This week’s big release is Tomorrowland, a movie inspired by the futuristic section of Disneyland. It’s the latest step in the ongoing symbiotic relationship between cinema and theme parks. Disney has rides based on movies (Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage, Pinocchio’s Daring Journey) and they make movies based on rides (The Haunted Mansion, The Country Bears) and then the movies they make based on rides influence new versions of those rides (Johnny Depp’s Captain Jack Sparrow was invented for the screen, but now he’s featured as an audio-animatronic performer in the Pirates of the Caribbean attractions). It’s the snake that eats its own tail, and then puts that tail up for sale in the gift shop.

Even if you’ve never been to Disneyland, odds are you’ve heard of Tomorrowland, and you probably know that Disney’s also made rides based on Star Wars, Dumbo, and other famous films. But there’s a whole world of movie-based attractions that aren’t so famous, either because they’re located in far-flung corners of the globe, or they closed years ago, or they’re based on less popular properties. As we gear up for the release of Tomorrowland on Friday, we highlight 25 of these more obscure rides and amusements. Each one features a video so you can experience the fun for yourself without traveling to Australia or Germany (or back in time). You’ll thank us after you watch the one for Italy’s Rambo Stunt Show. (Seriously. It’s insane.)

1. Gremlins Invasion
Warner Bros. Movie World

The animatronic hellraisers of the Gremlins franchise would seem to make ideal subjects for a Disney-style dark ride — and they did, at two different movie-themed parks through the 1990s. The Gremlins Invasion (also known as the Great Gremlins Adventure) was a ride disguised as a riff on the classic Universal Studios tour. In this version, guests are invited onto the “Warner Bros. lot” (aka the ride building) and ushered into a private theater for a screening of some rare Warner Bros. outtakes. Then the Gremlins seize control of the screening (shades of Gremlins 2: The New Batch), and guests must escape through the studio’s film archive with the help of ALF.

Wait, what?

Yes, the Gremlins ride was also inexplicably an ALF ride. Sadly this bizarre team-up was torn down in the 2000s and no longer exists, but you can watch the ride in full (and in German) below.


2. Scooby-Doo Spooky Coaster
Warner Bros. Movie World

When Australia’s Movie World park closed the Gremlins Invasion in 2001, they replaced it with this wild-mouse coaster based on the live-action Scooby-Doo movie that was shot at the nearby Village Roadshow Studios. The ride building’s design (and the animatronic Scoobys) are based on sets and characters from the film. Sadly, it does not contain an animatronic Freddie Prinze Jr.


3. Police Academy Stunt Show
Warner Bros. Movie World

While the Police Academy series was still a thriving franchise for Warner Bros., they added a stunt show based on the films to three different Movie World parks around the globe, in Australia, Spain, and Germany. The plot involved a new bunch of academy recruits (including some from the audience) facing off with a gang of criminals. You can see some of the highlights, including a couple car chases, an exploding van, a golf cart doing a wheelie, and at least one woman falling crotch-first onto a guy, in the video below. With the franchise in decline, the stunt show was phased out of all three Movie Worlds by 2008.


4. U-571 Submarine Simulator
Movieland Park

Who knew this 2000 war film about a bunch of American soldiers who board a German U-boat in an attempt to steal its Enigma device was famous enough to merit its own theme park ride? Apparently it was, as it was built at Italy’s Movieland park, where it still operates to this day. In this “battle under the ocean” guests board a recreation of a U-boat, and experience the brutal, debilitating life of a German World War II sailor. Sounds like a rollicking good time!


5. John Rambo Stunt Show
Movieland Park

That’s no typo in the YouTube video; this thing is 35 freaking minutes long, and stars John Rambo (or John Rambo’s Italian theme park equivalent) as he dispatches an amphitheater full of masked terrorists and rescues a bunch of hostages (aka tourists, who look like they really enjoy being held at gunpoint). There are ziplines and bike jumps and boat chases and full-body burns, and during the cast bows they play “Hearts on Fire” from Rocky IV (which is not a Rambo movie, but whatever). This thing is so elaborate and intricate it really deserves its own post, and possibly an Academy Award. It’s way better than the last Rambo movie. In fact, it’s way better than pretty much every movie ever made.


6. Flashdance
Movieland Park

Movieland Park also features a show inspired by the 1983 movie about a steel worker who dreams of becoming a world-famous dancer. Call me crazy, but I have a feeling you wouldn’t see a show about a woman pole dancing, stripping, and drenching herself in water at an American amusement park. Bonus points to Movieland for going with the correct song, “He’s a Dream,” and then segueing into the more famous “Flashdance ... What a Feeling” just for the hell of it. Oh, what a feeling, indeed.


7. Saw - The Ride
Thorpe Park

In similar there’s-no-way-in-hell-an-American-park-would-do-this fashion, England’s Thorpe Park is home to Saw - The Ride, based on the infamous horror franchise. Yes, it’s a ride inspired by a gruesome, bloody slasher flick, and a fairly faithful one at that (minus the blood). The train of the roller coaster dips and dives through an assortment of “traps” like an impossibly steep drop and rotating razor blades, and the Jigsaw puppet from the movies also makes an appearance to taunt guests. Torture Porn: The Ride! Somehow, this is real.


8. Hurler
Kings Dominion

When this wooden roller coaster opened in 1994, Kings Dominion was owned by Paramount Pictures, who named it the Hurler after the Wayne’s World series (the heroes liked to make jokes about wanting to “hurl” when they encountered beautiful women). Paramount’s long gone from the theme park business, and so are all the Wayne’s World references, but the Hurler ride itself still remains. A Baltimore Sun article from the ride’s opening describes a pretty incredible scene around the coaster, including a recreation of Wayne’s basement studio, the Rock Shop where Garth shows off his incredible drumming skills, and, holy freaking crap, Stan Mikita’s Donuts. Someone invent a time machine, I need to go here.


9. Tomb Raider: The Ride
Kings Island

There were only two Angelina Jolie Tomb Raider movies, but Paramount managed to squeeze at least three different rides out of the property. At Canada’s Wonderland, there was a Tomb Raider flying rollercoaster, and at Kings Island and Kings Dominion there were two variations on the same spinning ride where guests exploring an ancient ruin wind up strapped into a vehicle that twirls them around and around. With each spin they come face to face with an assortment of fire and water effects, and the merciless forces of gravity and Angelina Jolie’s British accent.


10. Italian Job: Stunt Track
Kings Dominion

Before Paramount relinquished their theme park holdings, they also made this very clever roller coaster inspired by the final chase in The Italian Job. The trains were designed to look like a trio of Mini Coopers, and the track wound its way through a “backlot” full of obstacles and special effects (at one point, a helicopter appears and opens fire as squibs fly). You can still ride this thing at Kings Dominion, Kings Island, and Canada’s Wonderland as the now generically-named Backlot Stunt Coaster, but it’s too bad Paramount got out of the theme-park business; they had some awesome ideas.


11. Lethal Weapon - The Ride
Warner Bros. Movie World

According to Wikipedia, Australia’s Lethal Weapon - The Ride was “the first Suspended Looping Coaster to feature an extended layout with a helix before the brake run.” What that has to do with a sarcastic buddy cop action movie, I have no idea. (Mel Gibson is Australian? The ride was located in Australia? Eh, I got nothing.) The queue was dressed to look like L.A.’s Chinatown, and after snaking around outside for a while, guests eventually made their way into an auditorium where they watched scenes from Lethal Weapon while they waited. In 2012, the ride was renamed Arkham Asylum - Shock Therapy, and rethemed around Batman and his affiliated characters.


12. Lethal Weapon Pursuit
Movie Park Germany

Not to be outdone by the Aussies, the Germans had their own Lethal Weapon ride from 1996 to 2004. Called Lethal Weapon Pursuit, it actually featured two separate dueling coasters that raced side by side, a la a frenetic car chase. See, now that makes sense as a Lethal Weapon ride. Kudos to you, Germany. When Warner Bros. sold the Movie Park in 2004, the buyers lost the Lethal Weapon license, and renamed the ride simply Cop Car Chase. It closed in 2006, reportedly because the cars were getting too old for this s---.


13. Maverick Grand Illusion Show
Warner Bros. Movie World

More Mel Gibson-based attractions! I wonder why they suddenly all closed? Oh right. Before this one did, this indoor show featured an assortment of movie-style special effects, shootouts, and stunts based on the 1994 Richard Donner movie (which was itself based on the ’50s TV series of the same name). If the video below’s accurate, it’s not particularly faithful to the Maverick movie, but it does feature the con woman character Annabelle, played in the film by Jodie Foster.


14. Lights! Camera! Action! Hosted by Steven Spielberg
Universal Studios Singapore

To be clear, Steven Spielberg doesn’t really “host” this ride. (To my knowledge, Mr. Spielberg doesn’t spend a ton of time in Singapore.) But he does appear in a video introducing a simulation of motion picture special effects in which guests ride out a massive hurricane inside an old New York City boathouse. It’s essentially a modern version of the Twister ride at Universal Studios in Orlando, if modern movies still used practical effects, which they don’t. You lied to us Steven Spielberg. You lied.


15. Escape From Madagascar
Dreamworld

As the name suggests, this children’s roller coaster is themed to DreamWorks’ animated Madagascar series. In fact, Australia’s Dreamworld park has a whole land based on DreamWorks movies, including a Kung Fu Panda ride, a Puss in Boots swing, a Shrek carousel, and a Donkey version of Dumbo. None of these are to be confused with similarly themed but totally different DreamWorks rides located at Universal Studios Singapore. (I’ll get to those next.)


16. Madagascar: A Crate Adventure
Universal Studios Singapore

Singapore’s Madagascar ride isn’t a rollercoaster; it’s a dark water ride with animatronics (plus a dash of CGI lemurs) based on the story of the first movie. The only Madagascar I saw was the third one, so I can’t verify the ride’s authenticity. The Madagascar area of Universal Singapore also includes a carousel themed around the film, with all the various animals from the movie replacing the traditional horses.


17. Puss In Boots’ Giant Journey
Universal Studios Singapore

The newest movie-based theme park attraction opened just last month in Singapore; it’s a roller coaster/dark ride hybrid based on the Puss In Boots movie starring the voice of Antonio Banderas. The premise (explained during the queue) involves Puss trying to raise money for a failing orphanage by climbing a magic beanstalk (which looks an awful lot like the ride’s winding green track) to steal some golden eggs. So let that be a lesson to you children: When in need, steal from giant geese.


18. Monsters Inc. Ride & Go Seek
Tokyo Disneyland

Monsters Inc.-based attractions can be found at almost every Disney park around the globe; the Magic Kingdom in Orlando even has a Monsters Inc. comedy club. But the only place to “Ride & Go Seek” with Mike Wazowski and Sulley is at Tokyo Disneyland, on a unique dark ride twist on the traditional shooting gallery concept. It lets riders utilize flashlights to highlight special targets, which activate animatronic characters and other surprises. This looks like a lot of fun.


19. Rio Bravo
Parque Warner Madrid

To the best of my knowledge, this is the only ride in the world based on a 65-year old Western starring John Wayne and Ricky Nelson. This log flume ushers riders through an old Western mine, treacherous mountains, a deserted ghost town, raging rapids, and terrifying drops. The ride doesn’t have much to do with the plot of the film, but based on the video below, it does seem like a pretty wild river, so we’ll cut it some slack. Sadly, it doesn’t sound like “My Rifle, My Pony, and Me” makes an appearance.


20. Indiana Jones et le Temple du Péril
Disneyland Paris

The Indiana Jones Adventure has been delighting Disneyland visitors for decades. Its roller coaster cousin at Disneyland Paris is a bit more obscure. It sort of resembles the famous mine-car chase from Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom right down to its name (the temple of “peril,” probably changed because no one wants to ride something that’s “doomed”). As Disney attractions go, it’s pretty spare, with little effort made to disguise its roller coaster-ness. Still, the Temple du Péril was the first looping coaster at any Disney theme park, so that counts for something.


21. Armageddon: Les Effets Speciaux
Walt Disney Studios Park

Not far from the Temple of Peril in nearby Walt Disney Studios Park sits this special effects demonstration based on the Michael Bay movie Armageddon. After a video on the history of VFX, guests enter a mock-up of the Mir space station as it enters a potentially deadly meteorite storm. It might be time for an update, though; the pre-show features a welcome message from Michael Clarke Duncan, who’s been dead for almost three years. 


22. Ratatouille: L’Aventure Totalement Toquée de Rémy
Walt Disney Studios Park

The second park at Disney’s European resort features a host of rides that aren’t replicated anywhere in the United States. There’s a spinning coaster based on the surfing turtles in Finding Nemo, a Toy Soldiers Parachute Drop featuring characters from Toy Story, and an elaborate dark ride inspired by Pixar’s Ratatouille. Riders board “ratmobiles” and get to experience life from the perspective of a rodent. L’Aventure Totalement Toquée de Rémy’s high-tech advancements include 3D and a trackless experience (computerized sensors control the cars’ movements).


23. Journey to the Center of the Earth 4D
Dollywood

Yes, even Brendan Fraser made the transition from film to theme park. This “4D” version (basically 3D, plus special effects and moving seats) of the 2008 movie starring Fraser and Josh Hutcherson has entertained tourists all over the world, from Australia to the Philippines to New Zealand to Pigeon Forge, Tennessee’s own Dollywood. It boils the original film down to 15 minutes of action and Brendan Fraser screaming. Sadly, there’s no Journey 2: The Mysterious Island ride starring The Rock. (Yet.)


24. Terminator X: A Laser Battle For Salvation
Six Flags Mexico

Short version: It’s laser tag plus Terminator stuff. Long version: Actually, no, that’s the long version too; this is a Terminator-themed laser tag. The same company behind this attraction, which has popped up in amusement parks from Canada to Mexico, has also done an Alien Vs. Predator laser tag, along with a variety of shows and Halloween mazes inspired by horror films like Scream and A Nightmare on Elm Street.


25. Batman Adventure: The Ride
Parque Warner Madrid

There are a million different Batman-themed roller coasters at Six Flags parks all over the country, but domestic theme-park-goers never got to experience this Batman simulator ride heavily inspired by the design and characters from the Tim Burton Batman films (and particularly Batman Returns). Riders entered through Wayne Manor, followed a secret passage in the library into the Batcave (what a terrible breach of security on Batman’s part), and then traveled through the streets, skies, and sewers of Gotham encountering Catwoman, the Penguin’s Red Triangle Gang, and Batman himself in the midst of a high-speed pursuit. This ride’s still open in Spain; in Australia, it’s since been replaced by a 3D Justice League attraction. That one doesn’t count as a theme park ride based on a movie — at least not yet.

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