Silly Symphony Swings
Silly Symphony Swings is a wave swinger attraction in Paradise Gardens Park at the Disneyland Resort in California. Themed to Disney's 1935 short film The Band Concert, Mickey Mouse conducts from high atop the attraction, synchronized with the music.[1] Although The Band Concert was not part of the Silly Symphonies film series, the name was applied to the attraction as a result of its symphony storyline.[2] Closely following the plot of The Band Concert the main column of the ride rises, revealing a tornado which spins the riders to the tune of the William Tell Overture and William Tell's "Storm". Once the tornado safely passes, the music comes to an end and the ride slows and lowers riders to the ground. It is speculated that the new voice of the Silly Symphony Swings is that of the fictitious Mr. Tinkershmidt, the supposed new owner of Paradise Pier. Tinkershmidt and the Silly Symphony Swings update was part of the multi-year, $1.1 billion (US) expansion plan for Disney's California Adventure Park.[3] Previews of the attraction were offered at California Adventure's Walt Disney Imagineering Blue Sky Cellar.
| Silly Symphony Swings | |
|---|---|
 View of the attraction as seen from Paradise Park | |
| Disney California Adventure | |
| Area | Paradise Gardens Park |
| Status | Operating |
| Soft opening date | May 28, 2010 |
| Opening date | June 11, 2010 |
| Replaced | Orange Stinger |
| General statistics | |
| Attraction type | Wave Swinger |
| Manufacturer | Zierer |
| Designer | Walt Disney Imagineering |
| Music | William Tell Overture |
| Height | 40 ft (12 m) |
| Vehicle type | Chairs |
| Vehicles | 48 |
| Riders per vehicle | 1 |
| Duration | 1:30 |
| Height restriction | 40 in (102 cm) |
 Single rider line available | |
The attraction soft-opened on May 28, 2010, an official grand opening on June 11, 2010.[4]
Previous attraction history
The Orange Stinger, the predecessor of Silly Symphony Swings, is a Zierer Wave Swinger enclosed in a large orange themed as bees. The ride opened to the public on February 8, 2001, and operated until July 14, 2009. Riders swung on suspended seats inside the enclosure which offered views of nearby Paradise Pier and Paradise Bay through large openings in the walls. These openings were made to look like peeled sections of an orange peel. The original bumblebee seats were removed on February 10, 2001 due to damage during use. After removal, the seats were unthemed swing seats. Initially an orange scent effect was introduced into the attraction giving it the smell of a "real" orange, but was later removed because it attracted real bees.
The giant orange was a tribute to the orange fields that Disneyland was built on, as well as Orange County, where the Disneyland Resort is located.
References
- "Silly Symphony Swings". Retrieved January 18, 2018.
- "The Encyclopedia of Disney animated shorts". Index - B. Archived from the original on 21 September 2010. Retrieved 12 September 2010.
- "2007-2012 California Adventure Expansion and Renovation". duchessofdisneyland.com.
- "Silly Symphony Swings Grand Opening". Forum. MouseInfo.com. Retrieved 12 September 2010.