Horizons? Really that good??

[Phonedave]

I'll put it in the nostalgia bin as well.

I was 16 or so when I rode it. Maybe it was me, but it looked dated then (or so I remember). In fact the old living seas looked dated at well. My memories of another "classic" - 2000 Leagues, are also not of a great ride, but of sitting in a humid smelly box looking at plastic fish.

Different things "move" different people. For me, its American Adventure, HoP, I:RoE off the top of my head. Even the movie in the Malstrom sort of gets me (and I know that is just sooooo popular)

As someone else said, I really think it comes down to what people have built it up to be, as well as combined with their personal experences. I have recollections of little parks and things around here that I went to as a kid that I have now taken my kids to, and when I went back with them, my thoughts were "Hey, this is really pretty crappy"

Young minds are impressionable. And while that can make a good attraction for kids, adults need something too.

I look at what my kids like, and I see the same sort of differences. My 7 y/o loves ToT, and EE while my 10 y/o will ride TTA for repeat trips, go on CoP multiple times in a day and loves the Tiki room. She is too young to remember it in its original state, but she once commented to me "I like the parts without Iago and Zazu a lot better"

I am sure if they shuttered the CoP, my 7 y/o would say "It was nice, but no big deal" while my 10 y/o would think it was a travesty of epic porportions.

For the record, the CoP is a dated show, using old tech. The attraction is really not that great. However, I happen to love it as well. Be it nostalgia, an affinity for AAs, or some other reason. I would be very upset if it were to go, but I would not be calling it the greatest thing since sliced bread that inspired people with visions of the future.

-dave

 

[TubaGeek]

I agree that (and this is in part due to nostalgia) those old rides seem a lot better, but I do like the ride that replaced them! It's just that TT and M:S don't have the charm and humor found in World of Motion and Horizons.
At least they got replaced with good 'E' ticket attractions. I think they're both awesome rides (though TT could use a good refurb sometime).
I remember being a little kid and being shocked and amazed that World of Motion went OUTSIDE!!!
Now they just need to do something AWESOME with the old Wonders of Life pavilion.

 

[krankenstein]

Almost - the M:S backstory - and story - has quite a few holes in it. Sometimes it dosn`t know if it is real or not.

If it isn't true Martin, why does Lt. Dan clearly reference training several times in the preshow?

 

[dweezil78]

Sorry for bring back such an old thread, but I was excited to add my own thoughts to this thread! Horizons, even when it had become outdated towards the end, was all about the details and the love that Imagineering had put into the show. Just spend a few minutes on Mesa Verde Times (http://mesaverdetimes.blogspot.com/) and you'll see what I mean. I was in college when Horizons closed in '99 and had probably been on it more than 50 times by then, so I don't look back upon it with hazy memories but rather clear, vivid ones. I can close my eyes and be right back there anytime I want -- especially thanks to all the great video content that helps keep it alive.

Simply put, Horizons was an immersive experience like no other Disney attraction. For 15 minutes, you were literally in another world full of sensory overload. From the storyline to the smells to the optimistic vision of the future, it was just an incredible experience at the time. Would it hold up well today? Probably not. But you know what? I have yet to see Disney do anything remotely close to what they pulled off back in 1983 with Horizons in terms of the technology available to them TODAY. The best thing I've seen to come out of theme parks in the past 10 years was Spider-Man at IOA and that was already a decade ago! Disney hasn't even attempted to one up them and that's pretty sad.

The level of care put into Horizons does not exist anymore (other than in some queues maybe) due to low budgets and cheap thrills that only last minutes with lines that last hours. Horizons, even when it was packed, had a line that moved fast and a ride that lasted long enough for you to feel you got your money's worth and then some. That mentality is all but gone, leaving park goers feeling a little bit cheated, especially with how high ticket prices have become over the years.

So there ya go... that's why Horizons has so many fan boys.

 

[The Empress Lilly]

Well if one must resurrect an old thread, then that's the way to do it, Dweezil!

Indeed, Horizons was marvellous. I'll be the first o admit to a lot of 'false' nostalgia. However, I think the EPCOT rides truely were phenomenal.

WoM, Imagination, Horizons, SSE - all were high capacity E-tickets. Showmanship that was right up there with the Mansion and Pirates. Engrossing and immersive.

Sadly, of the four I thought SSE was the least best. Motion had its humour and sense of lighthearted fun. Imagination had its...well, imagination. Horizons its otpimism and human persective. 'Family values', if you wish.

SSE was a good ride, and imma let them finish it, but EPCOT had some of the best rides in theme park history.

 

[Courtney1188]

Yes, it was that good. That is all.

Just kidding!

Some of the things that stuck out to me:

Omnimax scene: Riding by the two IMAX screens gave the feeling of flying/floating. This was before IMAX's were in every city and before simulation rides. Did I forget to mention there were two IMAX screens?

Choose your own ending: The first interactive attraction at WDW. You got to pick your route back to Spaceport. You could choose Desert, Sea, or Space. Thus, many wanted to ride again to see the other 2 endings. These were no arbitrary choices, however. During the first 10-12 minutes of the ride, you were able to see and learn about all of these environments. Which brings me to my last point...

Continuity/Story telling: Probably the best, most immersive, and consistent story in an attraction. While my first two points probably have no chance of coming out in a video, this one should. Therefore, I won't go into detail.

There was still so much more that went into Horizons, but these were the important highlights for me.

So glad you posted this! I've always been slightly bothered of having some vague recollection of a ride I went on during my first two trips to Disney, when I would of been in 2nd and 3rd grade. All I remembered was having choices that had to do with the Earth and a desert scene...and I never knew what ride I was remembering. Now I know!

 

[dweezil78]

Thanks for the reply, E.L!!!

One other thing I failed to mention about Horizons -- and the earlier EPCOT Center attractions in general, is the amazing quality of the soundtracks to these rides. The amount of effort and nuance put into these is mindblowing. I have a collection of 90 tracks from Horizons ALONE. Sure the main "New Horizons" song with vocals is a bit dated now, but the instrumentals used in that ride are EPIC and remain so today. If you don't get chills from listening to the 'Space' portion, you have no soul. And don't forget about all the beautiful artwork -- both in the queue and ride itself!

And as much as I love Horizons and it will be my favorite, if any classic EPCOT attraction deserved to stay there forever and ever it was the original Journey Into Imagination. That ride was TIMELESS much like any of the Fantasyland rides. It could have been "plussed" throughout the years sure, but to rip it out and replace it with what stands there today (nevermind its first new incarnation) is borderline criminal! Though attendance had dropped in the 90s, if they had only waited it out I'm certain it would have solidified its place as a classic attraction along with Pirates, Haunted Mansion, and It's A Small World and seen lines pickup once again.

Ok, done for now...

 

[EPCOT Explorer]

Way to do a thread revival!!!:sohappy::sohappy::sohappy:

Sorry for bring back such an old thread, but I was excited to add my own thoughts to this thread! Horizons, even when it had become outdated towards the end, was all about the details and the love that Imagineering had put into the show. Just spend a few minutes on Mesa Verde Times (http://mesaverdetimes.blogspot.com/) and you'll see what I mean. I was in college when Horizons closed in '99 and had probably been on it more than 50 times by then, so I don't look back upon it with hazy memories but rather clear, vivid ones. I can close my eyes and be right back there anytime I want -- especially thanks to all the great video content that helps keep it alive.

Simply put, Horizons was an immersive experience like no other Disney attraction. For 15 minutes, you were literally in another world full of sensory overload. From the storyline to the smells to the optimistic vision of the future, it was just an incredible experience at the time. Would it hold up well today? Probably not. But you know what? I have yet to see Disney do anything remotely close to what they pulled off back in 1983 with Horizons in terms of the technology available to them TODAY. The best thing I've seen to come out of theme parks in the past 10 years was Spider-Man at IOA and that was already a decade ago! Disney hasn't even attempted to one up them and that's pretty sad.

The level of care put into Horizons does not exist anymore (other than in some queues maybe) due to low budgets and cheap thrills that only last minutes with lines that last hours. Horizons, even when it was packed, had a line that moved fast and a ride that lasted long enough for you to feel you got your money's worth and then some. That mentality is all but gone, leaving park goers feeling a little bit cheated, especially with how high ticket prices have become over the years.

So there ya go... that's why Horizons has so many fan boys.

Exactly.

Well if one must resurrect an old thread, then that's the way to do it, Dweezil!

Indeed, Horizons was marvellous. I'll be the first o admit to a lot of 'false' nostalgia. However, I think the EPCOT rides truely were phenomenal.

WoM, Imagination, Horizons, SSE - all were high capacity E-tickets. Showmanship that was right up there with the Mansion and Pirates. Engrossing and immersive.

Sadly, of the four I thought SSE was the least best. Motion had its humour and sense of lighthearted fun. Imagination had its...well, imagination. Horizons its otpimism and human persective. 'Family values', if you wish.

SSE was a good ride, and imma let them finish it, but EPCOT had some of the best rides in theme park history.

There we are. Classics. See? EPCOT HAD classics. Every Disney park HAS classics. Save for EPCOT. They killed all those off, save for SSE. (debatable on SSE...)


And the Kanye Reference wins at life.

 

[Mr.EPCOT]

In a way, it's good thing that these attractions aren't around anymore, because I would probably never leave EPCOT.

I love Horizons. And the sad part is, you never realize how much until it's gone.

 

[EPCOT Explorer]

["]In a way, it's good thing that these attractions aren't around anymore, because I would probably never leave EPCOT.

I love Horizons. And the sad part is, you never realize how much until it's gone.[]

A truer statement has never been said. I always loved it when it was there, and we would save it for last, because it was like the conclusion to FW, while SSE was the intro...but that July day in 2000 when I turned the corner out of the Innoventions Breezeway and saw a black wall.... Future World had changed. There was no more ending to the story. It was just a collection of topics...No more synthesis for EPCOT.

 

[Mr.EPCOT]

A truer statement has never been said. I always loved it when it was there, and we would save it for last, because it was like the conclusion to FW, while SSE was the intro...but that July day in 2000 when I turned the corner out of the Innoventions Breezeway and saw a black wall.... Future World had changed. There was no more ending to the story. It was just a collection of topics...No more synthesis for EPCOT.

For me, it's figuratively and literally a big gaping hole within the park, and Mission: SPACE just doesn't fill it at all. I also have to wonder if the average Guest doesn't also sense that on a subconscious level, as well. You look at all of Future World with these massive pavilions with more or less full experiences, Spaceship Earth, Innoventions, Universe of Energy, The Seas, The Land, Journey Into Imagination, and even Test Track, and then you see SPACE, and that thought must roll around in the back of peoples heads that 'gee, this whole thing just doesn't seem as fulfilling as everything else here' or even 'this just doesn't seem as fulfilling as what I seem to remember being here', and of course that's just for the percentage of Guests visiting the park that are able and willing to ride it.

 

[EPCOT Explorer]

For me, it's figuratively and literally a big gaping hole within the park, and Mission: SPACE just doesn't fill it at all. I also have to wonder if the average Guest doesn't also sense that on a subconscious level, as well. You look at all of Future World with these massive pavilions with more or less full experiences, Spaceship Earth, Innoventions, Universe of Energy, The Seas, The Land, Journey Into Imagination, and even Test Track, and then you see SPACE, and that thought must roll around in the back of peoples heads that 'gee, this whole thing just doesn't seem as fulfilling as everything else here' or even 'this just doesn't seem as fulfilling as what I seem to remember being here', and of course that's just for the percentage of Guests visiting the park that are able and willing to ride it.

I agree. The scope of M:S doesn't touch what Horizons had. And yes, there is a gap in the skyline. Horizons was HUGE. More Steel that Spaceship Earth.

M:S is still a full fledged ride, a great attraction, immersive, but it does not have that GRAND feeling of the other EPCOT Center Pavilions. If it were part of a larger Space Pavilion, like in 1978, it would.


And why is the Seas on that list? :lookaroun:lol: I think the current version, if not the 86 version, too, falls into this same gray area...


Then again, TLS86 DID have the killer pre-show and the immersive Sea Base. It's just the SeaCabs that fell short.

 

[Mr.EPCOT]

I agree. The scope of M:S doesn't touch what Horizons had. And yes, there is a gap in the skyline. Horizons was HUGE. More Steel that Spaceship Earth.

M:S is still a full fledged ride, a great attraction, immersive, but it does not have that GRAND feeling of the other EPCOT Center Pavilions. If it were part of a larger Space Pavilion, like in 1978, it would.


And why is the Seas on that list? :lookaroun:lol: I think the current version, if not the 86 version, too, falls into this same gray area...


Then again, TLS86 DID have the killer pre-show and the immersive Sea Base. It's just the SeaCabs that fell short.

You won't get any argument from me that Mission: SPACE is a great ride, but that's all it is. It's not a full EPCOT experience.

And for The Seas, I'm speaking towards its completeness as a pavilion, not the quality of the content.

 

[EPCOT Explorer]

You won't get any argument from me that Mission: SPACE is a great ride, but that's all it is. It's not a full EPCOT experience.

And for The Seas, I'm speaking towards its completeness as a pavilion, not the quality of the content.

Then, we agree in full.