Adventure Thru Inner Space (presented by Monsanto) (1967-1985) was a former attraction at Disneyland. It was located in the site of the current Star Tours. In it, guests were pretended to be shrunk down to the size of a molecule then to an atom as you joruney into the world of the snowflake. The centerpiece of the attraction was Monsanto's Mighty Microscope, a giant microscope designed on a napkin by a Disney Imagineer. It was also one of the most advancing rides in technology: it was the first ride to utilize the Omnimover.
The Ride
Guests would enter the queue area and hear strange scientific calculations while watching other riders be "shrunk" in the Mighty Microscope. The glass tube near the end of the microscope had a string of small Omnimover replicas being moved on a conveyer belt up to the Petri Dish with the specimens. Riders would make their way to the boarding area, which had an oil fountain that was popular in the 1960's as its centerpiece.
Riders than would be moved into the end of the microscope and be jostled back and worth (this was to disguise the left turn the Omnimover made). You would see a series of projected snowflakes on a wall before moving on and shrinking even more.
As you shrink, the molecular structure began taking shape. You would see a giant molecule (oddly shaped like a Mickey Mouse head) and still continue to shrink even further. At that point, you would see a pulsating oxygen atom which would make the Omnimover emit a puff of air on riders each pulse. The scientist who is your narrator decides not to shrink any further, for fear that he can't return to normal size. So you don't and you start to return to normal size. Before you get there, the water molecules begin speeding up, signifying heat is melting the snowflake. As you pass under a scientist's eye under the Mighty Microscope, you are told to exit.
Vandalism
ATIS has been noticed to get much more vandalism than any other ride in Disney's history. The eye at the end of the ride had to be encased in a protective glass layer to stop garbage, spit, and other annoyances. Set pieces were damaged or even removed due to these acts. Acts like this were so high that Disney developed a system called "Envelope of Protection." This utilized hidden cameras and forced the ride to close briefly to install these components.
Trivia
- Rumors have sprung up that onboard the ride, adults would perform sexual acts. They did this because they didn't know they were being monitored by personell and were in complete darkness.
- It is speculated the original Mighty Microscope during deconstruction was detonated.
- Monsanto ended their sponership and didn't renew it in 1983, so all references in the ride script and sets were removed.
- Four tributes exists at Star Tours for Adventure Thru Inner Space:
- The first queue line segment is the same from its days as ATIS.
- An Atommobile from the glass Mighty Microscope tube has been sighted in one of the overhead bins in the Droid Room.
- The Mighty Microscope can be seen in the Mantinence Area in the ride movie.
- The comets are based loosely on the dancing snowflakes.
- The Omnimovers from ATIS were sent to a landfill in Mexico, but at least two have been known to survive. One is on display in the Disneyana museum at Disneyland (open to Cast Members only). The others are in the hands of collectors.
- A clone of the attraction was in the works for the failed Westcot at Disneyland. Added to the shrinking to the size of a molecule, you would grow to see the world around you.