by RCA. Guests entered Space Mountain through an entrance building located in Tomorrowland which featured three large RCA logos, as well as an original "four seat" ride vehicle, encased in a clear case. Inside the vehicle sat a family consisting of a father, mother and two children. Before guests entered the "entrance portal", they would pass a large quote on the wall which read:

Just after entering the building, guests boarded a descending, moving ramp. On the right side of the ramp, guests could see RCA's mascot, Nipper the Fox Terrier and a phonograph machine inside a flying saucer. At this point in the attraction, RCA's Space Mountain theme song- "Here's To the Future and You" would begin to play. Further down the ramp guests could look out convex windows and see the Star Corridors, a series of different space themed displays. One display for example, showed an astronaut riding his moon buggy in space. On the left hand side of the descending ramp, a series of RCA products were displayed. The reason that guests had to be lowered, was because the queue ran underneath the [[Walt Disney World Railroad]] to the lot where Space Mountain is actually located. After guests finished descending, they reached the "zig-zag corridor". Here windows allowed guests to see out into space. Things that could be seen out these windows included:

===RCA's Home of Future Living===

From 1973 until about 1985 Space's Mountains post show was known as the RCA Home of Future Living. After unloading from their ride vehicles, guests would board another moving ramp which took them up. On the right side of the ramp guests would begin to see scenes of how future homes would look. The first scene depicted a father wearing a blue jumpsuit and lounging in his chair. In front of him was a TV the size of a briefcase which showed a female business associate. The scene showed that the man was able to conduct his business meeting, while in the comfort of his own home. Continuing on, guests saw a model of the house which was shaped like a hexagon, with each room connected by stairways. <ref name="omniluxe" />

The next room that guests saw in the Home of Future Living was the nursery. Here, while a baby stood in her crib, a clown with a camera was broadcasting her to the rest of the house. This allowed her family to keep an eye on her even though they were not in the same room. Continuing on, guests passed the family room, where an unidentified female could be seen taking a pottery lesson over her TV. She was able to talk and communicate with her professor who was being displayed on the TV. The next scene guests saw showed a boy named Billy who was wearing an orange jumpsuit. He was standing outside of his house with a frog and a dog. Billy would talk into a camera mounted next the door saying "Don't you like frogs Mrs. Brown?” and his mother would then tell Billy that he would have to stay outside with his pets.

==Postshow Changes and Federal Express (1985-2004)==

In 1985 RCA replaced the "Home of Future Living” with a new post show that allowed guests to see what it would be like to live on a space colony. One of the most notable changes was that Billy and his dog (who once recorded guests and put them on TV) were replaced with a robot boy and a robot dog. Furthermore, the TV monitors that used to advertise RCA products were changed to show astronauts in space. Although the story of the post-show changed, its main purpose was still to show and advertise RCA televisions <ref name="omniluxe" />.

Bigger changes came to Space Mountain in 1994, when Federal Express took over sponsorship of the attraction. During this time, Space Mountain (as well as almost all of Tomorrowland) was redesigned to fit into the New Tomorrowland theme. After the refurbishment, the attraction’s entrance was noticeably shorter, and storm shutters were added to its doorway. Furthermore, the left hand entrance wall (which had previously been used for signage) was demolished. Now when entering the attraction, guests simply saw the words “Space Mountain” written on the right hand wall in a new orange font (the new font was used throughout the attraction). Finally, the spiral outside of the entrance which had one read “RCA” was replaced by a new spiral that held signs for both Space Mountain and Fed Ex.

===Preshow===

When Space Mountain reopened 2009 following a lengthy refurbishment, the queue and preshow had been changed in fairly drastic ways. As part of the “next generation” of Disney World queues, 43 video games were added to Space Mountain’s stand-by queue, in an attempt to make the ride wait more manageable. Furthermore, the original color scheme of the attraction was returned (replacing the brown and orange scheme that was added during Federal Express’ tenure). Another noticeable change to the queue was the fact that the windows which had once showed scenes from space, now allowed guests to look out directly into space itself. Finally, a large mural which reads, "Starport 75: Your Gateway to the Galaxy" was added (the 75 being and obvious reference to the year that Space Mountain opened). In general, the entire queue hints at the fact that Space Mountain is now actually a starport <ref> http://land.allears.net/blogs/jackspence/2009/11/space_mountain_reopens_1.html </ref>.

After making their way through the queue, guests are divided up into lines for either the Alpha or Omega track. Currently the Alpha track is used primarily for standby guests, while the Omega Track is used for FastPass + guests (although if the line is short, it is possible to for standby guests to ride the Omega track). After dividing up, guests enter the loading area, where they can look out into space before getting into their ride vehicles.

===Ride===

Although the ride is similar to its original incarnation, there have been some changes. The ride still begins with the rockets leaving the loading area, instantly making a 180 degree turn. After taking the turn, the rockets come to a stop in a purple tunnel, which is located just in front of the a lift hill. After climbing up the hill, the vehicles fall down a slope into the blue strobe tunnel where the rockets build up “energy”. The tunnel itself is similar to the original attraction, however the lights now flash with increasing speed, as the energy builds up. Also of note, an on-ride photo camera has been added to the tunnel, allowing guests to purchase their on ride photo after they exit the attraction.

===Postshow===

The new postshow begins on guest's left hand side where a robot is shown manning a station known as the “MK-1 Command Center” (he is apparently in charge of what guests will see in the rest of the postshow). Moving onto the escalator belt, guests come across three scenes from space. The first two (which are known as the Mercury Peak and the Crater Caverns scenes) are similar, albeit redesigned versions, of the previous postshow, with any references to Fed Ex having been removed. The third scene in the new postshow is known as "20,000 Lightyears Under the Sea” (a reference to the now defunct Magic Kingdom attraction: 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea). This scene closely resembles the underwater scene in the former [[Epcot]] attraction [[Horizons]].

==Fun Facts and Trivia ==

* Early in Space Mountain's development, George McGinnis proposed a loop that would be seen from the attraction's interior queue and highlighted by a strobe light every two seconds. Disney eventually rejected the idea as "too violent for a family attraction" <ref name= "realityland"> Koenig, David. Realityland: True-life Adventures at Walt Disney World. Irvine, CA: Bonaventure, 2007. Print. </ref>

*The robot in the current postshow resembles the robot that formally resided in Horizons <ref> http://www.lostepcot.com/horizons.html </ref>.

*Due to the lubricant used on the ride vehicles, Space Mountain is actually faster at night then it is in the morning (the lubricant solidifies when cooled and is more jelled in the morning) <ref> http://www.hiddenmickeys.org/Disneyland/Secrets/Tomorrow/SpaceMountain.html </ref>.

* Attractions referenced in the "Closed Sectors" list include: Mr. Toad's Wild Ride, Skyway to Fantasyland, the Swan Boats, the Mickey Mouse Revue, Mission to Mars, and 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea <ref name= "Yee"/>.

==References==