Disney crews faced a challenge – how do you paint Disneyland's tallest structure?

With 20 levels of scaffolding, it turns out.

Since January, motorists have watched the work play out from the nearby I-5 Freeway as the 147-foot-high Matterhorn undergoes the most extensive makeover in its 53 years.

The mountain that bobsleds zip through and around was blanketed with a spider-web of scaffolding, which has since been removed.

Now, passersby see a brighter, bluish-white mountain that glistens with tiny glass beads to make the snow look more authentic.

"It really makes the mountain come to life," said Jim Crouch, Disney's field art director.

On June 15, the roller coaster will officially re-open with new bobsleds after a five-month closure.

The project, which cost at least $1.3 million for the mountain renovations alone, according to city of Anaheim documents, has included more than 100 workers. About 25 underwent special training for the paint job via the intricate scaffolding that rose 20 levels.

"It was the most amazing scaffolding job I've ever seen," Crouch said.

The previous bobsleds had tandem seating, making for a cozy ride in which one passenger sat in between another's legs.

The new bobsleds have three individual seats in each car. There are 25 trains, each with two cars.

"People didn't like to snuggle up so much," Crouch said. "They wanted their space."

The journey on the world's first tubular, steel roller coaster will remain the same. But riders will see 23 new pine trees to replace ones that had been gone for years.

The minimum height requirement for passengers will be seven inches taller – rising to 42 inches.

The Matterhorn ride is tied to the 1959 movie, "'The Third Man on the Mountain." Walt Disney thought up the concept as he was filming the movie in Europe and became fond of the real Matterhorn mountain.