Disney World Announces Test Track 3.0 Reimagining: Best News of Destination D23?!
Walt Disney World has announced a reimagining of Test Track at EPCOT, which will be the third incarnation of the thrill ride in World Discovery. This post shares all of the details, concept art, and everything we know about the plan–plus comprehensive commentary about its changes, inspiration, and likelihood of actually happening.
This news was announced during the “A Celebration of Disney Parks, Experiences and Products: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow” presentation at the 2023 Destination D23. Disney Parks, Experiences and Products Chairman Josh D’Amaro offered a sneak peek at concept art for the future in addition and teased what was to come in a few years.
This was one of many announcements and reveals at the 2023 Destination D23. Others include a Pirates of the Caribbean tavern in Magic Kingdom, new scene with Ahsoka in Star Tours, a first look at the Audio Animatronics in Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, and much more. And that’s just what has been shared so far for Walt Disney World!
Let’s start with the official announcement that the popular Test Track attraction at EPCOT is being reimagined!
Disney Imagineer Chris Beatty joined Parks Chairman Josh D’Amaro on stage and indicated that Imagineers along with teams from corporate alliance partner Chevrolet are reaching back into history for inspiration from the original World of Motion, and are bringing that spirit of optimism to the next iteration of Test Track.
They promised more to come in the future, but in terms of the actual announcement at Destination D23, that was it. Very brief–along with the flashing of this concept art up on screen:
Turning to commentary, this announcement is seemingly coming out of left field. (That’s why I’ve given it some time to marinate, rather than offering a knee jerk reaction over the weekend.) My first and probably most obvious thought is that this is clearly the fruits of EPCOT’s sponsorship model. That approach catches its share of criticism, but hey, it’s obviously working here.
There’s simply no way Walt Disney World would be touching Test Track without General Motors having a contractual obligation or desire. Test Track is too popular, often with average wait times that eclipse both Frozen Ever After and Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure, two newer and family-friendly rides.
In fairness, part of that is due to downtime…but it’s a near-certainty that this reimagining won’t change that. Test Track has had reliability and downtime issues since before it opened (which is why its opening was delayed for years) and likely always will so long as its underlying ride system remains. And its underlying ride system will remain following this reimagining.
Although the announcement of Test Track 3.0 comes as a surprise, it really probably shouldn’t. Test Track was last reimagined in 2012, at which point it was a little over 10 years old. Although we still think of Test Track as ‘recently-reimagined’ around here…it really isn’t!
Almost as much time has passed since the 2.0 reimagining as passed between Test Track’s opening day and the 2.0 version. (Time is a cruel mistress.) By the time actual work starts on this project and Test Track 3.0 actually opens, there’s a decent chance the 2.0 version will have lasted as long (maybe longer!) than the OG Test Track.
All of that probably indirectly answers the question of whether this Test Track reimagining will actually happen. To put a finer point on it, this project is absolutely a go. Even though the announcement was devoid of detail, this has absolutely been greenlit and is largely being funded by Chevrolet. It’s not contingent upon anything else, and is totally different from pretty much any other announcement made at Destination D23.
In short, the Test Track reimagining will happen because Chevrolet wants it to happen and will pay to ensure that it happens. Aside from maybe Coca-Cola, General Motors/Chevy is Disney’s most successful long-term corporate alliance. At EPCOT, it’s one of the few corporate lounges that still sees a ton of use, and the car company is clearly satisfied with the fruits of the partnership.
So you may not like to see a sponsor’s name on attraction marquees or think it’s lame that the entertainment conglomerate “needs” sponsors in the first place, but we clearly benefit from it as guests. And Test Track 3.0 is a great example of that, as there’s no way Walt Disney World would be touching this ride in the next decade without Chevrolet.
There’s also the backdrop against which both Test Track 2.0 and Test Track 3.0 are set. At the time Test Track 2.0 debuted, Shanghai Disneyland was in development and one of its marquee attractions was slated to be TRON Lightcycle Power Run. That ride would go on to be sponsored by Chevrolet.
While we didn’t know it at the time, with the benefit of hindsight, it stands to reason that General Motors had already seen the pitch for TRON Lightcycle Power Run when Test Track 2.0 was announced. That would explain the TRON-inspired aesthetic–the executives at GM had already seen TRON Lightcycle Power Run and said, “we want something like that for our ride at EPCOT!” So they got Test Track 2.0, which came to be known as “TRON Track” to some fans.
Now that TRON Lightcycle Run has opened at Magic Kingdom–and with Enterprise as a sponsor–Test Track 2.0 looks antiquated by comparison. It still has that TRON-inspired aesthetic, but if you’re mentally comparing the two as a casual visitor, Test Track feels like a dated imitator. If I were a head honcho at General Motors, I probably wouldn’t want that.
In short, it made sense to refresh Test Track back in 2012 to draw inspiration from an as-yet unopened and unannounced ride that would debut in China. No one was going to ride the two attractions back-to-back and make negative comparisons. Fast-forward a decade, and the circumstances are very different. It’s time for a refresh to differentiate Test Track from TRON Lightcycle Run.
To that point, would could be the new aesthetic that distinguishes this from TRON? Test Track 3.0 being inspired by World of Motion is obviously intriguing to old school EPCOT Center fans. That’s me!
Honestly, I have to admit that my firsthand memories of the original attraction are pretty fuzzy—brief snippets that could’ve been formed from wearing out my copy of Walt Disney’s EPCOT Center as much as riding World of Motion as a child with my parents. (Journey into Imagination was my attraction, followed by Universe of Energy, Kitchen Kabaret, Wonders of Life, and the Living Seas.)
Anyway, what I do remember most about World of Motion isn’t the optimism. To me, World of Motion was memorable for its goofiness, humor, and visual gags. Of course, I was a kid—so I’d probably enjoy jokes more than optimism—but this is reinforced by watching ride-through and tribute videos. World of Motion definitely skews more towards the ‘tainment portion of edutainment, with a lot that would make guests laugh.
Honestly, I hope that Imagineering leans into this with the Test Track reimagining. I don’t have anything against the current version. It’s fine and was an improvement over the woefully dated 1990s aesthetic of the original Test Track. The latest incarnation embraced a bit of a TRON aesthetic and offered its own EPCOT sensibility. It succeeded in a lot of ways, and was a nice refresh and modernization. But it also fell short of both World of Motion and the original Test Track in some regards.
To be clear, I don’t want to romanticize the original Test Track and criticize the current incarnation of the attraction. I still remember being blown away by the new Test Track back in late 2012. The first time I rode Test Track 2.0, I had chills. I couldn’t get enough of the reimagined ride, and was so excited about how it evoked the spirit of the original EPCOT Center with its design.
The aesthetic was gorgeous and had much more fluidity than the original Test Track, which felt like going through an industrial warehouse where testing was actually occurring. In the mid-1990s. The original Test Track was loud, and although it did have edutainment components concerning the test process vehicles undergo, it felt clunky and utilitarian rather than elegant and optimistic. In this sense, it was a sharp contrast to the original Future World pavilions.
Test Track 2.0 brought back that elegance and sleekness, infusing the attraction with a spirit of futurism, and one that makes guests actually want to know more about the subject matter. The original Test Track treated guests like dummies in the literal and figurative sense of the term, and prominently featured the worst impulses of the mid to late 1990s stylistic sensibility that hurt so much of Future World.
With Test Track 2.0, you’re no longer just a dummy going through the motions of a test in a warehouse. You’re a vehicle designer putting your test through the paces on a beautifully designed course. The different approach was clear from the outset of the queue, which was less noisy and more stylized than the previous version. (Most of the above is lifted from our Christmas 2012 trip report, so it really was my contemporaneous view of Test Track 2.0 when it debuted.)
But the changes with Test Track 2.0 were not all positive. In the process of creating a sleeker and more elegant attraction imbued with futurism, Test Track also lost its personality. The original Test Track had its quirks and quotable lines, even if it was very much a warts and all ride in one very much in need of a reimagining.
Frankly, I’ve come to appreciate Walt Disney World attractions with ‘character’ and think this is immensely important (and undervalued). Over a decade ago, i remember criticizing the script for the then-reimagined Spaceship Earth. More recently, I did the same with Flight of Passage. (Thankfully, I’ve always loved the Soarin’ preshow, proving I don’t hate fun completely.)
I now realize the error of my ways. Even as an EPCOT Center purist, I’ve come to recognize the value of cheesiness and camp. These little eccentricities in the attraction and its script become beloved, and they’re idiosyncrasies that fans embrace with open arms—even if it takes time. Test Track 3.0 has the chance to lean into its predecessors—World of Motion and Test Track 1.0–and create a quirky quality that’ll make it remembered by fans for more than just being fast fun.
If Test Track 3.0 manages to do this, it could cement World Discovery as the funny area of EPCOT. Walt Disney World “defines” World Discovery as the place “where stories about science, technology, and intergalactic adventure come to life.” But that’s pretty vague, and feels like working backwards from what’s there to create a description. It isn’t the same as a personality or unifying characteristics.
Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind is obviously hilarious. It has the trademark humor of that Marvel film franchise, so of course it is. Even beyond that, Cosmic Rewind has some great low key humor and quotable dialogue that’ll make its way onto Etsy shirts and stuff once it’s a few years older. There will be tons of nostalgia for that script among Walt Disney World fans down the road—it just takes a bit of time.
It’s not just Cosmic Rewind, even though that’s the big one. Mission Space is campy fun, and probably should lean a little more into that. There’s also Space 220, which breaks up its beauty and majesty with stuff like space dogs. Play Pavilion is like one big conceptual running joke, what with it being perpetually paused and all.
Point being, the new neighborhood concept is kind of stupid and unnecessary if you ask me, but that could change. If it ceases to be a pointless internal exercise in vision-making and branding or whatever, and starts to have clearer distinction to average guests walking around the park, and not just in a corporate slide deck. “Oh, World Discovery? That’s the fast, funny, and futuristic rides!”
I would also add that the former Future World (as a whole) could use more personality. The Central Spine behind Spaceship Earth is going to be very vanilla. Even though not everything has opened in World Celebration, it’s safe to say that this area is going to be bland based upon Connections Cafe, Creations Shop, and the concept art for CommuniCore Hall and Plaza.
Honestly, this is not necessarily a knock. World Celebration could very well end up being the ‘neutral’ area that’s surrounded by ambitious and engaging spaces in both World Discovery and World Nature. Already, Connections Cafe and Creations Shop “shut up” in thematic sense and instead utilize airy spaces and large windows to let the outside do the talking.
I know those who are nostalgic for the Epcot of the late 1990s and early aughts mourn what was there before for whatever weird reason (a misplaced sense of nostalgia and rose-colored glasses for the past), I think the current World Celebration is already an improvement over its immediate predecessor. In my view, a lot of damage was done in only a few short years to EPCOT Center with the redesigns of the mid-to-late 1990s. Way too much crap was added, and it became a visual assault with a bunch of clashing styles that, only a few years later, gave the area big time dead mall vibes.
But in order for the more neutral energy of World Celebration to truly work, it has to be surrounded by areas with personality and distinct themes. Now that will make the new neighborhoods make sense, and also a true upgrade. If only we weren’t subjected to years of construction walls and hype about flooring in the process. But I digress.
While I’m already pretty far off topic, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the Secret Life of Pets: Off the Leash, which is one of the best dark rides anywhere. There’s absolutely no chance Test Track 3.0 drives fully in this direction, but I’d love to Imagineering learn some lessons from that and incorporate them into an attraction. (It’s only a few minutes from their offices in Glendale, so hopefully they’ve already made a few field trips!)
Test Track 3.0 may not be the perfect choice for this type of attraction–and although there aren’t any ostensible thematic similarities between dogs, cats, and cars–where Off the Leash truly excels is humor via visual gags. In a weird way, it feels like a spiritual successor of sorts to World of Motion. (I know these aren’t the only two rides ever to leverage visual gags, but SLoP really reminds me of World of Motion!) So perhaps there are some lessons from Off the Leash that can be applied to Test Track 3.0!
Anyway, my first hope is that Imagineers hosted General Motors executives for the opening of Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind last year, and they said, “we want something like that.” My second hope is that someone at GM fondly remembers World of Motion from back in the day, and said “we want something like that.” My final hope is that Imagineers have done Secret Life of Pets: Off the Leash, and said, “we want something like that.”
All of these scenarios are actually possible. The real pipe dream is connecting the dots to get an attraction that juggles all of these things, and does so effectively. Managing to balance humor, whimsy, visual gags, optimism, and futurism in a thrill ride about transportation that would satisfy General Motors as a corporate sponsor is a tough ask. And one that probably won’t happen, to be frank.
(Honestly, I’m kinda surprised General Motors was happy with the original World of Motion–unless it was all about the pre-show. With that said, I think the brand awareness on these sponsorships is huge and underrated. As a kid–you know, the target audience that has zero disposable income–I always wanted to ‘support’ the sponsors because I thought they gave me a connection to Disney or something like that. Kid logic–hard to explain.)
When it comes to prior incarnations of Test Track, I’d love some of the personality and cheekiness of the original–but without the 1990s industrial and utilitarian style. Although Test Track 2.0 did a great job of getting back to the spirit and style of EPCOT Center, it also arguably took itself a bit too seriously and is devoid of character–there’s nothing specific about the current version that’ll be missed years from now.
Then of course there’s World of Motion. I would love to see not just its optimism make a comeback, but also its humor, visual gags, and fully dimensional sets and show scenes. That last one has been largely missing from both versions of Test Track, and even though it’s a thrill ride, it also has a ton of track that’s essentially Sunday driving. Filling the twisting track indoors with interesting and engaging scenery would be awesome. Nothing would make me more optimistic.
To summarize since this is long-winded and rambling, Test Track 3.0 is positioned to pull from the best aspects of all its predecessors. That’s precisely why this could end up being the best announcement of Destination D23, as it seems like Disney and Chevrolet are positioned to learn from past successes and failures, making improvements in Test Track 3.0 on those bases.
There’s also the fact that a Test Track reimagining was unexpected by pretty much everyone. Test Track 3.0 being a pleasant surprise, almost certain to actually happen, and a low-downside, high-upside reimagining is a recipe for success. We’re excited for this, and it’s potential in fitting into the new-look EPCOT while drawing from the past in the process.
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Your Thoughts
What do you think of the Test Track reimagining announcement? Excited for Test Track 3.0, or will you miss the current version? Think it’s time for a replacement to TRON Track now that TRON Lightcycle Run exists in Magic Kingdom? Which version of this ride is your favorite? Hopeful that World of Motion inspires more than just a sense of optimism in the new ride? Do you agree or disagree with our assessment? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback—even when you disagree with us—is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
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Had to chime in here as Test Track, from it’s get-go, is one of my favorite attractions in all of WDW. When the doors open to the outside track I am grinning ear to ear….every time. That being said, I am in the TT 1.0 camp. The original theme may have been kitschy but it was fun and fit the ride well. I am grateful for the single rider line. The vehicle build pre-ride was interesting only maybe the first couple times. As you said, to each their own. Hoping the 3.0 update is as much fun as 1.0 was.
Tom,
I wanted to pick your brain and since this is the only transportation (sort of) announcement from D23 I figured I’d ask here. What are your thoughts on a Skyliner expansion? It would be a complete game changed to get from AKL to DAK using the Skyliner for my family. Will it (or something like it) ever happen?
Hope Sarah is doing well!
My family loves the whole creation aspect of the ride. Designing their own cars, seeing how they perform on the screens after each test (when the screens actually work and synch), then seeing how their cars score vs. others when we get off of the ride. It’s always a competition! They are now 15 and 21, and we have YEARS of saved commercials and photos of scores and designs. We will really miss this! My youngest told me last year that when he was little, under TT 1.0, he was afraid he was going to turn into a crash test dummy. Looking back, we were definitely glad for the change! I’m sure version 3.0 will be good, but 2.0 will be missed.
There is so much to love in this commentary and the announcement! I think there is such a rapid evolution in the automotive industry nowadays, with the Tesla Model Y recently being touted as the globe’s best selling car. I recently test drove the Model Y and immediately called my BFF to report that the car’s acceleration was crazy fun and gave me a much more intense sensation than Rockin’ Roller Coaster’s launch. (Seriously, I momentarily saw stars and that g-force sensation in my abdomen took my breath away.) Regardless of the valid point about Chevrolet’s likely Tron concern, I suspect that our collective expectations of motor vehicles are going to rapidly shift in the coming decade. Chevy has to be worried about appearing stuck on past versions of the industry’s product offering, but it’s probably difficult to design an attraction today that will need to look technologically relevant for the next 15-20 years. When faced with the Tomorrowland dilemma of “the future of today is going to look out of date in about 15-minutes,” Disney has found its most effective solutions in camp and optimism. On a personal note, I am excited about the concept art. Like Tom, World of Motion was never a childhood favorite, but I do have hazy memories of massive sets and numerous, delightfully hokey animatronics. Both versions of Test Track have always left me lamenting the stark treatment of the show spaces. I’d love to, once again, see that space filled with tons of fun things to look at!
I’m with you! This was the D23 announcement I was most excited about! I’m cautiously optimistic about anything that draws inspiration from World of Motion (edu-tainment + visual puns + fun storytelling), and I think Test Track is overdue for an update. I have fond memories of World of Motion as a young child. The OG Imagination was my favorite EPCOT Center attraction, but I remember referring to World of Motion as “fun Spaceship Earth,” and it was something my family several times per trip in the 90s. I still miss the slow-moving, open-air, beginning ascent that overlooked the park, which is something that likely won’t return since it would require a massive construction undertaking. Here’s hoping there’s an updated ear-worm to accompany the updated attraction,
It is difficult to design a theme park attraction that combines themes from Guardians of the Galaxy, World of Motion, and Secret Life of Pets while also satisfying General Motors as a corporate sponsor. The result is an exhilarating thrill ride with a transportation design. Even while it could be challenging to explain to a younger audience, the brand recognition that results from such partnerships is considerable.
“As a kid–you know, the target audience that has zero disposable income–I always wanted to ‘support’ the sponsors because I thought they gave me a connection to Disney or something like that. Kid logic–hard to explain.)”
I understand that logic. When I was a kid in the 1970’s, Tomorrowland’s “if you had wings”, sponsored by Eastern Airlines, was my favorite ride. I wanted to support Eastern and would protest when a relative wanted to book a flight on Delta instead, not understanding things like trying to get the best deal. Then years later, Eastern went out of business and Delta’s Dreamflight took over that space. I was a young adult by then and didn’t feel the same loyalty to Delta. Their ride wasn’t as good anyway.
I preferred the original TestTrack. I miss the bumpy Belgian cobblestone (or whatever it was called) hill, and the feeling that you were driving on real roads instead of being inside a computer simulation. I guess some would say feeling you were on regular roads is less magical, like being reminded of the outside world when you’re at a Disney park, but it worked for me. I remember shortly after 2.0 premiered, I overheard two teenage girls talking and one lamented the changes in the ride, saying the new version is “so boring!”. My Mom felt more nauseated on 2.0 for some reason. I got used to 2.0 and still enjoy it, but more so speeding through the outside curves, which is the same as the original version.
I loved the wicked sense of humor that World of Motion had. I wish both World of Motion and TestTrack could exist at the same time instead of World of Motion having had to be replaced. I have a poster for World of Motion hanging in my bedroom. And during the millennium celebrations, when you could custom make CDs with rare attraction songs and score, I put several different versions of its “It’s Fun to be Free” on mine.
I rode World of Motion on two trips back in the early 90s, and I can’t remember individual scenes, but what I can remember is how much I laughed. I loved the incongruity between the voiceover narration and the scenes chock full of animatronics. To me, WOM had more in common with Pirates of the Caribbean and Cranium Command (another favorite of mine) than with Spaceship Earth or Horizons.
I only got to ride Test Track 1.0 and 2.0 once each – the latter was on my latest trip last year, and I thought that the overall experience was very spare to the point of feeling cheap.
My gut says that Test Track 3.0 will lean into green technologies and how the automobile can bring us closer to nature (which also seems implied by the concept art that was shared). I’d love some quirk and humor and character. But more than anything, I would love some of the cleanliness of the original exterior restored and interior scenes that match the richness of the original attraction.
I can’t wait for the Test Track 3.0 Test Track to be my favorite ride at Epcot! Awesome news!
how long did it take for Test track 2.0? can we expect 3.0 before the end of this decade (given how “quickly” Disney builds things)?
According to the DTB archives, Test Track was scheduled to close from April 15 through December 5, 2012 for the Test Track 2.0 conversion. I don’t remember whether it opened early or late, but we experienced it in December 2012, and our trip was almost certainly at the beginning of the month that year (since that’s when we always visited WDW for Christmas).
But that was honestly a different era, even if it was only a decade ago. I’d expect this closure to last longer, unless Chevrolet really pushes hard for a tight timeline. And they very well might. If it’s sponsor money, Disney will listen. It’s not like Imagineering has to work slowly…that’s just the pace Disney chooses.
I remember loving WOM as a teenager in 1993 and I never made it to Test Track until 2022 (partly due to rain, partly due to long periods between WDW trips).
I rode it with my pre-teen kids and while they enjoyed the on-ride experience they were severely disappointed by the “design your car” pre-show. First, the UX of the interactive screens was less advanced than most free apps on their iPads. But worse, the expectation was set that the car they are about to ride in will include features of the car they designed. They both saw the ride vehicle pull up and were disappointed/perplexed at the rug being pulled out from under them. That’s not exactly what you want a guest to feel when boarding a thrill ride… it’s like going to a “build your own pizza” place where no matter what customized creation you order, everyone just gets served a great slice of plain cheese.
The kids’ favorite part of the ride was the “post show” where they got to do things like race mini-cars around mini-tracks. We literally had to drag them out of there after 20 minutes (one reason I think a well-done Play Pavilion would be a SMASH hit, but I digress).
So, while I think new show scenes and WOM callbacks would be amazing, Disney/GM really needs to update the pre-show or at least integrate it more honestly with the ride itself. Personally I think having some kind of vintage-feeling hands-on experience in the pre-show (maybe harkening back to WOM and/or the history of car travel) would be fun for all ages while also remaining “timeless”. Since no matter how cutting-edge they try to make it, it’ll probably feel dated within a few years.
The “SIM Car” element of Test Track 2.0 is confusing and clumsily conveyed, so I get your kids’ perspective on that. It’s definitely odd that you’d be designing the aesthetics of a car, only to have a generic ride vehicle pull up.
With that said, I think there’s both educational and entertainment value in that process and how your choices impact performance. I don’t know what the solution is since, obviously, the ride vehicle cannot change. But I still think it’d be unfortunate to lose the design studio. Hopefully Imagineering/Chevrolet have a good compromise.
Totally agree with everything else you mentioned.
Yes – perfect summation of the issues with the pre-show. Slice of plain cheese!
I was seriously hoping when I heard the news, that maybe they would re-reimagine TT back to 1.0… I HATE 2.0 with the heat of a 1000 burning suns. It’s so boring, so unfunny, so… just lame. My (now adult) son and I both still wistfully watch old videos of the old TT, wondering why on earth they felt the need to completely reduce it to what it is now. I guess whatever they come up with this time, it can’t be worse? =/
To each their own, but I think that’s a lot of nostalgia talking. We all have fond memories for things we experienced at Walt Disney World and want to return, but I think the original Test Track has not aged well–it looks very 90s. Diehard fans might love to see it make a comeback, but I suspect casual guests who don’t have the nostalgia would just think it’s dated.
I also preferred Test Track 1.0 – but not for the visual aesthetic, which I agree with Tom was pretty brutal. What I liked about it was the concept of experiencing what a car undergoes during testing. Being a crash test dummy was exciting and fun (and had a bit of a sense of thrilling danger). While I much prefer the visual style and color palette of 2.0, bought into the concept of “testing out your designed car”. It’s always felt like made-up interactivity that has no bearing on the ride experience.
*I NEVER bought into
I also loved the original! I still think about Test Track every time my ABS system kicks in. I learned so much about car safety and had fun doing it!
What’s interesting in retrospect about World of Motion is that it was the only attraction that Ward Kimball ever worked on. While Marc Davis had his hand on many of the gag filled attractions that are now classics, the two artists had distinctive enough “voices” despite coming from the same animation background that even a kid could have guessed that Pirates and the HM shared a creator that WOM did not. I’m still not sure that I can describe how Kimball’s sense of humor differed from Davis’s without referring to Kimball’s cartoon work, other than “also funny, but in a different way.” (Much of the animation at the Sci-Fi Dine-In is written and directed by Kimball, BTW.)
Excellent comment!
As someone who is a big fan of both Marc Davis and Ward Kimball, I’m bummed that I don’t have more firsthand memories of World of Motion. If only I could go back in time and tell my parents what my future interests would be.
(On a side note, I’m still bummed that Disney killed the Kimball bio that the dude behind Cartoon Brew wrote a few years back. At least the Marc Davis books are great!)
I didn’t realize they still had corporate lounges at EPCOT. On my first trip to WDW in the mid 1990s, my dad worked for a subsidiary of GE which sponsored Horizons. 8 year old me thought it was the coolest thing that we got to go through a secret entrance, hang out in a lounge with a tv and snacks and then be escorted to the front of the line for the ride. Frankly, that part was better than Horizons itself.
The lounges are all still there, but they’re typically only used for private and special events since most of the sponsors are gone. Disney actually uses them quite often…including this weekend during Destination D23!
What you describe is exactly how the GM lounge in Test Track still works to this day–right down to the front-of-line backdoor on Test Track.
Bring back Da Boid!!
so I was an Innoventions CP at the very end of Test Track 1.0 to the point where i could see the reskinned 2.0 cars in the garage on my way to work each day. I whispered with my friends about how it was getting reskinned to tron as this big Disney secret I knew… It felt much less secretive once they started running the tron cars on the track with all the others!
I absolutely remember and love the original World of Motion and have the music on a CD which I bought years ago of WDW original music. They should never have destroyed the World of Motion in the first place as it was dynamic, original and extremely entertaining for all the family to ride and experience. I also feel the same about the old Horizons ride and Figment and the Dreamfinder. Horizons was replaced by Mission Space which I consider to have a very limited likability as many people can’t ride it or the none spinner version. Figment was completely ruined even though they tried to improve it several years ago. Why oh why did they ever get rid of these popular family friendly rides? Walt Disney’s dream was to create a park which the whole family can enjoy together and they seem to have moved away from this concept big style.
I’m actually flying from the UK tomorrow for two weeks in Disneyworld. It will be my eighteenth time since 1988 when we had a much larger family with us. Sadly, now there’s only three of us and I know there are several rides which I won’t be able to do anymore due to their severity. It’s sad that the parks have gone this way.
You’ll get no argument from me as an old school EPCOT Center fan who loved every original attraction that I can remember and would give anything to time travel back to the early 1990s version of the park.
With that said, I can also recognize that the original park leaned too heavily into education and slow-moving dark rides. It absolutely needed thrill rides to make it meet guest expectations and increase attendance. In some cases, that was not accomplished very well–like I said, a lot of damage was done during a short timeframe in the 1990s, and that’s still being undone to this day.
I just got back from a first-time trip to Disneyland and Radiator Springs Raceway was such a far superior ride to Test Track that it sort of ruined Test Track for me. So when I saw this news the next day, I have to say I was completely 100% on board. I’d love to see them incorporate racing against other cars and the dips on the outside track, although that might be pushing it.
“I’d love to see them incorporate racing against other cars and the dips on the outside track, although that might be pushing it.”
That definitely won’t happen, but show scenes inside like Radiator Springs Racers is certainly a more realistic possibility!
I don’t know why I didn’t think to discuss RSR (but instead mentioned Secret Life of Pets) given the ride system similarities, but something like the indoor portion of that would also be a ‘best of both worlds’ scenario. (It obviously would not feature Cars characters–I’m talking about the more elaborate show scenes.)
Any chance they could enclose the high speed loop at the end of the attraction? I imagine the Magic 8 Ball would say “outlook not so good.”
“The best announcement of D23?” That’s a pretty big stretch if you ask me. While this sounds great, I enjoy the current version of the ride. So for me the best announcement is still that we’re getting South/Central America region in AK instead of Zootopia. I’ve actually enjoyed all 3 versions of Test Track/WoM in their own way. I hope version 4 is good, too.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Betteridge%27s_law_of_headlines 😉
Joking aside, I think it could be argued that this is the best depending upon how you view the DAK news. We already knew that Dinoland was being replaced, Moana/Zootopia were not officially confirmed, and neither are Encanto/Indiana Jones. (Although I’ve heard some things over the weekend indicating that’s far more concrete than they suggested on stage…)
That, plus this coming out of left field and having minimal downside could elevate this to #1. It doesn’t for me, but it could for some!
Ha! Thank you – I have heard that before, but didn’t know it was an official law of headlines. 🙂 Good point about “officially confirmed” as well. We’ve been down this road before.
I think it’s more of a joke than anything.
FWIW – I try not to use question marks in headlines when the answer is clearly no. If it’s possible but there’s room for debate, I use a question mark. If it’s a surprising potential conclusion, the rare interrobang (question mark exclamation point combo) gets the nod.
Having just returned from first trip to Disneyland- gotta say we loved radiator spings- so fingers crossed that it possibly could be a race as well via chevys instead of “cars” lol
They would have to retrack the ride for racing. Which I don’t see happening as this noted simply as reimagining the ride. Not a total rebuild.