EPCOT Center in the 80s and 90s had a particular atmosphere and sensibility which is almost impossible to describe to anyone today who never visited it during that time. I don't think you get it just by watching videos like this, although they're great to watch of course. The thing about the Future World rides was how they were presented in a way which was a strange mixture of the whimsical, serious, futuristic, optimistic, icy, forbidding, mysterious, joyous.
Agree 100%. There was nothing that advanced at the time. Taken as a package, these pavilions made future world special. The layout also had great space and beauty. It’s a much bigger and better laid out park than MK. Add world showcase to it and it made a huge impression on a teenager who cared about learning.
I never got to see these parks in their prime like this, This is what Disney is missing now in days, rides that challenge your mind, educate, get you thinking about the future and ideas. What we have now in days is corporate pandering that numbs the mind. I like test track just fine, and I liked it before it got the tron upgrade, before I didn't know a thing about cars. Disney, please bring back attractions that challenge the mind to bring a better future, just like Walt would have wanted.
+spinningpeanut I don't know what Epcot you went to, but I just was there last year and they still have alot of attractions that are educational and that challenge the mind, and bring a better future. Sounds like you were a little disappointed with your last visit.
Spinning Peanut is correct. EPCOT of the 1980s is significantly different from EPCOT of the 2010s. EPCOT traditionally emphasized edutainment over thrill rides. That trend is changing. Multiple pavilions that once offered scenic dark rides have closed or been replaced. Examples include Horizons, World of Motion, and the Wonders of Life pavilions. Originally, the only thrill ride in the park was Body Wars, found in Wonders of Life. However, there seems to be a new trend moving in the opposite direction. Beginning in the 1990s, Horizons and World of Motion were both replaced by thrill rides, culminating in Mission: Space and Test Track. Journey into Imagination was reduced by about half its run time. The resulting ride suffers from low popularity and roughly half that pavilion sits unused. Wonders of Life has closed permanently, eliminating both Body Wars and Cranium Command, a theater show with a premise very similar to Disney’s Inside Out or the old 1990s comedy show, Herman’s Head. (The show was dated thanks to its reliance on comedy personalities from the 1980s. Some have argued that it ought to be redone with a more contemporary cast of Disney-affiliated actors.) Universe of Energy is also scheduled to close to accommodate a third thrill ride based on the Guardians of the Galaxy movie franchise. EPCOT has retained educational offerings at Communicore, but one half of that attraction is now closed, and a third of the remaining pavilion hosts a virtual reality roller coaster experience. The remaining sections, which focused at times on fire safety, severe weather, and colors, were lackluster at best. With the arrival of Guardians of the Galaxy coaster, EPCOT may become “Hollywood Studios, Lite” - another dumping ground for the latest movie properties that draws the park away from its more transcendent vision. MGM Studios was about “the Hollywood That Never Was and Always Will Be.” Sometimes, Disney properties can be integrated artfully. For example, the Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular and the Hollywood Tower of Terror are both woven artfully into the park’s original vision. That is less the case for the Toy Story attraction, although it is very fun. Ride concepts like The Great Villain Ride are ideal because they help blend both the vision of the parks and the use of Disney’s film repertoire. EPCOT should aspire to the same thing. Movie properties suited to EPCOT include Inside Out, Lion King (which has been integrated into The Land), Finding Nemo (integrated, with slightly less success, into the Living Seas pavilion), Wall-E, Wreck-It Ralph, and Big Hero Six. The World Showcase offers opportunities for linkages to Mulan, Moana, Ratatouille, and The Hunchback of Notre Dame.
I was Epcot Center on opening day. All I can say is that it was an experience that I will never forget. It changed my life. There was nothing else like Epcot. It was greatness on such a scale that as i child I could not reel it all in. It was overwhelming emotionally. The idea that people build a park dedicated to education, art, tech and culture shocked me and inspired me beyond belief. The recent gutting of Universe of Energy brought me to tears. I was there the day it opened and I remember the lines, the original pre-show and how amazed people were. The people who built Epcot really cared. They didn’t do it to promote and product or to advance someone’s commercial agenda. Being there you knew that they truly believed that they were doing something for humanity and the world. The people who built Epcot are very special people. From the designers to the technicians to the construction workers and others. What they did is almost beyond words. How many people they inspired. The place literally changed my life. It was a magical time that I will Never forget. October 1st 1982
Walt Disney World has four themed parks. (Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom) They should create a fifth park called Vault Disney and have all the original rides that are no longer there like World of Motion, Horizons, Joueney into Imagination.
It's a wonderful idea. I'm sure it would never happen due to budget and logistics involved. I mean, they definitely have enough land to make it happen. But there's just too many execs at Disney now that would never ever see that come to fruition - especially considering the absurd direction they're going in all their current parks. But hey, it's a wonderful dream.
Love this idea. They could have spaceship earth as well, as that is set to be completely gutted and renovated soon with a brand new different show. Great movie ride. Catastrophe Canyon. Cranium command. Kitchen Cabaret. The Norway maelstrom ride. The living seas movie. End the night with Laserphonic Fantasy/original Illuminations, Wishes, and the Main Street Electrical Parade. That park would be so popular. I would get an annual pass just for this park and dump the one I have now.
I really just miss the simple Epcot rides. The smells were memorable and the sounds were warm and cozy. Now everything is so over complicated and retarded
It's crazy... I can close my eyes and picture every part of this attraction. The queue station especially, nothing fancy...open space with a constantly flowing line of ride vehicles. You never had a 2 hour wait here, like with test track. Here you learned! With test track, if I wanted to see GM cars, i'd go to a Chevy dealership.
Of course you would miss journey into imagination then! Epcots prime was mid to late 80s and even early 90s i remember Norway opening. The day Horizons shut down it was over... all downhill afterwards
@@MT-tu8dt You'd have to go to sometime after 1989 to get Body Wars as well. I think that would be a good time period.. between then and 1994. You could see the Cronkite version of Spaceship Earth and all the other defunk rides at Epcot were still open. 1992 was when i was still a kid and going to Epcot. I really wish I could re-visit that time.
This was when EPCOT was at its best. All the original rides all up and running. World of Motion was so amazing and yes it was a lot like horizons and spaceship earth but also very different. The ending black light space city was the coolest. Ah 1994 EPCOT.
Ward Kimball visited CalArts in 1980 and sat next to me at lunch with the whole class. He talked about being an advisor on this ride, and specifically mentioned that it was his idea to add the footsteps at the beginning. It's a loss to the world that this attraction is gone. It was absolutely the best of the Epcot experience. In retrospect it seems like a Disney we'll never know again. Thankfully there's video documentation. Thanks for posting. This really means a lot to me.
This looks so cool, Epcot's my favorite park. I've been to Magic Kingdom, Hollywood Studios (I think it was Disney-MGM when I went though), and Animal Kingdom all once, but I've been to Epcot three times. I'm way more into the culture future education stuff than I am the rides. Loooove Spaceship Earth. I'm kind of sad that the growing trend in rides lately have been all big video screens and 3D glasses, I'd much prefer an actual ride with animatronics than all digital. It's always more impressive that way.
Wow. Look at all those beautiful animatronics. This ride looked amazing. I would kill to go back and time and experience this, horizons and imagination with dreamfinder.
RIP to the early 90's EPCOT which had all its classic, animatronic-filled attractions intact. If I really wanted thrill rides I'd go to Busch Gardens or Six Flags. Sigh...
@Dennis Mitchell grew up going to wdw throughout the 90s and early 2000s. Not sure I could go back now and see all the changes. With that being said, mission space is pretty awesome lol it doesn't fit the disney vibe to me but neither did test track and I loved it as a kid.
@Dennis Mitchell Body Wars was in Epcot back then and that ride was pretty rough. I felt like it was rougher than the original Star Tours. Those two tourists were somebody who had a medical condition but ignored the signs anyway, and someone who didn't know they had a medical condition. The same thing could happen on a number of classic Magic Kingdom rides too. And they have two versions of Mission Space, one with sick bags and one without.
its actually because out tvs and computers are such high definition now. watch this on a 1980s or 90s tv and it will look almost crystal clear ha ha minus tracking errors in the tapes.
about the same video technology so no surprise there.. What I hate is when I see pictures online now from the 70s and even 80s that were originally color, yet they've been altered to black and white in order to make them look old.
Rode it only once in 87. It was a big hit with my family and we wanted to go again, but the line was too long. On the second day it broke down. Much missed---
this was a great ride. We use to go up to the GM lounge above the ride because of someone we knew. They would take us down a back elevator to get on the ride without waiting in line.
I rode this ride..JUST before it closed for good...Near new years of 1996 (maybe dec 30th or so--1995). I LOVED It..rode it at LEAST 5 times !! I ALSO loved "journey into the imagination, and "Horizons". Journey..had the 'figment"...that STILL sticks with me...TODAY !!
I miss this ride, admittedly. A nice long ride in which you could get off your feet for a while, and thanks to it being a continuous-belt ride (like Spaceship Earth, Horizons, the Haunted Mansion, and the Journey into Imagination of old), the lines kept moving.
Thank you for posting this video. For me, the Future World side of EPCOT Center was at its best from my first visit in 1987 and subsequent visits through 1994.
The last three minutes remind me of the end of the current Spaceship Earth. It's like they ran out of ideas for the ending. Glad I was able to ride this. Glad they replaced it. Watching these videos has not made me nostalgic for EPCOT even though I got to ride them. The only one I miss is the original Journey into Imagination.
My father and I loved this ride, and both of us felt really bad when it closed. Until his dying day, I think Dad felt that Disney should have a "Lost Rides Land"!.
As weird as it may sound, 1:27 made me remember my childhood. The last time I was in Epcot was in 1991. But I remember distinctly going by that really simple part of the ride because I was thinking of how scary the villain from Captain EO was.
I worked at this ride! I was so sad when they got rid of it. I spent hundreds of hours working there, but never got tired of it. I can tell you the song did get old once you’d heard it all day…. “It’s funnnnn to be freeeeee!” Great memories
WidenYourWorld I am 39 and growing up in Florida, we went to Epcot/Magic Kingdom often & this was the happiest time of my childhood. I'm so sad that this attraction & a few others have been replaced. It's like losing another part of my childhood. So thank you so much for posting these vids so I can relive my happiest times and remember all the details. I love it!
Fortunate to have been part of Epcot Center's opening crew as part of Guest Relations. The memories of opening this park are some of the best years of my life.
I never went on this personally, as it was removed before I was born, but thanks for this because I love watching the old rides. There is so much room at Disney World (actually, only 1/4 of the land they own is developed) I don't see why they can't keep the old nostalgic rides and build new ones in new places. I wish I could go on this and others like 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and Horizons.
I absolutely loved the "sparkle city" of the future at the end. Such a memory for me from my childhood. Miss it! I have no problem with updating rides but keep the classic nostalgia for goodness sake!
Sad as it is to see Horizons and World of Motion gone and replaced with less imaginative thrill rides, it does make me more thankful that Spaceship Earth lives on.
wow, this ride looked amazing! all those scenes and animatronics mixes with animation....incredible and SO Disney. Also, it doesn't look or feel like a ride that was made in the 80s, it sort of has an old Disney 50s-60s feel to it, making it seem sort of timeliness. I could see the attitude of the 90s not liking this ride for that reason but I bet this ride would be popular these days for that retro aspect. I'm so confused why this ride was gone in the 90s but great movie ride has survived until 2016...this is way more timeless than GMR
cait andrews GMR is gonna be gone in August. The contracts Disney had with the sponsors of these pavilions required them to do a refurbishment every so often to prevent Future World from no longer being about the future, which is probably why Disney is doing a complete overhaul of Future World considering how tired it has gotten and the fact that a lot of the ride pavilions have lost sponsors.
I love old school Disney rides because I experienced them as a kid . I remember going on this ride . There is a picture of me and my sister sitting in the ride car in our family photo album. I would love to see some of them brought back but I would also LOVE for them to open a Villain park for older kids/adults to enjoy
this looks like it was great ride. so after watching this it seems like test track is pretty much picking up where this ride left off, per say? and like mentioned before, Disney definitely needs more educational rides like these!
Thanks for the upload. I always liked this ride as a kid. The entrance always reminded me of a huge mouth for some reason. I miss the long rides. Epcot is more concerned now with getting you on your feet so you can buy alcohol.
THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart! As a kid who was fortunate enough to experience WDW annually in the late 70’s and 80’s, these videos bring back soooo many good memories! 🎶It’s fun to be free!!🎶 Cheers!!
My memory was RIGHT !! The last part of the music playing on this ride--RIGHT before the "GM request" line...sounds a LOT...like the intro to "the Confessor"..by Joe Walsh !!
Was 8 in 1989 with our first time to WDW. Epcot was the first park and would forever be the park we tell newbies to visit. World of Motion was the 2nd ride I did that day and I can still remember going up the ramp and getting that panoramic view of the park.
Another classic attraction gone but not forgotten thank you for posting this video upload of The World Of Motion ride this lost attraction will have a place in my heart forever farewell World Of Motion you will be sadly missed
Widenyourworld thank you so much for posting this video. I grew up on this ride I'm so sad to see it go it was probably the best in the top two best rides at Epcot ever and I've been on it over and over again it sucks that it was taken down for a damn track which we have everywhere this is actually educational and memorable not that I don't enjoy the truck but this was so much better. I'm sad to see it Go and it's going to take me a long time to get over it.
This was the adaptation of the New York World's Fair in the mid 60's from GM except that the actually used real GM automobiles. Just a line of different autos. I was 9 and rode that exhibit ride with my whole family in a single auto and was amazed.
I love your vintage Disney videos. A nice nostalgia trip as well as a great resource for Disney history! I know rides can't last forever but this one will really be missed. The design was really well done with the animatronics, sets, props, and effects. Something I really wish I could experience again is the "speedrooms." Video doesn't do them justice at all, it was such a cool experience in person! Do any of the rides still use that effect?
The closest thing I can think of is in the current Spaceship Earth. Just after you exit the garage in California, there's a stream of 1's and 0's flying over your head, and it has a similar effect to the speedrooms. There's a room in Buzz Lightyear just before the end that is set up just like these speedrooms, but it's not used as such.
I think this was Epcot’s biggest weakness at the time, the rides were slow moving and boring, whereas kids would want something fast and exciting. I appreciate the ride for its originality, creativity and want to educate the public.
I used to love this ride so soothing and relaxing Disney always had the AC on high like 60-70 degrees to make you comfortable on the ride and the real smells of ash and robot hydrolic fluid ha ha. Now they cut back its warmer on the rides like spaceship earth..... lol disney is all about thrills now ha ha with test track. 80s epcot was truly a vision of Walt Disney.
I know things have to change, but that was a good attraction. I was really upset when Disney got rid of Horizons. Now that was a great attraction!! Thanks for posting this. Brings back the good ol' days of Epcot.
wow, I'd forgotten about so many scenes in this attraction, I miss all the old animatronic attractions, like this one & Horizons, and the original Journey into the Imagination, and the original classic - 20000 Leagues Under the Sea in Magic Kingdom. Actually I miss a lot of things from the 90's WDW. I will just have to settle for these nostalgic trips to into our past. Thanks for posting this video!
I love how clean the ride environment is while riding from the loading area into the show building up the ramp. I remember Disney always being so clean everywhere.
EPCOT (Then, Epcot Center) was much more cerebral back when it opened and during its first decade. A growing number of visitors lamented that it didn't have thrill rides that other parks had. Epcot didn't even have Disney characters when it opened. The only Disney character you would see is when Mickey Mouse and friends came out as part of a live entertainment set. Epcot Center was about emerging technologies sponsored by the companies implementing them. World Showcase was about art and culture, food and merchandise. It's been dumbed down so much since that time that it's hardly recognizable. For someone who was there from before the park opened, it was a sad period of decay to experience.
nicely done, the quality is pretty good for what was probably a vhs recorder. I miss this ride. Disney World use to be so magical now it is crank as many through as possible.
This was such a great ride. I was so sad when I heard they were getting rid of it. I only got to see it a few times when I visited Florida back in the late '80s.
I LOVED this ride when I was a kid. The rides that show history were always my favorites. They’ve since taken two of my favorites in this ride and the maelstrom. I haven’t been to Epcot in 4 years, but hopefully they haven’t gotten ride of anything else.
This was my first attraction as WDW Epcot ride host. Started in 1991 and moved to resorts in '94. WoM, Horizons, Spaceship Earth, and The Universe of Energy.
The narrator is the same voice actor that played Powdered Toast Man on Ren and Stimpy. "If in the event of an emergency; 'Cling tenaciously to my buttocks'"!
