The lap bar of the wooden mine cart lowers. Snow White’s melodic voice can be heard singing a song as the cart glides around a corner. There she is sitting in front of a wishing well, holding a dove. The courtyard is bright and cheery. But the mine cart takes another turn through the doors of a castle and the scene immediately becomes dark and dreary. A magic mirror with a green, glowing face delivers a disturbing message to the Queen, prompting her to transform into a haggard witch.
The cart weaves through a gloomy, haunted forest as several creepy eyes peer out from within the shadowy depths. The forest thins and a pleasant looking cottage appears. The doors open to a spectacle of tiny, bearded men playing musical instruments, all singing a jolly tune.
Snow White accepts a deceptive gift from the disguised witch. The cart rambles through the Dwarf’s mining cave. The witch appears atop a cliff about to send a huge boulder caving down upon the cart, but her evil plan is foiled. Snow White’s prince arrives just in time, leans over—his kiss of true love bringing her back to consciousness. A joyous reunion takes place in front of a magnificent castle and everyone lives happily ever after.
Snow White’s Adventures, inspired by Walt Disney’s 1937 animated feature “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs," first operated at Walt Disney World on Opening day of the Magic Kingdom, October 1, 1971. Originally, Snow White was not seen in the attraction. The idea was that guests would feel as if they were the central character wandering through the Enchanted Forest, seeing and hearing everything, and encountering the same characters Snow White did. This approach proved confusing. Along with the fact that several dark scenes scared young children, Disney Imagineers went to work redesigning the attraction. In December 1994, the name changed to Snow White’s Scary Adventures. Snow White finally appeared. The scary witch scenes were toned down. The wait and load times were reduced as each ride vehicle expanded its capacity from 4 passengers to 6.
With the new Fantasyland expansion underway at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom, Snow White’s Scary Adventures will soon be extinct. A newly themed Snow White ride called The Seven Dwarf’s Mine Train is set to debut when the expansion is complete. Farewell to a classic Disney dark ride. Snow White’s Scary Adventures is a soon to be extinct attraction worth remembering.
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