Matthew C.
Yelp
The newly renovated Snow White's Enchanted Wish took the horror aspect of the previous scary adventure out, and injected plenty of magic, sparkle, and romance into the now much more family-oriented dark ride.
Sad to say, the original aspect to inviting guests to experience the first-hand terrifying vision and perspective of the fair princess is 100% gone; and what's left in its place is an equally entertaining, albeit more direct and by-the-book narration of the classic Disney fairy tale. This isn't necessarily bad. This is, by default, a different experience; but one can appreciate both versions to their fullest--just give it a chance.
I am no Disneyland expert, but purely from my memory, I feel like at least 50% of the previous rendition has been modified, or completely outrooted and replaced. (Like the trees in the forest scene, get it?) I am happy to report the magic mirror physical special effect is retained in place, because c'mon, that's a classic. But funnily enough, in my most recent visit, this bugged out and I saw Evil Queen spinning non-stop in place in the "mirror". Haha. Funny.
Due to the new additional scenes, the plot is more fleshed out, with a proper beginning and a proper ending. Previously, it's a common consensus that the story ends abruptly with the death of the Old Hag, and bam! The ride ends without explanation or a sense of expected closure. Now it's all fixed. This is probably a welcoming change for the core audience of the themed land, mostly young children, because now they will actually understand the narrative... You know, instead of their wondering why the parents are putting them through a haunted house adjacent experience.
For the handful of kids who would be crying post-ride otherwise, this is now more of a treat than an unexpected punishment.
Visually, a lot more colors and lights are added to unmistakably uplift the tone from one of hopelessness and fear to cheers and triumph.
What I admire the Imagineers the most about this project is the use of new animatronics and LED lights. The mining scene, similar to one installed in Florida's Snow White coaster (never mind the official name, lol), illustrates state-of-the-art technology and its ability to bring our beloved Seven Dwarfs to life. The myriad gem stones and their colors make the tunnel scene one of the best and most memorable of the ride.
Later in the ride, the "kiss of true love" moment is incredibly elevated from the use of LITERALLY many, many tiny lights, lit up sequentially at just the right moment, illuminating a pitch dark space into a bright and wholesome visual feast for your eyes in a matter of seconds. In fact, this captures the essence of Disney magic quite accurately all in one place: princess, rebirth, happiness, and of course, love conquers all. This is a ride I would want my kids to experience and remember for life.
But worth the wait?
The queue for this ride itself is pretty boring, not gonna lie. You are standing pretty close to one another in a snake line, (which isn't ideal during a pandemic, but it is outdoor for the most part, and ventilated enough), and your only view is each other, the immediate surrounding of Fantasyland, and that one time you turn a corner, Snow White's bedroom/quarter. I wouldn't call this immersive, though understandable since this is an old, classic ride.
For me, I waited an actual 30 to 35 minutes with my then boyfriend, and we both ended up on our phones to pass time. (On busy days, I heard the wait can climb beyond 1 hour! And that's, for sure, too much effort for a relatively short ride, imo.) As such, I feel this would be a terrible wait for single riders, and I would recommend all others plenty of phone battery for web surfing, app playing, or be prepared to do plenty of talking with each other.
This is the main reason why Snow White scored 4 stars instead of 5.
As of my last visit, there is no fast pass, lightning lane, or genie service available. (I don't really keep up with all these jump-the-line features anymore.) So you HAVE TO put in your time for your reward that is the dark ride.
Aside from that, the upgrades now make this Snow White attraction one of the best, if not THE BEST, in Fantasyland. It's definitely on par with the ranks of other renovated fan favorites like Alice In Wonderland and Peter Pan. I would not miss this dazzling gem, especially for those who would only visit Disneyland once or infrequently. Just make sure to plan ahead and budget your time wisely among all your activities.