One story of the Bible that I think would do really well as a dark ride is the Ten Plagues of Egypt (see Exodus 7-14). In case you don’t know what a dark ride is, it is an indoor ride where all of the environment (sights, lighting, sounds, smells, and movement) can be controlled. Disneyland sort of broke the mold with dark rides with attractions like Pirates of the Caribbean, Haunted Mansion, it’s a small world, and Peter Pan. Disney continues to raise the bar on dark rides, although parks like Universal and Efteling (Netherlands), have also made important contributions to this ride type.
The Disney ride that I have designated for transforming into the Ten Plagues of Egypt (as part of my Bible World plan) is the Haunted Mansion. I envision the left side of the Magic Kingdom being transformed into lands of the Old Testament. I think the Omnimover ride system (basically a type of ride that allows for continuous loading) that is already in use on the Haunted Mansion. would be a good system for this story. Alternatively I could see a ride system that has a little more thrill to it (maybe even a roller coaster) work well due to the increasing conflict between Pharaoh and the Israelites in the course of the story (culminating in the Egyptian charioteers being drowned in the Red Sea). I’m not the first to think that the account of the Ten Plagues could be told through the use of a dark ride. Ark Encounter in Kentucky (owned by the Creationist group “Answers in Genesis”) had mentioned as far back as 2013 that they would plan on a 7-11 minute teaching ride of the Ten Plagues. I have not heard any further word on whether that will become a reality. The ride I am envisioning will begin with a scene at the burning bush with God telling Moses to go speak to Pharaoh so the Israelites can worship God in the desert. There will be alternating scenes between Pharaoh’s Palace and then the city (with the effects of the plague). For the sake of brevity, the scenes could focus on the Ten Plagues with a few additional scenes of Moses and Aaron talking with Pharaoh. The Ten Plagues are: water turned to blood, frogs, lice, flies, sick cattle, boils, fire/hail, locusts, darkness, and death of the firstborn. After the final plague (the death of the firstborn), there is a quick scene in which Pharaoh tells the Israelites to leave. The final scene would be the Red Sea opening up prior to closing on the Egyptians. Rather than using “Doom Buggies,” the ride vehicles would be chariots. Obviously the facade of the building would need to be changed to be in keeping with an ancient palace. If a new building were to be constructed for the ride (rather than using the Haunted Mansion space), it would be made to look like Pharaoh’s Palace. This new construct would still use the Omnimover system, Pharaoh’s Palace would be located in the middle space of the ride (different sets between the Plagues). Look at the photo for this concept.
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