danyoung56
Well-Known Member
Hey, that was the great Gary Owens - for me, one of the best things about the ride!
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Does anybody miss World of Motion?
- Thread starter retr0gate
- Start date
Hey, that was the great Gary Owens - for me, one of the best things about the ride!
Bender123
Well-Known Member
Except it was elevated by being a completely different tone than the ride scenes. If you never saw the ride, you would think the narration was about something far more serious and 1950s commercial styled.
Astro_Digital
Active Member
Yes
TwilightZone
Well-Known Member
Boy, what would I do to get test track to have as good as theming as world of motion did. Though test track 1.0, both experience and theming is a lot better then world of motion. Imagination and horizons have way better theming and experience then world of motion did, but I still love world of motion.
Goofyernmost
Well-Known Member
Kinda tough to pull off what with the sponsor being Chevrolet (GM) and all. They have a history of not promoting alternate forms of transportation.
Goofyernmost
Well-Known Member
I think I know what you are saying, but, that was the essence of the attraction. A serious sounding sound track almost completely contradicting the scenes that are being shown. But, it was just a way to not take the whole thing to seriously because with every advancement in transportation there was a period of trial and error while perfecting it. They just found the more gag related ones to show.
MinnieM123
Premium Member
Yes, that was a fun detail of the ride, when the Omnimover traveled up the outside portico. I enjoyed that, too.
GVentola
Well-Known Member
I loved World of Motion, and when it was taking a while to fix Test Track before they could open it, I laughed inside in revenge. But I ended up loving the original Test Track as well. I miss both World of Motion and Test Track version 1!
I would describe World of Motion as a parody of Spaceship Earth. Spaceship Earth was a reverent look at the history of communication, and World of Motion, an irreverent look at the history of transportation.
World of Motion was one ride whose closing I heard about in advance, so I got to ride it one final time to say goodbye and get some closure.
My favorite part was the policeman hiding behind the billboard, watching for speeders.
I would describe World of Motion as a parody of Spaceship Earth. Spaceship Earth was a reverent look at the history of communication, and World of Motion, an irreverent look at the history of transportation.
World of Motion was one ride whose closing I heard about in advance, so I got to ride it one final time to say goodbye and get some closure.
My favorite part was the policeman hiding behind the billboard, watching for speeders.
gustaftp
Well-Known Member
And I wouldn't expect them to, though it would be nice. Even Exxon, after all, acknowledged alternative forms of energy beyond fossil fuels.
The entire backstory of "Who Framed Roger Rabbit" ironically is about the GM Streetcar Conspiracy.
tonymu
Premium Member
I really loved WOM. It was a great ride, a long ride and an omnimover so the line went fast. It also had the cool part that went outside. I was very sad when they closed it. I am not a huge fan of TT. It's kinda meh, jerks you around a bunch through some pretty lame scenes and then goes real fast. Would have prefered if they had left WOM and added TT around the outside. We never skipped WOM but often skip TT!
Chef Mickey
Well-Known Member
I think it is the third best ride ever at EPCOT and better than anything there now. I miss it terribly.
CoasterSnoop
Well-Known Member
World of Motion was just classic Disney. The level of imagination that went into that ride is only paralleled by a few other Disney rides out there. I wouldn’t personally consider TT a worthy replacement as it ripped away some of the personality of the pavilion, but 1.0 was at least a good addition. Miles better, imo, than what we would eventually get in the form of TT 2.0. The ride, and the pavilion itself, just feels cold now. By that, I’d say the TT we have now is not even close to a worthy replacement for WoM.
But, ya know, you gotta stick those thrills somewhere. *eyes UoE*
But, ya know, you gotta stick those thrills somewhere. *eyes UoE*
danyoung56
Well-Known Member
It always worked for me. Maybe you had to know Gary Owens and his rep - he could read the phone book in that same dry voice and still be funny.
Goofyernmost
Well-Known Member
You noticed that they didn't dwell on it though.
Brer Oswald
Well-Known Member
I’m sure WoM was fantastic, but what did it have to do with Epcot? Sure, you can say that about many things today. But as it stands, Test Track is the closest thing to a surviving idea in Walt’s original E.P.C.O.T.
danyoung56
Well-Known Member
An attraction that teaches the history of transportation is exactly in theme with the original E.P.C.O.T.
DarthVader
Sith Lord
I barely remember it, I guess it didn't leave a huge impression on me
Nemo14
Well-Known Member
It, along with Horizons, Universe of Energy, Wonders of Life, The Living Seas, Journey into Imagination, The Land, Spaceship Earth, and Communicore was an integral part of the awesomeness of the Future World of the 90's. My family loved it, and I think we all had our favorite parts, from the policeman hiding behind the billboard, the overturned cart with all the fruit and chickens scattered around, and the dragon/sea serpent looking at the guy with the spyglass.
Bender123
Well-Known Member
Exactly. Had the tone of the narration been silly, it would have just been a weird/cringy ride. If the scenes had been serious, the tone of the ride would have felt like a commercial. The combination of high concept narration with humorous scenes made everything clash, just enough, to make both parts better.
thepirateking
Well-Known Member
WoM was great. Like many other original Epcot omni-movers, it had incredible detail. 15 minutes of scenes, AAs, large projection screens and narration. You really could see new things every time you rode. And a ride was relaxing and transporting since it was so long.
Test Track is novel, but it's a lightly dressed thrill ride (barely) that's over before it starts. There was more detail in one WoM scene than there is in all of TT.
Mission Space also traded the duration and detail of Horizons for a much shorter, much less detailed thrill ride. I enjoy the thrills, but I'd go for the longer experiences every time. You could dwell in them. You could linger in the world.
That's missing today. Everything is a blur.
I think the comment that people don't miss WoM because they enjoy TT is wrong (generally). I think it is missed. I think Horizons was much more beloved because it was so aspirational and inspiring. It looked forward rather than back. And they razed the thing to the ground. At least with WoM the building is still there. The destruction of Horizons is just a painful and violent assault on a beloved memory.
I acknowledge that nostalgia is powerful. I know these rides would need updates and modernization if they were still going today. But they were great rides. Adventures for the mind.
It's sad we've lost that.
Test Track is novel, but it's a lightly dressed thrill ride (barely) that's over before it starts. There was more detail in one WoM scene than there is in all of TT.
Mission Space also traded the duration and detail of Horizons for a much shorter, much less detailed thrill ride. I enjoy the thrills, but I'd go for the longer experiences every time. You could dwell in them. You could linger in the world.
That's missing today. Everything is a blur.
I think the comment that people don't miss WoM because they enjoy TT is wrong (generally). I think it is missed. I think Horizons was much more beloved because it was so aspirational and inspiring. It looked forward rather than back. And they razed the thing to the ground. At least with WoM the building is still there. The destruction of Horizons is just a painful and violent assault on a beloved memory.
I acknowledge that nostalgia is powerful. I know these rides would need updates and modernization if they were still going today. But they were great rides. Adventures for the mind.
It's sad we've lost that.