Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith |
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A large, red Fender Stratocaster on display outside the attraction in Florida
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| Disney's Hollywood Studios | |
| Park section | Sunset Boulevard |
| Coordinates | 28°21′33.9″N 81°33′38.5″W / 28.359417°N 81.560694°W |
| Status | Operating |
| Opening date | July 29, 1999 |
 Single rider line available |
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| at at RCDB | |
| Walt Disney Studios Park | |
| Park section | Backlot |
| Coordinates | 48°51′53″N 2°46′48″E / 48.864850°N 2.779931°E |
| Status | Under construction |
| Opening date | March 16, 2002 |
| General statistics | |
| Type | Steel – Enclosed – Launched |
| Manufacturer | Vekoma |
| Designer | Walt Disney Imagineering |
| Model | LSM Coaster |
| Lift/launch system | LSM launch |
| Height | 80 ft (24 m) |
| Length | 3,403 ft (1,037 m) |
| Speed | 57 mph (92 km/h) |
| Inversions | 3 |
| Duration | 1:22 |
| Capacity | 1,800 riders per hour |
| Acceleration | 0 to 57 mph (0 to 92 km/h) in 2.8 seconds |
| G-force | 5 |
| Height restriction | 48 in (122 cm) |
| Trains | 5 trains with 6 cars. Riders are arranged 2 across in 2 rows for a total of 24 riders per train. |
 Fastpass available |
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 FastPass+ available |
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 Must transfer from wheelchair |
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The Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith is an exciting indoor launched roller coaster. You can find it at Disney's Hollywood Studios in Walt Disney World in Florida. This thrilling ride was built by Vekoma and first opened on July 29, 1999.
What makes it special? It uses powerful magnets to launch you! Riders go from 0 to 57 miles per hour (92 km/h) in less than three seconds. You'll feel up to 5 Gs, which is like feeling five times your own weight! The coaster also has three upside-down sections, including a cool sea serpent roll and a corkscrew. Plus, you get to listen to music from the famous rock band Aerosmith during your ride.
There was a second version of this ride, called Rock 'n' Roller Coaster avec Aerosmith. It opened at Walt Disney Studios Park in Disneyland Paris on March 16, 2002. This version had the same track layout. However, it closed on September 2, 2019. It is being changed to a new theme featuring Iron Man and The Avengers.
Contents
History of the Rock 'n' Roller Coaster
Construction for the roller coaster started in February 1998. Disney-MGM Studios, now known as Disney's Hollywood Studios, announced the ride's name later that year. It was planned to open in 1999, just in time for the park's 10th anniversary celebration.
The ride had special previews for park staff in June 1999. The grand opening happened on July 29, 1999. It was a big party with Aerosmith as the special guests. Winners of a contest were driven to the park in fancy limousines. They also got free meals and a chance to ride the coaster with a band member. A photo from this exciting event is still on display near the ride's exit.
The version of the ride at Walt Disney Studios Park opened on March 16, 2002. It has the same track as the Florida ride. However, the waiting area and overall theme were a bit different. In 2007, the queue line was changed to allow single riders. This means people riding alone could get on the ride faster.
In 2017, the Hollywood Studios ride got some updates. New TV screens were added before the boarding area. These screens show safety tips to help people get on the ride quicker. The outside of the ride building also got a fresh coat of paint.
At the 2018 D23 Expo in Japan, Disney announced big news for the Paris ride. It would close to be completely re-themed to Iron Man and the Avengers. After more than 18 years, the Paris ride closed on September 2, 2019, for this big change.
The Hollywood Studios ride had to close for a short time in January 2021 due to technical problems. But it reopened on January 6, 2021, after being fixed up.
Your Ride Experience
The story before you get on the ride has changed a bit over time. In the most recent version, band member Joe Perry asks a Disney staff member to get his black Les Paul guitar. The staff member then picks up a black guitar signed by Joe Perry.
Waiting in Line
Disney's Hollywood Studios Queue
When you enter the line, you step into a large, round room. It looks like the office of a made-up record company called G-Force Records. The walls are covered with tall guitars and digital posters of famous artists. The floor looks like a giant record. Sometimes, your name might even appear on these digital posters! You can also see a small display of music instruments in the waiting area.
As part of the pre-show, you wait outside Studio C. You can hear music being played in Studio B, like a band practicing. When you enter Studio C, you see Aerosmith working on a song with a sound engineer. The band greets you, but their manager rushes in. She tells them they are late for a show.
Steven Tyler from Aerosmith then says they can't leave you behind. The rest of the band agrees. The manager jokingly asks, "What do you expect me to do? Send them all with you?" Steven gets an idea: "How about some backstage passes?" The manager agrees, but not happily. She calls for a "super stretch" limo, saying it's a "really fast car" to take everyone to the show. Aerosmith gets into their limo and speeds off, leaving their manager behind. The song "Walk This Way" then starts playing with vocals. After this, you walk into the Lock 'n' Roll parking garage to board your ride vehicle. You'll see safety signs shaped like electric guitars. One sign even says "thank you vera much," a nod to Elvis Presley.
Former Walt Disney Studios Park Queue
The Paris version of the ride had a similar story. Guests entered a building that looked like "Tour de Force Records." The story was about Aerosmith creating a new music experience. After the pre-show, guests boarded one of five "Soundtrackers." These were the special vehicles for the new experience.
On the Ride
As your ride vehicle, a "super stretch limo," leaves the station, a radio DJ starts talking. He gives a quick traffic report about the area where Aerosmith's concert is happening. The limo stops in front of a highway tunnel. A sign flashes funny messages like "Traffic bug you? Then STEP on it!"
Just before the launch, Steven Tyler counts down from five. At "one!", the limo blasts off! You go from 0 to 57 mph (92 km/h) in less than 2.8 seconds. As you enter the tunnel, your on-ride photo is taken. A selection of Aerosmith songs starts playing loudly.
After a straight section, the limo goes through a Roll Over, which is a two-part inversion. Then come some other twists and turns. Along the track, you'll see neon signs that look like road signs. The Paris version used different lights, projectors, and smoke effects instead of road signs. The limo continues until the third and final inversion, a corkscrew. The ride ends with a humpback hill. Finally, your limo pulls into the VIP backstage area. You then exit through a red carpet towards the gift shop where you can see your on-ride photo.
Ride Music
Walt Disney Imagineering worked with Aerosmith to create a special soundtrack for the roller coaster. Each ride vehicle plays different Aerosmith songs. Some songs even have new lyrics made just for the ride! For example, "Love in an Elevator" becomes "Love in a roller coaster."
- Here are the license plates and songs for each car:
- 1QKLIMO: "Nine Lives"
- UGOBABE: "Love in an Elevator" (Rollercoaster) and "Walk This Way"
- BUHBYE: "Young Lust", "F.I.N.E.*" and "Love in an Elevator" (Rollercoaster)
- H8TRFFC: "Back in the Saddle" and "Dude (Looks Like a Lady)"
- 2FAST4U: "Sweet Emotion" (live, from A Little South of Sanity)
There is a sixth limo that doesn't have a license plate and is always "in refurbishment." The vehicles are regularly swapped out for maintenance. When a new vehicle is put into use, its license plate and song are changed to match one of the five themes.
Former Walt Disney Studios Park Music
In Paris, the vehicles were called "Soundtrackers." Each Soundtracker had its own unique theme with different lights and music. There were five different light shows and five different soundtracks.
- Here were the themes:
- Soundtracker 1: Green lights; played "Back In The Saddle" and "Dude Looks Like A Lady."
- Soundtracker 2: Purple lights; played "Young Lust," "F.I.N.E." and "Love In An Elevator."
- Soundtracker 3: Multi-color lights; played "Love In An Elevator" and "Walk This Way."
- Soundtracker 4: Red/yellow lights; played "Nine Lives."
- Soundtracker 5: Blue lights; played "Sweet Emotion (live)."
The minimum height to ride at Parc Walt Disney Studios was 1.2 meters (47 inches). The ride opened on March 16, 2002, and closed on September 2, 2019.
Hidden Mickeys
Disney parks are famous for "Hidden Mickeys." These are shapes of Mickey Mouse's head secretly placed in the scenery. See if you can find these on the Rock 'n' Roller Coaster!
- Outside the Ride
- Look for a pattern of hidden Mickeys on Steven Tyler's shirt in the poster outside.
- Joe Perry's necklace medallion on the poster is also a hidden Mickey.
- In the Queue Line
- There are two in the tile floor design in the round room before the recording studio.
- Look in the small display about recording history.
- In the Pre-show Room
- The carpet in Studio C has a pattern of hidden Mickeys.
- Find one on a small chalkboard in the bottom right corner of the sound room.
- On the ground, three coils of wire form a hidden Mickey in the sound room.
- After leaving the pre-show, look to the right before you enter the ride area.
- On the Ride
- Look at each limo's license plate; a hidden Mickey is where the "Expiration Date" would be.
- On the track itself, one is on a yellow sign behind a red limo. Two more are on the ground in the cityscape.
Images for kids
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The Walt Disney Studios Park location
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The giant red Fender Stratocaster outside of the Disney Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster at night
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The garage sign in the ride's load area
