Last week, my favorite film franchise released an eighth, and perhaps final, installment in the series. If you happen to live under a rock or are averse to Tom Cruise doing unbelievable stunts, I’m referring to Mission: Impossible. The spy, action franchise has brought us some of the most memorable movie stunts ever. Meanwhile, I’ve made a habit of tying things totally unrelated to theme parks into theme park attractions. Tens of people read them so why not keep writing them! My mission that I’ve chosen to accept: Relate the most memorable M:I stunts to a Disney Parks theme park attraction.

Hopefully, whatever you just read my mission on didn’t self-destruct. Will this post make any sense at all? Probably not but the Final Reckoning’s plot was a bit convoluted too so I’m just following their lead. Basically, I’ve listed my favorite Mission: Impossible stunts below. The next step was to connect them to a Disney theme park attraction. Some of them work quite well and others feel like I’m hanging off the Burj Khalifa with a malfunctioning glove.

Would it have been smarter to have picked the stunts that most resemble Disney attractions instead of just my favorites and then trying to shoehorn rides in? Who’s to say! These are the benefits of having your own website. You can live on the edge! I’m not saying I’m like Tom Cruise doing an epic stunt but I have been called the Ethan Hunt of theme park blogging (that happened this morning, but I will not confirm or deny if it was just me in the mirror).

This post might be grasping at straws, trying to tie two things I love together. I won’t deny that. But, at least on the surface, (most of) these movie sequences and theme park rides share a similarity. There’s a grand and detailed plan that is put into action, something goes terribly wrong and then we find ourselves in the midst of a thrill. When I break it down like that, this should be an easy exercise. It is not!

Out of respect for these incredible movies, I’ve listed two stunts from The Final Reckoning (the latest film) at the bottom. I don’t want to spoil the movie for those that haven’t been able to see it yet. There’s also a few stunts and set pieces in the franchise that didn’t quite make the list despite my longing for thoroughness and love of these movies. The ones listed are a mix of practical comparisons and full-on ‘go with me here’ ideas. Enjoy!

Burj Khalifa Climb (Ghost Protocol) as Tower of Terror

For me to be able to write this post, there has to be a level of practicality. Climbing the tallest building in the world deserves the Tower of Terror title. It’s quite literal. Tom Cruise’s expression when seeing how far it is to the ground is similar to any photo captured of me right before the vehicle drops in this iconic ride. The big piece we’re missing here is a malfunctioning glove (blue is glue, red is dead!) but I’ll try to reenact that next time I’m on Tower of Terror.

Helicopter Chase (Fallout) as Goofy’s Sky School

While riding Goofy’s Sky School, I ask myself, “Is this how Tom Cruise felt while chasing down Henry Cavill in a helicopter, beating him up and then scaling a cliff side to save the world?” The answer is no, Tom Cruise was way less afraid of doing all that than I am of riding a wild mouse coaster. But I don’t know how our main man survived that sequence at the end of the sixth Mission: Impossible and I’m not sure how I ever survive Goofy’s Sky School.

The Langley Heist (Mission: Impossible) as Mickey’s Fun Wheel

Being as still as Tom Cruise breaking into Langley, hovering inches above the ground while hoping not to set off an alarm, is how I approach any ride on Mickey’s Fun Wheel. Don’t move, don’t sweat, don’t make a sound. That’s the way to stay alive while breaking into CIA headquarters and the way to stay alive while on a giant ferris wheel that terrifies you. This post is really showing me how much braver Tom Cruise is than me. That’s a fact I already knew but never planned on writing about.

Rome Handcuffed Car Chase (Dead Reckoning) as Autopia

Have you ever rode Autopia with a driver who is swerving all over the place? Tom Cruise (Ethan) has except he did it through the streets of Rome and the bad driver was Haley Atwell (Grace) who he was handcuffed to. Do guests get chased by the Italian police, CIA agents, a Russian assassin and a few henchmen on Autopia? Well, no. But sometimes the drivers behind you will bump into your car on accident.

The Kremlin Heist (Ghost Protocol) as Haunted Mansion

In this scene, Ethan and Benji (Cruise and Simon Pegg) have to infiltrate the Kremlin using a cool screen that emulates what the room would look like if they weren’t inside of it. The poor security guard gets incredibly confused while our spies get what they need. What does this have to do with an attraction that’s all about ghosts? Ladies and gentlemen, let me present the Pepper’s ghost technique that is used prominently in the Haunted Mansion ballroom scene. This term refers to any illusion made from using reflections on an unnoticed glass screen. Okay, so they aren’t exactly the same thing but you get the point – screens made to portray something that wasn’t there!

Bike Chase (Rogue Nation) as Tron Lightcycle Run

Bike coaster = bike chase! Don’t need to think hard about this one.

Underwater Chip (Rogue Nation) as Grizzly River Run

The water stunts are a little harder to pinpoint an attraction for. Don’t worry, I persevered. This sequence from the 5th movie sees Cruise trying to steal a chip from an underwater vault (for lack of a better word). I don’t want to spoil much, but there’s a good amount of spinning involved and a lot of breath holding. Water and spinning? That’s obviously Grizzly River Run, no questions asked. I’ve yet to have Rebecca Ferguson (Ilsa) rescue us from this raft ride. I don’t think either Melissa or I would object to that outcome though.

Train Finales (M:I & Dead Reckoning) as Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway

Both the movie franchise and Disney theme parks are known for their trains. I had to include a nod to that but wasn’t sure where to go with it. Disneyland Railroad (or pick whichever castle park) isn’t manic enough. Big Thunder is manic but that’s where the connections end. Enter Runaway Railway, a train completely out of control with no way to stop until Mickey Mouse saves us all. That’s where we find the fit! Not to mention, Tom Cruise and Mickey Mouse will outlive us all.

The Motorcycle Jump (Dead Reckoning) as Expedition Everest

Speaking of those train sequences, Tom Cruise jumps a motorcycle off of a cliff to get on the train in Dead Reckoning. There’s not really a theme park attraction like that because theme parks don’t want people to die. Instead I’m focused on the moments leading up to the jump, where Ethan Hunt follows Benji’s instructions to drive up the mountain before asking “now what?” when getting to the cliff. This is the same idea as Everest when riders get to the torn up track. Eventually we all come hurtling down the mountain, one way or another.*

*Not meant to be a philosophical statement.

Halo Jump (Fallout) as Tiana’s Bayou Adventure

Like the motorcycle jump, the skydiving sequence in Mission: Impossible – Fallout is hard to pinpoint. It’s one of my favorite stunts in my favorite movie of the franchise. Instead of making a bold leap in logic several times over (I’m not Nathan Fielder), I just went with the straight drop in Tiana’s Bayou Adventure. Bonus points to that ride since you aren’t really buckled in. I’m not saying that’s as scary as jumping out of a plane from 25,000 feet up but I would like to get Cruise’s take on any number of rides.

Submarine Extraction (The Final Reckoning) as 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea

Submarine sequence meet submarine ride. I went with 20,000 Leagues here because it’s more intense than the Finding Nemo submarine ride in Disneyland. Slight spoilers ahead: Could those undersea creatures in 20,000 Leagues be a stand-in for the Entity in Final Reckoning? I don’t think the movie would make significantly less sense if they tried it but I’m just throwing ideas around.

Biplane Chase (The Final Reckoning) as Soarin’

The jaw dropping finale to the 8th Mission: Impossible film is something else. The Soarin’ comp is a little on the nose, as the biplanes give a similar vibe to that Soarin’ style. Please note that we do not recommend trying to ride Soarin’ without a seatbelt or standing up or hanging off the ride vehicle or climbing on top of that ride vehicle or riding while upside down. But I love watching Tom Cruise do all of that while flying an actual plane.

Thank you for humoring me and for trusting me (with this post) one last time.

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