Disneyland was built to be the ideal amusement park as seen by Walt Disney. It was filled with many things Walt loved, Americana, his characters and railroads. Those railroads surrounded the park and served as a raised barrier between Disneyland and the outside world, also known as the berm. This practice would be repeated at every castle style Disney park except Tokyo Disneyland and Shanghai Disneyland.
But as the park expanded over the years this berm became a challenge, not just in the original Disneyland but also in the Magic Kingdom and more recently in Disneyland Paris. The berm provided a barrier, but also cut off the parks from land that could be used for their own expansion, leading to some attractions being built beyond the berm, impacting the design of the rides.
The first of these attractions built partially beyond the berm was technically the Disneyland Monorail, which had track passing over the berm in multiple locations, but this had relatively little effect on the rest of the park.
The first major attraction to be built beyond the berm was Disneyland's It's a Small World. This ride was popular at the 1964 World's Fair so naturally, Walt wanted it moved to his park following the fair's conclusion. The problem was the ride was gigantic and needed a way to fit into the park. The solution was to build it so the berm was a part of the attraction. The Disneyland Railroad to this day passes in front of the Small World facade as boats travel underneath it into the actual ride building which lied beyond the railroad.
The next project that had to deal with the berm at Disneyland was New Orleans Square, and it would cause major impacts on the two classic Disney attractions found in this land, Pirates of the Caribbean and the Haunted Mansion.
For Pirates, the berm caused the necessity for the iconic two drops in the ride so that you could board the ride in the park and then travel underneath the railroad tracks to the larger building where the majority of the ride and its elaborate scenes take place. This is the main reason this version of the ride has two drops when others have only one. This ride needed them for a purpose whereas the other versions mainly just included them for the thrill.
The berm also caused an iconic part of the Haunted Mansion. The entirety of the Haunted Mansion ride takes below the park on the other side of the railroad, so Disneyland needed a way to get guests from the mansion to the actual ride. This led to the creation of the Stretching Room which served as an elevator to bring guests down into the portrait hall where you walk under the railroad and into the ride's show building. Once again, at the Magic Kingdom, this feature was not needed, but included, without the elevator, in their version of the mansion due to its popularity and its role in the ride's storyline.
Disneyland would also have to deal with the berm to fit in its first-ever ride imported from Disney world, the Country Bear Jamboree. This led to walkways being built allowing guests to travel into the new Bear Country as the railroad passed over them.
Now, for the first time, we move to the Magic Kingdom in Disney World. The park was planning for one of its first major expansions, two new rides being added to Tomorrowland. One was the Carousel of Progress, being moved yet again to the new park. The other was a resurrected concept from Walt Disney that he could never make happen due to technological constraints and lack of space in Disneyland's Tomorrowland. That concept was Space Mountain.
The ride originally called for four separate coasters. For Disney World that was cut back to two, but it still wouldn't fit in Tomorrowland. The solution was to build tunnels to transport guests to and from the ride. This led to the long queue of the ride and its post-show. The ride was subsequently scaled down for Disneyland and all other future versions, removing the need for it to be built beyond the berm at any other park.
The ride originally called for four separate coasters. For Disney World that was cut back to two, but it still wouldn't fit in Tomorrowland. The solution was to build tunnels to transport guests to and from the ride. This led to the long queue of the ride and its post-show. The ride was subsequently scaled down for Disneyland and all other future versions, removing the need for it to be built beyond the berm at any other park.
The next ride at both Disneyland and the Magic Kingdom to be built beyond the berm was Splash Mountain, and it led to similar changes at both. At Disneyland, it led to the railroad traveling through it as well as the renaming of Bear Country as Critter Country. At the Magic Kingdom, it led to Frontierland expanding underneath the newly rebuilt Frontierland Station of the Walt Disney World Railroad to the entrance and exit of the new attraction.
Disneyland at this point was completely out of land inside the railroad tracks. This meant, when a new land was designed for the park in the early 1990s it had to be built entirely outside the berm, a first in Disneyland history. Toontown used an already existing tunnel under the railroad in Fantasyland to transport guests into an all-new land based on Who Framed Roger Rabbit and Mickey and friends.
The final ride to be built outside the berm for decades was Indiana Jones Adventure in Disneyland. This ride involved the rerouting of the Jungle Cruise to fit in its massive half a mile queue line. The queue takes you from Adventureland, under the railroad to the ride's show building which used to be part of the park's parking lot.
At Disneyland, the second land entirely outside the berm, Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge was built behind the Rivers of America. This required a massive redesign of the area, significantly changing the berm for the first time since Splash Mountain.
At the Magic Kingdom, the Walt Disney World Railroad is getting a track replacement and the Tomorrowland section of the berm is being altered to allow for a Tron Power Run to be added to Tomorrowland.
In Disneyland Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway is being added to Toontown outside the berm. As this is in a land just outside the berm it is not requiring any changes to the actual berm.
After that who knows? The Magic Kingdom has many places to grow just outside the berm, just waiting for attractions. Disneyland still has some room to grow inside the berm thanks to the closure of the Motor Boat Cruise.
Where do you think they will expand next? Leave your thoughts in the comments!
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