I don't mind Mission Space, or Test Track. They are both great rides. They give us the thrill and they entertain those who are looking for the extra thrill in their lives. I think that Mission Space and Test Track didn't have to be the sole rides in their area. The World of Motion gave us a view of the past, present, and future of transportation. You could still have kept the ride, maybe change where it goes inside the pavilion, but atleast keep the ride, and change the ending to keep the needs of today. It was educational, but fun, and a calm ride. The World of Motion Pavilion could have served many of those needs, for people wanting a thrill ride, and mild attraction or both in one pavilion. I thought the chrome finishing on the pavilion was pretty funky, but that orange and blue paint, yikes, I would have just given it a new color scheme that would appeal to today's eye, rather than gutting out everything, only keeping the original shape of the World of Motion Pavilion like they did for Test Track.
Horzions had it's ups and downs. What I felt was "wrong" with Horizons was the way the 80s looked at the future. The hairstyles of the future, the clothes, and color scheme were pretty decade impaired to a late 90s viewing crowd. Well they don't have to gut the whole place, they repaint, and give a face lift to the sets and animatronics that wouldn't cause such a stir, and wouldn't demolish everything. So now the ride will be destroyed, well what I would do is salvage some of the sets and string them together in walk through portion of the pavilion, showing the history of the ride, it's life, and legacy. It would be fun to walk through at your own pase, and fun for people of all ages to stand and wath the movement of the animatronics, maybe even make it interactive.
I would have saved the front portion of the Horzions pavilion. The part from the walkway that the eye can see. The back would be destroyed. I would then refit the remaining Horizons pavilion with the new extension of the pavilion. The Horzions Pavilion would go through a new color scheme, while still retaining the familiar elements of the pavilion. It would be the Horizons Pavilion with Mission in to Space would be the name of the current ride Mission:Space, and Beyond the New Horzions with remaing walk through sets and museum of the original ride.
I think that all could have been a success. I know EPCOT needs to change, but they have to remember the original intentions of EPCOT, and how to upgrade those rides without butchering what they orignally looked like. I don't want Nemo in with the Living Seas. It's rediculous to even put disney characters into rides and attractions at EPCOT that speak of culture and understanding of your surroundings.
As far as SSE goes: Hey, we can be assured that 100 years from now the geosphere will still be there, but what about the ride. Space Ship Earth has gone through minimal changes compared to other rides. I will only say the addition of the news sets a few years ago made a difference to the outcome of the ride. SSE screams 1980s EPCOT Center, and it rightfully should. It's lilke an interactive time capsule. The ride needs a face lift, but doesn't need to be drastic with cranes and guys with hammers blowing out everything. And yes the wand needs to go off of SSE and into the lagoon because it destroys the look of that famous structure, and it doesn't need to tell people what park they are in every 5 minutes.
