Disney Marks 50 Years of Space Mountain with Special Celebration and Golden Fireworks Display

4 days ago in "Space Mountain"

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Space Mountain 50th Anniversary Fireworks

Posted: Wednesday January 15, 2025 6:25am ET by WDWMAGIC Staff

Space Mountain at Magic Kingdom lit up the night sky with a golden fireworks display as Disney celebrated the 50th anniversary of its iconic roller coaster.

Space Mountain 50th Anniversary Gold Look

Mickey Mouse, Astronaut Donald Duck, and friends joined Walt Disney World Ambassadors Shannon Smith-Conrad and Serena Arvizu to honor the legacy of Space Mountain. Watch the video below to see the celebration moment (4K YouTube)

A Look Back at 50 Years of Space Mountain

Space Mountain first opened its doors on January 15, 1975, forever changing the theme park experience. Developed during a period of technological innovation at Walt Disney Imagineering, the ride was inspired by Walt Disney's vision of a space-themed attraction that would immerse guests in the wonders of outer space.

1975 Space Mountain Grand Opening

Key moments in Space Mountain's history:

• Conception and Design: Originally conceptualized in the mid-1960s, Space Mountain was part of Walt Disney's plans for Disneyland. However, due to technological limitations at the time, the idea was put on hold until after Walt's passing.

• The Magic Kingdom Debut: Walt Disney World's Tomorrowland provided the perfect setting for the ambitious project. Imagineers combined cutting-edge technology with a unique narrative to create the world's first indoor roller coaster.

• Opening Day: The attraction's debut in 1975 was met with widespread acclaim. Its sleek, futuristic design and thrilling indoor ride-through quickly made it one of the most popular attractions at Magic Kingdom.

• Cultural Icon: Over the years, Space Mountain has been reimagined at Disney parks around the world, with unique versions opening in Disneyland, Tokyo Disneyland, Disneyland Paris, and Hong Kong Disneyland. Despite updates and overlays, the original ride at Magic Kingdom remains a fan favorite

Space Mountain in 1975

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JackCH2 days ago

Also, Cosmic Rewind is already sort of a “Space Mountain 2.0” with IP… makes it even less necessary on Space.

Animaniac93-982 days ago

A Stitch retheme of Space Mountain was proposed years ago for Disneyland and more recently several other versions of Space Mountain have received Star Wars overlays, either temporarily or ongoing for years running now. I don't think WDW's Space is above that, but its unique track(s) layout and lack of tech infrastructure makes it harder to implement such things thankfully.

Tha Realest2 days ago

I agree, but will they be able to help themselves?

esskay2 days ago

To be clear I am only proposing retrack/repair, not a total replacement, SSE especially has a charm to it that shoudn't be touched, but it being constantly interrupted by a thud as you go over a dodgy bit of track isn't exactly great. Fix the track, slap a new narrator on it, and replace the very dated "Welcome to the future" game and call it a day for another decade. Doesn't need masses of downtime to do this, the only part that requires a short closure is the track.

Raineman3 days ago

I posted this in another thread, but it fits here too.

bmr15913 days ago

Space Mountain needs a retrack. I don't see them IPifying it. It's its own IP at this point.

Tha Realest3 days ago

Agree, but counterpoint: I’d prefer the current Powers That Be leave well enough alone instead of “plussing” existing attractions. I remain firm in this view given the current state of TBA, and what they’ve done to DL Haunted Mansion so far. We’ll see what other “improvements” they’ve made to HM DL in a day or two. Flawed and janky as it is, I really done want them touching SSE.

WorldExplorer3 days ago

Nowadays? You should feel special it's still there.

willtravel3 days ago

When I read something like this, the only thing that comes to my thoughts is RUT ROW.......

JoeCamel3 days ago

They don't want fans, fans remember how it used to be and complain about how it is. One and done with maximum extraction is the name of the game now

AndyS29924 days ago

And here I was thinking they were going to announce a big rehab for it's 50th anniversary.. but no. It better get one soon, it's 16 years over due at this point, and then some.

esskay4 days ago

2026 should be the year SM and Spaceship Earth both get a major overhaul. They're both the most due and deserving of it. Plus it would allow Disney to keep up with the trend of ensuring one major ride in both parks is down at all times.