Horizons? Really that good??

Red devil

Red devil

Member
Original Poster
I am too young to remember Horizons, but seeing how much talk there is about it on this site I was just wondering what exactly it was and what made it so good?
 
EPCOT Explorer

EPCOT Explorer

New Member
YES.

Now shame on you for asking.:lol::lol:

To me, and many, many others, it was one of WDI's crowning achievements. It was immersive, it was optimistic, it was the spirit of what Disney believes in and what EPCOT Center excelled in. It entertained, it informed, it inspired.

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If we can dream it...
 
marsrunner

marsrunner

New Member
Yes, it was that good. I rode it too many times to count between 1983 (when I was 11) and 1999 (when I was 27). I rode it I believe sometime in early October in 1983. It wasn't opening day of the attraction, but it wasn't too long after it opened. I had been a couple of times between the date the park opened (October 1982) and Horizons opened (October 1983) as I remember EPCOT Center pre-Horizons. It was an intriguing building...I remember even as a ten/eleven-year old that just the design of the building made me want to experience the attraction.
Everything about it was fantastic. The music, the effects, the show, everything. It was futuristic, optimistic (maybe overly optimistic according to some) a little enlightening and most of all, FUN.
All time favorite attraction everytime I think about it. Number two and three are the Walter Cronkite-era Spaceship Earth and World of Motion.
Martin's tribute videos for all three are really outstanding and definitely give you a good feel for the attractions in question.
 
Atomicmickey

Atomicmickey

Well-Known Member
Does anyone know the inside scoop on why it was decided to remove it?:confused:

It is a favorite of mine, and of so many people I know . . . .

Much missed . . . . :cry:
 
Thrill Seeker

Thrill Seeker

Well-Known Member
I loved Horizons and thought it was a HUGE mistake to turn it into Mission Space. MS is an alright ride, but Horizons was so much better. It truely was part of what made Epcot Center so amazing.
 
jmvd20

jmvd20

Well-Known Member
Atomicmickey said:
Does anyone know the inside scoop on why it was decided to remove it?:confused:
Click to expand...

The main reason is that GE pulled out as a sponsor - once that happened WDW let the ride go without any maintenance or updates, let numerous broken effects go unrepaired, and moved it to a "seasonal" operational status so no one ever knew when it was opened or not. As would be expected attendance on the ride dropped to the point where management could justify the decision to tear it down.
 
marni1971

marni1971

Park History nut
Premium Member
Yes, it was that good. It was everything EPCOT Center stood for. Today it would seem dated and slow, but all things being equal it had everything; great story, lots of AAs, amazing visuals, memorable scores, long ride time.. the list goes on. It was built when they still used to think big.

And no, there were no structural failings or sinkholes. As jmvd said GE quite sponsorship. Disney had a massive refurb lined up in the mid 90`s but wnated someone else to pay. HP offered to demolish it and pay for a new building, giving Disney a win win situation. M:S was born.
 
S

Susan Savia

Well-Known Member
It was a fantastic attraction. Loved all the futuristic ideas presented and the humorous and yet, serious observations too. Rode it many many times and loved how you rode 'sideways' along.
 

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