Disney got into the roller coaster business in 1959, when it opened Matterhorn Bobsleds at Disneyland. Check that, Disney created the modern coaster industry when it opened the Matterhorn in 1959.
Created with Arrow Development, the Matterhorn was the world's first tubular steel tracked roller coaster - a design innovation that enabled coasters to twist and turn in all sorts of fresh directions. But Disney sat out the roller coaster revolution that it launched. Disney did not open another coaster until 1975's Space Mountain at Walt Disney World. And it did not open another outdoor roller coaster until 1979's Big Thunder Mountain Railroad at Disneyland.
That was the first of four Thunder Mountains that Disney opened around the world, with Magic Kingdom, Tokyo Disneyland and Disneyland Paris following, from 1979 to 1992. Since then, Disney has opened two dozen other roller coasters around the world, with varying themes and designs. Disney even created other themes for "mine train" coasters with its Indiana Jones et le Temple du Péril and Raging Spirits coasters in Paris and Tokyo, its Seven Dwarfs Mine Train in Orlando and Shanghai, and a "tea train" coaster with Expedition Everest in Disney's Animal Kingdom.
Disney returned to Big Thunder's concept of a mine train set in the U.S. west with Big Grizzly Mountain Runaway Mine Cars, which opened at Hong Kong Disneyland in 2012. This custom Vekoma coaster plusses the Big Thunder concept, adding Animatronics to the show and a "cable snap" backward drop to the ride. It's my favorite of all the "Big Thunder" coasters and my favorite family roller coaster from Disney.
So what about the rest of the Big Thunder Mountains? Big Thunder Mountain at Disneyland Paris gets the most love from fans and deservedly so. Set on the island in the middle of Frontierland's Rivers of the Far West, Paris' Thunder Mountain offers wonderful views of that river and the surrounding town of Thunder Mesa. High-speed tunnels at the beginning and end of the ride ship guests under the river to and from the island, extending the adventure.
After Paris, I love the original installation, at Disneyland in California. Thunder originally was designed to be part of the Western River Expedition experience at Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom. When Disney canceled that project in favor of building another Pirates of the Caribbean ride for Florida, the plans for the roller coaster segment of Western River became Big Thunder in Anaheim. The two coasters are mirror images of each other, with otherwise subtle variations. An earthquake destroyed the town of Rainbow Ridge in Anaheim, while a flash flood took out the town of Tumbleweed in Florida.
Disneyland also has an enhanced show scene in its final hill tunnel, though Walt Disney World promises "new magic" on its Thunder Mountain when the ride returns this spring after an extended rebuild. But the Florida installation will lose the Rivers of America views that it enjoyed before Disney drained and bulldozed that attraction this year.
So score Walt Disney World's installation with an asterisk and put it at the bottom of the list, for now. That leaves us with the Tokyo Disneyland installation, which mostly follows Florida's layout, with the addition of a high speed tunnel after the final lift. Ultimately, the better between Anaheim and Tokyo is whichever one I am on now, but until Florida's reopens, I would rank these three as Anaheim, Tokyo and then Orlando.
Previously: Which is the best version of Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean ride? and Take Manors over Mansions for Disney's haunted house rides
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I've said this before and I'll say it again... Big Grizzly Mountain at HK Disneyland is absolutely fantastic. It's IP less which gives it that old school Disney park vibe. The animatronics are neat, the "surprise" midway through the ride is fun and it's quite lengthy and provides the best thrills of the Big Thunders mentioned here. A top 3 Disney ride anywhere in the world for me. (I haven't been to Paris or Shanghai)