EPCOT Test Track to be reimagined

[FettFan]

I really don’t know what the people wanting more WoM realistically expected. Did you want them to rip out the slot car tracks and install an omnimover?

No. But would it have killed them to keep the building down for another year with a new interior track layout?

That was the worse part of going from 1.0 to 2.0…you still had the “antilock brakes test” that put you into a skid over the cones, but now it was a random simulated lightning strike on the simulated track.

 

[Vinnie Mac]

or animatronic Chuck E Cheese characters..

These existed not long ago it's only been a few years...

 

[sedati]

I miss the old style edutainment where I learned that triangles were seen as a viable option before the wheel.

 

[Casper Gutman]

The lidar section is the most interesting visual of any version, so kudos there.

The underlying problem is that Test Track has just never been a particularly interesting concept to begin with. It served as a predecessor to RSR, so it deserves credit there, but the fundamentals of the ride - the parking lot speed section, the warehouse building, the bland theme - couldn’t be overcome.

It’s fine. I’m glad it’s open again. But it never can and never will hold a candle to WoM, my favorite of the old EPCOT rides, the only attraction that ever had the same particularly cartoon-y wit and humor of Pirates and HM.

 

[Centauri Space Station]

No. But would it have killed them to keep the building down for another year with a new interior track layout?

That was the worse part of going from 1.0 to 2.0…you still had the “antilock brakes test” that put you into a skid over the cones, but now it was a random simulated lightning strike on the simulated track.

The 2.0 version improved that. Before you could see the outline of the track and knew you were about to swerve. 2.0 used the darkness to their advantage and created a fake yellow track outline to make you think you were going straight but would suddenly swerve off road. 3.0 makes perfect sense with the other car suddenly stopping infront of you and making you swerve.

 

[Scamp]

It was a warehouse with curtains View attachment 867354View attachment 867355View attachment 867356View attachment 867357

It wasn't pretty looking... but it sold you on the idea that you were visiting a real car testing facility, especially in the pre-show with all the scientific details about car testing.

As a kid first time I rode it I almost believed it was a real, as there was so much information to take in.

 

[osian]

Just one random observation (there may be quite a few of these as we notice more detail!), I like the way sunlight breaking through the tree canopy is simulated.

 

[dmc493]

Just to say it, for everyone that loved the design a car experience and misses it, there were also people like me who thought it felt outdated almost immediately and didn’t enjoy the experience or how it was implemented later in the ride. All a matter of preference

 

[Jrb1979]

Just one random observation (there may be quite a few of these as we notice more detail!), I like the way sunlight breaking through the tree canopy is simulated.

IMO thats what the whole ride should have been like.

 

[RosR9]

Just to say it, for everyone that loved the design a car experience and misses it, there were also people like me who thought it felt outdated almost immediately and didn’t enjoy the experience or how it was implemented later in the ride. All a matter of preference

Haaaaaard agree, I also did not find it enjoyable and I’m so glad it’s gone!

 

[Jrb1979]

The one thing that I'm happy the most about is they stayed true to its original theme and didn't slap some IP in the ride. Test Track shows that not every attraction has to have IP on it.

 

[Tjaden]

Best update or new attraction in a loooong time in my book. Is it as good as WoM? No, but it looks fantastic for still a relatively short ride and it brings the number of "Epcot Attractions" in Epcot up 1 when there are so few left.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Just to say it, for everyone that loved the design a car experience and misses it, there were also people like me who thought it felt outdated almost immediately and didn’t enjoy the experience or how it was implemented later in the ride. All a matter of preference

My kids always loved it and we enjoyed working together to create some crazy looking cars

I think we were all disappointed that it didn't carry through the actual attraction enough and especially when it wouldn't even work popping up your scores.

 

[Eric P.]

I think it looks better than 2.0 but nothing will be better than the original. The whole concept of the testing grounds and even the original queue were peak Disney. I've been on both 1.0 and 2.0 and 2.0 was a major letdown compared to the original. This at least has some of that old Epcot feel, but it still pales on comparison with the Original version. It just feels cheap and some of the scenes just don't fit that well. They needed to go back to a version closer to 1.0. At least it will be re-opened however it should not have taken this long for what they actually did.

 

[monothingie]

Someone already mentioned it, but yes, the tree scene smells like trees and you hear birds chirping! There are many elements of this version that can only be appreciated in person.

I talked to Scott Mallwitz, the Executive Creative Director at WDI who was the lead on it, and when I said I loved it, he said it best: there is a lot to love. There is a lot to love for the fans and for the general family. A major win for EPCOT and Imagineering.

If this is a major win, I’d love (hate?)to see a loss.

WDI puts more effort into PR and spin than actually putting out good work.

 

[Brer Oswald]

I really don’t know what the people wanting more WoM realistically expected. Did you want them to rip out the slot car tracks and install an omnimover?

They shouldn’t have said anything at all if they didn’t plan on delivering the “WoM influence” in any substantial way. Had they said nothing about it in the announcement, the subtle callbacks and references would’ve been looked upon more favourably.

 

[monothingie]

They shouldn’t have said anything at all if they didn’t plan on delivering the “WoM influence” in any substantial way. Had they said nothing about it in the announcement, the subtle callbacks and references would’ve been looked upon more favourably.

It’s the heavy hand of nostalgia that WDI uses as subtly as a sledgehammer to appeal to bought and paid for influencers, and the cupcake brigade.

Do you remember when WDI did an amazing job designing cutting edge attractions?

No neither do they apparently.

 

[Brer Oswald]

I can’t help but think how many of the issues of this redo would be resolved had they fully embraced “Fun to be Free”. As it stands, the scenery is an improvement, but the ride as a whole lacks cohesion and identity. Part of it is about the development of car technology, some of it is fantasy predictions about car customization, and part of it is just driving. What could unify these three ideas? The freedom that cars give to humans. Freedom of expression. Freedom of stress. Physical freedom. Now if only they had a theme song to hammer the point home. I guess a throwaway line and three notes will have to do.

 

[TalkingHead]

Maybe it’s just the soothing reminder that Disney can create non-IP entertainment, but this has solid B+ improvement vibes. Some things never change: queue has been a disaster since day 1, the herky jerky pacing is there although less bothersome now, the outdoor loop always feels like it should be more climactic. But it has a more coherent flow in the show building, not quite edutainment but in that register, I dig it.

 

[MisterPenguin]

The one thing that I'm happy the most about is they stayed true to its original theme and didn't slap some IP in the ride. Test Track shows that not every attraction has to have IP on it.

Certainly glad GM didn't let Disney try to chevrosell us on anything. That kind of synerGEE EMbarrasses themselves and takes one out of the experience.