Walt Disney World’s EPCOT Center opened in 1982, and was billed as the first phase of the realisation of Walt Disney’s dream of building a experimental city in which residents would test out the technologies of the future. Of course, it turned to be nothing of the sort. Instead, it was one of the most unique theme parks ever built – a sort of permanent world’s fair, celebrating the potential of innovative technologies and disparate cultures.
Of course, in a theme park that is meant to represent the future, it is inevitable that some rides will become dated. Over the three decades that Epcot (as it is now known) has operated, a host of rides and shows have come and gone. Some have been stripped out and replaced altogether, while others live on in new guises.
Let’s take a look back at 15 long-lost Epcot attractions!
15. El Rio del Tiempo
Opened in: 1982
Closed in: 2007
Replaced by: Gran Fiesta Tour Starring The Three Caballeros
“The River of Time” was the headline ride in the Mexico Pavilion in Epcot’s World Showcase. Similar in style to It’s a Small World at the Magic Kingdom, it featured scenes populated by doll-sied audio-animatronic figures, which took guests on a tour through Mexico. It is still in place, albeit in its new form as the Gran Fiesta Tour Starring The Three Caballeros.
14. Magic Journeys
Opened in: 1982
Closed in: 1984
Replaced by: Captain EO
Magic Journeys was an opening day attraction at EPCOT Center, and was situated in the Journey Into Imagination Pavilion. It also ran at Disneyland for two years from 1984, before being removed from both parks to make room for Michael Jackson’s Captain EO. That wasn’t the end, though – it made a comeback in the Magic Kingdom’s Fantasyland Theater in December 1987, where it continued to play until December 1993.
The film offered a look at the world through the eyes of a child, following children as they flew a kite, rode on a carousel and visited the circus. The catchy pre-show song, Makin’ Memories, is probably still stuck in the heads of many 1980s Disney guests.
13. CommuniCore
Opened in: 1982
Closed in: 1994
Replaced by: Innoventions
The opening of EPCOT Center coincided with the start of the computer era. Appropriately, almost everything in the park was controlled by EPCOT Computer Central – and Disney opted not to hide this away from guests. Instead, it installed a tour through the center, with the aim of educating the public about the wonders of computers.
The original version, the Astuter Computer Revenue, proved to be spectacularly unpopular. It was torn out almost immediately and replaced by Backstage Magic. CommuniCore itself remained in place until 1994, when it was replaced by Innoventions.
12. Horizons
Opened in: 1983
Closed in: 1999
Replaced by: Mission: Space
Opened a year after the rest of EPCOT Center, Horizons was an Omnimover dark ride. Guests were whisked past scenes showing visions of the future, in what was essentially a sequel to the Carousel of Progress at the Magic Kingdom. It included scenes focused on commnications, energy, transportation, physiology and man’s relationship with the environment.
Horizons operated until January 1999, when it was closed to make room for Mission: Space.
11. Millennium Village
Opened in: 1999
Closed in: 2001
To celebrate the new millennium, Disney installed the Millennium Village at Epcot. The 60,000 square foot pavilion operated from October 1, 1999 to January 1, 2001, and featured a host of countries that are not represented in the existing World Showcase. It is still utilized during the annual Epcot Food and Wine Festival, but is now known as “World Showplace”.
10. Wonders of China
Opened in: 1982
Closed in: 2003
Replaced by: Reflections of China
The China Pavilion in Epcot’s World Showcase hosted a Circle-Vision 360 show when it opened, dubbed Wonder of China. This showcased various Chinese landmarks, as well as the country’s people and culture. It ran from October 1982 to March 2003, when it was replaced by Reflections of China.
Filming the movie was not trivial. 40 laborers had to carry a 300-pound camera to the top of Huangshan mountain for one sequence.
9. Kitchen Kabaret
Opened in: 1982
Closed in: 1994
Replaced by: Food Rocks
Kitchen Kabaret has to be one of the most unusual Disney attractions of all time. It was essentially a Vaudeville-style show featuring singing food items, and was designed to teach kids about the four food groups. It operated in the Land Pavilion for 12 years before being replaced by the similar Food Rocks, which itself closed for good in 2004.
8. The Living Seas
Opened in: 1986
Closed in: 2005
Replaced by: The Seas with Nemo & Friends
When Michael Eisner took over as Disney CEO in 1984, he decided that the company’s former policy of “playing nice” with its neighbors in Florida was no longer appropriate. Instead, he sought to take on the competition directly. In 1986, The Living Seas Pavilion opened at Epcot, taking clear aim at SeaWorld Orlando (it didn’t work: SeaWorld registered record attendance that year).
The Living Seas hosted the largest saltwater tank in the world, holding an incredible 5.7 million gallons of water. The attraction took guests under the ocean to “Sea Base Alpha” via a “hydrolator” (a mock elevator), where they viewed a short movie about the oceans dubbed The Sea. They then boarded “Seacabs”, traveling along an underwater tunnel through the aquarium. Finally, they could take a look around a host of multimedia displays.
The Seacabs closed in 2001, and in 2003 work began on a major overhaul of The Living Seas. Eventually, the Seacabs were replaced by “Clamobiles”, and the entire attraction was converted into The Seas with Nemo & Friends.
7. World of Motion
Opened in: 1982
Closed in: 1996
Replaced by: Test Track
Sponsored by General Motors, World of Motion was the anchor attraction of Epcot’s Transportation Pavilion from 1982 to 1996. The classic Omnimover dark ride took guests through scenes populated by audio-animatronic figures that told the story of the evolution of tranportation, from the invention of the wheel to modern automobiles.
These days, the site is occupied by Test Track – a much faster-paced take on transport technology.
6. Universe of Energy
Opened in: 1982
Closed in: 1996
Replaced by: Ellen’s Energy Adventure
The original Universe of Energy pavilion at EPCOT Center featured a roof that was covered in 80,000 photovoltaic solar cells. These partially powered the ride vehicles for the attraction within, which transported guests by following guide wires rather than a traditional track. On their way, guests viewed various film sequences about energy production, as well as a diorama featuring audio-animatronic dinosaurs.
In 1996, the attraction was replaced by Ellen’s Energy Adventure, an updated version starring Ellen DeGeneres and Bill Nye “The Science Guy”.
5. Wonders of Life Pavilion
Opened in: 1989
Closed in: 2007
Wonders of Life opened in 1989, and hosted a variety of interactive attractions such as a personal health quiz and bicycle simulators. The highlight, though, was Body Wars – a simulator ride through the human body. This was joined by Cranium Command, a humorous show about the importance of the human brain.
Elements of the Wonders of Life Pavilion are still in place and it is used for seasonal events. However, Body Wars and Cranium Command have not operated for many years.
4. Honey, I Shrunk the Audience
Opened in: 1994
Closed in: 2010
Replaced by: Captain EO
Honey, I Shrunk the Audience, based on Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, was a 3-D show housed in the Imagination Pavilion. It saw guests shrunk down to a tiny size, and featured a host of “4-D” effects such as spraying water and shaking floors. Ironically, it was replaced by the same show that it had itself replaced: Michael Jackson’s Captain EO.
3. Journey Into Imagination
Opened in: 1982
Closed in: 1998
Replaced by: Journey into Your Imagination
EPCOT Center was designed to offer a completely different type of experience to the Magic Kingdom. For that reason, Disney characters such as Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck were initially banned from the park. While this decision made sense on many levels, it also left kids without a recognisable character to connect with.
Faced with this problem, Disney’s Imagineers created a new, original character – one in keeping with the park’s theme. That character was Figment, the icon of the Imagination Pavilion. Together with Dreamfinder, Figment hosted the pavilion’s headline attraction: Journey into Imagination, which eventually opened five months after the rest of the pavilion (which was subsequently renamed as the Journey into Imagination Pavilion).
The original version of Journey into Imagination operated until 1998, when it was overhauled to become Journey into YOUR Imagination. This version of the ride came in for stinging criticism, and only survived for two years before it was itself replaced. It was themed around 3-D movie Honey, I Shrunk the Audience, which was also hosted in the same pavilion, and saw guests passing through numerous areas of the fictitious Imagination Institute.
In the face of overwhelming demand from fans, Disney brought back Dreamfinder and Figment. Unfortunately, the resulting attraction – Journey into Imagination with Figment – remains very, very unpopular.
2. ImageWorks
Opened in: 1982
Closed in: 1998
Replaced by: ImageWorks: The What-If Labs
ImageWorks was the post-show to the original Journey into Imagination attraction. It hosted a variety of games and hands-on exhibits, such as Magic Palette (a digital drawing station), Lightwriter (using lasers to write and draw) and Bubble Music (a projection that moved in time with sounds). The most famous of these was the Rainbow Corridor, which assigned a color to each guest and followed them throughout.
1. Maelstrom
Opened in: 1988
Closed in: 2014
Replaced by: Frozen Ever After
This forward/backward flume ride in the Norway Pavilion took guests in Norse viking ships on a cruise through a troll-inhabited swamp, past Nordic polar bears, and into the oil refinement industry of present-day Norway before culminating in a short film on the region’s contributions to technology.
The closure of Maelstrom was surely the most controversial ride closure in Epcot’s history, simply because of the nature of its replacement: A Frozen-themed boat ride
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