Disney has built empires on familiar IP, but every so often, something genuinely original emerges from the studio that takes on a life of its own. In this case, that success story began with a theme park attraction. The original ride opened at Disneyland in 1967 and holds a special place in Disney history as the last attraction personally overseen by Walt Disney before his death. Decades later, Disney took that beloved ride and made it into a movie, which turned out to be a breakout hit and spawned one of the most recognizable movie franchises of all time.