Innovations in theme park attractions have come a long way. Trackless rides are the way of the future at Disney Parks, Universal Studios Resorts, and other global amusement experiences.
Here are 10 rides from around the world that fully immerse park-goers in the worlds of films and classic icons, including Star Wars, Scooby-Doo, Shrek, and Beauty and the Beast. These attractions boast ride vehicles that run on a local positioning system, using computers to guide guests through predetermined routes instead of a traditional track. Take a look at how each ride creates unique experiences in this gallery.
On this Star Wars ride, it really feels like you have infiltrated a First Order base. Rise of the Resistance utilizes not just trackless tech but a carefully balanced mix of other ride features to make it all the more thrilling.
This one looks like a classic dark ride in its meta nature much like the Shrek films, but upgrades it with a trackless adventure. Here’s hoping it will one day be used stateside at one of the Universal Parks.
Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway brings the feel of classic cartoons to life in a new way. Inspired by the Paul Rudish animated series, it’s a Toontown and Hollywood Studios favorite for families; the trackless motion means it feels like each train cart is possessed by cartoony spirit.
This Scooby-Doo mystery comes to life in a funhouse mansion attraction that looks spooky and delightful. A lot of international parks seem to have gotten the trackless tech first, especially at places like WB World in Abu Dhabi.
The Ratatouille rides at Walt Disney World and Disneyland Paris shrink you down to rodent size in a cute retelling of the Pixar film.
Mystic Manor is a Danny Elfman-scored Haunted Mansion offshoot at Hong Kong Disneyland. The attraction takes the classic idea of Haunted Mansion rides with a new twist: instead of running on an omnimover, it’s trackless and makes the magically enchanted mansion feel like an unfolding labyrinth.
Universal Studios Islands of Adventure took the studio tour section of Universal Studios Hollywood’s Peter Jackson’s King Kong and applied it to its own dark ride using the trackless tech. With an expansion of story and an incredible queue it mostly works, but isn’t our favorite.
The full-on fairytale immersion on the Enchanted Tale of Beauty and the Beast makes us want to get to Tokyo Disneyland immediately. The trackless tech and the magic illusions on the ride seem too good to just be seen on a video. The Beast’s transformation is breathtaking.
One of Tokyo Disney’s first trackless rides, this one is a fan-fave among Disney lovers who have visited the parks around the world.
Dubai got the jump on trackless with another ride—but while the Hotel Transylvania attraction boasts the feature, the ride itself seems pretty static with statues.
