NEWS: Disney Reveals Opening Date for Storybook Land Canal Boats

A Disneyland classic is about to reopen, with some BRAND-NEW MAGIC.

It’s so cute

On November 14th, the opening day (technically, but we’ll get to that), the attraction Storybook Land Canal Boats is set to reopen from refurbishment with a brand new miniature based on Rapunzel’s Tower from Tangled in honor of Disneyland’s 70th Anniversary Celebration.

The new model will include the slender tower, including a shingled turret and several high windows, a “meticulously cared for selection of flora”, multiple wanted posters seeking Flynn Rider (and according to Disney, “even in miniature, they still couldn’t get Flynn’s nose right. In fact, each poster has a different depiction of Flynn’s most difficult-to-capture feature”), as well as a secluded dock with a boat inspired by the one from the film.

©Disney

The new addition will also incorporate the film’s music. During the day, guests will hear a charming arrangement of “When Will My Life Begin?” emanating from Rapunzel’s Tower. At dusk, the music will switch to “I See the Light”, which, along with the twinkling lights, should be reminiscent of the lantern scene from the film.

This new Tangled addition will join the “picturesque realm of miniature homes, villages, and castles from favorite fairytales” that currently make up the attraction.

Storybook Land Canal Boats closed

The ride currently known as the Storybook Land Cana Boats first opened with the rest of Disneyland on July 17th, 1955 as the Canal Boats of the World. During the park’s design phase, the ride had been planned to be a journey past “miniature recreations of the great landmarks of the world” (owing to Walt Disney’s love of miniatures, which was part of the impetus for a theme park in the first place), but by opening day the budget had been cut. During its initial month of operation, the ride’s barren landscaping and penchant for boats to break down earned it the nickname”The Mud Bank Ride” among early Imagineers.

Storybook Canal Boats

The ride was closed down and revamped – granting it the distinction of being the first major refurbishment in Disneyland history – reopening as the Storybook Land Canal Boats in June, 1956. The ride featured 1-1 scale models of Gepetto’s village from Pinocchio, the Pigs’ houses from Three Little Pigs, the Kensington Gardens from Peter Pan, Alice’s cottage from Alice in Wonderland, the Old Mill from the 1937 Silly Symphony cartoon of the same name, Toad Hall from The Wind in the Willows from The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad, the diamond mine from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs’, and Cinderella’s Castle among others. Over the years, newer additions such as the palace from Aladdin have been added,

Storybook Land Canal Boats

Disneyland’s beloved Storybook Land Canal Boats is about to reopen on November 14th, complete with a NEW Tangled addition! Stay tuned to DFB for more on the “Happiest Place on Earth”!

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