EPCOT Test Track to be reimagined

[Mickeynerd17]

The only thing we have in common in Luminous is our voices and our heartbeat. We come together as one, no spirit or optimism of We Go On, Promise, "Hope!"

I'd say those are related, but IROE presented a much deeper understanding of those themes while luminous is more surface-level.

Doesn't mean surface level is bad. I very much like to pull complex meaning out of media I am consuming, so Luminous doesn't appeal to me as much as IROE did.

 

[UNCgolf]

Imagination was a close third. Horizons, depending on whether you consider popularity to be the amount of demand or the total percent of park guests visiting, was either fifth or sixth (behind Living Seas and Body Wars).

I think this is worth emphasizing as well. Just because WoM was popular 30 years ago does not mean it has a cult following today. Plenty of people with fond memories maybe, but it doesn't get looked back on like JII or Horizons.

I'm going purely by hard numbers. It may shock you to learn that Maelstrom was actually less popular than the majority of the Future World attractions!View attachment 818882

Look at those show times.

How great would it be if Disney had a park like that now? Just full of attractions that lasted longer than 10 minutes.

 

[ChrisFL]

I think this is worth emphasizing as well. Just because WoM was popular 30 years ago does not mean it has a cult following today. Plenty of people with fond memories maybe, but it doesn't get looked back on like JII or Horizons.

The problem with WoM is that it felt like an "also ran" compared to the other dark rides and felt very similar in places to Spaceship Earth, but a more whimsical take on things. The advantage it had IMO was the speed tunnel sections, but nothing too crazy beyond that made it stand out.

 

[James Alucobond]

The problem with WoM is that it felt like an "also ran" compared to the other dark rides and felt very similar in places to Spaceship Earth, but a more whimsical take on things. The advantage it had IMO was the speed tunnel sections, but nothing too crazy beyond that made it stand out.

I kind of felt this was the case for Spaceship Earth + Horizons + World of Motion and part of the reason only one remains. Yes, there were unique elements in each, but they all had very similar presentation. Horizons could have literally just been tacked onto the end of Spaceship Earth.

 

[Disgruntled Walt]

SO if I'm losing out on getting to see Dinosaur next summer, will I at least get to see the new Test Track if I'm there in July? It sure seems like it, at the rate they're going. When someone else is paying the bills, it really helps them work quickly!

 

[PizzaPlanet]

It's not that they couldn't have made it a thrill ride, the park focus was different then...It was based on a World's Fair model... The story of transportation and how we got here was the gist, and that attraction thrilled millions it it's time. We all suffer from a super short attention span these days...sadly.
WOM was one of the most popular in the park and ALWAYS was packed.

But the park did have somewhat thrilling rides early on like Maelstrom and Body Wars… I think most agree those fit well.

I don’t think short attention spans were the only problem, probably more so that Epcot had too many similar rides. Kinda how Universal has a lot of 3D screen based rides

 

[Mr. Sullivan]

SO if I'm losing out on getting to see Dinosaur next summer, will I at least get to see the new Test Track if I'm there in July? It sure seems like it, at the rate they're going. When someone else is paying the bills, it really helps them work quickly!

I am no insider myself, but I do personally know one or two that I trust and based off of their knowledge of things, I’d be surprised if it wasn’t open by your trip.

 

[aladdin2007]

Id add the new entrance with fountain and Points of Light, and communicore store are much better as well.

downgrades compared to what was, points of light aside (though for what they spent on those lights we could have had an improved attraction inside by now.) All the rest designed for consolidation and budget downgrades offering less than before especially the store.

 

[Bill in Atlanta]

I'm going purely by hard numbers. It may shock you to learn that Maelstrom was actually less popular than the majority of the Future World attractions!View attachment 818882

Very cool chart, thanks for sharing! A few surprises in there for sure.

 

[WaluigiTime]

Imagination was a close third. Horizons, depending on whether you consider popularity to be the amount of demand or the total percent of park guests visiting, was either fifth or sixth (behind Living Seas and Body Wars).

I think this is worth emphasizing as well. Just because WoM was popular 30 years ago does not mean it has a cult following today. Plenty of people with fond memories maybe, but it doesn't get looked back on like JII or Horizons.

I'm going purely by hard numbers. It may shock you to learn that Maelstrom was actually less popular than the majority of the Future World attractions!View attachment 818882

With a wait time of an average of 7 minutes I would have gone on Horizons so many times.

 

[Bocabear]

With a wait time of an average of 7 minutes I would have gone on Horizons so many times.

I did! It was amazing!

 

[SplashJacket]

IMO WoM was the best future world attraction. As others have pointed out, the relative change in quality from WoM to Test Track is far less than some of the others, despite a very different ride experience.

Overall, I definitely think the replacement matters more than the original in terms of being sad about losing attractions. ToT is a massive loss, but Guardians is a great ride. Energy is an “Epcot classic” that more of us experienced yet there’s very little nostalgia for it.

Really excited for this Test Track update, should be a marked improvement.

 

[UNCgolf]

IMO WoM was the best future world attraction. As others have pointed out, the relative change in quality from WoM to Test Track is far less than some of the others, despite a very different ride experience.

Overall, I definitely think the replacement matters more than the original in terms of being sad about losing attractions. ToT is a massive loss, but Guardians is a great ride. Energy is an “Epcot classic” that more of us experienced yet there’s very little nostalgia for it.

Really excited for this Test Track update, should be a marked improvement.

I have nostalgia for Energy!

But I'm also one of the apparently very small number of people who doesn't think Cosmic Rewind is great -- not bad, but just pretty underwhelming from both a Guardians IP aspect and a themed attraction aspect, and I'd much rather ride a modern, updated take on Energy -- so I'm sure that's part of it.

 

[SplashJacket]

I have nostalgia for Energy!

But I'm also one of the apparently very small number of people who doesn't think Cosmic Rewind is great (not bad, but just pretty underwhelming from a Guardians IP aspect and from a themed attraction aspect), so I'm sure that's part of it.

Yeah that’s exactly what I mean. I have nostalgia for it too, but not in the same way that many people have for Horizons (and MS is often seen as a downgrade).

 

[danlb_2000]

New permit today:

1440 AVENUE OF THE STARS(GM TEST TRACK) - Pro Audio Video Inc - Electrical

 

[ChrisFL]

1+1 = 2 is Objective
Blue is a better color than Red = Subjective

 

[Chef idea Mickey`=]

There are things about it I like and things about it I don't like.

There are things about the old hub I didn't like and things that were tolerable.

Why does this have to be a binary "good or bad"?

It's a toss up!

While Innovention's may look like the 2000's/90's it had a retro Epcot vibe of that era. Creation's and Connection's is brighter but has no Epcot vibe whatsoever other than being there. The horrible Communicore Hall is even worse tho and it's doesn't even look like something 2024 so to say Innovention's looks outdated this is not even the direction Creations and Connection's are going. Would you rather Communicore Hall was the same as Creation's and Connection's Eatery? although that was the original building retooled.

 

[Bocabear]

It's a toss up!

While Innovention's may look like the 2000's/90's it had a retro Epcot vibe of that era. Creation's and Connection's is brighter but has no Epcot vibe whatsoever other than being there. The horrible Communicore Hall is even worse tho and it's doesn't even look like something 2024 so to say Innovention's looks outdated this is not even the direction Creations and Connection's are going. Would you rather Communicore Hall was the same as Creation's and Connection's Eatery? although that was the original building retooled.

The original Communicore buildings had some nice modernist architectural lines...a real reason why 40 years later they can be opened back up to their original intent and still look great and current.... Communicore Hall doesn't look great...even at it's debut... I doubt it will look great in 40 years... It was a waste of money. the entire destruction of Communicore West was a gigantic waste of money. All of the things that people wanted in the central core could have been achieved without demolishing the buildings... In the end, the comparison is going to be This urban business park against Celestial Park at Epic Universe... They knew what was coming.... and chose this.

 

[The Mom]

Please stop bickering. Thank you.

 

[DisneyRoy]

Please stop bickering. Thank you.

That's two threads in a row I've seen this.