Tom’s Top 7: EPCOT GOATs
The EPCOT Center of the mid-1980s through mid-1990s is my favorite theme park of all-time. As much as I praise Tokyo DisneySea (and consider it the modern analogue), I would take the EPCOT of my youth any day if I could choose. Part of that is the prospect of revisiting childhood nostalgia. Another part is that park just being so, so good. In this post, I’ll share my personal list of EPCOT Center’s all-time greatest attractions.
While the EPCOT Center of the 1990s is very different from the Epcot of today, the good news is that about half of the GOAT list still exists. I’ve noted this in the past; in my “Why Can’t We Let Epcot Go?” post, I lamented EPCOT Center having been dead for over 20 years, but much of the original park’s DNA remaining, along with actual substance, including attractions or pavilions that retain their old quality.
That’s the good news, and why I’m willing to be cautiously optimistic about the park’s re-imagining possibly fixing some of the hodgepodge aesthetics of Future World. Since I don’t have photos for some of these things, I’m pulling them from our Photo History of EPCOT Center Project. If you’re a newer reader of the blog, you might’ve missed this, but it was a crowd-sourced effort with a ton of reader-submitted vintage EPCOT photos. People provided excellent (and sometimes scary…those World Showcase dolls are nightmare fuel!) images, so it’s really worth checking that out if you haven’t.
I’ll start with the elephant in the room: Horizons is not on this list. This is probably heresy among EPCOT Center fans, but I have almost no first-hand memories of Horizons. Although it closed around the same time as other attractions on this list, I have only the vaguest of childhood memories of it, whereas I have very strong memories of other attractions. I’m guess this odd knowledge gap is a result of my parents not taking me on it much; so blame them, not me! 😉
In any case, that glaring omission should underscore the point that these lists are my favorite things, so “greatest of all time” might not be entirely apt. These are my all-time greats…
7. Impressions de France – This original EPCOT Center attraction still exists today, and it’s one we discovered as adults. Out of every Walt Disney World attraction, it has made the most indelible impact on our lives since, as we fell in love with Paris and France thanks to Impressions de France. That is a big part of what inspired us to travel to Europe for the first time, which had a ripple effect on subsequent international travel.
Beyond being the spark of inspiration for our international travel, Impressions de France is a flat out exceptional travelogue. The scenery is awe-inspiring, the cinematography is breathtaking, the imagery diverse/varied, and the score is hauntingly beautiful. We now do Impressions de France more than any other attraction at Walt Disney World, and I still spot new things even after dozens (if not hundreds) of viewing.
6. Universe of Energy – I’m not bitter about losing Ellen’s Energy Adventure. It had a good run, and was (over)due for a replacement. I am bitter about it being replaced by a MARVEL roller coaster that won’t fulfill the mission statement of EPCOT Center, no matter how contrived of a storyline involving Peter Quill visiting the park as a kid wedged into it.
For me, both incarnations of Universe of Energy hold a place in my heart for their main commonality: dinosaurs. They terrified me as a small child, and I loved seeing them as I got older. Even as an adult, I had an odd giddiness when first emerging into prehistoric jungle, slowly approaching the family of Brontosaurus. I vividly recall the changing lighting as the scene transitions from night to day, the sounds of the vast wilderness, and even the scents of the swamp. The rest of the attraction never lived up to those couple of minutes for me, but scene that was enough to earn it a spot on this list.
5. World of Motion – I think every kid loved cars, and if not, they loved comical scenes and cute critters, both of which featured heavily in World of Motion. My memory of the attraction itself isn’t particularly vivid, but there were a few scenes I really liked. The Sea Serpent and “World’s First Traffic Jam” scene were the most memorable—and comical—scenes in World of Motion for me.
To be honest, I’m not really sure if this ride totally registered as being one about transportation. I mean, I remembered those aspects of the attraction and I also remember the cool concept cars at the end, but there was something of a disconnect between the two. (Perhaps I just wasn’t a very sharp kid?) My memory of the ride is mostly of its gags and funny scenery. Still, I really enjoyed both, and miss World of Motion, even if I think Test Track is a suitable replacement that is largely in keeping with the spirit of Future World while satisfying guest demand for thrills.
4. American Adventure – “This great attraction will endure as it has endured, will revive, and will prosper.” Franklin D. Roosevelt’s prescient words about American Adventure still ring true, and it remains an only-of-its-kind achievement that represents the best of the incredible engineering and Imagineering that went into bringing EPCOT Center to fruition, and it continues to impress to this day.
The way American Adventure presents moments in a poignant and engaging, and its ability to provoke an emotional response (every time!) out of a ‘stage show with robots’ is remarkable. Every scene is brilliantly-done, and tells the story of America in an accessible and interesting way. The culmination of this is an attraction that is, to quote another great American, “Distinctly Patriotic.”
3. Spaceship Earth – The greatest appeal of Spaceship Earth for has always been the wow-factor of the geodesic sphere. It’s one of my key memories from EPCOT Center as a kid, and the luster has yet to wear off. I remain awestruck every time I walk under Spaceship Earth, and cannot resist photographing it at night, even when I am just rehashing photos I’ve already taken hundreds of times.
The attraction itself is also worthy of mention. While there are some elements of the current ride I’m not particularly wild about, I am a sucker for slow omnimover attractions with longer ride times than wait times. The majority of the attraction remains in keeping with the spirit of the original, and I love slowly winding through the scenes, paying close attention to the sets and various details.
2. The Land – Before realizing that I had forgotten to include Spaceship Earth, I had Kitchen Kabaret alone at #3 and Living with the Land listed separately at #7. I had to combine the attractions out of necessity, but the more I thought about it, the more I feel the entirety of the pavilion deserves a spot. Sunshine Seasons is still a personal favorite, I love the rotating of Garden Grill, and even in its CGI heavy-handedness, Soarin’ is good fun.
Aside from Journey into Imagination, Kitchen Kabaret is the attraction I remember most from my childhood. I remember being blown away by the giant foods, and “Veggie Veggie Fruit Fruit” was an earworm that I no doubt repeated ad nauseum to my parents’ annoyance. I also have to admit that I absolutely loved Food Rocks. (C’mon, I was a kid!) As an adult, Living with the Land has become a favorite for the way it weaves together elements of a traditional dark ride with “edutainment” scenes. Plus, who doesn’t love the beautiful load area murals, distinctly 1980s EPCOT Center music, timeless scent of musty Florida water, and rad video footage showing agricultural advancements around the globe.
1. Journey into Imagination – The original is far and away the #1 on this list, and I would forgo all other theme park attractions for the rest of my life if that’s what it took to ride this just once more. Shortly after boarding your omnimover ride vehicle, you entered the clouds. There, we were greeted by the affable Dreamfinder piloting his Dreamcatcher, who introduced us to Figment. It was an attraction with mesmerizing and quirky qualities that endeared it to guests like me who remember it fondly even today.
Journey into Imagination resonated with me the most out of all original EPCOT Center attractions, and sparked my love for Walt Disney World that continues to this day. I can recall it in vivid detail, which I assume is a result partly of riding repeatedly and partly due to it being such a memorable attraction. It was an exceptional attraction in every way, the pinnacle of Imagineering from technical and creative levels, embodying the bright-eyed optimism of EPCOT Center.
Journey into Imagination left an indelible impact on me, probably far greater than I’ll ever know. Figment and Dreamfinder really did spark my inquisitiveness and curiosity as a child. I had a number of Figment toys as a child (although I have even more as an adult!), and remember bouncing them around World Showcase on my adventures with Figment. I don’t think any kid needs to be convinced to use their imagination, but Figment’s nebulous nature was certainly conducive to me envisioning him in any scenario I could dream up, and playing out those scenes on my own. This probably explains why, even two decades later, I’m still not over the loss of Journey into Imagination. As great as the ride was, it was so much more than a ride to me.
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Your Thoughts
Which EPCOT attractions or other aspects of the park are your favorites? Do you agree or disagree with my rankings of the EPCOT GOATs? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing feedback about your experiences is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
Miss Cranium Command and Honey I shrunk the Audience the most.
Kitchen Kaberet will always have a special place in my heart. I so loved Mr. Broccoli and the “Veggie Veggie Fruit Fruit” song that my dad and stepmom made me a deal. They buy me the Mr. Broccoli stuffy and I start eating broccoli. You better believe I went for it! Still eat broccoli to this day.
I do miss Horizons. I loved the smell of oranges in the farm portion. Also a big fan of voting for the ending sequence. Good times!
Horizons would be at the top of my list, but I understand it being omitted since you don’t remember it well. It’s the one I remember clearest from our trips, along with World of Motion and Spaceship Earth. We rode those every time, and it was hard to process not having them in the park now. I can’t argue too strongly with your list, though. Living with the Land and Impressions de France are two of my favorites today, and The American Adventure remains a stunning achievement. It just makes me sad that our lists have so much that is gone from the park. The Magic Kingdom still has The Haunted Mansion and Space Mountain. I just wish that Epcot still had more gems in some form. The park needs help.
I am not sure about you or everyone else, but I miss Captan EO! I miss Journey into Imagination as well!! Hopefully they will never get rid of Spaceship Earth. The last time I went Spaceship Earth was closed due to repairs and I was so disappointed, and so were my children!! Hopefully when I go back in September it will be up and running. Thanks for your thoughts about classic Epcot attractions.
My wife and I visited WDW for the first time on our honeymoon in 1992. EPCOT was by far our favorite park! My favorite was the Living Seas. I totally bought into the storyline that we were traveling to Seabase Alpha. I also loved the Wonders of Life pavilion. Body Wars had a queue that fully immersed you in the story. And I still remember touching the Perplexion Pipes. We went back last year for our 25th Anniversary, and it was sad to see the closed attractions in Future World, and to see other attractions abandon the science theme.
I fondly remember parade of nations. It was much later, 2000 & 2001 when I saw it. It was right before illuminations & showcased stilt walkers in beautiful costumes from the different countries carrying colorful flags accompanied by cool music
My wife and I disagree on Impressions de France. I like it just the way it is aka Old School. She would like it updated. It is a must every visit for us.
After seeing the new Soarin, my concern with an update is that they’d overdo the CGI or make it too over the top. The visuals in Impressions de France are largely perfect now. It’s dated in a couple of spots, but I’ll take that over risking a really bad update.
I remember seeing the Imagination Movie with a scene where I child blows a dandelion and the seeds appear to float toward the audience. It was called Magic Journeys. I miss that movie and it was way better than Honey I shrunk the audience and Captain EO. I’m not sure how or why a major movie powerhouse like Walt Disney can’t create a good movie for this theatre. Captain EO ran way too long as have a lot of the movies in Epcot. Strange they can’t and won’t creat new movies that draw in a crowd and make them remember it. I’ll miss the dinosaur scene from the Universe of Energy. I liked how the sky darkened. I’m hoping that Epcot truly does get the attention it deserves and this includes euthanizing the horrible Journey Into Imagination ride. There is nothing good about that attraction and as I’ve said before, it makes me wonder how a company built by people who imagined more, dreamed bigger, and worked much harder to create amazing products and a reputation of quality could deliver this present turd of a ride that is supposed to showcase Imagination. I don’t buy into the explanations that Kodak didn’t have enough money either. Walt Disney Company spends millions building parks around the world but neglected this pavilion and park for much longer than they should have.
Epcot inspired me so much as a child of the 80s. I was there in the beginning and saw it grow up. My husband never got to visit until 2013, long after the original Journey Into Imagination was just a memory. He refers to it as the “giant fart joke.” We, as well as our kids, were so disappointed and have not gone back to that pavilion since.
EPCOT’s ride technology in the 80’s was state-of-the-art back then; I recall the solar panels on the roof of Universe of Energy as being “space tech”. Like, I couldn’t believe that they really worked. Now, 25 years later, I have a 2kw solar energy array and a Tower Garden (pioneered by Tim Blank when he was working at EPCOT’s Living with the Land pavilion in the mid-1990’s). I hope EPCOT will bring in new state-of the-art experiences that can influence this generation. Innovative augmented reality rides and trackless rides seem to be big, but I agree with others that the future Guardians of the Galaxy ride doesn’t fit the original EPCOT mission, among other things, to create a better city. I suppose Disney is delivering on what they think people want these days.
Tom, I agree with you on the Impressions de France movie. The classical music and French scenery is so immersive. I always leave feeling happy. When you exit, you can get a listing of the audio tracks used in the movie at the cash register in the gift shop. Thank you for the excellent blog too!
Living with the Land is my guilty pleasure. I could ride it a million times. My favorite part is seeing the greenhouse and all the vegetables that they grow right there at the park. Seeing all that life while gently rocking in the boat is just magic to me.
World of Motion has my vote for being missed the most ! Well, for me anyway ! I just loved it and I still miss it being there !
My favorite attraction was Cranium Command. It had a great pre-show with the General and had a number of famous characters with some great one liners.
Completely agree with all of your sentiments regarding Journey into Imagination. It was tied with Carousel of Progress for my all time favorite rides and the very first thing I did when I revisited WDW as an adult in 2015 was head directly to what I thought was the ride. You can imagine my surprise and devastation when I realized the new Figment ride was clearly not the same as I remembered. Honestly I’m still upset about this. I never got to say goodbye to what had once inspired me so much as a child. What’s even more devastating is that kids today don’t have a solid appreciation for Figment and what he stands for and from what I hear, are in danger of losing him altogether. I really hope those rumors are not true as Figment and Epcot are synonymous to me.
How in the holy heck does Universe of Energy make it in and Horizons doesn’t? Energy has some cool dinosaur scenes that last for about 10 minutes and then 35 minutes of old (really old) footage. Horizons was filled with old school dark ride goodness!
I too will miss Energy for two reasons. It was educational and offered a great spot for a nap on warm day after lunch.
Your post took me way back. We loved Epcot and have great memories with our kids (now adults). Can I say again, for the record, how much I dislike the memorials or monoliths at the entrance. It use to be so beautiful approaching the park with the flower beds, music playing and Spaceship Earth as the centerpiece. Now its just ugly..
I only rode journey into imagination one time, and I was under the age of 8, but it remains in my mind the gold standard of disney rides. When I rode with my kids a couple years ago I don’t think it even registered as remotely memorable.
For whatever reason, I have absolutely no issues with the addition of IP into World Showcase, so long as the IP fits the country. Heck, I welcome IP there if it means every country ultimately gets its own attraction.
But Future World, yeah, that place should be very light on IP, if any at all. The attractions in Future World need to fit that vision of what makes EPCOT, EPCOT. Unfortunately Future World seems to be the best example of Disney losing their vision/focus. More so than any Tomorrowland or Studios Park or any other land or resort. I too hold onto a sliver of hope that it can return to its roots someday, but I also admit that hope is realistically a long shot.
I too am quite disappointed with the current transformation of EPCOT.
I just don’t understand how Guaridans of the Galaxy ties in with EPCOT’s mission. EPCOT is not just a theme park. Plus – 15 years from now, will anyone really care about Guardians of the Galaxy? I feel even an Iron Man attraction would have stood the test of time better in Future World than Guardians.
I do believe that some parts need updating, which is why I was looking forward to a possible Coco attraction in the Mexico pavilion. But to my understanding, that isn’t happening.
Anyways, great post. I didn’t know what GOAT meant either!