Theme parks can extend the value of their rides and shows with special overlays. Disney's been doing this for a generation, starting (perhaps?) with a special Christmas show for the Country Bear Jamboree. Over the years, Disney's added seasonal and themed overlays to many more attractions, including It's a Small World, the Haunted Mansion, and World of Color.
The king of overlays these days might be Space Mountain. In addition to the "regular" musical journey to the stars, the Disneyland Resort offers two themed overlays to its popular indoor roller coaster: the Halloween-themed "Ghost Galaxy," which is running now, and the Star Wars-themed "Hyperspace Mountain," which returns November 2.
But why stop there? With Disney able to program and swap the music and animation on the ride with relative ease, it has the capacity to offer other overlays on Space Mountain. Done right, that encourages additional visits from Disneyland's many local annual passholders, as well as giving fans of the featured Disney franchises a fresh reason to visit the park, too.
So which themes and franchises should Disney select for new overlays on Space Mountain? In my Orange County Register column this week, I play Imagineer and make up eight options for new Space Mountain overlays. Maybe this should have been the place where Disney brought the Guardians of the Galaxy to the Disneyland Resort? But if you want to know my favorite idea for a new Space Mountain overlay, I will leave you with this hint...
Rex's Revenge!
Read Robert's column:
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Where's the Christmas overlay? I can imagine a space ship decorated with garland and globe ornaments. You try to find Santa to deliver him a Christmas cheer. Your ship will Christmas Cross several times in your journey around the outer reaches of space and you see Santa Claus on his sleigh that's being pulled by his reindeer. During this whole time, you hear "Dashing Thru The Stars" and other adapted Christmas carols.
Alternatively, they can do a NORAD type overlay that tracks Santa. This will be great publicity for the Christmas Eve show except that it is done hundreds of times a day.
As for the overlays presented, something like a Guardians of the Galaxy overlay for a couple months would be an excellent way to tie in with the movie and would be a better way to get the property into the park now (even though it would be much less permanent). Something like Rex's Revenge would be hilarious and could be used to honor a significant anniversary of Star Tours (or, perhaps, the closure of the attraction should it return). However, an overlay for the sake of an overlay is never going to be as good as the base attraction and should be avoided. If Disney wants an attraction with rotating themes, just build a basic roller coaster and give everyone VR headsets.
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