Luigi's Flying Tires

Luigi's Flying Tires
Disney California Adventure
Area Cars Land
Status Closed
Soft opening date Spring 2012
Opening date June 15, 2012 (2012-06-15)
Closing date February 17, 2015 (2015-02-17)[1]
Replaced by Luigi's Rollickin' Roadsters
General statistics
Attraction type Bumper cars
Designer Walt Disney Imagineering
Theme Cars
Vehicles 21
Riders per vehicle 3
Rows 1
Riders per row 3
Duration ~2 minutes
Height restriction 32 in (81 cm)
Sponsor Alamo

Luigi's Flying Tires was an amusement ride in Cars Land at Disney California Adventure. Guests rode on tire-shaped bumper car vehicles which floated on a cushion of air, similar to an air hockey game. The ride's concept was based on Disneyland's Flying Saucers attraction from the 1960s. The attraction closed on February 17, 2015. It was replaced by Luigi's Rollickin' Roadsters.

History

The attraction, originally titled "Luigi's Roamin' Tires", was announced in late 2007 along with the rest of the Cars Land multi-year expansion plans for Disney California Adventure. [2] The ride was based on the Flying Saucers attraction that was located in Disneyland's Tomorrowland from 1961 to 1966.[3][4] Instead of floating bumper cars in the shapes of flying saucers, the Luigi attraction featured bumper cars whose riders steer big levitating truck tires.[2]

Executive Vice President of Walt Disney Imagineering Kathy Mangum said in 2011 that designing the ride, now named Luigi's Flying Tires, was not easy even with advanced technology. "I think our ride engineers, when we went to them and said, 'Hey we want people to fly,' they would tell you that designing a way for aerodynamics to make that happen was actually pretty difficult," she said.[3] Mary Niven, vice president of Disney California Adventure Park, likened the ride to an air hockey table. "It's like sitting on the table and you're the hockey puck," she said.[5]

When the attraction initially opened on June 15, 2012, it also featured giant beach balls in an effort to give the ride a more colorful look (the attraction was originally intended to open without beach balls.[6]) After two months, however, they were removed due to increased wait times and some "minor incidents" that occurred when visitors were hit by the beach balls, according to Niven.[7]

On February 17, 2015, the attraction closed. It was replaced by Luigi's Rollickin' Roadsters.[1][8]

Ride

The queue took visitors through Luigi's Casa Della Tires shop and out back through an Italian garden to Luigi's tire yard where the ride took place.[9][10] Once seated in their tire, Luigi gave a countdown and then a compressor pumped air up through the floor's 6,714 air vents. The tires lifted about two inches off the floor, at which point riders could make their tire move by leaning in the direction that they wanted to go. The ride lasted for approximately two minutes. [4][9]

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Cars Land.

References

  1. 1 2 Glover, Erin (February 6, 2015). "Luigi's Flying Tires to Become All-New Experience at Disney California Adventure Park". Disney Parks Blog. Retrieved February 6, 2015.
  2. 1 2 MacDonald, Brady (November 14, 2007). "Disney's Luigi ride a beloved retread". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on March 16, 2013. Retrieved March 17, 2013.
  3. 1 2 Fields, Eugene W. (October 21, 2011). "Ride testing begins in Cars Land at California Adventure". The Orange County Register. Retrieved March 17, 2013.
  4. 1 2 Shady, Justin (December 27, 2011). "John Lasseter Gives Luigi's Flying Tires a Test Spin". OC Weekly. Retrieved March 17, 2013.
  5. ↑ Owen, Rob (July 26, 2009). "Disney's California Adventure getting $1.1 billion makeover". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved March 17, 2013.
  6. ↑ Hill, Jim (September 3, 2012). "Why For are the ride vehicles for Luigi's Flying Tires being retooled". Jim Hill Media. Retrieved February 8, 2015.
  7. ↑ Tully, Sarah (August 16, 2012). "Disney already changing Cars Land ride". The Orange County Register. Retrieved March 17, 2013.
  8. ↑ Glover, Erin (July 27, 2015). "First Look: Luigi's Rollickin' Roadsters Rolling into Disney California Adventure Park". Disney Parks Blog. Retrieved July 27, 2015.
  9. 1 2 Vincent-Phoenix, Adrienne (June 13, 2012). "Cars Land Test Drive: Luigi's Flying Tires". USA Today. Retrieved March 17, 2013.
  10. ↑ MacDonald, Brady (October 19, 2011). "Preview: Luigi's Flying Tires at Disney California Adventure". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 17, 2013.
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