Will anyone miss Ellen's Energy Adventure?

Gelatoni

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
I see all kinds of people mad about GMR but none over EEA. There has to be someone. I personally never liked the ride but it was great for the 40 minutes and A/C. Anyone gonna miss it?
 

IMFearless

Well-Known Member
Yes, I will miss it. One of the last great dark rides of epic scale. True genius in engineering when you read about how it works - I think Marty Sklar's book (Dream it, Do it?) describes how the imagineers designed the ride system in great detail. To think it was designed and built in 1981 is remarkable.

It's a shame they could not have updated the film portion of the attraction and kept the travelling part similar.

It's nice to see the new investment coming to the parks however, I just hope the dark ride as a format is not forgotten, as done right they are still the best attractions bar none. Pirates of the Caribbean at Disneyland is the gold standard for me. So much repeatability.
 

Surfin' Tuna

Well-Known Member
I am certainly going to miss it, because it feels like the end of an era. It's sad to see all of the edutainment type attractions going away as Epcot loses sight of what it was. As soon as you enter the dinosaur scene you're reminded of what Disney did so well and could (in theory) do again. For some reason I still chuckle at "stupid Judy" every time, so I guess I'll miss that line too. I'm tempted to head over Tuesday (today) to make my youngest get on it even though I'm worried she will not enjoy it. I just want her to remember the Epcot we all fell in love with.
 

Gelatoni

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
I am certainly going to miss it, because it feels like the end of an era. It's sad to see all of the edutainment type attractions going away as Epcot loses sight of what it was. As soon as you enter the dinosaur scene you're reminded of what Disney did so well and could (in theory) do again. For some reason I still chuckle at "stupid Judy" every time, so I guess I'll miss that line too. I'm tempted to head over Tuesday (today) to make my youngest get on it even though I'm worried she will not enjoy it. I just want her to remember the Epcot we all fell in love with.

I would take them and pics of them on it. Just claim a row by yourself you'll be fine imo.

It wasn't the best i did enjoy seeing bill nye as a kid. If i lived near the parks I'd go for one last ride.
 

Bender123

Well-Known Member
We were lucky to bump into a Disney Archive photographer who was nice enough to take photos of us...There have also been a few random photopass photographers around there recently for those last memory pictures.

Got one last picture in front of it...

RRrPBO3.jpg
 

Gelatoni

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
My mom always wanted them to turn everything off but the cars and they give you a pillow so you could take a 40 min nap.

Was the ride acually 40 mins or did the count the pre show too?

I also heard ellen has never rode it. They should have her ride it once for her show lol.
 

Bender123

Well-Known Member
Very sad to loose the concept and design, and the possibilities of a thorough overhaul of the existing facility.

In somewhere that apparently has the blessing of size, it's a travesty - like GMR - to be loosing as opposed to refurbishing and adding.

I love UoE, more from nostalgia...It was a concept that was more known for "NEAT! Dinosaurs!" than its actual story elements. I admit, the technical parts of the ride (trackless system, huge AA and solar power) were my real draw. I loved how it was like a living museum of technology we see all over the parks now.

As for GMR...that one hurts. It would have been fine with updates that put a movie from the last 30+ years in to replace some of the worn out sections, like Tarzan, Alien or even updating the Anubis scene with something more recent and popular.

The one thing I am happy about is they seem to want to keep the buildings, for the most part, as is. I proposed to my fiancée in front of GMR, so it would be personally sad to see that wonderful theater go away.
 

The Empress Lilly

Well-Known Member
I'm devastated. :cry:

See my avatar, for the first time in a decade I've changed it.

The Ellen overlay I don't mind losing. Ellen is dated. It has a few saving graces but never was a good replacement to begin with. I do mind Ellen not being reconverted into an awesome Energy ride.

I will miss the dinosaurs and the grandness of the moving theater. These are still classic EPCOT, one of the last strongholds. Even without the mist, there are few more impressive sights in any Disney park than the curtains being raised and the entire theater moving into that primeval world. This is my childhood, my imagination, a place of magic and mystery to me since forever. :oops:
 
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RobidaFlats

Well-Known Member
Very sad to loose the concept and design, and the possibilities of a thorough overhaul of the existing facility.

In somewhere that apparently has the blessing of size, it's a travesty - like GMR - to be loosing as opposed to refurbishing and adding.

Blessing of size? Didn't Walt say something like: "Here in Florida, we have something special that we never enjoyed at Disneyland, the curse of size. Now that there's enough land here to hold all the ideas and plans we can possibly imagine... we can stop imagining truly new things and just cannibalize the bones of old ones." :rolleyes:
 

Bender123

Well-Known Member
Oddly...I do love this attraction and its hard for me to decide if its nostalgia or that it was a great ride. I truly enjoy it (even after the Ellen update), but I always feel like there was some bit of magic missing. I could never put my finger on it...

It wasn't at the level of SE, JII or WoM, but it wasnt bad either. Oddly, out of all the original pavilions, it felt the most "corporate". While other rides made learning fun, this one always seemed like an ad for oil. Granted, I loved it, but it didn't have the corny charm of Motion, the whimsy of Journey or the gravitas of Earth. It had Dinosaurs, an incredible scene of a space shuttle launch and a a movie that reminded me of what a substitute teacher would toss in to get through the day while giving the impression of learning.

I will dearly miss it, I have great memories of it and I still find it entertaining, but I also freely admit I cant decide if its due to being truly end to end great or just rose colored memories of what Epcot used to be...
 

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