Heart and Darkness

The Definitive Book of Disney Dark Rides

The dark rides in Disney theme parks have delighted-and sometimes terrified-millions of people. The history of these attractions is a fascinating story of creativity, engineering, and pop culture, and it's told here for the first time.

From their primitive beginnings in the 1800s, to their perfection by the Disney Imagineers, dark rides are an ingenious way to tell a visually exciting story to guests who "travel" through the action, scene by scene, aboard vehicles ranging from boats to (Doom) buggies.

Despite their popularity, dark rides still retain an aura of mystery: when did they originate? how did Disney transform them from curiosities into crowd pleasers? why are they such a draw to young and old?

Shawn Farrell dispels the darkness with the definitive history of Disney's dark rides, from Disneyland's Peter Pan, Mr. Toad, and Snow White, to Disneyland Shanghai's cutting-edge version of Pirates of the Caribbean. Farrell also explores notable dark rides not in a Disney park, the many that have gone into the gloom, and some hints of what's to come.