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Rocket Rods (otherwise known as informally The Rods) was an attraction in Tomorrowland at Disneyland in Anaheim, California. Tomorrowland is one of the many themed lands at the many Magic Kingdom-style parks run by The Walt Disney Company around the world. ...
This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...
Location of Anaheim within Orange County, California Coordinates: Country United States State California County Orange Mayor Curt Pringle Area - City 130. ...
The Ride
Opening on May 22, 1998 as part of the New Tomorrowland, this high-speed attraction ran on the former PeopleMover track. Riders entered the attraction at the former Circle-Vision 360 building at the front of Tomorrowland. In the first room, huge blueprints of old and current Tomorrowland attractions hung on the walls, along with actual former Tomorrowland attraction vehicles, which were repainted blue with an orange grid to make them appear like blueprints. The ride vehicles included were four PeopleMover cars, two Rocket Jets, a Space Mountain rocket, and the front of a Mark III Disneyland Monorail. After viewing the blueprints, guests passed "proposals" for extending the Rocket Rods highway all the way to John Wayne Airport and other nearby destinations. The next room of the queue was the nine-screen CircleVision theater, where guests watched old transportation videos, excerpts from the CircleVision films "America the Beautiful" and "The Timekeeper" put between a Walt Disney narrated video, and a video depicting the evolution of General Motors cars, featuring an electronic version of the Steppenwolf hit Born to Be Wild, composed by former Oingo Boingo member Steve Bartek. Guests then continued down an ex-Cast Member tunnel (that at one point was filled with noxious gas) leading to the elevated Rocket Rods station in the center of Tomorrowland. May 22 is the 142nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (143rd in leap years). ...
1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year of the Ocean [1]. // Coated in ice, power and telephone lines sag and often break, resulting in power outages. ...
Circle-Vision 360° is a film technique used for a few attractions at Disney theme parks, such as Epcots O Canada! and Disneylands defunct America the Beautiful ( 1967 version), Wonders of China, and American Journeys, which were housed in the Circle-Vision theater in Tomorrowland. ...
The PeopleMover (July 2, 1967–August 21, 1995)(officially the PeopleMover Thru the World of Tron, from 1982-1995) was an attraction in Tomorrowland at Disneyland in Anaheim, California, and remains open at the Magic Kingdom in Lake Buena Vista, Florida as Tomorrowland Transit Authority. ...
Space Mountain is the name given to a popular series of enclosed roller coaster rides at five Disney theme parks around the world. ...
The Disneyland Monorail System is an attraction and transportation system at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California. ...
FAA diagram of John Wayne Airport (SNA) John Wayne Airport (IATA: SNA, ICAO: KSNA, FAA LID: SNA) is located in Orange County, California, between the cities of Santa Ana, Newport Beach, Costa Mesa, and Irvine. ...
The Timekeeper (also known as From Time to Time and De Temps en Temps) was a 1992 Circle-Vision 360° film that was performed at three Disney parks around the world. ...
General Motors Corporation (NYSE: GM), also known as GM, is an American automobile maker with worldwide operations and brands including Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, Holden, Hummer, Opel, Pontiac, Saturn, Saab and Vauxhall. ...
It has been suggested that The Sparrows be merged into this article or section. ...
Born to Be Wild is a song by the band Steppenwolf, initially released in 1968, but subsequently released on many different collections, the first one being the film Easy Rider. ...
Oingo Boingo was a critically acclaimed American New Wave rock band better known for their influence, soundtrack contributions, and high energy Halloween concerts rather than their chart successes. ...
Guests then boarded an unusual 5-seat Rocket Rod before moving forward to a staging area similar to one used for drag racing. Anticipation was built by the lights changing from red, to yellow, to green, and then having the vehicle zoom down a straightaway toward the entrance of Tomorrowland while performing a small wheelie (which was removed during the course of its life). The Rocket Rod took riders through the Star Tours building, and then into a tunnel where riders experienced the effect of nearly colliding with an oncoming Rocket Rod (in reality, this was only the vehicle's reflection in a mirror). Afterwards, the Rocket Rod took guests through Space Mountain, offering a very brief to no glimpse of that attraction. The vehicle then took riders back outside again before entering the Carousel Theater, home of the Innoventions attraction. This was one of the spots the Rocket Rods could maintain their speed. After going through a semicircular trip through Innoventions, the Rocket Rod took riders through a series of turns and dips above Autopia and the former Submarine Voyage lagoon. Finally, the Rod passed next to the Disneyland Monorail station before entering the Rocket Rods queue building, where the riders would be hit with flashing lights and an blast of air. The vehicle then traveled back up the straightaway to the station. This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...
Star Tours is a simulator ride located in many of the Disney theme parks, including Disneyland in California, Disney-MGM Studios in Florida, Disneyland Park in Paris, and Tokyo Disneyland in Japan. ...
Space Mountain is the name given to a popular series of enclosed roller coaster rides at five Disney theme parks around the world. ...
Tom Morrow, Mayor of Tomorrowland and host at Disneylands Innoventions Innoventions is a pavilion in Future World at Epcot in Walt Disney World, Florida that opened in 1994. ...
Autopia is an attraction at Disneyland in Anaheim, California, Disneyland Paris in Marne-la-Vallée, France, and at Hong Kong Disneyland on Lantau Island, Hong Kong. ...
Submarine Voyage, 1995 The Submarine Voyage was an attraction at Disneyland in Anaheim, California. ...
Rocket Rods were the first attraction to house a Single Rider lane due to its long lines and limited capacity.
Music The attraction featured its own theme song, "Magic Highways," composed by the Sherman Brothers, which played in the attraction's queue and exit area. Another song from the attraction is an instrumental version of Steppenwolf's Born To Be Wild, arranged by Oingo Boingo's Steve Bartek. Robert B. Sherman & Richard M. Sherman at the London Palladium in 2002 during the premiere of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang: The Stage Musical. ...
It has been suggested that The Sparrows be merged into this article or section. ...
Born to Be Wild is a song by the band Steppenwolf, initially released in 1968, but subsequently released on many different collections, the first one being the film Easy Rider. ...
Demise of the Rocket Rods
Rocket Rods leaving the loading platform. Cars paused before being flung down this track at high velocity and then slowing down to make the sharp corner toward the end. The Rocket Rods closed in September 2000 for a refurbishment that was to last until Spring 2001, but no work was ever seen on the attraction. In April 2001, the Los Angeles Times and The Orange County Register reported that Rocket Rods would never reopen.[citation needed] Rocket Rods leaving the launch platform, Disneyland, 2000. ...
Rocket Rods leaving the launch platform, Disneyland, 2000. ...
2000 (MM) was a leap year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
2001 (MMI) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
2001 (MMI) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
The Los Angeles Times (also known as the LA Times) is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California and distributed throughout the Western United States. ...
The Orange County Register is a daily newspaper published in Santa Ana, California. ...
There are a number of reasons that the Rocket Rods closed. The Rocket Rods completed the course of the 16-minute PeopleMover in only about 3 minutes. Because the Rocket Rods project was not given a large enough budget to bank the track's curves, the Rocket Rods had to slow down substantially to maneuver most of the turns. The support structure and track originally built for the PeopleMover was not meant to be used for a high speed attraction and began to weaken. Tires were also a problem for Rocket Rods. Disney had a contract with Goodyear Tires, who sponsored the PeopleMover during its entire 28-year run. Disney would advertise for Goodyear in exchange for tires for the attraction. The deal only lasted three weeks. The reason is that due to high speeds and turning the tires wore quickly and had to be replaced within 4-7 days. The constant changes in speed caused the vehicles' onboard computer systems to fail, shutting down the entire attraction. The attraction broke down at least once a day, causing queues of up to three hours. It was not uncommon for guests to receive rain check passes to ride on another day.[citation needed] Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company was founded in 1898 by Frank Seiberling. ...
Most of the Rocket Rods vehicles were scrapped after the closure, but at least two survived. One was placed in front of the Hollywood & Dine restaurant at Disney's California Adventure, where it remained for only a few months. It was gone by 2002. Another Rocket Rod is in the hands of a collector. The track is moderately rusted and very overgrown with foliage after almost 6 years of sitting unused. However, Disney did repaint it at one point, suggesting they are still maintaining that structure. Disneys California Adventure Park is a Disney theme park in Anaheim, California, adjacent to Disneyland Park and part of the larger Disneyland Resort. ...
For album titles with the same name, see 2002 (album). ...
After the closure of Rocket Rods, hopes arose that the PeopleMover would be reinstalled. Rumors still circulate today, usually stating that the PeopleMover will return, possibly as a copy of the still-running Magic Kingdom version: Tomorrowland Transit Authority.[citation needed] The equipment used for the PeopleMover only still exists on the Rocket Rods track in some places, which would require much of the equipment to be reinstalled again. The Magic Kingdom is a theme park within the Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, near Orlando. ...
TTA logo The Tomorrowland Transit Authority (also called the Blue Line) is a people mover system in Tomorrowland, in the Magic Kingdom in the Walt Disney World Resort near Orlando, Florida. ...
Rocket Rods' queue area, which was formerly Circle-Vision 360, is now Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters, which opened in March 2005. Many Disney theme park attractions pay homage to the attractions that preceded them[citation needed], but there is no indication of any tribute to the Rocket Rods in the new attraction. A space cruiser vehicle at Disneyland Buzz Lightyears Astro Blasters is a popular attraction featuring characters from the Disney/Pixar film Toy Story at the Disneyland and Hong Kong Disneyland theme parks. ...
2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
Trivia
"Proposed system expansion" In the queue area, near the stairway to the boarding area was a fictional map reading titled Rocket Rods Proposed System Expansion, showing guests where Rocket Rods was to expand to in the future. The map was just for fun, but had real life locations on it (as well as ambiguous ones), including Tomorrowland attractions already bypassed by the Rocket Rods' route, such as: Star Tours is a simulator ride located in many of the Disney theme parks, including Disneyland in California, Disney-MGM Studios in Florida, Disneyland Park in Paris, and Tokyo Disneyland in Japan. ...
Space Mountain is the name given to a popular series of enclosed roller coaster rides at five Disney theme parks around the world. ...
Tom Morrow, Mayor of Tomorrowland and host at Disneylands Innoventions Innoventions is a pavilion in Future World at Epcot in Walt Disney World, Florida that opened in 1994. ...
This article does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...
This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...
Angel Stadium of Anaheim (originally Anaheim Stadium and later Edison International Field of Anaheim) is a baseball stadium located in Anaheim, California, and home to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim of the American League. ...
Honda Center, previously known as the Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim, is an indoor arena in Anaheim, California. ...
The Walt Disney Studios refers to several different entities and locations associated with The Walt Disney Company: The Walt Disney Studios is one of the media empires four main operating units. ...
This does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...
References - Simulated dragster ride - Patent #6,227,120. US Patent & Trademark Office. Retrieved on November 16, 2005. - Patent for the 'wheelie' effect. Includes a breakaway view of the Rocket Rod vehicle
Trivia: November 16 is the 320th day of the year (321st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 45 days remaining. ...
2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
Pre-show music for the attraction included the song "Detroit" by Robert and Richard Sherman from the 1967 Disney film "The Happiest Millionaire." The composer for the attraction, Steve Bartek, created a new arrangement as part of the waiting area entertainment.
See also Disneyland is a theme park in Anaheim, California conceived by Walt Disney. ...
External links - Ride-Through on YouTube[1]
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