Junior/Fantasyland Autopia

 Source: Static Flickr

Junior Autopia: July 23 1956 – September 1958

Fantasyland Autopia: January 1959 – March 1991, November 1991 – September 1999

LOCATION

Fantasyland – The Junior/Fantasyland Autopia track covered much of the rear of the park, from behind the Matterhorn to the Disneyland Railroad. Today, much of this space is now used by the modern version of Autopia, and the rest of part of the plaza in front of It’s A Small World.

BACKGROUND

When the Tomorrowland version of Autopia became an instant success, lines for the attraction quickly grew out of control. In less than a year of operation, Autopia was soon one of the most famous attractions in Disneyland, and guests couldn’t get enough. To keep up with demand, the park opened a second, slightly smaller Autopia, called Junior Autopia. Junior Autopia opened in July 1956, just over a year after the original Autopia track. The new Autopia spanned the back of Fantasyland, dispersing some of the crowding in Tomorrowland.

Junior Autopia also became an instant hit, so the ride underwent an expansion and brief renovation in 1958. Once Junior Autopia was no longer smaller than its Tomorrowland counterpart, it was aptly renamed Fantasyland Autopia. The newly expanded Fantasyland attraction joined not only Tomorrowland’s Autopia, but the Midget Autopia as well. In the 50’s and 60’s, eastern Disneyland was one big raceway.

Over time, Fantasyland Autopia started to decline in popularity, in part due to bigger attractions arriving in other lands. So in 1991, the ride briefly became the Rescue Rangers Raceway, in a combined effort to generate new interest in the attraction and promote the Chip and Dale Rescue Rangers television show. The Raceway wasn’t much of a success, and the attraction returned to Fantasyland Autopia just a few months later. But for the rest of its life, Fantasyland Autopia only opened on very crowded park days or holidays, spending most of the time with its cars parked off the highway.

EXPERIENCE

Like Tomorrowland’s Autopia, the Junior/Fantasyland Autopia cars could seat two passengers. The Fantasyland track was virtually identical to the Tomorrowland track, with cars steering around corners, over bridges, beneath tunnels, and around the lagoon. After completing the circuit, drivers returned to the starting line and returned to eastern Fantasyland.

 Source: Google User Content

CLOSURE

Disneyland joined forces with Chevron in 2000, and announced a re-vamping of Autopia. As a result, the separate Fantasyland and Tomorrowland tracks were removed, and a much larger track was installed in Tomorrowland, forming a single Autopia attraction. As a result, much of the land that was once considered Fantasyland is now beneath the Tomorrowland track. Today, Fantasyland steers clear of high-speed thrills in favor of classic storytelling, leaving the technology-based attractions to its futuristic neighbor.

TRIVIA

Junior Autopia was the only Autopia track to have a center guardrail to prevent accidents on the raceway.

The Richfield Oil Company sponsored Autopia from 1955-1970, and its name was displayed on the Fantasyland Autopia sign from 1959 until its sponsorship ended.

 Source: PhotoBucket