The Little Mermaid – Ariel's Undersea Adventure
| The Little Mermaid – Ariel's Undersea Adventure | |
|---|---|
| Park | Disney California Adventure |
| Land / area | Paradise Gardens Park |
| Type | Omnimover dark ride |
| Opened | June 3, 2011 |
| Designer | Walt Disney Imagineering |
| Height req. | Any height |
| Status | Operating |
The Little Mermaid – Ariel's Undersea Adventure is a dark ride in the Paradise Gardens Park area of Disney California Adventure in the Disneyland Resort, California. Opened on June 3, 2011, it retells the story of Disney's 1989 animated film The Little Mermaid using the Omnimover ride system, with riders travelling in clamshell vehicles through scenes built around the film's songs. A Florida counterpart opened at Magic Kingdom in 2012 under the name Under the Sea: Journey of the Little Mermaid.
History
A Little Mermaid dark ride had been designed in the early 1990s for Disneyland Paris and the Magic Kingdom, using a suspended system in the manner of Peter Pan's Flight to suggest swimming. That project was cancelled, although a virtual recreation of it was later included as a bonus feature on the film's 2006 Platinum Edition DVD.
The ride was revived as part of California Adventure's rebuilding programme and announced in 2009. It replaced Golden Dreams, the opening-day film about California history hosted by Whoopi Goldberg, whose theatre was demolished; the replica Palace of Fine Arts rotunda that had fronted Golden Dreams was kept and incorporated into the new building's facade, which is styled as an early 20th-century aquarium. The attraction soft-opened in late May 2011 and formally opened on June 3, 2011.
The area was originally counted as part of Paradise Pier. When Paradise Pier was divided in 2018, the ride fell into the portion renamed Paradise Gardens Park, while the pier rides to its south became Pixar Pier.
Experience
Scuttle the gull, positioned in the queue and again in the ride, narrates Ariel's story. Riders board pastel clamshells seating two or three and descend beneath the surface, an effect achieved with lighting, projections and a rush of bubbles. The scenes follow the film in condensed form: Ariel in her grotto singing "Part of Your World"; the large "Under the Sea" production number, the ride's biggest room, with Sebastian conducting a crowd of animated sea creatures; Ursula in her lair singing "Poor Unfortunate Souls", the sea witch rendered as a figure some 7.5 feet (2.3 m) tall and 12 feet (3.7 m) wide; Ariel and Eric in a rowing boat for "Kiss the Girl"; and a finale in which the couple marry as King Triton looks on. The ride lasts about six minutes and loads continuously, giving it one of the highest hourly capacities in the park.
Design
The Omnimover system, developed by Imagineering in the 1960s and best known from the Haunted Mansion, was chosen for that capacity and because its vehicles can be turned to face each scene. The California and Florida versions share essentially the same ride; their buildings, facades and queues differ considerably.