October 2002 – September 2018
LOCATION
A Bugโs Land โ When you walked through the main entrance of A Bugโs Land, off of Pacific Wharf, youโd see the entrance to the Chew Chew Train on your right, tucked across from the Drive โEm Buggies. If you entered A Bugโs Land from Hollywood Land, keep to your left and youโd see the Chew Chew Train right before Route 66, which led to Cars Land.
BACKGROUND
Heimlichโs Chew Chew Train made its debut along with the rest of A Bugโs Land in 2002. The ride, along with most of A Bugโs Land, sat on the site of the former Bountiful Valley Farm attraction, which shrunk to accommodate the new land before closing permanently in 2010. The Chew Chew Train offered guests a shady tour into the grasslands of the A Bugโs Life world, with the added experience of live narration from Heimlich himself.
EXPERIENCE
Guests began by hopping onto Heimlichโs back for a trip through the dense brush of A Bugโs Land. Heimlich welcomed guests joining him on his journey, and he enthusiastically pointed out all of his favorite foods he passed along the way: an apple, a watermelon, sprouts, animal crackers, a cupcake, hard candies, and candy corn. After completing the circuit and taking in the sights and smells of Heimlichโs favorite foods, guests bid their tour guide goodbye and continued on their adventures in A Bugโs Land.
CLOSURE
When the Tower of Terror closed to become a Guardians of the Galaxy attraction, the days of A Bug’s Land were numbered. Finally, in early 2018, Disneyland confirmed the land would close at the end of the summer season, to make room for a new Marvel themed land. Heimlich’s Chew Chew Train, and the rest of A Bug’s Land, closed for good in September 2018.
TRIVIA
My original rating:ย Heimlichโs Chew Chew Train is one of the most bizarre rides in either park. I assumed it would be an A Bugโs Life themed equivalent to the Casey Jr. Circus Train in Disneylandโฆbut it definitely isnโt. The train moves very slowly, and the only sights to see on the 90-second tour are massive foods that Heimlich, your tour guide, wants to stop to eat. In fact, Heimlich screams about every food he sees, which is an experience that is bewildering to the point that itโs almost comical. There are no characters to see, and the train completes a flat circuit with few turns, so you wonโt find many thrills or exciting views on this ride. For little kids, this is a very tame ride that they will likely enjoy, but itโs not a ride meant to entertain adults too. Unless you have very small children in your party, or you want a genuinely weird park experience, steer clear of Heimlichโs Chew Chew Train.ย That being said, there is one feature to this ride that guests of all ages can appreciate: the use of Smellitizers (more detailed post coming soon). Each time you pass by food on the tour, you can smell it, and the scents are amazingly realistic.ย (โ โ โโโ)
The Chew Chew Train was the only ride in A Bugโs Land that holds more than two guests per vehicle.
The watermelon tunnel generally sprayed a bit of mist as you pass through, so you might have felt a little water on your head.
Pixar Animator Joe Ranft, who provided the voice for Heimlich in A Bugโs Life, also provided the narration for the Chew Chew Train.
My son loves this train!
This ride is a mess. Even my two-year-old was like wtf. haha
Haha! Yeah, I swing between thinking it’s funny and…thinking it’s a little sad. But hey, if it makes the babies happy, it doesn’t bother me.