Big Thunder Mountain

The original Big Thunder Mountain at Disneyland in California was perhaps the most expensive coaster ever built when it opened in 1979.  Although the ride itself is not abnormally expensive, the massive fake mountain and special effects add up to a price tag that Disney sources say pushed $100,000,000!

This particular Big Thunder Mountain coaster was the third of the four to open.  Since a lot of its design was copied from the previous two versions in America, the expenses related to creating the design were a lot less than the original ride.  But the complexities of the fake mountain, the fake animals, the fake plants, the special effects, and the structural requirements to deal with Japan's earthquakes all combined to make this coaster a very expensive ride.

©2022 Joel A. Rogers.