Everyone loves the festive holiday overlays that Disney puts on certain attractions including the infamous Nightmare Before Christmas overlay in the Haunted Mansion in Disneyland. But what if guests didn't have to wait ten months until that overlay came out? What if there was a Nightmare Before Christmas attraction available to guests all year long with a ride system similar to that of Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind? Luckily here at The Blue Sky Lounge we are able to Armchair Imagineer just such an attraction.
Queue Experience:
Imagine if you will an entrance though a giant tree in Liberty Square with an opening in the shape of a Christmas tree leading to Santa's Workshop. As you walk through the queue guests notice that Santa's workshop is a mess. Toys are broken and thrown everywhere, you see Santa's Naughty and Nice list names and two sets of check marks beside the first few names at the top but after a certain first name, Tim (a special nod to director Tim Burton), there is a scribble in the section for the second checkmark indicating Santa had a struggle. In the next room is a security room and it shows a playback of Santa being kidnapped by Lock, Shock and Barrel on behalf of Oggie Boggie. Then Jack Skellington comes on the screen saying that though he wanted to be 'Sandy Claus' at one point, it was wrong of Oggie Boogie to take Santa and ruin Christmas for everyone. He then tells us that we need to get in to Santa's sleigh to try and stop Oggie Boogie and save Christmas.
Boarding and Launch:
Guests then enter Santa's stables where his reindeer should be, however everything and everyone is gone. Oggie Boggie took Santa's reindeer and sleigh as well. As you move through the queue leading up to the loading area you hear Dr. Finklestine talking about a new sleigh that he was making for Jack but we have to take it to stop Oggie Boggie. Then the roller coaster car pulls up shaped like a more spookier version of Santa's sleigh complete with a coffin body and trash can to hold the presents. Once everyone is loaded in and checked over by 'Santa's helpers' the car takes off and turns a corner and stops. On one side of the car is a video screen showing Jack telling us that Oggie Boogie has just taken off and we need to take off to try and catch him; then the coaster blasts off after Oggie.
The Festive Flight Begins
After zooming around Christmas Town, seeing the sights like the giant Christmas Tree in the centre of town we travel through a new holiday door (just like in Cosmic Rewind when the coaster goes through different jump points) shaped like a fire cracker and themed to Independence Day. As you travel through this new area your car is surrounded by projections of fireworks going off all around you, even some shaped like the occasional hidden Mickey, and the riders can smell the faint aroma of spent gunpowder. Guest can also see a projection of Oggie and Santa is dodging fireworks too.
Then you see a new door coming up, this time shaped like a turkey. I hope you aren't hungry because we can't stop for dinner. Smells of turkey and pumpkin pie are blasted towards us as we zoom through Thanksgiving Town. Animatronics of both pilgrims and indigenous people can be seen and all have a terrified look on their face seeing a giant boggie man, not to mention our humongous spooky sleigh zooming past.
Door number three is upon us and this one shaped like a giant egg. As we enter we are bombarded with pastel colours and the smell of chocolate. Easter Town is filled with bunniesâbunnies everywhere. The riders can see these bunnies hiding eggs around the town and before we know it we are up to door four.
As soon as we pass through the door, shaped like a shamrock we know that we are in St. Patricks Day Town. Here we are hit with the smell of fresh cut grass and petrichor (the smell of rain). One of the fun features of this area is that projections are shot onto the track of the coaster making it a rainbow. We see Leprechauns trying to get at our coaster looking for gold, however those Leprechauns will be upset because at the end of our rainbow is door number five.
Welcome to Valentine's Town where love throws everyone for a loop. This is the crazy part of the ride where guests are treated to some cork screws and loops because love make people do crazy things. At the centre of town is a lovely gazebo where we see Lock, Shock and Barrel taunting us that we will never get Santa. The car spins around the gazebo much like in Cosmic Rewind when the ship orbits the Moon. After our crazy adventure we are ready for our last stop...Halloween Town.
Door number six leads riders to Jack's hometown. It is here where we are able to catch up to Oggie and Santa. But before all that happens we pass by all the iconic locations of Halloween Town like the graveyard with the curly tip hill, Dr. Finkelstein's lab, and city hall where are of the residents of Halloween Town are cheering for us to stop Oggie. A projection is shows us coming very close to his sleigh and then "bumping" it sending it off into the graveyard.
Conclusion
As the ride comes to a close we see Santa and Jack waving at everyone as we pass slowly back into the Christmas door and stop just outside the stable. Guests exit the sleigh and walk back through the town and into Santa's Store.
Every Great Attraction Needs A Gift Shop
The exit of the ride leads us to the current Ye Olde Christmas Shoppe, only about four times as big. Riders can see all the Nightmare Before Christmas merchandise available, get fun ornaments or even go and see their photo taken from somewhere on the ride.
So what did you think? Would you like to go on this attraction? What would you change? What would you keep the same? Comment down below. Better yet if you have a fun Christmas themed attraction write it down below and let us know about it. Just remember to Think, Believe, Dream, and Dare to use your imagination. Who knows what kind of imagineering you could do from your armchair! â¨đ˘đ°âď¸âď¸
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