Yesterland

60 Closings in 60 Years

Part 2: 1985 to 2015

In honor of the 60th anniversary of Disneyland, I made a Yesterland list. For each year that Disneyland has been open, I would find something—just one thing—that CLOSED that year.

If you missed it, please start with Part 1 before you read Part 2. There were 30 entries in Part 1. There are 31 entries this time, because the two-part list includes 1955 and 2015.

Once again, thank you to Chris Strodder, author of The Disneyland Book of Lists and The Disneyland Encyclopedia. Both books were valuable reference sources for this article.

Werner Weiss, Curator of Yesterland, August 28, 2015



1985

Disneyland Closures

Photo by Roger J. Runck, 1968, courtesy of Robin Runck

From August 1967 to September 1985, Adventure Thru Inner Space shrunk guests to see the world of atoms. Let’s all sing “Miracles Through Molecules.”


1986

Disneyland Closures

From advertisement in Disneyland Holiday magazine, Summer 1957

With 39,000 performances, the Golden Horseshoe Revue holds the all-time record as the longest-running musical show in the world. It ran from opening day in 1955 to October 1986, when it was replaced by the Golden Horseshoe Jamboree.


1987

Disneyland Closures

Photo by Charles R. Lympany, courtesy of Chris Taylor

Frontier Trading Post was renamed Westward Ho Trading Company in 1987—so technically the Frontier Trading Post closed that year. Not a big year for closings.


1988

Disneyland Closures

Photo by Werner Weiss, 1974

America Sings, the second show in Tomorrowland’s Carousel Theater, ran from June 1974 to April 1988.


1989

Disneyland Closures

Photo by Werner Weiss, 1974

The Sunkist Citrus House served fresh-squeezed orange juice and lemonade on Main Street from July 1960 to January 1989.


1990

Disneyland Closures

Photo by Robert Demoss, 1987

The Tobacco Shop on Main Street, selling “tobacco and smoking accessories from around the world,” operated from July 1955 to June 1990.


1991

Disneyland Closures

Photo by Werner Weiss, 1991

Plane Crazy, not to be confused with the Mickey Mouse cartoon of the same name, was a live show at Disneyland’s Videopolis Stage from March 1991 to October 1991.


1992

Disneyland Closures

Photo by Chris Bales

Mission to Mars operated from March 1975 to November 1992. It was similar to Flight to the Moon, but with a new destination.


1993

Disneyland Closures

Photo by Frank T. Taylor, circa 1959, courtesy of Chris Taylor

The Motor Boat Cruise in Fantasyland lasted from June 1957 to January 1993. In its final years, it was the Motor Boat Cruise to Gummi Glen.


1994

Disneyland Closures

Photo by Werner Weiss, 1974

From June 1956 to November 1994, the Skyway to Tomorrowland and Skyway to Fantasyland connected the modern Tomorrowland station to the Alpine chalet Fantasyland station. When the Matterhorn Bobsleds ride was built in 1959, the Skyway went in one side of the hollow mountain and out the other.


1995

Disneyland Closures

Photo by Werner Weiss, 1974

From July 1967 to August 1995, the PeopleMover offered a preview of Tomorrowland attractions and a great view of the land from above. Inside the Carousel Theater, guests originally had a quick look at Progress City, replaced in 1977 by the Superspeed Tunnel.


1996

Disneyland Closures

Photo by Werner Weiss, 1996

The Main Street Electrical Parade delighted Disneyland Park guests from June 1972 to November 1996 (with a few years off for other parades).


1997

Disneyland Closures

Photo by Werner Weiss, 1996

Replacing the beloved Main Street Electrical Parade at Disneyland, Light Magic premiered May 1997, went into “hiatus” September 1997, and never returned.


1998

Disneyland Closures

Photo by Werner Weiss, 1997

Most of the Disneyland Parking Lot closed January 1998 to become the site of a new theme park, hotel, and shopping district.


1999

Disneyland Closures

Photo by Roger J. Runck, 1964, courtesy of Robin Runck.

The Swiss Family Treehouse opened in Adventureland in November 1962. In early 1999, the Swiss Family was evicted and their jungle home was remodeled for Tarzan.


2000

Disneyland Closures

Photo by Werner Weiss, 2000

Rocket Rods, the thrill ride that used the old PeopleMover track, only operated from May 1998 to September 2000. The unreliable ride was closed much of its first summer. The track is still there—leading guests to yearn for the return of the PeopleMover, not Rocket Rods.


2001

Disneyland Closures

Photo by Allen Huffman, 2001

Country Bear Vacation Hoedown, the final version of the attraction that opened as the Country Bear Jamboree in March 1972, closed September 2001 to make way for The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh.


2002

Disneyland Closures

Photo by Allen Huffman, 2001

Cosmic Waves, part of the 1998 New Tomorrowland, had its fountains disabled in 2002. The stone ball is still there, but it’s surrounded by planters, not in-ground water jets.


2003

Disneyland Closures

Photo by Werner Weiss, 2000

American Space Experience opened in 1998 as part of New Tomorrowland. It closed in 2003 for the construction of Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters.


2004

Disneyland Closures

Photo by Allen Huffman, 2002

Believe… There’s Magic in the Stars, the big fireworks extravaganza for Disney’s 45th anniversary, was Disneyland’s primary fireworks show from February 2000 through October 2004.


2005

Disneyland Closures

Photo by Werner Weiss, 2004

Various versions of Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln came and went over the years. The most unusual was “The Journey to Gettysburg” from July 2001 to February 2005. Guests wore headphones for a “3-D audio” binaural sound experience—including the sensation of getting a haircut.


2006

Disneyland Closures

Photo by Werner Weiss, 2004

Pirates of the Caribbean closed temporarily in March 2006 to add characters from the movie franchise. The addition of three Captain Jack Sparrows changed the ride experience forever.


2007

Disneyland Closures

Photo by Allen Huffman 2005

The Disney Gallery was on the second floor of the Pirates of the Caribbean building at New Orleans Square from July 1987 to August 2007. The space was originally intended to be a new, larger in-park apartment for Walt Disney and his family, but was not completed before Walt’s death. After the Disney Gallery moved out, the space became the Dream Suite for the Year of a Million Dreams.


2008

Disneyland Closures

Photo by Werner Weiss, 2007

Walt Disney’s Parade of Dreams was Disneyland’s primary parade from May 2005 to November 2008.


2009

Disneyland Closures

Photo by Werner Weiss, 2007

Disneyland: The First 50 Magical Years, a 17-minute movie hosted by Steve Martin and Donald Duck, opened May 2005 for the 18-month celebration of Disneyland’s 50th anniversary. But it didn’t leave the main auditorium of the Main Street Opera House until March 2009. The movie continues to play on a small screen in the lobby.


2010

Disneyland Closures

Photo by Werner Weiss, 2006

Tomorrowland guests donned 3-D “safety goggles” from May 1998 to January 2010 for Honey, I Shrunk the Audience, a theme park sequel to the hit 1989 Disney movie Honey, I Shrunk the Kids.


2011

Disneyland Closures

Photo by Allen Huffman, 2007

The final year for Santa’s Reindeer Roundup in Frontierland was 2011.


2012

Disneyland Closures

Photo by Werner Weiss, 1974

Carnation Plaza Gardens lasted from August 1956 to April 2012. In a way it’s still there, only now it’s been annexed to Fantasyland and it’s dressed up as Fantasy Faire.


2013

Disneyland Closures

Photo by Chris Bales, 2013

The Tangled Meet and Greet was a modest Fantasyland attraction from October 2010 to October 2013.


2014

Disneyland Closures

Photo by Werner Weiss, 2006

Billy Hill and the Hillbillies performed at Disneyland from August 1992 to January 2014. The act now performs at Knott’s Berry Farm as Krazy Kirk and the Hillbillies.


2015

Disneyland Closures

Photo by Werner Weiss, 2013

Reusing the former Carousel Theater (with the lower floor slowly rotating in its early years), Innoventions offered product displays and interactive activities from an evolving array of sponsors. It lasted from July 1998 to March 2015.


Two Books by Chris Strodder

Disneyland Encyclopedia by Chris Stodder

Disneyland Book of Lists by Chris Stodder

Do you own these books by Chris Strodder? Click on the two following links to learn more about them:

The Disneyland Encyclopedia—“The Unofficial, Unauthorized, and Unprecedented History of Every Land, Attraction, Restaurant, Shop, and Event in the Original Magic Kingdom,” updated second edition

The Disneyland Book of Lists—“Unofficial, Unauthorized, and Unprecedented”

Both books are available from Amazon (paperback and Kindle), Barnes & Noble (paperback and Nook), and other major outlets. To order from Amazon, please use the links below.

The Disneyland
Book of Lists

Paperback
book

The Disneyland
Book of Lists

Kindle
eBook

The Disneyland
Encyclopedia

Paperback
book

The Disneyland
Encyclopedia

Kindle
eBook

 
Yesterland is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

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Updated October 2, 2015.