“Make it a stretch. No, in fact, make it a super stretch.”
Welcome back to our bi-weekly look at some of our favorite roller coasters that are celebrating their 20th anniversary this year, conveniently entitled “19 for 99.” This week, we’re going to “Walk This Way” to the fictional G-Force Records at Disney’s Hollywood Studios as we look at Rock ‘N’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith.
Photo: Walt Disney World
When the Sunset Boulevard area of Disney’s Hollywood Studios was being developed, there were 7 areas for attraction development, including the Hollywood Tower Hotel (Twilight Zone Tower of Terror), Theater of the Stars (Beauty & The Beast: Live on Stage), and Hollywood Hills Amphitheater (Fantasmic!). One of the plots of land was designated for a roller coaster, which would later become the Rock N Roller Coaster.
photo: Pinterest
photo: Reddit
Construction began in February 1998, and the track was completed by June of that year. Following completion of the track, the coaster was fully enclosed. Manufactured by Vekoma, Rock N Roller Coaster would be the first roller coaster at any Disney park to have multiple inversions. (It has three, in total.)
photo: WDWMagic.com
Rumor has it that Disney originally wanted the Rolling Stones to provide the soundtrack for the attraction, but it was deemed that their price tag was too expensive, and Disney went with Aerosmith as the more affordable option.
photo: wdwmagic.com
After soft openings in June 1999, Rock ‘N’ Roller Coaster held its grand opening on July 29, 1999, and Aerosmith themselves were on-hand for the opening.
There is a 40′ tall replica electric guitar outside of the ride’s entrance.
The coaster’s pre-show features Aerosmith “in the studio” recording a song, before their band manager (played by actress Illeana Douglas) comes into the studio and tells the band that they’re late for a their upcoming concert. The band starts to leave towards their waiting limousine, not not before Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler and guitarist Joe Perry insist that they bring the visitors along for the ride. Douglas gets on the phone, and requests another stretch limo.
Photo: TouringPlans
Riders are then taken into a second queue area, themed loosely to a parking garage, where their “super-stretch” limos await. Featuring 12 rows of 2 seats, each limousine-themed coaster train holds 24 passengers. At any given time, there are 5 “super-stretch” limos in the fleet, each with their own unique license plate: 1QKLIMO, UGOBABE, BUHBYE, H8TRFFC, and 2FAST4U.
Photo: Walt Disney World
And it wouldn’t be called “Rock ‘N’ Roller Coaster” without a little music, right? There are more than 900 speakers in use throughout the attraction, including 5 in each seat — 4 near the riders heads, and a subwoofer under the seat. Depending on your limousine, your soundtrack for the ride will vary, and could feature Aerosmith classics like: “Nine Lives,” “Sweet Emotion, ”Dude Looks Like a Lady,” and “Love in an Elevator,” which has been rerecorded to reflect the new lyrics of “Love in a Roller Coaster.”
Photo: Pinterest
As you roll out of the station and make a 90-degree left turn onto the launch track, the audio kicks in. A DJ (originally voiced by Classic Rock DJ Joe Benson, and currently voiced by Bill St. James) comes over the speakers to talk about the upcoming Aerosmith Concert, and riders are launched from 0-57mph in 2.8 seconds using Linear Synchronous Motors (LSMs) across 200′ of launch track, almost immediately into a half loop of a double inversion, also known as a Serpent Roll. The name “G-Force Records” isn’t just a clever roller coaster pun, as riders will pull 4.5 Gs in this first element.
The “super-stretch” roller coaster trains continue through the 3,403′ of track, mostly in the dark, passing multiple neon signs (designed as road signs), and banked turns along their route. After a final inversion (a corkscrew), and an airtime hill, the passengers arrive at the concert’s VIP entrance a mere 82 seconds after starting their journey. (This is just a clever of way of saying “walking a red carpet and exiting through the gift shop.”)
Photo: Flickr
“When you’ve toured the world as much as we have, it’s a real thrill to find a new audience,” Tyler told Jamie J. Anderson of the Orlando Sentinel in 1999. “Coming up with a soundtrack for this Disney ride really brought the kid out in all of us and has given us a the opportunity to play audio gymnastics with our music.”
Rock ‘N’ Roller Coaster proved to be a hit at Walt Disney World, and was a “cheaper” option than many of their previous “E-Ticket” attractions.
In the 1999 Annual Report for the Walt Disney Company, then-Chairman and CEO of TWDC Michael Eisner was quoted as saying: “The Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster utilized technology acquired from an outside vendor, which we combined with Disney storytelling to create a completely unique thrill ride for roughly half the amount that we have spent for other “E” ticket rides in the past. [It is] awesome…aggressive and loud and scary…and the teenager in me immediately wanted to do it again!”
(It’s also worth noting that when the attraction opened in 1999, one-day tickets for the park then known as Disney-MGM Studios were $46.64 for adults and $37.10 for ages 3-9!)
photo: Attractions Magazine
In 2002, the Walt Disney Company built an identical Rock ‘N’ Roller Coaster at the Disney Studios Park at Disneyland Paris Resort. The track is the identical, but the queue and theme are completely different. In September 2019, it will close and be re-themed as an Iron Man roller coaster as part of Disney Studios Paris’ Marvel expansion.
If you’re looking to ride Rock ‘N’ Roller Coaster today, it still commands long waits. I highly recommend securing a Fastpass+ Reservation, or if you’re willing to take your chances, utilize the attraction’s single rider line!
Take a virtual ride on Rock ‘N’ Roller Coaster below!
And for more information, be sure to check out this video that features concept art and construction photos from Martin’s Vids!
Have you rocked out to Aerosmith on Rock ‘N’ Roller Coaster? Let us know in the comments below, and come back in two weeks as we take a look at another “19 for 99” coaster!
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