What to Watch Before Disneyland

What to Watch Before Disneyland

The waiting period between planning an exciting Disneyland vacation and actually going on the vacation can be excruciating, especially for families who book months or years in advance in order to take advantage of exclusive discounts and special offers.

In What to Watch Before Disney World, I recommended one way to while away the weeks leading up to a Disney World vacation: watch all of the films and TV shows which inspired – or were inspired by – attractions at the four major Disney World theme parks. As a companion piece to that entry, below is a chart of all the rides at Disneyland and California Adventures and the movies and TV shows that inspired them. Attractions that have closed are designated with an asterisk(*).

Try catching one or two movies per week while gearing up for your trip. Enjoy – and happy watching!

A view of Sleeping Beauty's Castle in Disneyland, image from disneyland.disney.go.com

DISNEYLAND
Attraction Film/TV Show
Alice in Wonderland Alice in Wonderland (1951)
Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters Toy Story (1995)
Casey Jr. Circus Train Dumbo (1941)
Country Bear Jamboree* (2001) The Country Bears (2002)
Davy Crocket’s Explorer Canoes Davy Crockett, King of the Wild Frontier (1955)
Dumbo the Flying Elephant Dumbo (1941)
Fantasmic! Dumbo (1941)
Fantasia (1940)
The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996)
The Jungle Book (1967)
The Lion King (1994)
The Little Mermaid (1989)
Peter Pan (1953)
Pinocchio (1940)
Sleeping Beauty (1959)
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)
Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage Finding Nemo (2003)
Gadget’s Go Coaster Chip ‘n Dale Rescue Rangers (TV – 1989)
The Haunted Mansion The Haunted Mansion (2003)
Indiana Jones Adventure: Temple of the Forbidden Eye Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984)
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)
Jungle Cruise The African Queen (1951)
King Arthur’s Carrousel The Sword in the Stone (1963)
Mad Tea Party Alice in Wonderland (1951)
The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (1977)
Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad (1949)
Peter Pan’s Flight Peter Pan (1953)
Pinocchio’s Daring Journey Pinocchio (1940)
Pirate’s Lair on Tom Sawyer Island The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1938)
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest (2006)
Pirates of the Caribbean PotC: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)
PotC: Dead Man’s Chest (2006)
PotC: At World’s End (2007)
PotC: On Stranger Tides (2011)
Pixie Hollow Tinker Bell (2008)
Roger Rabbit’s Car Toon Spin Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988)
Sleeping Beauty Castle Sleeping Beauty (1959)
Snow White’s Scary Adventures Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)
Splash Mountain Song of the South (1946)
Star Tours: The Adventures Continue Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (2005)
Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope (1977)
Storybook Land Canal Boats The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad (1949)
Aladdin (1992)
Alice in Wonderland (1951)
Cinderella (1950)
The Little Mermaid (1989)
Peter Pan (1953)
Pinocchio (1940)
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)
The Three Little Pigs (1933)
Swiss Family Treehouse* (1999) Swiss Family Robinson (1960)
Tarzan’s Treehouse Tarzan (1999)

A view of Mickey's Fun Wheel in Disney's California Adventure, image from disneyland.disney.go.com

DISNEY’S CALIFORNIA ADVENTURE PARK
Attraction Film/TV Show
Disney’s Aladdin: A Musical Spectacular Aladdin (1992)
Disney Junior – Live on Stage! Handy Manny (TV – 2006)
Jake and the Never Land Pirates (TV – 2011)
Little Einsteins (TV – 2005)
Mickey Mouse Clubhouse (TV – 2006)
Flik’s Flyers A Bug’s Life (1998)
Goofy’s Sky School Goofy’s Glider (Short – 1940)
It’s Tough to be a Bug A Bug’s Life (1998)
Jim Henson’s MuppetVision 3D The Muppet Show (1976)
King Triton’s Carousel of the Sea The Little Mermaid (1989)
The Little Mermaid: Ariel’s Undersea Adventure The Little Mermaid (1989)
Monsters, Inc. Mike & Sully to the Rescue! Monsters, Inc. (2001)
Silly Symphony Swings The Band Concert (Short – 1935)
Toy Story Midway Mania! Toy Story (1995)
Turtle Talk with Crush Finding Nemo (2003)
The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror Tower of Terror (1997)
World of Color Aladdin (1992)
Alice in Wonderland (1951)
Beauty and the Beast (1991)
A Bug’s Life (1998)
Cinderella (1950)
Fantasia (1940)
Fantasia 2000 (2000)
Finding Nemo (2003)
The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996)
Lilo & Stitch (2002)
The Lion King (1994)
The Little Mermaid (1989)
PotC: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)
PotC: At World’s End (2007)
PotC: On Stranger Tides (2011)
Pocahontas (1995)
The Princess and the Frog (2009)
Sleeping Beauty (1959)
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)
Tangled (2010)
Toy Story (1995)
Up (2009)
Wall-E (2008)

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