On January 15, 1975, Space Mountain debuted at Magic Kingdom. This galactic experience saw guests zooming through space on a galactic adventure at Walt Disney World. It was also the first of multiple mountains with the name and theme of Space Mountain. This would include Disneyland, Tokyo Disneyland, Disneyland Paris, and Hong Kong Disneyland.
As garnered by the fact that there are so many attractions with the name Space Mountain around the world, this attraction continues to soar to new heights and give guests new experiences with new iterations in different corners of the globe. It continues to allow guests to blast into the final frontier. The origin of Space Mountain, however, is rooted in a real mountain and an experience that Walt Disney had himself!
The First Mountain
The first mountain to grace the skyline of a Disney park was the Matterhorn at Disneyland in California. This came to be when Walt Disney saw the real Matterhorn when visiting Switzerland in 1958. The story goes that Walt sent a postcard of this magnificent mountain back to his Imagineers with the words “BUILD THIS” written on the back.
What resulted was the world’s first tubular roller coaster. It also was Disneyland’s first thrill ride. The tubular track allowed guests to twist and wind through the mountain with sharp turns and drops. It was unlike anything they had experienced before. It also was just the start.
The First Space Mountain
Walt Disney, never content to rest on his laurels, kept looking forward. In this case, he had his sights set on space. The idea was to build something similar to the Matterhorn but the adventure would be an interstellar one this time. This coaster would be fully enclosed and Walt brought in John Hench to design the exterior for it.
John Hench was the guy for the job. What he came up with has become one of the most iconic visuals that Disney has ever created. It is timeless yet futuristic. It also is brilliant as it helped with the practicality of what was needed to build this attraction. This was something that hadn’t been done something and required a new type of architecture. Hench created the design of the conical dome with the exterior steel beams. This represented the dispersal of energy by lifting a car to a certain height and then letting gravity do the rest.
The original plan was to have four tracks whizzing through the mountain. This would make it bigger and also more advanced than the Matterhorn Mountain. The only trick was that the technology to do this hadn’t caught up with the vision.
They say no good idea ever gets thrown away at Imagineering. It was just a matter of time for computers to catch up. After Walt Disney World opened in 1971, Imagineers returned to the idea of bringing Space Mountain to life. This was part of an expansion of the newly-opened Walt Disney World Resort.
Space Mountain would open on January 15, 1975, and introduce guests to a whole new and exciting experience. They whizzed through space. For many, it was (and continues to be) one of the first roller coasters they had ever experienced. The opening of Space Mountain at Walt Disney World Resort allowed many people to see their dreams of blasting into space come to life. This was something that resonated with people and it was clear that Walt Disney World Resort shouldn’t be the only place that people could have this experience.
Space Mountain at Disneyland
Walt Disney originally envisioned Space Mountain for Disneyland. Imagineers never forgot this. With the success of the attraction in Florida, it was decided that Disneyland should also get this attraction.
Space Mountain opened with a grand dedication ceremony at Disneyland on May 27, 1977. This version was slightly different than its predecessor at Walt Disney World. Instead of two tracks, there was a single track. This allowed for bigger trains where guests could sit side by side (the rockets in the attraction at Walt Disney World are more like the Matterhorn bobsleds). The new version could accommodate just as many guests as the original version. It also became an instant hit!
Space Mountain at Tokyo Disneyland
The next iteration of the attraction to open was at Tokyo Disneyland. It would open on April 15, 1983, and be an almost exact clone of the Anaheim version of the attraction. It also would be incredibly popular with Japanese guests.
Just like Walt Disney, Tokyo Disneyland keeps moving forward. The original version of Space Mountain received some upgrades in 2006. This added new effects and also gave it a more futuristic look. On July 31, 2024, the entire attraction was closed to make way for a new version of the attraction in a new Tomorrowland at Tokyo Disneyland. It is expected to open in 2027. Disney shared that this version of the attraction “will stay true to the original concept as a thrilling indoor coaster on a high-speed journey through space, while also featuring added enhanced performance, immersive special effects, and provide a greater connection between Earth and the universe.”
Space Mountain at Disneyland Paris
Disneyland Paris was the next park to get a version of the attraction. As a part of the “phase two” development of the park, the attraction arrived nearly three years after Disneyland Paris opened in 1992. This version of the attraction had a significant difference from its predecessors, however. While it still had its conical exterior that people were accustomed to, it also had a very different experience, look, and launch.
At Disneyland Paris, there is no Tomorrowland. Instead, there is a land called Discoveryland. Imagineers were inspired by Jules Verne’s classic story From the Earth to the Moon and created Space Mountain: de la Terre à la Lune. In this version of the attraction, guests get shot to the moon by canon. This required the Imagineers to create new technology to make this dream a reality.
Imagineers developed the world’s first-ever catapult launch system for Space Mountain: de la Terre à la Lune. This allowed for guests to be rocketed from an incline, up the outside of the mountain, and into darkness. It really is quite the experience as anyone who has ridden on it can tell you! This version of the attraction had twice the speed, went upside-down, and also was the first to have its own onboard audio system with music synced to the attraction. To get it right, the composer for the attraction’s music had to right it over and over to get the music perfectly in sync.
In 2005, the attraction was updated and became Space Mountain: Mission 2. This version of the attraction saw guests being rocketed well beyond the moon and instead to the edge of the universe. In 2017, the attraction was again changed. This time it was Star Wars themed and now is known as Star Wars: Hyperspace Mountain.
Space Mountain at Hong Kong Disneyland
When Hong Kong opened on September 12, 2005, Space Mountain was one of the opening-day attractions. This version of the attraction also had the audio playing as guests zoomed through space. It was very similar to the Anaheim version of the attraction, which by then also had audio included as guests zipped through the stars.
The attraction would be changed and also become Star Wars: Hyperspace Mountain. In this case, the changes even included the addition of a full-sized X-Wing to the queue!
The Evolution of a Mountain
Through the years, Space Mountain has seen many changes. This has included technological advances at times. Other times have seen it get overlays, like the Hyperspace Mountain which is currently a permanent overlay at Disneyland Paris and Hong Kong Disneyland. This version of the attraction will be returning to Disneyland Resort for Season of the Force from March 28 through May 11, 2025. Through the years, the Disneyland Version also saw it become Rockin’ Space Mountain for a time and Ghost Galaxy for several Halloween seasons as well.
Building on the Foundation of a Mountain
When Walt Disney Imagineers were working on creating Shanghai Disneyland, they were tasked with the job of creating a resort that was “authentically Disney, distinctly Chinese.” This saw Disney working to create experiences that were optimized for Chinese guests. To do this, they looked for new ideas rather than just recreating something that already existed. Out of this mindset came the idea for a new futuristic-themed attraction that would build on the experiences of Space Mountain from yesterday and take guests into the future. This experience would be set in “The Grid” and take guests to a whole new technologically advanced realm that was beyond Earth and space.
The resulting attraction is TRON Lightcycle Power Run. It blasts guests outside of a themed attraction as they go on the race of a lifetime.
The Continuation of a Concept
65 years ago, Walt Disney came up with the idea for a space mountain. This would be an attraction that took guests on a space-age voyage. TRON Lightcycle Power Run continues on that idea but builds on it and takes it to the next level.
As it builds on the concept of boldly taking guests beyond the world we live in, it also has returned to where it all started. As Space Mountain celebrates its 50th anniversary this week, guests can now experience Space Mountain and TRON Lightcycle / Run at Magic Kingdom. This is right where it started. Space Mountain wasn’t just the start of this specific-themed attraction. It was the start of new technologies and new ideas. It is a physical reminder to dream bigger and continue to innovate. The concept was realized and came to life at Walt Disney World Resort and it continues on 50 years later. Who knows what will come in the next 50 years!
