Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith

Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith is an enclosed, launched roller coaster located at Disney's Hollywood Studios within Walt Disney World. Manufactured by Vekoma, the roller coaster opened to the public on July 29, 1999. It uses linear motor electromagnetic technology for acceleration, which propels riders from 0 to 57 mph (92 km/h) in 2.8 seconds. Riders experience up to 5 Gs and travel through three inversions, which include a sea serpent roll and a corkscrew. The attraction also features recorded music as well as appearances from the well-known rock band Aerosmith.

This article is about the roller coaster at Disney's Hollywood Studios theme park. For the roller coaster formerly at Opryland, see Rock n' Roller Coaster (Opryland).
Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith
A large, red Fender Stratocaster on display outside the attraction in Florida
Disney's Hollywood Studios
Park sectionSunset Boulevard
Coordinates28°21′33.9″N 81°33′38.5″W
StatusOperating
Opening dateJuly 29, 1999 (1999-07-29)
Single rider line available
Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith at Disney's Hollywood Studios at RCDB
Pictures of Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith at Disney's Hollywood Studios at RCDB
Walt Disney Studios Park
NameRock 'n' Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith
Park sectionBacklot
Coordinates48.864850°N 2.779931°E / 48.864850; 2.779931
StatusUnder construction
Opening dateMarch 16, 2002 (2002-03-16)
SponsorGibson
Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith at Walt Disney Studios Park at RCDB
Pictures of Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith at Walt Disney Studios Park at RCDB
General statistics
TypeSteel – Enclosed – Launched
ManufacturerVekoma
DesignerWalt Disney Imagineering
ModelLSM Coaster
Lift/launch systemLSM launch
Height80 ft (24 m)
Length3,403 ft (1,037 m)
Speed57 mph (92 km/h)
Inversions3
Duration1:22
Capacity1,800 riders per hour
Acceleration0 to 57 mph (0 to 92 km/h) in 2.8 seconds
G-force5
Height restriction48 in (122 cm)
Trains5 trains with 6 cars. Riders are arranged 2 across in 2 rows for a total of 24 riders per train.
Fastpass available
FastPass+ available
Must transfer from wheelchair

A second installation with an identical track layout opened as Rock 'n' Roller Coaster avec Aerosmith at Walt Disney Studios Park within Disneyland Paris on March 16, 2002. It closed on September 2, 2019, for a planned renovation that will be themed to Iron Man and The Avengers.[1][2]

History

Construction began in February 1998.[3] Disney-MGM Studios (currently Disney's Hollywood Studios) announced later in the year that the ride would be named Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith. The ride was set to open in 1999 for the park's 10th anniversary.[4]

Soft opening cast member previews began in June 1999.[3] The following month,[5] the attraction held its grand opening on July 29 with a special, invitation-only party featuring Aerosmith as the guests of honor.[6] Winners were taken to the park, in stretch limousines and received complimentary meals.[7] After a special performance by painter Denny Dent, winners received the chance to ride the roller coaster with one of the Aerosmith band members. A picture from the special event is on display near the exit of the ride.

In each train, there are a total of 120 speakers. There are five surrounding each rider, consisting of two mid-range speakers, two tweeters, and a subwoofer placed under the seat.[8] The Walt Disney Studios Park version of the ride opened on March 16, 2002.[9] It features the same track layout as the Walt Disney World installation, but the theme and line queue are different.[10] In 2007, the queue was modified to accommodate single riders in addition to FASTPASS.

The Walt Disney Studios Park location

On December 17, 2015, the Hollywood Studios location hosted a special event to promote the release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens. The queue line featured Star Wars movie posters, the Aerosmith pre-show was disabled and the speakers played music from the film.[11] The same Star Wars overlay would also occur on April 14, 2017.[12]

In 2017, the Hollywood Studios location received new television screens mounted in spaces prior to the boarding area. They show loading and safety tips in an effort to reduce boarding time.[13] In addition, the exterior of the main ride building was given a new coat of paint.[14]

It was announced at the 2018 D23 Expo in Japan that the Walt Disney Studios Park variation of the ride will be closing for a complete theme change to the Iron Man and Avengers franchise.[2] After more than 18 years of operation, the Disneyland Paris installation officially closed for the planned renovation on September 2, 2019.[15]

The Hollywood Studios location was closed indefinitely due to technical issues in January 2021.[16] On January 6, 2021, it eventually reopened after a refurbishment.[17]

Ride experience

The pre-show of the attraction was modified over time. The most recent version features band member Joe Perry asking Chris, the Disney cast member in the pre-show, to grab his black Les Paul guitar. The cast member in the pre-show area then proceeds to pick up and remove a black guitar signed by Joe Perry from the set. The pre-show film also includes a roadie saying "Hey Joe, I'll get it for ya" in the background as a backup, in the event that a cast member is not available to participate.

Disney's Hollywood Studios

As guests enter the line queue, they walk into a high-ceiling circular room themed to a fictional record label called G-Force Records. Walls are decorated with ceiling-high guitars and digital posters of Hollywood Records artists, and the floor depicts a giant record. These digital posters sometimes display guests' names as recording artists, accomplished by short-range RFID scanners that read their MagicBands.[18] Also on display to guests is a small exhibit of recording instruments in the stand-by queue.

As part of the pre-show experience, guests are asked to wait outside the doors of Studio C. Different musical instruments can be heard being played in Studio B during a rehearsal. As guests enter Studio C, Aerosmith is working on an instrumental recording of "Walk This Way" with a sound engineer. The band greets the guests as their manager walks in interrupting, telling the band they're running late to a scheduled show. As the band gets ready to depart Steven Tyler stops and says they can't leave the guests behind. Joe Perry and the rest of the band agree, as the manager sarcastically replies, "Well, guys, what do you expect me to do? Send them all with you?" Steven pauses and says, "Wait a minute. I love that idea. How about some backstage passes?" The manager reluctantly agrees and makes a phone call ordering a "super stretch" limo, calling it a "really fast car" that will take everyone across town to the show. The limo that Aerosmith boarded in the background peels out, leaving their manager behind to her disappointment. As the scene ends, "Walk This Way" resumes playing but this time with vocals. Guests are permitted to exit the pre-show area and enter the alley. They then walk into the Lock 'n' Roll parking garage, where they board the train. There are some overhead safety signs that are shaped like electric guitars. The last sign pays tribute to Elvis Presley with a "thank you vera much" quote.[19]

Walt Disney Studios Park

The former Paris version was similar, except guests entered a building themed to the fictional Tour de Force Records. The story focused on Aerosmith, working with engineers, creating a revolutionary new music experience at the Tour De Force Records studios. After watching the pre-show which features Aerosmith's Steven Tyler hyping up the ride, guests were lured into the testing area where they boarded one of five Soundtrackers, the prototype vehicles for the new experience.

On-ride

As the ride vehicle leaves the boarding station, Bill St. James, the radio DJ for LA's Classic Rock Station, begins a short commentary, usually followed by a traffic report in the surrounding area where Aerosmith's concert is taking place. The limo stops in front of a highway tunnel where a highway sign flashes humorous messages like: "Traffic bug you? Then STEP on it!". (In the Paris version, instead of guests being taken on the Los Angeles freeways, the Paris version is based around an Aerosmith music video.) Building up anticipation, seconds before the limo is launched, Steven Tyler counts down from five, launching the limo from 0 to 57 mph (92 km/h) in less than 2.8 seconds at "one!". As the limo enters the tunnel the on-ride photo is taken and a selection of Aerosmith songs play.

After a long straightway, the limo proceeds to do a Roll Over (sea serpent) roll, which is a two inversion element,[20] and then some less intense maneuvers. During the ride, there are neon signs on the side of the track, designed to mimic road signs; in the Paris version, lighting rigs, projectors, strobes, and smoke effects are used in place of the road signs that exist in the U.S. version. The limo continues along the track, until it reaches the third and final inversion, a corkscrew and ending the ride with a humpback. The limo proceeds to the VIP backstage area, where guests exit through the red carpet towards the on-ride photo screens at the gift shop.

Soundtrack
The giant red Fender Stratocaster outside of the Disney Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster at night
The garage sign in the ride's load area

Disney's Hollywood Studios

Walt Disney Imagineering worked with Aerosmith to produce a special soundtrack for the roller coaster. Each coaster train features different Aerosmith songs, some containing some new lyrics written specifically for the attraction; for example, Love in an Elevator is sung as "Love in a roller coaster".

There is a 6th limo in the fleet that has no license plate and is always "in refurbishment." The vehicles are rotated in and out of use after a period of many thousands of laps around the track. However, the maintenance teams will switch out the plate and add the proper song to the new vehicle every time a rotation is made. The ride formerly featured Uncle Joe Benson, a well-known Los Angeles rock radio DJ, as the station's DJ. Bill St. James, former host of ABC Radio's Flashback, currently provides his own voice as the DJ of "LA's Classic Rock Station."

Walt Disney Studios Park

The vehicles in Paris were called "Soundtrackers" instead of limousines. A unique aspect of the Walt Disney Studios version is that each Soundtracker had its own theme. There were five different lightshows and five different soundtracks, one for each Soundtracker. The themes were as follows:

  • Soundtracker 1: green lightshow theme; played "Back In The Saddle" and "Dude Looks Like A Lady".
  • Soundtracker 2: purple lightshow theme; played "Young Lust," "F.I.N.E." and "Love In An Elevator."
  • Soundtracker 3: multicolour lightshow theme; played "Love In An Elevator" and "Walk This Way."
  • Soundtracker 4: red/yellow lightshow theme; played "Nine Lives."
  • Soundtracker 5: blue lightshow theme; played "Sweet Emotion (live)."

The minimum height at Parc Walt Disney Studios was 1.2 metres (47 inches).
The ride opened on March 16th, 2002 and was closed on September 2nd, 2019.

Hidden Mickeys
Main article: Hidden Mickey
  • Attraction's exterior
    • A pattern of hidden Mickeys on Steven Tyler's shirt on the poster in the attraction's exterior.
    • Joe Perry's medallion on the poster in the attraction's exterior is a hidden Mickey.
  • Queue
    • Two in the tile mosaic in the rotunda before the recording studio near the marble doors.
    • In the small exhibit on recording history.
  • Pre-show
    • The carpet of Studio C has a pattern of hidden Mickeys.
    • On a small chalkboard in the bottom right corner of the sound room.
    • On the ground, formed by three coils of wire in the sound room.
    • After leaving the pre-show, to the right, before exiting to the ride area.
  • Ride
    • On each limo's license plates, in place of each "Expiration Date".
    • On the track, one found on a yellow sign behind a red limo, two on the ground in the cityscape.

See also

References
  1. "Disneyland Paris reveals new image of Marvel-themed area coming to Walt Disney Studios Park". news.disneylandparis.com. Disney. Retrieved 2 September 2019.
  2. "Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith at Walt Disney Studios Park to Receive Marvel Transformation". Disney Parks Blog. February 11, 2018. Retrieved February 12, 2018.
  3. Anderson, Jamie J. (July 23, 1999). "Wild ride of music and speed". The Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved January 30, 2018 – via Newspapers.com .
  4. "Roller coaster rides new-attraction wave". The Orlando Sentinel. April 22, 1998. Retrieved October 29, 2020 – via Newspapers.com .
  5. Abbott, Jim (July 30, 1999). "Aerosmith rocks, new coaster rolls". The Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved January 30, 2018 – via Newspapers.com .
  6. "Best bets". The Orlando Sentinel. July 30, 1999. Retrieved January 30, 2018 – via Newspapers.com .
  7. "WHTQ Rock n Roller Coaster Featuring Aerosmith - Photo Gallery". 96.5 WHTQ. Archived from the original on December 2, 2000. Retrieved January 30, 2018.
  8. Thomas, Mike (August 1, 1999). "Episode I: The Coaster Wars". Restless Native. The Orlando Sentinel - Florida Magazine. Retrieved January 30, 2018. Under your seat is a giant woofer. Surrounding you but unseen are two mid-range speakers and two tweeters. So you get five speakers blasting you with concert-quality sound.
  9. "Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith". D23. August 10, 2017. Retrieved February 12, 2018.
  10. Marden, Duane. "Rock 'n' Roller Coaster  (Disneyland Paris)". Roller Coaster DataBase.
  11. "Star Wars takes over Rock 'n' Roller Coaster at Disney's Hollywood Studios for one night only".
  12. "Full Schedule and List of Events Released for Star Wars Galactic Nights; Rock 'N' Roller Coaster Overlay Returns".
  13. "PHOTOS, VIDEO: New Safety Pre-Show at Rock 'N' Roller Coaster".
  14. "PHOTOS: Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Gravity Building Being Repainted For New Lands".
  15. Tuttle, Brittani (February 1, 2019). "Disneyland Paris announces closing date for Rock 'n' Roller Coaster". Attractions Magazine. Retrieved June 10, 2020.
  16. "Rock 'N' Roller Coaster Remains Closed Indefinitely at Disney's Hollywood Studios".
  17. "Rock 'N' Roller Coaster Now Open After Days of Closure".
  18. McCabe, Adam (April 19, 2016). "Rock 'n' Roller Coaster introduces personalized rock posters at Walt Disney World". Retrieved 21 October 2016.
  19. "7 Facts And Secrets About The Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith".
  20. "Rock 'n' Roller Coaster - Walt Disney World - Disney's Hollywood Studios (Lake Buena Vista, Florida, USA)". rcdb.com. Retrieved 2016-02-03.
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