25 Years of Space Mountain at Disneyland Paris

Today, we are marking the 25th birthday of Space Mountain at Disneyland Paris, a ride that has been through a multitude of changes during its quarter of a century lifetime. I rode Space Mountain in its second iteration as Space Mountain: Mission 2 and loved it. Let’s talk about the history of the Paris version of one of the attractions most synonymous with Disney parks and one of the most well-known in Disney history.

Space Mountain: De la Terre à la Lune

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The original Space Mountain at Disneyland Paris came in 1995, a few years after Euro Disney as it was then known was opened, as a way of reviving public interest in the park in an attempt to get guests numbers up and increase European public perception. This original version of the ride, located in Discoveryland, was based on the Jules Verne novel, From the Earth to the Moon. The ride was very steam-punk-esque, taking its inspiration from Jules Verne and the Victorian era. The idea in the novel was to use a catapult, inspired by the technology behind cannons and the potential force that can be created using gunpowder, to launch astronauts to the moon. And that’s exactly what Space Mountain did. Space Mountain: De la Terre à la Lune, the tallest and fastest of the Space Mountain rides, catapulted guests into space. It took riders past asteroids and space mining machinery, through 3 inversions (something the other Space Mountains did not have) and back into the Earth’s atmosphere, all of this synchronised to the on board audio. I never rode this version of Space Mountain at Disneyland Paris and that is so sad. The level of detail, narrative and overall theme is something that I would have loved to experience first hand. Taking a story like From the Earth to the Moon and running with it so freely is something that you don’t see much anymore which is a real shame. Disney took a risk here. Though Space Mountain itself was a tried and tested model over in some of the other parks, Disney went down a different road for the Paris version, making a huge investment at a time when the park wasn’t doing that great. It would operate as De la Terre à la Lune for a decade before undergoing refurbishment for its tenth anniversary.

Space Mountain: Mission 2

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After its refurbishment, Space Mountain returned as Space Mountain: Mission 2. The Jules Verne vibe was replaced with a new futuristic take on space travel. The journey to the moon wasn’t enough any more either with the ride now taking guests to the very edge of the universe. This meant that a lot of effects and themeing were replaced to give riders a taste of space beyond the moon. A lot of the narrative and story telling of the ride was dropped in favour of a more generic feel, which is a real shame in my opinion but definitely has a greater and wider appeal. The soundtrack was rewritten to provide a futuristic feel to the ride as riders were taken past planets, comets, asteroids and even an exploding supernova. Space Mountain: Mission 2 is the only version I’ve actually been able to experience, taking guests on their mission from 2005 through to 2017. I loved it. The launch, feeling like I’m right there in space, the ride itself. Though the story-telling may have been lost, something a lot of people say made Space Mountain lose a lot of its soul and charm, the ride was still a solid part of the park.

Star Wars: Hyperspace Mountain

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In 2017, Space Mountain was pushed aside in favour of a Star Wars retheme. This brought with it new trains, still in kind of the same old Victorian style, and a new height restriction, bringing it down to 1.2m. Star Wars is huge, always has been, and to theme a ride to Star Wars is bound to bring a lot of fans to the parks. The retheme wasn’t hugely invasive and feels more like a temporary overlay from what I’ve seen, akin to the sort we’ve seen at the other Disney parks. Disney call it “an epic takeover of a classic attraction”, perhaps hinting at its permanence. The Star Wars theme relies mainly on lighting and projections as well as the music to give it that Star Wars feel.

Space Mountain has been through a lot in its 25 years at Disneyland Paris. It has gone to space with Jules Verne, travelled further into the universe with Mission 2 and gone to a galaxy far far away. What is in store next for Space Mountain? I don’t know, but we can hope that the ride gets some of that character back. Here’s to the future and whatever adventures it may bring.