Disney patent turns your own car into a ride with a fake tornado

A Disney patent granted Nov. 10 describes a drive-through show where the attraction takes over your car’s speakers, wipers, seat heaters and dashboard screen. Here’s how it would work.

Forget the ride vehicle. Disney may want to use yours.

A Disney patent granted on Tuesday, Nov. 10, describes a drive-through attraction where your own car rolls through an enclosed show building. Projections, water effects and animatronics play around you. And the system reaches inside the car, too, taking over the speakers, wipers, seat heaters and dashboard screen.

WDWMagic reported on the patent, which is titled “Vehicle Entertainment System and Method.” The inventors listed are Matthew Deuel, Steven M. Chapman and Joseph Mohos, according to WDWMagic.

Before you plan a road trip, a patent isn’t a promise. Disney files lots of these, and most never become rides. This one is a fun peek at how Imagineers think.

How would Disney’s drive-through car ride work?

The show building is basically a tunnel with an entrance, a winding path and an exit, per WDWMagic’s read of the patent drawings.

Before you pull in, the system figures out what you’re driving. The patent lists a few ways to do it, WDWMagic reported:

• Scanning a barcode or your car’s VIN

• Reading a transponder in the car

• Connecting to an app on your phone

• A small device plugged into the car’s diagnostic port

Then it tailors the show to your car. It can account for how big the car is, where your eyes are, how many screens and speakers it has, whether it has heated seats and how many people are inside. So a pickup truck and a compact car would get projections aimed at different heights.

Who drives the car through the Disney attraction?

That depends on the car. Self-driving cars would move through the building on their own, following cues from the system, according to WDWMagic. Other cars would ride on a conveyor, sled or platform.

There’s also a version where you drive the route yourself, with the system showing cruise control and turning cues.

The wildest part might be the steering wheel. The patent describes partly disconnecting it from the wheels so it works like a game controller. Turn it, and your view of the show changes, but the car doesn’t actually steer. Other buttons could trigger game moves.

What can Disney’s system control inside your car?

After what WDWMagic described as a secure handshake, the system can run:

• Your audio system and interior lights

• Headlights and windshield wipers

• Windows and the moonroof

• Climate controls, seat heaters and seat massagers

• The dashboard screen

Outside the car, the building can add LED walls, Pepper’s Ghost illusions, animatronics, water spray, fog, wind, heat, scents and bumps in the floor that make the car rumble. A curved screen on wheels rolls alongside the car at the same speed, and a ring of projectors on a ceiling track follows it.

What is the storm drive example in the Disney patent?

The patent’s main example is a storm, and it sounds like a blast. A tornado touches down on the screen ahead of you. Your dashboard flashes “Caution – Severe Weather Ahead,” and a weather report plays through your speakers.

When the building sprays water on your car to fake rain, your wipers turn on by themselves. Fans add wind. Lights make lightning. Thunder and sirens play, and the floor shakes the car.

That’s more fun than most real Florida storms, which mostly just ruin your fireworks plans.

Where could Disney build a car ride like this?

It might not be a theme park at all. WDWMagic said the patent pitches the idea as cheaper to build and run than a regular ride, since guests bring the vehicles. The building could even be temporary, made from scaffolding, tent material, modular panels or inflatables.

Possible spots listed in the patent include:

• Parking lots

• Rental car pickup areas

• Drive-throughs and restaurant takeout lines

• Car dealerships

One idea turns the attraction into a drive-through line. You order food at the entrance, watch the show while it’s made, and get your order at the exit from robots or animatronics.

Picture a fast food line that ends with a fake tornado. Weird? Would people do it? Probably.

The patent also mentions charging electric cars during the ride, linking several cars for a shared game, and using phones or AR glasses for extra content.

Has Disney patented a car ride before?

Yes. WDWMagic said this patent continues an earlier Disney patent on the same idea, granted in 2024, and adds details on how the system identifies your car.

Back in October 2023, BlogMickey also reported on Disney patents for an immersive pod drivers could pull an electric car into while it charges, and a drive-through structure with screens on all sides.

Sounds kind of creepy to me.

Disney hasn’t announced any plans to build one. For now, the closest you’ll get is the parking lot tram.

Article compiled and written by Kambrea Pratt (editor-in-chief), Derek Gibbs (beat editor) and the Pirates & Princesses newsroom. Pirates & Princesses is part of WebReef Media.

Pirates and Princesses is your destination for Disney news, theme park updates, and the pop culture you love. From Disney cruises and travel tips to Disney fashion, food, collectibles, and movie news, PNP covers it all. Visit us at piratesandprincesses.net for daily coverage. Follow PNP on Facebook and Instagram, and listen to the Pirates & Princesses podcast on Apple Podcasts and YouTube.

Hat Tips:

• WDWMagic (Nov. 10), patent details, inventors and figures

• BlogMickey (Oct. 10, 2023), earlier Disney drive-in patents

AI Disclosure: All articles are assigned, edited and reviewed by an experienced human editor before posting. Like most modern newsrooms, WebReef Media uses a variety of AI tools to help with accuracy and efficiency. Ways AI may be used in article creation include research, grammar, fact-checking and ideation, as well as occasional AI generated or enhanced thumbnails or graphics. No articles are generated or posted without human oversight or involvement.