Forget Alien Encounter, the Cinderella Castle Mystery Tour Was the Creepiest Disney Ride Ever

While you can still get many spooky chills and thrills today at the Disney Parks on attractions like the Haunted Mansion, there are other, even more frightening attractions that didn’t stand the test of time. They live on in the memories and tales of those who experienced the terrors firsthand, like ghost stories to tell in the dark of the night (but make them Disney).

And there is one lost attraction that stands out as the creepiest one of all, scarier than even the infamous Alien Encounter experience. The creepiest Disney Parks ride ever has got to be Tokyo Disneyland’s Cinderella Castle Mystery Tour.

Tokyo Disneyland’s Castle

When it opened in 1983, Tokyo Disneyland in many ways mirrored – and still does – the set-up of the original Disneyland in Anaheim, California. Many of the same themed lands, attractions, and other trappings are shared between the two parks. It also borrowed from Disney World’s Magic Kingdom, most obviously with a smaller version of Cinderella Castle.

But this was also a chance to improve elements of the park and sometimes add in new things entirely. And one major change was made to Cinderella Castle; it featured its own major attraction.

Both the original Cinderella Castle and the Sleeping Beauty Castle in Disneyland Anaheim were intended to be decorative monuments rather than actual sites for attractions. There was little room for rides or other attractions within the actual castles, though they still made for excellent backdrops. Eventually, Disney started to add extra features inside the castles. For instance, in 1957, Sleeping Beauty Castle started offering a walk-through diorama of Sleeping Beauty. However, there was little room for a large-scale attraction in a castle. But what about below it?

Disney’s Darkest Movie

Around the same time that Tokyo Disneyland was opening, Disney was preparing to release its latest and most ambitious animated film since the death of Walt Disney: The Black Cauldron. The movie has long been remembered as one of Disney’s darkest hours, both in its tone and its abysmal popularity. Disney had taken over a decade to complete the movie, and it was the most expensive animated feature of its time. Yet when it opened in theaters in 1985, the film was a box office failure. The failure served as a wake-up call for Disney to significantly improve their animated productions in the future.

One key element of the movie, one that perhaps pushed some audiences away, was its especially dark and frightening tone. This was the first Disney animated film to get a PG rating, and the chief villain, the Horned King, was terrifying. A grim, menacing, skeletal being with glowing red eyes and a rasping voice, he would have frightened past villains with his evil. His lair was littered with centuries’ worth of skeletons, coming to life with the power of the Black Cauldron. Even his death in the movie is horrific, as his flesh and bones shrivel into the cauldron. The haunting tone of The Black Cauldron made it ideal for the upcoming attraction at Tokyo Disneyland: a tour of haunted dungeons beneath the castle.

Combining Japanese and Western Horror Styles

Cinderella Castle Mystery Tour, which opened in 1986 used an interesting and unique fusion of Western and Japanese approaches to horror. The set-up for the walking tour took inspiration from haunted house and “test of courage” challenges, a common practice throughout Japan. Called kimodameshi, these trials of guts have participants enter some sort of spooky place like a haunted building, a dark forest, or a cemetery to face your fears and prove your bravery. Yet the setting was in a Disney castle with Disney-themed villains, leading to an unusual blend of Western and Eastern haunted houses.

While Cinderella Castle Mystery Tour did lean heavily toward the Western concept of a battle between good and evil, with good ultimately triumphing in the end, the mystery tour also drew on Japanese elements of horror, particularly in subtly building tension. Western horror tends to be more blunt with scares, with direct, visceral scares thrust right at you. A good example of this would be Alien Encounter, where you were exposed to the predatory alien from the very start. Japanese horror, in contrast, is more subtle, creating a tense atmosphere where you worry about what may be lurking beyond your vision. These different styles of horror converged for an unforgettable experience like nothing else Disney has done before or since.

The Tour

Unlike other horror-themed rides at the Disney Parks Cinderella Castle Mystery Tour did not warn you about the upcoming terrors ahead of time. Instead, at first it seemed like you were just taking a normal, safe, walk-through tour of the castle. However, things took a turn for the dark when your tour guide showed you the portraits of some famous Disney princesses and heroes. As the portraits morphed to those of Disney villains, the Magic Mirror appeared and challenged guests to face evils. Thus began your journey alongside the bewildered tour guide into the dark underside of the castle.

The first stage of the dungeon took you into the sinister laboratory of the Evil Queen/Wicked Witch from Snow White. Her glowing, bubbling potions were on display, as well as a book opened up to a recipe for poisoned apples. The Witch was nowhere to be seen, but the cawing and cackles around guests suggested she might return at any moment. And sure enough, you even saw her shadow appear on the wall, leading the guide to urge everyone to flee before it was too late.

Next, the guests encountered swinging axes and medieval suits of armor coming to life, but that was just the start of the terrors. Skeletons would burst out of a chest, and then you would see a projected clip from Fantasia’s Night on Bald Mountain segment. In the scene, the mighty demon Chernabog would summon an army of ghosts, skeletons, and other wicked spirits. And while in that movie, he was ultimately defeated by the dawn, here guests had no choice but to flee once more.

The tour had a brief respite by a small pool of water filled by a gargoyle-headed fountain, but this was just a trick to let your guard down. A closer look into the water revealed monstrous heads gazing up at you. This part of the dungeon contained the goblin-like minions of Maleficent (from Sleeping Beauty). You would see the loathsome cronies peeking and growling through narrow windows during your escape. Not only that, but got a glimpse “outside”, seeing a terrible, dark storm enveloping the castle.

After getting away from the goblins, a giant skull would warn everyone to turn back, but the tour continued nonetheless. And for a moment, it seemed like things were actually nice for once, as visitors entered a cave filled with glittering gems. But more thunder and lightning from the storm outside then illuminated a massive dragon residing in the lair!. Even after reaching a seemingly safe elevator, the Magic Mirror explained that he was in control of the elevator. At least there were no sudden drops like at the Tower of Terror.

Finally, the Black Cauldron’s tale took the spotlight for the epic finale, as guests at last confronted and overcame the powers of darkness. Briefly escaping the various terrors for an actual respite this time, the tour group stopped in front of a majestic tapestry depicting the movie’s central legend. The guide explained how the Horned King controlled the dead through the Black Cauldron, until the hero Tarin used his sword to destroy the cauldron and save the world. Midway through the story, the Magic Mirror warned that they were about to face the final test of good versus evil.

After a chosen hero in the audience was given the mystical sword, the group headed into the final chamber, filled with skeletons and a large vat. In Japanese (as with the rest of the tour), the Horned King addressed everyone, “reassuring” them that their end was near, and that nobody could escape. He ordered his undead soldiers to capture everyone and sacrifice them to the Black Cauldron. But then, the hero’s sword would light up with magic, and the hero and the guide would point the sword at the Horned King, destroying him (though less horrifically than in the film).

With evil defeated at last, the atmosphere took on a happier tone. Triumphal music played, and the guide escorted guests back into the safe part of the castle. The hero of the hour got cheered on by the guide and received a special medal to commemorate their victory. After that, you exited the castle, and you could go on with the rest of your adventures at Tokyo Disneyland.

The Final Level of a Video Game

Over the years, Disney produced numerous platformer video games starring Mickey Mouse, especially during the 1990s. But one of these games was never distributed outside Japan: the 1994 Super Famicom game Mickey no Tokyo Disneyland Daibōken (“Mickey’s Great Adventure in Tokyo Disneyland”). This fun game had Mickey save Tokyo Disneyland and his friends from his longtime enemy Black Pete. Mickey actually ventured through key attractions at the park in the different levels, from Splash Mountain to the Haunted Mansion to Space Mountain.

The final level naturally took place at the heart of the park with Cinderella Castle – in the very dungeons explored in the Mystery Tour. Players sequentially passed through many of the same features and dangers encountered in the tour. For instance, the first area included the Witch’s laboratory. In an underwater section, gargoyle fountains appeared in the scenery, and you fought more of Maleficent’s goons. Mickey even got to fight the fearsome dragon in the treasure room. As with the other bosses in the game, things ended with a showdown against Pete. However, he dressed up as the Horned King, sending skeleton to fight you while he stirred the Black Cauldron. The attraction’s star role in the game demonstrated its importance at the park.

Inspiring a Dungeon in Paris

The popularity of the Cinderella Castle Mystery Tour in Japan encouraged Imagineers to try something similar when making a new park in France. Disneyland Paris, first opening in 1992, features Sleeping Beauty Castle, a magnificent castle with its own fun attractions. In addition to a gallery of stained-glass art highlighting the tale of Sleeping Beauty, as well as a couple of shops, the castle hosts its own dungeon – and monster – that takes inspiration from the Mystery Tour.

Compared to the Tokyo Disneyland castle, Disneyland Paris has a much smaller dungeon. It is more of a cave grotto than an actual dungeon built into the castle. But the theming of the dungeon has strong parallels to a particular section of the mystery tour: the encounter with the dragon. This time, the lighting offers better visibility, and you can clearly see the mighty dragon resting by the pool, green fumes billowing as it exhales. Every now and then, its head will move about, watching for intruders. With a length of 89 feet, the dragon was the largest animatronic when first built. It continues to astound visitors to Sleeping Beauty Castle.

Tour’s End

However, the Cinderella Castle Mystery Tour came to an end in 2006, when Disney decided to close down the attraction for unknown reasons. Fans have discussed many possible causes for the closing. One theory even suggests that it had to do with changes in Japan’s earthquake regulations – which would have made the dungeons under the castle problematic. But Disney never gave an official explanation, so we can only wonder.

Nevertheless, Disney’s cast members made the last days of the tour magical for those participating. Every guest during the final tours received their own medal to remember the tour by. On April 5, 2006, the dungeon quietly closed its doors for good. In 2011, a new attraction opened: Cinderella’s Fairy Tale Hall. More akin to the fake tour promised at the start of the Mystery Tour, this attraction is much tamer and shorter. Guests view various murals, dioramas, and other art highlighting the fairy tale of Cinderella. Sadly, the unique, spooky challenge of the Mystery Tour was never replicated.

Though the Cinderella Castle Mystery Tour is long gone, it left multiple legacies behind, from video games to attractions in other castles like Disneyland Paris’s. With its unusual take on a horror adventure, and bold willingness to trick and surprise guests, it continues to stand out as a great example for scary attractions. Not only that, but it was the only ride based centrally around The Black Cauldron. Perhaps one day we’ll get a chance to experience similar chills and thrills at another park. Until then, Cinderella Castle Mystery Tour remains a ghost story of Disney’s past attractions.

What’s the scariest thing you’ve encountered during a Disney trip? Feel free to share your spooky Disney stories with us in the comments below.

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