For months the buzz around how the new technology (that acts much like a high-powered air hockey table) would help usher this old school ride into present day excited us all. Until you rode it.
Sadly, the Flying Tires were not the easiest thing to control since they involve such a specific form of use. The instructions given to “lean” in the direction you want to go didn’t work very well. I personally had a very hard time getting them to move and I wasn’t the only one.
Today, the Disney Parks blog officially announced that Luigi’s Flying Tires will have the same fate as its predecessor and is scheduled to close on February 16th. It will re-open in 2016 with a new ride system (concept art below) and a new experience. From the concept art it looks like “Autopia Unleashed”.
Did you enjoy Luigi’s Flying Tires? Are you sad or glad to see it go? Leave your thoughts below. Also, if you have any pics of yourself on this ride post them using #PodketeersLuigi and tag us (@Podketeers) so that we can repost them.
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I am sad to see the Flying Tires go. I guess I was one of the few people who had success navigating my hover-tire with lean control. I admit that I skipped this ride the first two times I visited Radiator Springs because it looked rather boring, but once I tried it I had a pretty fun time.
On the flip side, I am very excited about their concept for the replacement ride. As I understand it they are going to be utilizing and trackless, laser-guided ride system first introduced in the Ratatouille ride at Disneyland Paris. Riders in little Italian cars will be “danced” around the plaza like the scene in Cars 2 that takes place in Luigi’s home town. My only concern is that if the movement of the “dancing” is too cyclical and predictable in it’s pattern it will feel too similar to Mater’s Junkyard Jamboree. But I have no doubt it’ll be entertaining in any case.
In episode 34 we talked a little about this. I mentioned that the concept art looks like “Autopia Unleashed”. It’s going to be interesting to see how it’s implemented considering the limited space that is available. My fear is that that it’ll just be like bumper cars.