A Disney park was forced to evacuate one of its most popular rides over the weekend, just days before shuttering the roller coaster for several months.
Disney is hardly short of iconic attractions, but Big Thunder Mountain Railroad is arguably up there with the best of the bunch. First opened at Disneyland Park in 1979, the family roller coaster – which takes guests on “The Wildest Ride in the Wilderness” – proved popular enough to later debut at three additional Disney parks.
Now found at Disneyland Park, Magic Kingdom Park, Tokyo Disneyland, and Disneyland Paris, the ride’s best version (in our opinion, at least) can be found at the latter.
This version offers a more thrilling experience than the others, complete with its unique backstory and an underground segment—when it’s running, that is.
TikTok Captures Thunder Mountain Evacuation
As of January 6, Disneyland Paris has closed Thunder Mountain for refurbishment. Just two days before this closure, however, the ride was forced to carry out a total evacuation.
Caught on camera by TikToker @hattyhaunts, all guests were removed from the ride by Disneyland Paris cast members.
Big Thunder Mountain was evacuated today 4th Jan 2025 at Disneyland Paris. It was down for most of the day and is due to close on the 6th Jan for several months for repairs. Guests can be seen being helped over the tracks in order to get out safely. Props to the cast members who seemed to pull it off seamlessly!
@hattyhaunts Big Thunder Mountain was evacuated today 4th Jan 2025 at Disneyland Paris. It was down for most of the day and is due to close on the 6th Jan for several months for repairs. Guests can be seen being helped over the tracks in order to get out safely. Props to the cast members who seemed to pull it off seamlessly! #disney #disneylandparis #bigthundermountain #fyp #disneyland
Frontierland Left Barren
As per other TikTok users, the ride experienced issues through January 4 and January 5 before it closed for its planned multi-month refurbishment (which seems extremely well-timed) on January 6. Big Thunder Mountain Railroad is currently slated to reopen in the summer.
Aside from Thunder Mountain, Frontierland’s only attractions at Disneyland Paris are Phantom Manor (Paris’ version of Haunted Manor) and Thunder Mesa Riverboat Landing. However, the latter is now also closed for refurbishment, with no reopening date announced as of yet.
This leaves two-thirds of Frontierland’s rides off-limits to all guests for the foreseeable future.
Magic Kingdom Also Closes Its Thunder Mountain
Over at Walt Disney World, another version of Thunder Mountain also closed on January 6.
Unlike Disneyland Paris, Florida’s roller coaster isn’t expected to reopen until 2026. Rumors have suggested that the ride will receive a total retrack during its closure, ultimately making the experience smoother for guests.
Disney has claimed that the ride will feature “a little bit of new magic” when it does return to Frontierland.
What’s your favorite version of Big Thunder Mountain Railroad?
