Never Built Disney California Adventure
Superstar Limo at Disney California Adventure is considered to be one of the worst Disney Parks rides of all time, but it almost ended up as a very different ride than the one that got built in the park and was universally panned by critics and Disney fans alike.
Disney California Adventure was designed to be a park in tribute to various elements of California history and culture, so it was only natural to have a ride based on its iconic Hollywood. But it wouldn't get something like Great Movie Ride in tribute to the iconic movies, instead, the plan was for a ride based on paparazzi culture.
Reports state this ride was originally supposed to be a higher-speed dark ride with a more intense ride experience. The ride still would have taken you through a cartoonish Hollywood, but with a completely different storyline.
Instead of traveling to a movie premiere, you would be chased through Hollywood by a series of Paparazzi reporters. During the mid to late 1990s, tabloid/ paparazzi culture was at its all-time height, leading to the creation of the ride. This also explains the largely lightly themed design of the ride, as it was originally supposed to be experienced at a higher speed, not the slow-moving speed the final Superstar Limo had.
The ride would have to be changed partially through production though after paparazzi suddenly became significantly less popular.
After Princess Diana died under seemingly mysterious circumstances related to being followed by paparazzi reporters, Disney didn't feel it was appropriate to build a ride based on the practice in their new park. The problem was, much of the ride had already been created, and Imagineers had to find a new storyline that would reutilize most if not all of the existing props and sets.
This led to the new talent agent storyline that required minimal changes to what had already been made, and ended up flopping alongside so much of Disney California Adventure 1.0.
It is difficult to predict if the original version would have been any better, but it probably couldn't have been much worse. Disney doesn't work well in limited timetables for the most part, and this ride was rushed to completion based on a shakey theme because its original version was scrapped in the wake of Princess Diana's death.
Today the ride's failure ended up allowing for the creation of Mike and Sulley To The Rescue which continues to entertain guests at Disney California Adventure to this day.
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