Disney has filed a patent utility for an modern new trip system that describes and illustrates an articulating arm attraction (say that 5 occasions quick) that might transfer a trip automobile up and down, and facet to facet alongside a trip path. Listed below are full particulars and diagrams, together with our ideas on the place this could possibly be used.
Curiously, the patent utility was first filed again in July 2024 however not too long ago printed on the USA Patent and Trademark Workplace web site. The applying was filed by Disney Enterprises for what’s labeled as a “Trip System Having an Articulating Arm” by inventors Derek Lee Howard of Burbank, Gaku Sato of Los Angeles, and Edward Allen Nemeth of Ohio.
We’d be aware that July 2024 was just one month earlier than the D23 Expo, throughout which Parks & Resorts made a ton of bulletins for Walt Disney World, Disneyland and earlier than. One such announcement was for a Automobiles miniland in Frontierland at Magic Kingdom, which later got here to be referred to as Piston Peak Nationwide Park.
The trip system is summarized within the patent summary as follows:
A trip system might embrace a trip automobile configured to maneuver alongside a trip path adjoining a monitor, and an arm coupled to the trip automobile. The trip automobile could also be movable individually from the arm. The trip automobile might embrace options to assist the trip automobile on a trip floor of the trip path, such that the trip automobile might comply with the trip’s terrain.
The arm might articulate (e.g., transfer between positions) to regulate a place of the trip automobile relative to the trip path. The arm might modify the lateral and/or vertical place of the trip automobile alongside the trip. The trip system might embrace a chassis coupled to the monitor, and the arm could also be coupled to the chassis. The arm could also be extendable and pivotable relative to the chassis, such that to regulate the place of the trip automobile because the chassis rides alongside the monitor.
Disney signifies that the trip system gives an immersive visitor expertise by facilitating trip automobile articulation and accelerations impartial of monitor curvature. The system might permit a trip automobile to span gaps within the trip or present ground and/or permit for jumping-type (vertical carry) experiences by means of attachment to an articulating arm.
The patent signifies a variety of potential makes use of, with water, land and flying trip implementations. The trip automobile could possibly be a ship, automobile, airplane, or one other kind of auto. The illustrations within the submitting assist all of this, displaying a ship on a water channel and a land-based automobile with wheels.
Curiously, in addition they present what’s primarily a “racing” configuration with two trip paths, much like Radiator Springs Racers, besides with the aforementioned arms connecting each trip autos.
There’s one other configuration that permits the rider modify a lateral place of the trip automobile, permitting the rider to steer the automobile to keep away from obstacles (bumps, jumps, rocks, and many others.) or hit obstacles.
The vertical place of the trip automobile might also be managed to simulate bodily dynamics of the trip automobile and/or present a degree of visitor management to the trip. The suspension might transfer with the arm and coupling to permit the trip automobile to comply with the terrain of the trip path or trip floor.
It’s price studying and reviewing the 15-page patent in full (most of which is footage!), as a result of this feels like a reasonably versatile trip system platform that has all kinds of potential makes use of. We might see it pop up in a lot of locations over the subsequent decade.
Clearly, we’ve already invoked Radiator Springs Racers with a comparability. In studying the patent, my thoughts instantly goes to Automobiles. I can’t be alone in that.
It’s not simply Radiator Springs Racers, although. This appears like a mixture of the KUKA arm (Stark Flight Faculty, Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, Monsters Unchained) and the trip system for Donkey Kong Mine Cart Insanity over at Epic Universe. There’s a ton of potential for racing model sights.
In actual fact, this appears pitch good for Radiator Springs Racers: Off-Street Rally Version. Simply give it some thought. As a substitute of staying on flat floor, as is the case with Radiator Springs Racers (or Take a look at Monitor), this may supply the extra dynamic functionality of traversing tough and rugged, steering, dropping immediately…all whereas racing one other set of visitors. Virtually like Radiator Springs Racers blended with Indiana Jones Journey, however in a novel trip system!
Actual-world engineering meets Disney magic. 🚙✨ Walt Disney Imagineering shares a behind-the-scenes take a look at off-road testing for the brand new Automobiles attraction coming to the Magic Kingdom at @WaltDisneyWorld. https://t.co/oBkKleOwz8 #SXSW pic.twitter.com/jfpSYdsz59
— Disney Parks (@DisneyParks) March 8, 2025
The one drawback with that is that we’ve been down that highway earlier than.
After the above check footage was proven at D23 Brazil, many followers assumed that this may be a trackless off-road E-Ticket. We received to sleuthing, which resulted on this article: Automobiles E-Ticket Trackless Off-Street Thrill Trip System for Magic Kingdom Revealed?
On the time, we have been extremely assured–based mostly on the check footage shared by Imagineering and the third social gathering trip system we discovered–that Frontierland was getting a trackless Automobiles trip. And we weren’t the one ones–that was the consensus among the many fan group.
And video of a proof of idea for the brand new attraction: pic.twitter.com/crgjhRSq8z
— Scott Gustin (@ScottGustin) March 8, 2025
Quick-forward to the “The Way forward for World-Constructing at Disney” throughout South by Southwest (SXSW) on March eighth of final 12 months, when Imagineering launched the above video. (I’m fairly certain temporary clips of this has since been reused elsewhere, too.)
The crude video may appear odd to the uninitiated. An enormous arm looming over a small automobile to push round a trip automobile. A decidedly low tech visible at a SXSW presentation largely targeted on Disney’s improvements. My thought on the time was that it felt very purposeful.
That the temporary glimpse was aimed toward telling us all that we have been fallacious with out saying so in as many phrases. It telegraphed a message to regulate expectations so hypothesis didn’t get uncontrolled and signaled that the E-Ticket could be a conventional, tracked attraction. That, it was intelligent subterfuge and Imagineering was attempting to throw us off the monitor.
Throughout that presentation, the Piston Peak undertaking group additionally shared that they took a visit out to the Arizona desert to leap in an actual off-road automobile to see what it felt like driving over the rocky terrain. Imagineers additionally labored with a motocross firm to construct an actual filth monitor to race round on and took that information again to start work on creating how the trip autos will finally transfer and race.
The subsequent massive replace on the undertaking got here final June, when Imagineers shared the Inspiration for Automobiles Land in Magic Kingdom. That was largely meant to assuage fears forward of the closure of the Rivers of America and Tom Sawyer Island, with Piston Peak Nationwide Park aimed toward making the Automobiles franchise slot in Frontierland.
As a part of that, we attended a presentation led by key Imagineers engaged on the Piston Peak undertaking. The Walt Disney World-based undertaking group shared how they’re taking sightlines and sound into consideration when creating the brand new Piston Peak Nationwide Park space of Frontierland, amongst many different issues.
Along with explaining this, Imagineers shared video of the Automobiles miniland mannequin and a fly-through across the perimeter of the land in order that we might see for ourselves how the brand new space would mesh with the present Magic Kingdom. All collectively, this painted an image of how the Tom Sawyer Island and Rivers of America alternative will take form, bringing the land into sharper focus than previously-released particulars at D23 and idea artwork launched shortly thereafter.
At the moment, Walt Disney World additionally launched the Piston Peak Enjoyable Map. Within the middle of that is Ranger Headquarters constructing that would be the queue for the household enjoyable attraction. That is what we’re assuming is a flat trip, given area constraints.
We identified again then that the household enjoyable attraction itself will not be pictured on the Enjoyable Map. It was additionally blurred out within the mannequin and fly-through we noticed. On the time, we famous that it was attention-grabbing that Disney was being so secretive about what was seemingly only a flat trip. We assumed it was as a result of they hadn’t settled on a trip system but. That wasn’t the purpose of any of the Piston Peak stuff, so we didn’t actually dwell on it.
At present’s improvement now gives one other clarification: that Disney didn’t wish to inadvertently reveal the topic of a pending patent utility, so out of an abundance of warning, they each blurred out the trip within the fly-through video and saved it off the Enjoyable Map. I nonetheless assume the latter is a bit curious, particularly because the Enjoyable Map is very stylized, however I might see Disney Authorized insisting upon it. And because the complete level of that was placemaking and never a trip reveal, not many followers seen.
Personally, I’m inclined to purchase the ‘preserving the patent’s secrecy’ clarification and wager that the brand new patent considerations the household enjoyable flat trip versus the E-Ticket. That explains the radio silence on that secondary attraction regardless of updates on the headliner, though it’s amusing that the trip system is so versatile that it could possibly be plausibly utilized for both attraction–or each!
Past that, I’m skeptical that the E-Ticket would use this trip system, because it appears like it will be prominently seen from exterior the attraction. Maybe it is a failure of creativeness on my half, however the Automobiles E-Ticket goes to be an out of doors, kinetic factor that weaves all through the land, seen from all angles.
I’d be very stunned if Imagineering used an obtrusive trip system provided that alone. They’ll most likely wish to reduce the trip system’s look to the best extent attainable, which is why I had beforehand assumed trackless could be the way in which to go together with this.
In the end, it’ll be attention-grabbing to see the place (or whether or not) this new articulating arm trip system finally ends up getting used. Piston Peak is the plain candidate, and between the timing of the patent, its illustrations and clarification matching a Automobiles implementation, and the way in which that Imagineering has shrouded the second trip in secrecy…that makes essentially the most sense to me.
The most definitely candidate past that’s nothing in any respect. One of many massive causes we don’t normally cowl patents is as a result of there’s a sky-high pile of them which have by no means been carried out anyplace. In actual fact, that’s sometimes how this performs out. Followers get excited in regards to the potentialities and potential of a patent…after which crickets. All of us neglect about it, the patent collects mud, rinse and repeat when the subsequent patent is filed.
I actually don’t assume that’ll be the case right here, and that we are going to see this articulating arm trip system in Piston Peak Nationwide Park. Maybe Disney will “make up” for the patents accumulating mud through the use of this for each Automobiles rides, however the household one enjoyable appears extra seemingly. And that ought to make for a reasonably compelling flat trip!
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YOUR THOUGHTS
What do you consider this articulating arm trip system? Anticipate it for use in Piston Peak at Magic Kingdom? If that’s the case, on which of the 2 sights–or each?! Do you assume the Automobiles E-Ticket can be tracked or trackless? Do you agree or disagree with our assessments? Any questions we may help you reply? Listening to your suggestions–even whenever you disagree with us–is each attention-grabbing to us and useful to different readers, so please share your ideas under within the feedback!
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