Float on a cushion of air aboard a larger-than-life tire, thanks to Luigi from the Disney-Pixar movie Cars. Slide, glide and laugh as you lift ever-so-slightly off the ground on a 9-foot-wide Fettuccini-brand tire. You'll be blown away by Luigi's Flying Tires! Luigi's Flying Tires is an updated version of the original Disneyland attraction, Flying Saucers. This effect is completed by large fan like blowers shooting up, like a giant airhockey table. Guests queue in the Casa Della Tires shop. A play area featuring a tire jungle gym, slide and kid-sized cars is located next to the attraction.
You'll quickly get the hang of soaring around Luigi's 8,000-square-foot Italian garden and tire storage yard. All you need to do is lean in the direction that you wish to move. 6,714 air vents blow over 1.86 million cubic feet of air per minute to keep your tire floating ever so slightly above the ground. This marvel of modern machinery provides a completely unique ride experience - it's almost like you're on top of a gigantic air hockey table!
What's the story behind the mysterious flying tires? No one knows their secret for sure, but the tradition of the Festival of the Flying Tires dates back to the 1930s, when Luigi's Uncle Topolino ordered a shipment of the Fettuccini Tire Company's new Cuscino D' Aria tires. To the amazement of the residents of Topolino's small Italian village, when the tires were unloaded they began to mysteriously float off the ground and gracefully move around as if they were dancing.
To celebrate this miraculous event, the villagers put up festive banners, balloons and bunting. With the addition of some traditional Italian music, the Festival of the Flying Tires was born! Luigi and Guido wanted to share this happy memory, so they ordered a shipment of Cuscino D' Aria tires for Radiator Springs, and, just like in Italy, the tires mysteriously rose off the ground and began to dance. Radiator Springs continues to celebrate the Festival of the Flying Tires to this day.
The fun begins before you even hop aboard your flying tire. You'll tour Luigi's showroom and office, where you'll see his humorous collection of office supplies, mementos and photographs. Keep your eyes open for a few surprises! The ride takes place in a 8,000-square-foot "tire storage yard" behind Luigi's shop, and the last section of the queue winds through Luigi's garden. Here, cast members instruct you on how to make the tire move, and offer tips to avoid common problems. Then CMs pass out small colored pennants, like the magic feathers distributed at Dumbo the Flying Elephant attraction in Disneyland, and send riders into a waiting area. The pennants are used to let the CMs accurately count ride vehicles for each cycle, and the process of collecting them once riders are seated gives CMs a chance to verify that every seatbelt is properly fastened.
Backstory - When Luigi's uncle Topolino discovered the mysterious floating capabilities of Cuscino D' Aria (cushion of air) tires, his Italian village responded by hosting the first Festival of the Flying Tires (incidentally, Topolino is both the name of a classic Fiat model as well as the Italian name of Mickey Mouse). Luigi and Guido brought the tires-and the festival-to Cars Land. I admit to paying only limited attention to this tale, being entirely focused on finally getting to experience the ride I've heard about my entire life.
Touring Tips
- Officially Luigi's has a capacity of just 600 riders per hour, among the lowest of any Disney rides. In practice the capacity is lower, especially when riders each demand their own tire.
- The single bench seat can accommodate up to three passengers; two adults and a child or one adult and two children. Each tire has a single seatbelt, and a recessed bin behind the bench to store loose objects. Each tire can accommodate up to 2 adults and 1 child or 1 adult and 2 children.
- Most riders will board their ride vehicle from the main ride floor, stepping over the black "tire" section and onto the center platform. The tire may look solid, but the fabric base doesn't support weight. By the time riders reach the tire, they will have seen and heard several warnings not to step on the tire, and there is even a "no step" symbol sewn onto the tire itself.
- To make the tire move, riders lean in the direction they want to go. The concept is similar to that of the two-wheeled self-balancing Segway. It sounds easy, but it's also easy to lean too far, "grounding" the tire on the ride surface. You can immediately feel when that happens, and just need to ease up a bit to restore balance. Once you have the hang of it, and assuming you can get clear of other riders, it's time to fly.
- Luigi's has a posted height requirement of 32 inches, but parents of taller children who are used to riding alone on other rides should encourage them to stick with the family for this one, as they may not be heavy enough to steer the tire. Even empty tires float, but you need some rider mass to make them move very far.
- For riders with mobility issues, Luigi's has a alternate loading area that allows passengers to walk across a ramp straight onto the tire, avoiding what can be a tall step up and down. A ride vehicle parked outside the ride entrance allows potential riders to evaluate the step; anyone with balance or lower joint problems should consider whether they can navigate both up and down (and the step down may be more difficult), or if they should use the alternate access ramp. The indoor portion of the queue is fully wheelchair and EVC accessible; once in the garden portion, a cast member will direct you to the accessible ramp if needed. Riders can also wheel directly onto the ride platform and transfer into the tire from there if you're able to manage the step, and this is usually much faster than waiting to use the ramp.
Facts
- Luigi's Flying Tires was part of an expansion of the original park boundaries and is in an area that was previously part of the Timon guest parking lot.
- While the technology has changed, so too, have Disney's safety standards, and the Flying Tires are radically different than the ride our parents claim to remember. The bumper car aspect of the ride has been considerably reduced from that of the Flying Saucers-you can still collide with another tire, but the impact won't knock you out of your seat. Take a look at this video Disney posted of the Flying Saucers, circa 1961-some of those collisions actually look painful.
- Similar to the balloons dropped onto the Flying Saucers platform, riders on Luigi's Flying Tires navigate through a floor filled with giant beach balls. I am of two minds about the beach balls, as they very much change the nature of the ride. I grumbled to a friend that I was changing the name of the attraction to "Luigi's Beach Ball Fight," because so many of the riders spend all of their time trying to catch and throw beach balls at one another instead of flying their tires.
- Number of ride units: 21 Flying Tires
- Ride floor: 8,000 square feet
- Vehicle size: 9-foot diameter
- Air vents in the ride floor: 6,714
- Air volume generated to float tires: 1.86 million cubic feet per minute
History
Luigi's Flying Tires uses a completely new, state-of-the-art ride system, but the attraction is inspired by a classic Disneyland Park attraction, Flying Saucers. More than 5 million aspiring space explorers rode the Flying Saucers from August 6, 1961 to August 5, 1966. Even decades later, it's still a favorite memory of many Disneyland Resort Guests - including Cars director John Lasseter. Now, the unique experience of floating on air can be relived and shared with a whole new generation of fans!
Cars Land, along with the rest of the Disney California Adventure Park multi-year expansion, was announced on October 17, 2007. However, the first indication of the new land was some concept art published in the Dreaming section of The Walt Disney Company's 2006 Annual Report. Cars Land opened alongside Buena Vista Street on June 15, 2012.