Never Built Disney Attractions
Over the years, some of the most popular rides at Disneyland and Walt Disney World have been the roller coasters. But not every roller coaster that Disney has ever designed has made it to the construction stage and actually gotten built in the Disney Parks. Many roller coasters designed by Disney have been left unbuilt, existing only on concept art pages and in the imagination of the designers and hardcore Disney fans.
So today I am going to take you 5 never-built Disney roller coasters that were designed for either Disneyland or Walt Disney World over the years. I'm going to explore both what the coaster would have been like, where it would have been, what the theming of the roller coaster would have been, and finally what caused it to eventually be canceled.
Epcot Matterhorn
Various attempts were developed to bring versions of the iconic Disneyland Matterhorn to Walt Disney World over the years, and one of the ones that ended up getting the closest to getting built was a plan that involved building a version of it into Epcot.
This roller coaster would have been built in an all-new Switzerland-themed pavilion in Epcot's World Showcase. This was part of early expansion plans for Epcot that had replaced the original phase two plans for World Showcase. This pavilion was planned for one of the biggest expansion pads, the relatively empty spot between China and Italy originally planned for an Africa expansion to the World Showcase.
While the land would include a Matterhorn-themed roller coaster, it would not be a clone of the original. Similar to how the Disneyland Space Mountain utilized more modern technology for an upgraded experience compared to the original Magic Kingdom Space Mountain, this would have been a different coaster of a similar theme to the Disneyland attraction of the same name.
The biggest difference beyond using a more modern coaster type would have been that this ride would have been located entirely indoors, which given Florida weather was probably a good idea to ensure it remained open a majority of the day.
This was a part of a larger plan to bring two mountain-themed roller coasters to World Showcase, neither of which were built. The other coaster is later on this list.
Excavator
The Excavator-themed roller coaster was a planned ride for Dinoland USA. This was intended for roughly the location that currently holds Chester and Hester's Dinorama and it would have been the only roller coaster in the park at the time had it been built as it was planned for opening day and seemed to outlast the plans for Beastly Kingdom.
While exact details about the theming of this coaster are hard to come by, it would have featured some kind of dig site theme, with some concept art suggesting a chase element to the ride's storyline.
Significantly, it is believed that this was intended to be the first-ever wooden roller coaster designed by Disney, something that to this day no Disney park in the world features or has ever featured.
As Disney's Animal Kingdom came closer to construction, the park was going well over budget, causing various projects to be scaled back. To ensure Dinoland USA got built at all, this area was cut out of the plans for the park and it was never built.
Mt Fuji
Alongside the Matterhorn, early Epcot expansion plans involved adding a mountain-themed roller coaster to the already existing Japan Pavilion. Themed based on the iconic Mt Fuji, this roller coaster would have allowed a balance in the World Showcase, with one roller coaster on each side of the lagoon.
Beyond this vague theming info not much is known about this ride, but it was expected to be a moderately intense roller coaster.
This would have been located behind the pavilion as it exists today, being located on or near the intended location of a different never built Epcot attraction, the Meet the World stage show which was partially constructed at the park, and its remains still stand to this day.
Fire Mountain
Some of the most iconic Disney roller coasters are in their iconic mountain range, and the mountain range at the Magic Kingdom may be the most iconic. But it almost included a fourth mountain beyond the three mountains that are currently located in the park.
Another ride was planned for the park to add yet another mountain-themed roller coaster. This coaster, called Fire Mountain by Disney fans, was set to be a volcano-themed roller coaster that was planned for a still empty expansion plot in Adventureland on the other side of the railroad, in roughly the spot where you could find Indiana Jones Adventure in Disneyland.
The exact theme of this ride was in a near-constant state of flux as it was designed. At various points the ride's theme was being tied to a Jules Verne or Disney's Atlantis, and the ride itself always involved an exploration inside the volcano regardless of the theme.
But the most interesting part of this roller coaster would have been it's unique and never before or since attempted ride system. It would have featured a roller coaster that transitioned in the ride between a traditional and suspended roller coaster.
Dragon Coaster
One of the most elaborate roller coasters ever designed for Disney was to be the Dragon coaster. This ride, planned for the also never built Beastly Kingdom land in Disney's Animal Kingdom was set to be an elaborately themed indoor roller coaster. The basic story was that you were entering a medieval-style castle that had been taken over by an evil dragon. You would have joined a group of bats to steal treasure from the dragon inside his lair.
What is unknown is the ride system this roller coaster would have utilized. Various concept art for this roller coaster showcases incredibly different types of rides, featuring everything from a traditional roller coaster, to various types of inverted coasters.
This roller coaster may have been one of the most intense coasters at any Disney Park on top of featuring amazing theming, and unfortunately, this scale likely led to it being canceled. Beastly Kingdom would be canceled due to budget issues with Disney's Animal Kingdom, just as the Excavator was.
This roller coaster would have been unlike anything else Disney had done in the past, and it is a real shame it never became a reality.
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