Ellen's Energy Adventure

[EpcotServo]

It still manages to be one of the most advanced rides at WDW, and is an amazing marvel of engineering and Imagineering know-how.

I can't recommend this website enough...it opened my eyes!

http://www.energy.planet7.org/companion/top/mosaic.htm

 

[EPCOT.nut]

I enjoy this ride still, even though it's different than the first time I'd ridden it. The dinosaur part of the ride makes it worth all the time the ride takes - even if you think the Ellen intro part and the informative post-show are boring, the dinos are cool. I even find Ellen to be funny and having been on this ride an embarrassing number of times, I look for funny details I hadn't really noticed before.

 

[luckyeye13]

If you like Ellen's sense of humor, you'll love the attraction. Even though I've ridden it so many times I can practically quote the entire thing, I still laugh at Ellen. :lol:

Stupid Judy. Stupid energy!

I even find Ellen to be funny and having been on this ride an embarrassing number of times, I look for funny details I hadn't really noticed before.

Boy oh boy, am I glad that I am not the only one who loves this ride! This is definitely one of my favorites and I try to go on it whenever I get a chance. I, too, can pretty much quote the entire attraction, much to the combined fear and amusement of my family. I also randomly start humming the music to it, which I actually just searched out on the Internet and downloaded because reading this thread made me want to listen to it. I miss having to use the Disney phones all the time because I very often got the Ellen's Energy Adventure music while I was on hold.

 

[CThaddeus]

I like the ride. And the Ellen/Jeopardy version is far superior to the original version, except the original had two great songs.

I completely agree. The original had but two things I liked about it and you mentioned them both - the song "Energy" and the song "Universe of Energy." It was dull and pedantic, to the point where I could understand if people fell asleep during it.
Now however, Ellen, Bill, and Alex make learning about alternative fuels fun and entertaining. I could never, nor would I want to, fall asleep during the show as I'm just too engrossed by the story and the humor. Maybe this attraction isn't everyone's cup of tea, but it is definitely mine. I'm also a big fan of attractions that last more than 4 minutes, as I don't suffer from ADD and enjoy something with a little meat to it. This is one of the main reasons I miss the old EPCOT Center. Attractions then had story, character, and "meat." They weren't lame thrill rides or simple Magic Kingdom-style dark rides. They were unique experiences, something you couldn't do or see outside of the Park and - gasp! - even educational. Test Track is a ride in a freakin' car, Nemo is a simple dark ride, Journey Into Your Imagination with Figment is anything but imaginitive, and Soarin' - while good for California Adventure - has zero connection to Futureworld.
Next time you visit, if you haven't gone on Ellen's Energy Adventure, go. Please take an open mind. Don't let the negative comments stop you. Everything should be experienced at least once at the World. If it turns out when the journey is complete that you didn't like it, then of course don't do it again. But at least give it the chance. It is more than an air-conditioned snore-atorium, contrary to some of the myths presented around here.

 

[C&D]

I like the ride too. And as to the references of it being dated, as far as the alternate energy references goes, a lot of those mentioned have been forefronted to prominence as helping with our energy solutions today. Still funny, still informative, still relevent and still air conditioned; good stuff.

 

[Montyboy]

Oh, the irony.

I love irony.

Well done.

 

[iheartdisney91]

"i had a great nickname for her.... stupid judy" hahah:ROFLOL:

i love this ride! if you havnt riden it, jsut try it out and see if you like it. if you like Ellen then it'll be entertaining

 

[TinkRBell427]

DO NOT take small infants/toddlers on this ride as there's no escape once you're in the ride vehicle and 45 minutes can be a long time for a small child.

My family would disagree with you on that one:lol:. They took me on this ride when I was almost a year old and when the ride got to the dinosaurs I apparently went nuts. Now I'm not sure of all the details since I was itty bitty, but they stopped the ride and my mother got up with me and took me out. I swear though, I remember the dinosaurs looked like they were about to eat me for lunch!:ROFLOL: Of course, that was 1983, maybe they don't stop rides for screaming children anymore:shrug:

 

[Rob562]

My family would disagree with you on that one:lol:. They took me on this ride when I was almost a year old and when the ride got to the dinosaurs I apparently went nuts. Now I'm not sure of all the details since I was itty bitty, but they stopped the ride and my mother got up with me and took me out. I swear though, I remember the dinosaurs looked like they were about to eat me for lunch!:ROFLOL: Of course, that was 1983, maybe they don't stop rides for screaming children anymore:shrug:

You sure you're remembering that correctly?

The ride system in Energy is such that it can't just be stopped and re-started at will. Yes, they can stop it, but they can't recover from a ride stop and have the show continue. When there's a ride stop, they have to evacuate the entire pavilion (not just a family with a crying kid) and reset the ride vehicles and bring them back to the turntables in the theaters manually.

There are two sets of ride vehicles that essentially swap places in the attraction. As soon as one set leaves the first theater into the dinosaur diorama, the other set returns from theater 2 into theater 1 for unload. It's a precisely timed choreography that can't be altered without stopping things up. (That's why you always seem to sit in the first theater forever after the pre-show before the ride portion starts. The cars can't start moving until they reach the proper timing of the overall attraction sequence, and they need to account for the time to load a full theater) While simple attractions like Snow White or Winnie the Pooh can get backed up and then re-start whenever they want, Energy can't do that.

Also, once the cars enter the single-file portion of the diorama, they don't evacuate Guests in that section unless it's an emergency.
The *one* thing I could see them possibly doing would be to come and take you out of the cars after the diorama, they've regrouped in Theater 2, and the cars have rotated and started watching the second film. But, that would require the CM to break quite a few safety rules *and* do it in the dark while the movie was still running.

-Rob

 

[TinkRBell427]

Well, I asked my dad today about it, and I did get one thing wrong, HE was the one that took me out of the ride and not my mom.
Anyway, I know about the attraction and how it works, I worked in Epcot for a year and rode Energy a lot. Thanks for the info.