Is Snow White really scary?

[sunnygirl]

I read in the UG that Snow White can be pretty scary for young children, and so I avoided it with my 4 and 6 year old DDs. The rest of family went on the ride and said it wasn't scary at all. I haven't been on it in years, and so I am wondering...just how scary is it?

 

[turnlisa]

It depends on what your children are scared of. The ride is kind of dark and the Evil Queen does pop out in a couple of places. This being said, it is one of my DS's favorite rides -- he was 2 last year. However he is fascinated with the villians right now so that could be it!

 

[jann1033]

my kids disliked it due to the dark and popping witch yrs ago but i think they toned it down so now it is not "as" dark ( more snow white stuff) & not so much "witch" but i think it still might scare a few who are more sensitve to that type of thing.

 

[poohkinandpiglet]

We skipped SW in August because my 4 year old was afraid of EVERYTHING. I'm hoping he'll try it in November but I doubt it since he's still afraid of the movie.

 

[MissionMouse]

Read on and you will get an idea of what others have already said, "It depends on the child."

My 3 year old daughter loved Snow Whites Scarey Adventure Lets ride it again and again.

On the other hand:

She did not like the Haunted Mansion...she refers to it as The Dirty House. I don't like the dirty house.

She also did not care for the attractions with 3-D objects that fly out toward you (i.e. Honey I Shrank The Audience and The Muppets) EEEEKKKKK! We got to get out of here!

 

[Threehearts]

We went on Snow White 2 yrs ago when the kids were 5 and 6 and just didn't think the fright factor justified the ride. As an attraction representing Snow White and the little guys, I thought it fell short. Maybe we'll try it again next time but we've been back 6 times since the original ride and have never wanted to experience it again. To each, his own though. I understand many people enjoy it. Threehearts

 

[erinch]

my DD has loved it from age 3 (partly has a much bigger brother egging her on); now at age 8 she's a passionate fan of ER. But it took her days to get over the spitting dinosaur on the JP ride at IOA.

If she really wants to try it, i'd watch the movie and debrief the witch with the apple, and explain you see her many times but it all turns okay at the end.

Until you get to the merchandising. Now that's scary.

 

[SnackyStacky]

It basically goes through the story of snow white - set amongst a few backdrops, and some statue-esque figures.

You see the evil queen turn into the old hag, and then you see her give Snow White the poisoned apple. The old witch is then up above you, attempting to drop a big boulder on your car as it passes underneath.

Those are the scenes I can remember where you're pretty close to the villain.

It really is one of those things where you need to know your child, and possibly ride it without the kids to determine how your child will respond to it.

 

[DemonLlama]

When DD was 5 she got really scared on this ride. We have video of it, and you can hear her get worked up and start crying.

It is a combination of that age's imagination factor -- everything is real and can happen -- and good effects. You are right by the back of the evil queen, as she is looking in the mirror, and she spins around to face you as the hag -- and those eyes are CREEPY. This is accompanied by the soundtrack that is suspenseful and loud. You go through dark parts, with this music, and smaller ones worry about what else might turn into scary things. The chase scene has thunder, which frightens many preschoolers, and you travel under the hag who is pushing a giant boulder seemingly on the top of your car.

The next time, when she was 7, she enjoyed it and we rode it several times.

I think it is all in the age and temperment of your child. The smallest ones don't have the imaginative capabilities to read into the scenes to get scared, and the school age kids, at some point, develop the ability to understand the difference between real and imaginary fears, but many 4-5 year olds are just smart enough to comprehend the power of the story without the maturity to separate themselves from the scenes.

 

[DisneyMomx7]

It all depends on the child. One dd (4) was petrified of the ride and ds (3) wasn't scared at all.

 

[jiggerj]

My ds loved SW when he was 3+ but totally freaked on goofys barnstomer and tried to climb out! Didn't expect that at all! All depends on the child.

 

[tink2]

It depends on the child. However, DD4 cried through the whole thing last year. The witch pops out at you toward the beginning and it was all down hill from there. We had to ride Small world 4 times before she would ride anything else. It practically ruined our morning. We are going again in Dec. and she keeps saying "I am not riding Snow White!" Well, none of us are. While some chidren are fine with it, I have several friends whose children were not. To me, it isn't worth the risk of having a child scared for hours like mine was.

 

[missypie]

My 8 yr old hated it at 7 and hated it again at 8. She'll ride any roller coaster, but doesn't like Snow White. What's interesting is that it creeps out DS13 because of that skeleton chained up in the dungeon...he says that after he sees it, he can't stop thinking about what it would be like to be chained up until you died.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Was hesitant also to go on but my 5 yr old twins liked it and weren't afraid at all. We found it pretty tame compared to a lot of other rides at WDW and elsewhere.

 

[shellybaxter]

SW at WDW is not as scarry as SW at Disneyland. The WDW ride has a lot of scenes with SW in them and the drawfs. I don't think it is "that" scarry. But the disneyland SW is really scarry. Mostly only shows the witch/queen, trees look like they are trying to grab you, ect.

We took darling niece on SW in DL as her first dark ride when she was 2.5. Really bad mistake. It took LOTS of proding to get her on any other ride that was dark. When we went to WDW with her at 4.5 she was great with all the rides, but still wouldn't got back on SW, even though I told her it was better and not as scarry in WDW. I'm sorry I ever took her on that ride. I feel bad that she has that fear now.

Shelly

 

[2Disneybuggs]

My DS was scared at first on the HM. We did Snow White and I ket waiting for the scary part and it never came! So to me iand my DS t's not scary. We'll see how my 2yo reacts to it soon!

 

[MaryKatesMom]

This is my least favorite ride and one I wish they would remodel. It is too scary for the toddler set for whom is was designed but too tame and uninteresting for adults.

What were they thinking making such a dark ride for the toddler crowd?

It is in such prime real estate in Fantasyland right in the middle, by the carousel. I wish the Imagineers would come up with something kids would beg to see, like Pooh or Philharmagic. This is an attraction that fails to attract.

 

[wdw_writers]

Like it's been said many times, it really depends on the child. DS (now 10) was fine, but DD (13) would not open her eyes from the beginning when the witch pops out. She only opened them during the dwarf scene and closed them before it was even finished so she wouldn't see anything scary again. Of course DD is scared of MANY things (she was scared of characters for a VERY long time) but she does not do well with things popping out. I found it to be very boring. DS enjoyed it, though.