Look, Ma, No Tracks! The Rise of the Trackless Ride System

Over the decades, Disney has been a leader in amusement park technology, from creating increasingly life-like animatronics to designing spectacular projection systems that bring characters and castles to life. The amount of work that is put into new rides, attractions, or shows is evident whenever you’re in the parks, and the imagination behind each and every project is truly astounding. It’s easy to spend a day in the park and be overwhelmed by the sheer grandness and magic of your surroundings, and if you really pay close attention to all the little details—from the Easter eggs and callbacks to Disney history to the theme-accurate queue soundtracks of rides—it’s even more mind-boggling. Disney is the most recognizable name in theme parks across the world, and it’s a hard-earned and well-deserved honor.

But Disney has never been the type of company to rest on its laurels. As Walt himself always said, “We keep moving forward—opening up new doors and doing new things—because we’re curious. And curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.” One of those new paths is a new form of ride, one that is more innovative and more immersive than any other type of ride: the trackless ride.

For the sake of accuracy, Disney has been using various versions of trackless rides for a while. EPCOT’s Universe of Energy (1982-1996; later, Ellen’s Energy Adventure, 1996-2017) was an early form of trackless ride, where the ride vehicles seemingly moved along a trackless path. In reality, the vehicles were guided along a 1/8″ guidewire. Hollywood Studio’s The Great Movie Ride (1989-2017) worked in the same fashion, as does the scene in The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror where the vehicle enters the Fifth Dimension (although, again for the sake of accuracy, it should be noted that The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror also uses more updated trackless ride technology to a degree). However, a true trackless ride is just as it advertises. In a trackless ride system, the ride vehicle follows a virtual path rather than tracks or a predetermined architectural path such as a flume or a river. There are a handful of true trackless rides already operating in Disney parks across the world: Pooh’s Hunny Hunt at Tokyo Disneyland, Aquatopia at Tokyo DisneySea, Mystic Manor in Hong Kong Disneyland, Ratatouille: The Adventure at Disneyland Paris, and Luigi’s Rollickin’ Roadsters at Disney California Adventure.

Although some of these rides utilize this unique ride system better than others, the popularity of these rides is at least in part due to the added experience of the trackless ride systems. Unlike traditional rides, trackless rides can create a much more immersive experience; rather than simply moving in one direction, trackless vehicles can move in any direction (well, except up and down…usually). This means that the rider gets to experience more of the the ride itself, seeing more of the details and interacting with the ride to a degree. A trackless ride vehicle can make you feel as if you’re scurrying around a Parisian kitchen as it races back and forth across the floor or as if you’re being pulled down a rushing river as it bobs up and down. The freedom of movement does mean that Imagineers–the Disney R&D employees responsible for the creation, design, and construction of the theme parks–have to put a lot more work into making sure every part of every room is decorated and themed, but the increased tension and excitement such a ride experience creates is worth it. Trackless ride systems also create a safety benefit: they’re easier to evacuate in case of an emergency or a breakdown as they can simply be told to stop beside the nearest exit, and their maneuverability makes them more accessible, which means maintenance is a simpler task.

While trackless rides certainly seem like a more entertaining experience, how do they actually work? The different trackless rides throughout Disney parks vary a bit in their performance simply due to the age of the ride. The earlier trackless rides such as Aquatopia and Pooh’s Hunny Hunt utilize sensors in both the ride vehicles and in the floor of the ride; a computer directs the vehicles on their route based on the sensors in the floor. Mystic Manor uses barcode technology in tandem with Wi-fi and radio signals, and and the newest trackless rides utilize Wi-fi signals in conjunction with LPS, or local position system, which is simply a localized version of GPS. One of Disney’s newest rides, Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, utilizes trackless technology, a design that seems fitting for the famous mouse duo’s first ride in any of the Disney parks.

However, it’s really another new ride that makes the most effective use of trackless ride technology, as well as a few other ride technologies that make the ride a truly unique experience. Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance opened at Hollywood Studios last December to great acclaim, not only because its part of the beloved Star Wars franchise but because it’s currently the most technologically advanced theme park attraction in existence. Although trackless systems work best in dark rides, these types of rides have before been limited in their motion: they can go all around, but only in a single plane of motion. With Rise of the Resistance, the Imagineers have created something completely new and truly unique. In addition to the trackless ride system, Imagineers also utilized motion sensor technology (like in Star Tours; you know, that rocking and rolling motion that makes so may people sick) through a motion base-mounted ride vehicle and a free-fall drop tower as used in Tower of Terror.

By combining these three ride systems, Rise of the Resistance features a track that can truly go in every direction, a first for a dark ride. Although the complexity of this technology has led to technical difficulties for the ride on a fairly regular basis, the extra wait has yet to deter guests from trying to get a spot in line, and in fact, many guests, even those who aren’t fans of Star Wars, claim this is Disney’s best ride ever.

So what’s next for Disney? It seems like Rise of the Resistance would be hard to top, but some truly dedicated Disney fans might have discovered what the Mouse House has up its sleeve. A patent filed by the company in 2019 shows a trackless ride system in which the vehicles are controlled by the riders themselves. Early imaginings of the ride would work in a sort of choose-your-own-adventure style, with movement pathways preset based on the choices of the riders. Although riders wouldn’t have completely free reign of their vehicle’s movements, the interactive nature of such a ride has the potential to create a one-of-a-kind experience that could easily keep guests coming back again and again to explore every facet of the ride.

Although the global pandemic has certainly set Disney back a bit in terms of construction and development at their theme parks, it’s a sure-thing that the Imagineers have been making good use of this time to dream up new rides that will continue to push the boundaries of amusement park technology. The advancements brought on by the trackless ride system have allowed Disney to develop rides unlike any other, and the combination of ride systems in Rise of the Resistance is a feat that will truly change the way rides are made. It’s a development that proves Disney’s dedication to moving forward in their technology and creating a truly magical experience for guests. Walt would be proud.