Horizons: Share your memories!

[Figments Friend]

I have been doing a lot of reading lately about the "Horizons" attraction that used to grace EPCOT Center. I thought it would be nice to start another thread regarding it, but this time focusing on your personal memories associated with it.

So who here rode it, and what were some of the highlights for you?

I rode it only once i beleive, in 85' and thought it was pretty neat but was too young to really appreciate everything about it i think. Certain parts i rememeber, and when i watch my video of the ride a lot come back. When i returned to the part years later it was gone, so i never was able to experience it again which was a shame! It was indeed a veryunique attraction and there was a lot a stunning work involving the concepts and scenes. I love my ride-thru video of it....really brings me back to a time when EPCOT was EPCOT....or more precisely, the inspiring EPCOT Center!

I know this attraction has a huge fan following and i think it's well deserved. I would love to hear some of your stories regarding your thoughts, experieces, and perhaps some inspiration you came away with after experiencing it.

I love "Horizons" and wish it were still here !

 

[dolbyman]

I only rode it once .. in 1992.. cause my english was rather .. "basic" (or so to say ...non existent) I couldn't get all the eductional background.. but the ride itself was cool

only thing left for me are the ridethrough and tribute videos of this attraction :slurp:

 

[maelstrom]

The GE corporate lounge. Not everyone got to go in there, so it makes me feel special. The free soda and candy, couches, and private entrance to Horizons (skip the line!). I was so upset when they did away with it.

 

[marni1971]

That one pavilion for me symbolises everything that EPCOT Center was. It really was greater than the sum of its parts. From the music to the theming, the Futureport, Omnimax CG Graphics (a first) to the various sets... they won`t build anything like it again. Infact, it was my love for Horizons that made me make my first ever tribute video. Horizons v1 was my first edit released online - and we all know where that led :lol:

 

[barnum42]

I don't know how many times I rode it - a lot from my first ride in 1987. It really captured my imagination. To find out any true Horizons fan, just say one word and see if they smile. That word is "oranges"

 

[marni1971]

:slurp:

 

[ogryn]

I remember always going in at night, and the entrance to it.... and of course the button pushing to determine the ending. Button pushing to a 10/11 year old on a ride is fantastic! :lol:

 

[OliveMcFly]

When I was younger we were able to squeeze myself anf 2 brothers in one car. In the end scene I would press the under water adventure button but my brothers would press the space scene. They out numbered me and I never got to end the ride my way. That's the only thing I truly remember about Horizons. Although for a few years I used to think the Winnie stuffed animal floating around was in SSE. Then it clicked.

 

[marni1971]

I remember I got to (finally) see the desert ending by riding it myself in the evening (when the IllumiNations crowds were growing) and pressing all the desert buttons myself..

Everyone always seemed to pick `space`.

 

[barnum42]

Whilst I am a space nut, the desert ending was the best of the choices.

 

[Kwit35]

Horizons is/was, by far, the best ride ever made by Disney. It will always be my favorite. My favorite memory was, as mentioned above, those wonderful oranges. That single scene did it for me. The huge orange fields, stretching for miles. The futuristic agricultural machinery. The distant clouds. And of course, THE SMELLLL. MMmmmmmmm. As with everyone else, by brother and I always fought over the ending. I always wanted the aquatic ending and my bro always wanted space. Since we always rode it 3-4 times a trip, we would take turns.
I really enjoyed the future as seen by people in the past. The 50's room was always cool.

 

[WDWPrnces02]

....Why oh WHY....

I remember the orange room smell, the song.."If we can dream it then we can do it..yes we can yes we can", the boy and the floating dog scene, i loved the kitchen scene (so wanted that robot ).....


I wonder what they did with the animatronics??????

 

[WDW Kip]

Horizons is definitely my favorite attraction of all time. I got the chance to ride it about 10 times from when I was about 6 until it closed a few years ago.

The oranges were great, and the endings were so fun to pick and fight over. My favorite part of the ride always was the underwater sea-base sequence. I just thought the idea of living underwater, and going to and underwater school was so neat as a kid. I also though the little, personal submarines that they used were so cool. A lot of the design elements in the ride were so 80s, and I thought the ride got better with age because of this fact. Late into the 90s, I still loved Horizons for it's "80s vision of the future." Obviously, a lot of Epcot Center was like that when it was first built, and a lot of those visions have been changed these days. Right up until it closed, it seemed like Horizons was one of the last early attractions to still be running, other than Spaceship Earth; all the other Future World attractions have been changed significantly.

 

[jedimaster1227]

When I was really young, I was afraid to go on the ride because the kaleidoscope queue walls scared me. Also, the projection tunnel video made me dizzy. I regret that I was so afraid, because then I would have remembered Horizons better. I only rode it about 20 times before it was removed.

 

[Nemo14]

Oranges!

 

[One Lil Spark]

Just a few memories to hopefully make people remember and smile --

The hoola hooping cardboard cut outs in the 50's scene
Jules Vern and the chicken and the dog floating
The 'man on the moon' looking down on earth
The first time I'd ever seen someone with a tv in their bathtub
The kitten batting at the jumping fish
The upside down exercise bike
The massive jew fish in the underwater scene that just stared at you
Singing happy birthday over and over again
Being 'flown over' a city in the omnimax theater

Ahhhh, it's all sooo good! I miss my dear Horizons...

 

[krushuk]

I miss Horizons so much. I loved all of it, but by far, I think the music score was the best ever for an attraction.

In fact, I've been searching for years for a copy of the source audio (without the narration). I know the LIVE365 stations have it, but it is always broken up in sections and never in a row.

Does anyone know where I can get a good quality copy of all the Horizons source audio for all the scenes?

 

[One Lil Spark]

**I know I'm slightly resurrecting this thread. Don't burn me at the stake.**

For the past week, I've been listening to Horizons in my car on the commute to and from work. I've got the original ride itself, the BMG, the soundtrack without the dialogue and the Horizons song from the official album from the late 80s/early 90s.

Everytime I listen to this a FLOOD of memories and warm feelings invade.

I'm not going to preach that the ride should be brought back or anything like that, but if it's been gone this long and I can just listen to a poor recording of the original ride and still get goosebumps then Disney did their job.

So, for all the Horizons fans, I suggest that you sit down with your old, retired friend and listen to it again. It's well worth it to hear such an amazing ride and remember it fondly. That's what Horizons would have wanted anyway.

Have a magical day!
Jenn

 

[Kwit35]

**I know I'm slightly resurrecting this thread. Don't burn me at the stake.**

For the past week, I've been listening to Horizons in my car on the commute to and from work. I've got the original ride itself, the BMG, the soundtrack without the dialogue and the Horizons song from the official album from the late 80s/early 90s.

Everytime I listen to this a FLOOD of memories and warm feelings invade.

I'm not going to preach that the ride should be brought back or anything like that, but if it's been gone this long and I can just listen to a poor recording of the original ride and still get goosebumps then Disney did their job.

So, for all the Horizons fans, I suggest that you sit down with your old, retired friend and listen to it again. It's well worth it to hear such an amazing ride and remember it fondly. That's what Horizons would have wanted anyway.

Have a magical day!
Jenn

I hear ya! I miss it too. I listen to the soundtrack alot as well. It was such an interesting ride. I wish they WOULD bring it back.