ATTRACTIONS

Castle Maleficent

(E - ticket Suspended Coaster)

Perched atop the mountain peak is Castle Maleficent, the villainous counterpart to Cinderella's Castle.

Queue:

Guests meander up a rocky mountain, passing epic ruins of damaged gothic structures seemingly out of scale with guests. Passing up the mountain path, they arrive at the load station.

The load station has a similar, ruined gothic architecture to the main castle.

Ridethrough:

Guests board a non-suspended coaster car themed to an assortment of random items — barrels, crates, pots. It doesn't look your typical roller coaster. In the next room, the three good fairies meet us. "Oh no, this will not do!" one shouts. "A simple spell to make you fly!" — and the three wave their wands to invert the coaster, transforming it into a suspended coaster.

"Hold on to your belongings!" they cry, referring to the various enchanted crates and pots.

"Fly and distract Maleficent, so the Prince might strike his sword true"

The ride soars upward. The coaster ascends up a steep light hill, seemingly in magic flight, then slowly descends into Maleficent's Castle for a brief dark ride segment. Spinning round the dungeon, we see Maleficent's orcs, who leer and boo at us..

The ride brakes at Maleficent's throne. Green flame erupts as Maleficent appears via a cleverly disguised screen projection. Green flame erupts again — on the left, then right sides of the coaster — shaking the ride system, but we remain undaunted

"So be it. Now shall you deal with ME, O Fools — and all the powers of HELL!"

The coaster brake releases and we descend towards Maleficent, who vanishes in green flame. We descend down a black pit, and the coaster loops about in total darkness.Treading through the destroyed castle, Maleficent's dragon form roars at us, while an animatronic of just her claw breaks through and tries to grab us. Spinning again, Maleficent's tail drops down and snags at us. Just as we feel safe, Maleficent's dragon head roars through a window, and the coaster drops again through a narrow passage

The coaster slows before entering a dramatic finale showbuilding, partly transitioning into a dark ride. The finale showbuilding is staggering in scale, over 30 feet tall, hidden behind the mountain. Above, Prince Phillip is fighting a giant, 20-foot-plus Maleficent dragon animatronic (a scale similar to that of the T-Rex battle in Jurassic Park River Adventure), as the dragon roars green flame

The coaster takes a brief, small launch forward taunting the massive dragon. Maleficent turns her draconian head to us and shoots out gray mist, but the distraction is all we needed. Turning away out of the showroom, we see Prince Phillip's sword hold true against the dragon, as Maleficent roars and explodes into nothingness.

Passing through another narrow passageway, music from Sleeping Beauty's finale fills the room, and through a stained glass window, we see Aurora wake and live happily ever after.

"And just in time too," the good fairies says, as the crates and pots flip back into posture, the spell having worn off.

Uhhh… it's a good thing we defeated Maleficent when we did! That wasn't very insightful planning on the fairies' part! But hey, we made it!

The coaster returns to the load station as cast members clap and congratulate us for our bravery.

The River Styx :

Villainous Voyage

D-Ticket Boat Ride

In the rocky outcrops of the Shadowland mountain range is an abandoned mine with its entrance carved into the stone resembing a skull opening its mouth - at night the sockets emit a lime green glow adding to its eeriness. Etched above the mine's entrance is the attraction's name , entering through the guests encounter a opening propped up by trusts, ripped banners are strewn throughout the cave. Cast members direct guests into the standby and Lighting Lane queue as they go deeper and deeper through an eerie mine, the deeper the guests go the less natural with the wooden trusts becoming bone like until - BAM a reveal of the River Styx as guests exit the mine and find themselves on the bed of the River of Souls. Weeping Willows flank guests in this dark environment, and across the river - just out of reach are the Fates. The Fates are on a pedestal so all guests can see them as they make their way through the queue.

The Fates have various narrative sets that they cycle through so guests passing through always get a different series of conversation while still providing context for the overall ride. Examples include:

The Fates cackle at the misfortune of the guests warning them of lost souls that now are trapped by their own villainous greed with cryptic clues given as to who guests will see on their voyage.
The Fates see a vision of a great evil, owned by Hades that he must obtain from taking a thing held dear from various heinous crooks.
The Fates bemoan the antics of Pain and Panic as they muse over their failed plans to appease their boss.

Guests weave throughout the Grove, with the Fates always in sight and in ear. Exiting the Grove of Fates guests now find themselves at the Docks of Charon where guests will board boats reminiscent to those that ferry Hades.

The boats sail out of the loading dock through a stream of ghostly mist and stalagmites, utilizing projections on the water surface obscured faces of lost souls past by guests flowing the boats path as the water begins to glow green. Dilapidated ruins depicting a Grecian fort surround the boats now as an eerie whistling is heard. The Black Cauldron is seen emanating green mist from its top as The Horned King stares guests down menacingly with his bright red eyes.

"Rise, my messengers of death - show thine power!"

The Cauldron Born turn from around ruined columns and pop up from behind fallen pillars. Pain and Panic can be seen playing tug of war with the skeletal arms of a Cauldron Born as they attempt to fulfill Hades' prophecy. The Horned King's twisted laughter exhoes throughout the river as guest now sail away.

The laughter of the Horned King churns into the cackling of hyenas as powerful geysers blast out yellow steam startling the unassuming guests. The notes of Be Prepared can be heard as the shadows of Hyenas can be seen over rocky cliffs. Turning on the river bank guests are met with a horde of Hyenas led by Scar singing Be Prepared. The Hyenas can be seen playing bone like instruments as scar and his back up singers are on rising stones being lifted and lowered throughout the song recreating the iconic scene from the Lion King. Keen eyed guests will notice a teal and magenta hyrena with yellow eyes - that clearly don't belong making off with elephant tusks.

The boats sail through Hyena Grotto the rocky cliffs see spikes of amethyst and sapphires growing wildly. Guest are now transported to the Gem Mines of Despair as Rourke and his troop are seen excavating these mines, but there's a catch. Taking the jewels of the Underworld comes at a cost guests will see multiple of Rourke's men are well more gem than human now with some having completely fused with their rockworks blinded by their greed. Pain and Panic are seen with a pick taking off the heel of a fully crystalized miner.

The crystal lined caves are soon covered in a thick purple ivy with purple lilies growing along the River Styx. Mother Gothel is surrounded by these flowers singing her version of Healing Incantation causing the whole room to glow , but as a twist when she sings guests will see in real time Mother Gothel getting older and wrinkled similar to the effect of Jack Sparrow's transformation in Shanghai. She stops sining in frustration causing the glow to stop and her youth to return - she's trapped in this cycle in the Underworld. Pain and Panic are seen picking lilies by the bushel immune to the effect the foliage of the Underworld has on those trapped here.

The foliage gets thicker as dense pines and mangroves cover the river banks. Here the final villain is Dr Facilier and his Friends on the Other Doll. Ragdolls and Voodoo masks are singing to the titular song as the doctor is seen summoning shadowy figures to dance all around the Underworld. Pain and Panic are dancing to the rhythm as they sneak away with Facilier's necklace.

The boats sail past this bog into Hades' throne room with five pedestals showing off five elements gathered from the other villains on the River Styx. He boasts about collecting the elements of evil and having all of the power of the Underworld, Pain and Panic bow next to his throne. He shoots up his thumbs up with flames shooting out. Guests turn back into the Docks of Charon and disembark back into the Shadowland.

Frollo's Frenzy

C Ticket Busbar

The attraction is anchored by the intimidating Palais de Justice, a grey stone fortress that looms over the district with its sharp Gothic spires. The building uses "forced perspective" to appear much taller and more imposing than it actually is, making guests feel small as they approach the heavy iron gates.

Flickering amber lights glow behind high arched windows. The surrounding Parisian streets are designed as stylized, creating a theatrical look that makes the entire area feel like a dark, twisted storybook come to life.

Queue

Inside, the atmosphere shifts as guests enter Frollo’s private offices and chambers. The air is thick with the scent of old parchment and woodsmoke, and the hallways are lined with towering bookshelves locked behind iron bars to keep "forbidden" knowledge away from the public.

While waiting, you can hear the eerie sound of distant Gregorian chants. The loading area is themed as the Palais Stables, where black, iron-reinforced carriages wait on an electric busbar track, lit by lanterns that cast long, distorted shadows of gargoyles against the walls.

Scene 1

The ride kicks off as your carriage bursts through the courtroom doors, immediately jerking forward as a cartoonish animatronic of Frollo slams his gavel and sends you flying past a stack of falling law books.

Scene 2

The carriage utilizes a classic "whip" motion, taking sharp, 90-degree turns through the narrow alleys of Paris, which are populated by 2D painted flats of guards and confused peasants.

Scene 3

The energy reaches a breaking point during the Festival of Fools scene, where the carriage spins in a 360-degree circle amidst flashing neon colors and air-puff "confetti" blasts.

Scene 4

The climax charges you head-on toward a massive swinging bell before the room goes black and you are thrust into a "Hellfire" finale filled with glowing red flames and a towering, demonic Frollo.

Scene 5

After diving through a final set of fire doors, they enter the Court of Judgment where the final sentence is had. The carriage rolls into a quiet, grey unloading zone that feels starkly different from the chaotic, glowing underworld you just left.

This area is designed to feel like a return to reality, forcing guests to leave the "madness" behind as they exit their vehicles.

Gift Shop

The path ends in a gift shop that balances the two sides of the ride, selling both serious and somewhat frenetic merchandise from the Hunchback of Notre Dame.

Headless Horseman

(C-Ticket Busbar)

Queue:

A meandering path through a meadow / forest, leading up to a small New England townscape. Guests pass by an overhang where, overhead on screens, three clips from the original Legend of Sleepy Hollow short alternate — the “Ichabod Crane” arrival song, Ichabod and Brom Bones’ rivalry, and snippets of the Van Tassel Halloween Ball (dance only).

Ridethrough

This will be a traditional Fantasyland dark ride, harkening back to the original concept Imagineering dark rides by putting you in the shoes of the character — from the POV of the ride, you are literally Ichabod Crane.

Guests board a carriage which “gallops” (shakes slightly up and down) but is otherwise a traditional dark ride with a horse galloping effect.

Setting off, the ride begins with integrated screens (see: Alice in Wonderland at Disneyland), showing 5-sec sequences from the short set to Bing Crosby's "Ichabod Crane" song. Establishes who Ichabod is.

The ride then passes into a giant book titled "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving". Now, the narrator has left and we become Ichabod.

As we pass, Crosby establishes the Halloween Party Ichabod is invited to. We pass a mirror that shows Ichabod doing his hair, implied to be us —then the carriage turn and we arrive at the outside entrance to the Van Tassel Halloween Party, lit with candlelight and Jack-o-lanterns. We pass around the back, and on the right windows can see the townspeople dancing merrily to the music. On our left the trees of the forest trees ruffle eerily. A gentle, unsettling moan seeps through the fake forest.

The carriage turn inside, where the party is full of life. We briefly pass through a scene of the dance, the dancers twirling in unison, then follow on into the next room of the Halloween Party.

The lights are dimmed. Against an entirely silhouetted, abstract black cut-outs of the townspeople, is one lone animatronic of Brom Bones, backlit, bellowing the song "the Headless Horseman".

Now, gather 'round while I elucidate

On what happens outside when it gets late

There's ghosts with horns and saucer eyes

And some with fangs about this size

And there's some don't even bother to wear their skin

Ghosts are bad, but the one that's cursed

That's the Headless Horseman, he's the worst

'Cause he'll clip your top if it'll fit

He likes 'em little, likes 'em big

Part in the middle, or a Westmore wig

The Headless Horseman needs a head

With a hip-hip and a clippity-clop

He's out lookin' for a top to chop

So don't stop to figure out a plan

You can't reason with a headless man

as he announces "you can't reason with a headless man!"… the doors open, the music stops, and the carriage gallops slowly into the completely dark woods.

Very atmospheric. No noise. We hear galloping in the distance… and stumble upon a gathering of reeds, hitting a log in the wind. Silence again. A howling wind jumpscare with what looks to be a face, but is only a tree. We don’t have much time to calm, though, when suddenly "Ichabod" is heard on repeat in the distance. Stumbling closer, we learn it is a croaking frog.

The tense atmosphere cools — when just as we become comfortable, the Horseman emerges, screaming!

The ride shifts into full chase as the horses gallop away and the Horseman gives pursuit. Wind gusts imply a swinging sword behind us. The Horseman appears a few more times, trying to get us — we stumble around the forest until gathering our bearings and “make for the bridge, beyond the brook!” Crossing the bridge, the horses slow… only to find a burning pumpkin flying at riders! BAM!

We exit the giant book, as Bing Crosby tells us Ichabod was never found… he was spirited away by the Headless Horseman. Queue reprise of "You can't reason with a headless man!" finale from the short as the ride comes to a close.

De Vil's Drift

B-Ticket Flat Ride

Overview

The entrance to the ride looks like 1950s London, but everything has a dark, "villain" twist. This attraction blends seamlessly with the various timepiece European inspired attractions that surround this area of Shadowsland, harkening contrasts to the more charming and quaint areas of Fantasylands around the world.

Queue

Once you walk inside and into Cruella’s private, high-fashion garage, you meander around dimly lit pathways with green and red spotlights, and you can see "snow" through big frosted windows.

The walls are covered in car parts painted in Dalmatian spots and racks of wild, fur-covered outfits that look like they cost a fortune. You can hear a classy but fast-paced jazz version of her theme song playing over the speakers, mixed with the sound of her screaming at Horace and Jasper.

The line winds past a desk with a rotary phone that actually rings, and if you listen closely, you can hear her frantic driving plans for the night.

Ride-Through

The ride itself is a whip style attraction, similar to Mater’s Junkyard Jamboree. Guests hop into a mini version of Cruella’s long-nosed luxury car, and as the music kicks in, the cars start to slide and spin across a icy cobblestone floor.

Since it's indoors, lasers and strobes flash every time your car drifts around a corner, making it feel like you’re in a high-speed chase through a blizzard. The cars are attached to hidden turntables that toss you back and forth, giving you that fun stomach turning feeling without being too scary for younger kids.

The Queen's Royal Labyrinth

A Ticket Walkthrough

Overview

Where the sleek storefronts of Cruella’s London end, the city begins to rot and warp into a labyrinth hedge-maze at the edge of the street.

The transition is jarring...the clean sidewalk cracks into a jagged black-and-white checkerboard, and the "snow" from the London street turns into a heavy, swirling mist.

This attraction will be labeled "Scary" in many Disney guidebooks as it will be a makeshift competition to Universal's Halloween Horror Nights, but featured year-round, offering more young-adult/adult endeavors in Shadowsland.

Walk-Through

The entrance to the maze is a massive, 20-foot-tall hedge shaped like a screaming mouth, constructed from greenery that looks sharp enough to draw blood. To the left of the entrance, a single, flickering Victorian streetlamp has been have thick red vines around them.

As you continue your approach, the line winds through the Queen of Heart's garden, a claustrophobic space where the air is filled with the sound of a frantic, metallic ticking that eventually turns into the sound of blades being sharpened. Plywood "Card Soldiers" stand frozen in the fog, holding spears that point toward the guests, their 2D faces painted with expressions of pure terror.

Once inside, the maze is a sensory nightmare of 10-foot-high walls and "dead ends" that aren't actually empty. You meander around and guests find Card Soldiers 2D faces becoming more frantic. You continue around losing track of your surroundings as the Cheshire Cat smile can be seen off in the distance - you divert into a corridor that leads to a disorienting mirror maze. The final walk-through portion transitions you into a whirlwind of mirrors, with all guests unsure which path to take. The Cheshire Cat smile glows behind one of the mirrors, which then multiplies to be all of the mirrors before the maze spits you back out into the Victorian London street.

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