MrPromey
Well-Known Member
Ah, but there is the caveat: Like Horizons, in the last few years, WoM was a walk-on more often than not. Test Track's lines are obviously a result of popularity. Otherwise, why would people even bother waiting when there are so many other things in the park to do that don't have 1-2 hour waits? I'm not a big fan of the ride but I think it is a pretty good bet that on exit interviews when they ask if there was one attraction that influenced a guest's decision to visit for the day more people would be likely to say Test Track today than World of Motion at any time during the attractions life in Epcot.
Personally, (and this is only my opinion) I think FUTURE WORLD in Epcot is the last place that Disney should be preserving outdated attractions. It is very hard to appear current when everything is based on 80's concepts and technology.
Do you people realize that when most of the original Future World was built we were still 10 years away from the invention of the world wide web? Almost nobody had personal computers and just about all computers in use featured monochrome monitors. Think about it - you still had to go inside to pay for gas and there was no such thing as a 'debit card'.
At that time, the theme of Communicore was a good one but today, the entire two buildings that made it up could be replaced by a single PC with a dialup connection to the internet.
If anything, despite Test Track, Body Wars and the soon to be Mission Space (only three attractions in the park with a height or age recommended requirement - compare to the other three parks) Epcot is much more child friendly today than it was when it first opened.
Again, think about it: We didn't have Illuminations; the familiar characters were almost never seen; Future World featured a very bland, cold color scheme; no dancing play fountains; no kid activity zones in the countries (or whatever they are called); no parade; no play areas; no movie in the Land featuring popular animated characters. Even attractions like World of Motion and Horizons and Spaceship Earth could be considered boring to young children who don't get the point of them - animatronics or no).
Young children and adults have very different levels of understanding. Creating an atmosphere that allows simultaneous learning AND entertainment without going over someone's head or talking down to someone else is almost impossible. That's why they didn't even try with the original Epcot.
MK is about fun and fun alone and it is a lot easier to simply entertain the masses than it is to keep them entertained with a message that is to be taken seriously by everyone. Epcot is decidedly not about fun alone - can we all agree on that?
Honestly, who here thinks children give a rat's-you-know-what about the Food and Wine Festival or a movie about France or Canada or China? Epcot has ALWAYS been a park that has appealed to more mature tastes. Having one pavilion (Imagination) that can appeal to all ages somewhat equally doesn't cut it for family entertainment.
Adding attractions like Test Track and Mission Space is a way to attract an audience that might otherwise not be interested in learning about Mexico or the UK but soon will be old enough to appreciate it without seriously jeopardizing their hold on the vast majority of their target audience.
One last thing: As for the hype surrounding Mission space and everything it was going to have but now isn't: Who's fault is the letdown? Disney has officially released very, very little about the attraction. Almost all of the expectations from people on forums like these has come from rumors and word of mouth expectations.
Anyone remember the rumor about them having some sort of tower that cars would go up to simulate a launch which would be painted sky blue so that it wouldn't be obvious (this one goes back about a year)?
I don't see how anyone can knock this ride when nobody (who is talking) has even ridden it yet!
People that work in gas stations scare me!
saracstic, they always speak what's on my mind!
