Space Mountain – De la Terre à la Lune

Space Mountain – De la Terre à la Lune opened on 1 June 1995 and many consider it as a turning point for Disneyland Paris which was making gigantic losses up until then. Thanks to a strong marketing campaign the resort was able to bring in the guests again with one single attraction.

The story for the ride was inspired by Jules Verne’s From the Earth to the Moon. In the attraction, guests would board a “moon train” and be loaded inside the Columbiad canon which would then launch them into “space”. Along the track guests would see large meteors and Victorian mining machinery. At the highest point of the track, a projection of a moon with a face, just as French director George Méliès had imagined. The ride ended with the braking section themed to the “Electro De-Velocitator”.

For today’s standards, the theming inside the mountain would definitely feel dated, but there’s one thing that was timeless, moving and emotional about this attraction: it’s beautiful soundtrack by composer Steve Bramson. Since the attraction closed in 2005, fans continue to speculate and hope that one we’ll be able to fly to the moon again on the beats of the Rocketeer, Krull and Always. Perhaps something for Mission 3…