Rocket Rods
Rocket Rods was a high-speed thrill attraction located in Tomorrowland at Disneyland, Anaheim, California. The ride was themed around a hypothetical “drag race” of the future, as well as a futuristic rapid transit system. The ride opened in May 1998, utilizing the existing PeopleMover track and infrastructure as part of the New Tomorrowland refurbishment project. Plagued from its inception with technical problems and mechanical repairs, Rocket Rods was shut down indefinitely for renovations in September 2000; ultimately, the ride would be fully shut down, as confirmed via an official press release in April 2001, after two years of sporadic operations. While Rocket Rods' queue was replaced with the Toy Story-themed dark ride Buzz Lightyear's Astro Blasters in 2005, the majority of the track infrastructure utilized by both the attraction and its predecessor still sit, visibly derelict, throughout Tomorrowland as of 2023.
| Rocket Rods | |
|---|---|
The entrance to Rocket Rods. | |
| Disneyland | |
| Area | Tomorrowland |
| Coordinates | 33°48′44″N 117°55′05″W |
| Status | Removed |
| Cost | $25,000,000 |
| Opening date | May 22, 1998 |
| Closing date | September 25, 2000 (maintenance pre-closure) April 27, 2001 (confirmed closure) |
| Replaced | PeopleMover America the Beautiful (queue) |
| Replaced by | Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters (queue) |
| Ride statistics | |
| Attraction type | "Prototype" Rapid Transportation System |
| Manufacturer | Walt Disney Imagineering |
| Designer | Walt Disney Imagineering |
| Theme | Futuristic |
| Music | "World of Creativity" - (Magic Highways of Tomorrow) by the Sherman Brothers |
| Height | 21 ft (6.4 m) |
| Speed | 35 mph (56 km/h) |
| Vehicle type | Rocket Rod XPR (Experimental Prototype Rocket) |
| Riders per vehicle | 5 |
| Duration | 3:00 |
| Height restriction | 46 in (117 cm) |
Single rider line available | |