Attraction Review: Luigi's Rollickin' Roadsters

Each and every Disney theme park offers an array of world-class attractions, including rides, shows and interactive adventures.  Disney is the world leader in theme park innovation.  The team at Walt Disney Imagineering in Glendale, California has been turning dreams into reality, ever since Walt Disney formed "WED" in the 1950's.  It's this group of talented artists, designers and dreamers (called "Imagineers") that bring Disney stories to life in the theme parks.
From time to time, however, even the Imagineers drop the ball.  Not all attractions that make it to the Disney parks is an instant hit.  In fact, Disney has had some notable failures in the sixty year history of their theme parks.  And as we saw in 2012, even this history is destined to repeat itself. 

In the early days of Disneyland, one attraction that failed to live-up to Disney's (and Guest's) expectation was the Flying Saucers in Tomorrowland.  This futuristic bumper car-type ride featured miniature hovercrafts that floated on a bed of air.  Guests who controlled the saucers by shifting their weight could move around the platform, and even collide with other saucers.

Flying Saucers at Disneyland 1961-1966

After only five years in operation, the Flying Saucers were closed in 1966.  But for many fans, the memory of this ride was a fond one.   To view a video about the Flying Saucers attraction, click this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wdj9tcF3VCA

Luigi's Flying Tires at DCA

More than forty-five years after the Flying Saucers flew away from Disneyland, a new attraction opened across the way at Disney California Adventure, that paid homage to the former Tomorrowland ride.  Luigi's Flying Tires opened with the new Carsland area of the park in 2012.  This ride was similar to the Flying Saucers, but featured advancements in ride technology, and vehicles that held two to three passengers.  Unfortunately, the new version of the ride proved to be even less exciting than the original version.  In 2015, after less than three years in operation, Luigi's Flying Tires was permanently closed, while a new ride could be designed and built in the same area.

Twenty miniature cars make up the attraction.

A year after Luigi's Flying Tires closed, a new attraction opened in its place. Luigi's Rollickin' Roadsters is a family attraction, that features twenty miniature Italian cars on a round "dance floor".  Each car holds up to three passengers.  The multi-colored cars move independently during the 90-second ride.  Each car moves forward, backwards and sideways, before all of the cars join together for a line-dance finale, with a spinning end. Each ride is set to an Italian music soundtrack. 

Each of the "roadsters" has distinctive features.

The story here is each car is one of Luigi's cousins who are visiting from "Carsoli", Italy.  The set-up of the attraction and the queue area (including the Luigi's Casa Della Tires building) are pretty-much the same as they were for "Flying Tires".

This ride represents a new Disney first in the United States.  It is the first attraction to feature a "track-less" ride system.  It's one of the coolest things you will see when watching the ride in motion.  Not only is there no track under the vehicles.  The floor doesn't move either (no turntable).   Disney uses this ride technology in its international parks.  We'll probably see more of the use of trackless ride systems in the upcoming Toy Story land at Disney's Hollywood Studios.

The fence mural has been updated.

 The ride on Luigi's is rather tame.  It's a little jerky, but the spinning is not as intense as nearby Mater's Junkyard Jamboree.  This ride is a definite improvement over the Flying Tires, but in all honesty, I had more fun watching the ride in action, than actually riding it.  It's also a welcome and necessary addition to the park's list of attractions.  In my opinion, DCA is still a ways away from being an all-day park.  The return of this attraction, along with the upcoming Frozen show in the Hyperion Theater will help to bring more things to do in the park. 

Looking across the "dance floor".

All in all, I'd classify Luigi's Rollickin' Roadsters as a "C-ticket" attraction, using the old A-E ticket system that Disneyland used to have.  For the overall ride experience, I give Luigi's a B-minus.  Not great, but not terrible.  If you encounter a wait time of fifteen minutes or less, give it a whirl.  Otherwise, pass on it until another time.