Horizons in today's world

[THEMEPARKPIONEER]

Obviously today's technology put Spaceship Earth out of place a bi but what about Horizons? I can see the vishion and color scheme being a little outdated but would Horizons still be able to be pulled off as a futureistic vishion in today's world? I think 75% of the origional ride would have been still good for display.

 

[englanddg]

Absolutely. A lot of the tech that was showcased we still haven't realized yet (though, we get closer every decade).

 

[donaldtoo]

I watch a Horizons Tribute in HD video (on youtube in 3 parts) often. Usually just before I lay down to sleep at night. So much optimism, hope, and vision for the future. Where is that spirit today, I often wonder?
I know Walt was a fantastic dreamer, but he also walked the walk as much as he possibly could.
There have been others, like Steve Jobs, etc. But, really? Still, predominantly, driving cars with gasoline-powered internal combustion engines on pothole-filled roads mixed with pedestrians, commercial, and even rail traffic...?
Where's my hovercar, already?!?!
All kidding aside, people can't drive properly on a paved road with reasonable traction, stripes, road signs, and lights to guide them, much less hovering around with blind abandon...!
Just seems to me, though, that certain things should be a little more advanced than they are at this point in human history...?!?!
If we can dream it, can we REALLY do it, "these days" (one of my friends favorite references)?
Don't get me wrong, I STILL think we REALLY CAN, and there have been many advances beyond what many woulda' thought (maybe even Walt, but I doubt it ) back in Walts time, but there still seems be a lot more laurel-sitting than Walt would have approved of.
This old guy, I'm 50 , is always still trying to strive for what I can do to get to that fantastic future that awaits me in my daily life...!!!!!

 

[englanddg]

I watch a Horizons Tribute in HD video (on youtube in 3 parts) often. Usually just before I lay down to sleep at night. So much optimism, hope, and vision for the future. Where is that spirit today, I often wonder?
I know Walt was a fantastic dreamer, but he also walked the walk as much as he possibly could.
There have been others, like Steve Jobs, etc. But, really? Still, predominantly, driving cars with gasoline-powered internal combustion engines on pothole-filled roads mixed with pedestrians, commercial, and even rail traffic...?
Where's my hovercar, already?!?!
All kidding aside, people can't drive properly on a paved road with reasonable traction, stripes, road signs, and lights to guide them, much less hovering around with blind abandon...!
Just seems to me, though, that certain things should be a little more advanced than they are at this point in human history...?!?!
If we can dream it, can we REALLY do it, "these days" (one of my friends favorite references)?
Don't get me wrong, I STILL think we REALLY CAN, and there have been many advances beyond what many woulda' thought (maybe even Walt, but I doubt it ) back in Walts time, but there still seems be a lot more laurel-sitting than Walt would have approved of.
This old guy, I'm 50 , is always still trying to strive for what I can do to get to that fantastic future that awaits me in my daily life...!!!!!

If you are referring to this:



It was made by a forum member @marni1971

If you go to his website - http://www.martinsvids.net/

You can see that tribute video and many others in HD without breaks.

Cheers!

 

[copcarguyp71]

By and large I agree that it would still have held up. Throw in some technology/AA upgrades and pepper it with sustainable energy topics and POW...up to date!

DD (10) and I watched a ride through together the other night when she asked me what Horizons was (a proud moment for me) and I thoroughly enjoyed it as did she. For a 10 year old kid to have their interest held for 35 minutes by a video of a omnimover ride it had to have a timeless appeal IMO.

 

[Marc Gil]

It definitely holds up! The sets and the Animatronics were incredible! Just maybe change the omnimax films and some of the AA costumes and it'll be set! The narration may have needed some work too.

 

[Becky]

but would Horizons still be able to be pulled off as a futureistic vishion in today's world? I think 75% of the origional ride would have been still good for display.

Horizons was not supposed to be about tomorrows technology but a peek at what people thought was "just over the horizon" e.g. their view of the future. The first part of the ride shows what people 75 or more years ago thought the furture would bring. The second part of the ride, living in space under the sea etc, is what people a few years ago thought was just over the horizon and just may be. So 100% of Horizons is useable today as a view of past and current thoughts about the future.

 

[Cmdr_Crimson]

Horizons was not supposed to be about tomorrows technology but a peek at what people thought was "just over the horizon" e.g. their view of the future. The first part of the ride shows what people 75 or more years ago thought the furture would bring. The second part of the ride, living in space under the sea etc, is what people a few years ago thought was just over the horizon and just may be. So 100% of Horizons is useable today as a view of past and current thoughts about the future.

Yet we still hear nothing about living in the Desert, Sea, Or out in Space lately...I'm still waiting to be a Brava Centaurian..

 

[AllyInWonderland]

Yet we still hear nothing about living in the Desert, Sea, Or out in Space lately...I'm still waiting to be a Brava Centaurian..

I wanna live in the Sea Castle Resort!

 

[Bairstow]

One of the reasons that Horizons doesn't "work" as much in the modern world is that the technological advances of the 21st century are far less dynamic and visual than the technological advances of the 20th. Instead, it has been focused far more on information technology. Sure, we walked on the moon, breathed underwater, and crossbred fruit in the last century, but we've had decades to come to the realization that the logistical, political, and religious limitations of human civilization will likely preclude anything as advanced as large colonies in space, at least in our lifetimes. The trouble with Horizons is that it seemed to anticipate that our culture, national identity, and even our hairstyles can somehow survive long enough to see Mesa Verde. We've shifted our expectations since then, to the point where questions of ecological sustainability, the distribution of social and economic power, and the lingering threat of religious terrorism and war make our past fantasies of a NASA-lead American space/sea utopia quaint, if not ecologically/culturally offensive.

If you had to pinpoint a time when the "dream" of EPCOT died, it was when they retired the space shuttle with no replacement in sight.

 

[Victor Kelly]

Oil, ah yes. Yes we have technology that is better than oil, but oil is big money soooooooooooooooooo.................

How can we live in space when we cannot get along here on earth. And being that the space shuttle has been scuttled, I don't see it.

But on the positive side, the attraction was extremely positive, just like WoM. Yes, Horizons would still fit, so would WoM, and a health pavillion.

 

[THEMEPARKPIONEER]

Oil, ah yes. Yes we have technology that is better than oil, but oil is big money soooooooooooooooooo.................

How can we live in space when we cannot get along here on earth. And being that the space shuttle has been scuttled, I don't see it.

But on the positive side, the attraction was extremely positive, just like WoM. Yes, Horizons would still fit, so would WoM, and a health pavillion.

As long as they're making they're money and people are coming anyway those attractions are not coming back.

 

[Victor Kelly]

so very true

 

[ajrwdwgirl]

I loved Horizons and still listen to it frequently on my ipod, but as it was I don't think it really fits the model of the future. However with a few tweaks it might have, like updating some fashions.

 

[ChrisFL]

One of the reasons that Horizons doesn't "work" as much in the modern world is that the technological advances of the 21st century are far less dynamic and visual than the technological advances of the 20th. Instead, it has been focused far more on information technology. Sure, we walked on the moon, breathed underwater, and crossbred fruit in the last century, but we've had decades to come to the realization that the logistical, political, and religious limitations of human civilization will likely preclude anything as advanced as large colonies in space, at least in our lifetimes. The trouble with Horizons is that it seemed to anticipate that our culture, national identity, and even our hairstyles can somehow survive long enough to see Mesa Verde. We've shifted our expectations since then, to the point where questions of ecological sustainability, the distribution of social and economic power, and the lingering threat of religious terrorism and war make our past fantasies of a NASA-lead American space/sea utopia quaint, if not ecologically/culturally offensive.

If you had to pinpoint a time when the "dream" of EPCOT died, it was when they retired the space shuttle with no replacement in sight.

I like this answer, but as someone else noted, Horizons was about our dreams of the future, and I definitely agree that most of it is still not achieved/still relevant today.

There's many reasons why we don't consider Horizons to be as realistic...but IMO it has nothing to do with Horizons being too "fantasy" as much as our reality just isn't as postive yet.

We're getting so many technology changes recently that we're usually barely able to think about what might be coming 6 months to 1 year down the road, much less thinking about what may happen 20-30 years from now.

I also agree that we are a lot more environmentally conscious in some ways than when Horizons opened, and the focus is on sustainability moreso than the other things...we have to support 10 billion people in the next 20-30 years on this planet!

Still, the takeaway from Horizons and why I'm still upset to this day that it closed, was because we humans have to see potential...realistic goals for ourselves. Horizons painted an amazing picture of goals that we can achieve, and it was literally the tag line for the entire pavilion "If we can dream it, we can do it."

What other big symbolic positive utopian visions can we look toward these days?