Test Track Closing in Summer 2024 for Ride Reimagining

Walt Disney World has announced the closing date for Test Track at EPCOT, which will go down for a lengthy refurbishment to reimagine the thrill ride into its third version. This post shares all of the details, concept art, and everything we know about the plan–plus commentary about its changes, the closure’s summer timing, and more. (Updated April 17, 2024.)

Test Track 3.0 was announced, somewhat out of the blue, during Destination D23 last fall. Not much was said about the project. Parks Chairman Josh D’Amaro offered a sneak peek at the above concept art and teased what was to come as a quick part of a presentation that spanned several upcoming projects.

Disney Imagineer Chris Beatty was also 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. That was really about it, though.

A little over six months later, we now have a closing date for the current incarnation of the attraction (Test Track 2.0) along with a new piece of concept art. Test Track presented by Chevrolet at EPCOT at Walt Disney World Resort will close temporarily beginning June 17, 2024.

Shortly after announcing the closure date, Walt Disney World has now filed the first construction permit for the Test Track reimagining, which lists common collaborator Coastal Steel as the contractor and the scope of the work as “general construction.” That’s a purposefully vague and open-ended description that’s routinely used on permits, so it alone doesn’t tell us much. However, this permit is noteworthy for a few reasons.

The first is that it’s being assigned to Coastal Steel in the first place. This is a company with a wide range of expertise and experience, from ride systems to steel fabrication and erection. For example, they worked with Walt Disney World on a range of projects, from the construction of Expedition Everest and Seven Dwarfs Mine Train to Blizzard Beach, Mickey’s Toontown Fair, and even Big River Grille and Brewing Works.

What’s surprising about this is that we’re not expecting Test Track to get a new ride system. It’s likely that the bulk of the changes are going to be to the show scenes, and it doesn’t seem like that would involve a company like Coastal Steel. Although they’ve worked with Walt Disney World on a lot of projects, that seems beyond their expertise.

So they’re presumably doing maintenance or replacing specific components, rather than a wholesale ride system replacement. There are portions of the track that have gotten rough and could use a refresh (I’d be good losing the whole ABS section from the original Test Track). This could be similar to the treatment Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster has received during its refurbishments over the last two springs.

Equally as interesting–and further suggestive of this not being a ride system replacement or retracking–is the expiration date of the permit. For longer projects without a fully-defined timeline, the default expiration date is used–one year. That’s not noteworthy, but specifying a shorter timeframe is, and that’s what happened here. The expiration date on this permit is February 28, 2025.

This expiration date doesn’t mean that Test Track will reopen on March 1, 2025. But it does mean that Test Track won’t be done before that, and also that Coastal Steel’s involvement will conclude by then. Since we’re not expecting them to be handling the reimagined show scenes, and that work will almost certainly extend beyond whatever’s done to the ride system, it’s likely that Test Track won’t reopen until after Spring 2025. As discussed below, that’s our expectation–this is probably at least a 10-12 month project.

If anything, this construction permit suggests a longer closure than we had previously anticipated. If the ride system work needs to be completed before transformation of the show scenes can begin, that could push this project from a 9 month turnaround time to closer to a full year. It could even end up being longer depending upon just how ambitious the substance of the reimagining is.

Circling back to the closing date, Test Track going down on June 17, 2024 is an interesting move. The summer tourist season is normally when attractions open rather than close.

Tiana’s Bayou Adventure doesn’t yet have an official opening date, but we strongly suspect it’ll debut in the second half of June 2024. That reimagined ride at Magic Kingdom is the big draw for this year, with the marketing campaign for the attraction starting to kick into high gear. It’ll probably open within a week or two of Test Track’s closure. You might very well be able to take a trip that coincides with both!

In addition to this, EPCOT is debuting CommuniCore Hall and Plaza, as well as the new Encanto show on June 10, 2024. (And, we think, an EPCOT Summer Festival!) This is especially significant as it signals the completion of construction; when the walls that have been up for years fully come down. EPCOT will finally be wall-free…for one (1) week!

Given all of the above, I was apprehensive about the rumors that Test Track would close this summer. I still suspected they were wrong, and that Walt Disney World would push off the project until mid-August 2024. That the desire to have a normal summer season–the first at EPCOT since 2019–would outweigh the desire to get a headstart on the reimagining. That Imagineering would instead accelerate the overhaul once summer ended, kicking things into overdrive a la Tiana’s Bayou Adventure during the downtime.

However, I can understand why they’ve opted to close Test Track on June 17, 2024. For one thing, the summer isn’t nearly as busy as it used to be. Although this is the tourist season and it’s usually when new things debut and attractions don’t close for refurbishment unless absolutely necessary, it’s not as verboten as it once was.

Moreover, Walt Disney World has nothing major in the pipeline for 2025. It should go without saying, but there will not be a direct answer to Epic Universe, in the form of new rides, lands, or a mythical 5th gate. But there will certainly be indirect ones–ride reimaginings, new entertainment, special events, and more. I would imagine Test Track 3.0 will be one of the anchors to that indirect answer.

My guess is that Imagineering started with a desired finish date for Test Track 3.0 in Summer 2025 and worked backwards from there to determine when the current incarnation of the attraction needed to close. And since this is being funded largely with Chevy Bucks, they also had to work within the parameters of the budget for the overhaul, and also build in a bit of a buffer to make sure the reimagined ride is ready on time.

To that point, I would hazard a guess that the target opening date for Test Track 3.0 is around Memorial Day 2025. That doesn’t mean it will open then–it could occur earlier or even later. After all, absolutely no timeline has been given. Even once one is, there’s always the possibility of work being completed ahead of schedule or delays occurring. But my educated guess is that we’re looking at a late spring or early summer opening. Spring Break 2025 being the absolute earliest and July 4th being the latest.

For reference, Test Track closed in mid-April 2012 and reopened in early December 2012 when it was last reimagined. Although that was only a decade ago, it seems like an eternity ago. Due to labor and everything else shortages, construction projects tend to take longer now. (Although crews will soon be freed up from TBA, not to mention Epic Universe.)

At least 9 months sounds about right for the minimum timeline here. I think 10-12 months is even more reasonable, even without knowing more about its scale or scope. It’s possible that the project could take even longer, especially if it involves a refurbishment of both the ride system and new show scenes. That could mean a closure of 16-18 months, which would put it in the ballpark of Frozen Ever After and Tiana’s Bayou Adventure. (We do not expect as elaborate of show scenes in Test Track as those boat rides.)

I would also hazard a guess that no other EPCOT attractions will go down for reimaginings until Test Track 3.0 debuts. In a perfect world, Test Track would close and the Play Pavilion would open shortly after that. Maybe not as originally envisioned, but as something to help absorb crowds on this side of the park. Even if it’s just temporary and basic stuff in there.

There’s not any actual chance of that happening. The Play Pavilion hasn’t just been paused, it’s been stopped. That building will eventually be used for something again–Walt Disney World did spend a lot of money on refurbishing and extending its useful life–but that doesn’t seem likely anytime soon.

Accordingly, EPCOT can’t really afford to close any other attractions–namely, Spaceship Earth or Journey into Imagination–while Test Track is down. While it is possible that they expect CommuniCore Hall to pick up some slack, that’s not a bona fide attraction, so it’s not the same.

One thing we’ve observed time and time again is that when Test Track is down, the other rides in the former Future World have longer waits. This is true even of Journey into Imagination, which goes from being underutilized capacity (e.g. is often a walk-on) to having a measurable wait time without Test Track.

EPCOT has been busier since the overhaul started wrapping up last December, and we’d expect that trend to continue with the debut of CommuniCore Hall and whatever else happens this summer and beyond. Basically, it’s hard to imagine another ride going down for a long closure at the same time as Test Track. But that was probably always going to be the case.

On the plus side, knocking out this ride reimagining sooner also means that Spaceship Earth and/or Journey into Imagination can be on the clock sooner. It’s probably wishful thinking, but I’d love to have reveals for one or both at the D23 Expo, and this does line things up for an August announcement followed by Summer 2025 closure(s).

My next thought is that the concept art looks like a massive upgrade as compared to the current exterior of Test Track. Ditching the permanent canopy that looks temporary (and industrial) is a huge win. While that serves a practical purpose (shade and cover from the rain), it’s also a bit of an eyesore. We’ve all just sort of collectively gotten used to it as fans as it’s been there for so long.

That’s why I’m sharing the above concept art of the original World of Motion, and how sleek and futuristic that looked. Or rather, looks. To be perfectly honest, I think World of Motion was the blandest of the OG Future World pavilions–but the competition was also staunch, and the architecture on all of them was or is stunning. World of Motion was simpler and more elegant as a result–definitely better than how Test Track looks.

The thing is, Test Track still largely looks like World of Motion. Sure, there’s the track around the outside and the cylinder’s cutaway to the dark ride is gone, but the sleek wheel-shape of the pavilion is largely intact. Ditto the General Motors lounge above the entrance. Creating a new permanent entrance awning that’s smaller and lower than the current canopy is a great move. It looks fantastic, and will allow the elegant architecture of World of Motion to shine through. I really love this move. This reimagining is already off to a fantastic start, and it hasn’t even begun!

Oh, and it’s probably a weird “me thing” but I’m also happy to see the current marquee go. It looks like a mushroom.

Ultimately, I’m really excited for the Test Track overhaul and everything (which admittedly isn’t much!) that we know about it thus far. While this wouldn’t have been on top 10 or 20 lists in terms of my priorities for Walt Disney World if asked prior to the announcement at Destination D23, I actually think it makes a ton of sense. And, again, it’s largely funded by General Motors. It isn’t like they’re going to pay for a trackless reboot of Journey into Imagination with Figment and Dreamfinder. (But if they would, I’d promise to buy a Chevy!)

I’m not going to reinvent the wheel, so to speak, with further commentary here. For that, see our previous post about the Test Track 3.0 Ride Reimagining. I love that this seems to be ditching the TRON-inspired aesthetic, and instead will harken back to World of Motion. I hope that’s done earnestly and sincerely, not just as little Easter Eggs or fan service.

I’ve really come to appreciate Walt Disney World attractions with personality, and think that’s one thing absent from the current version of Test Track. It just feels too cold and sterile, and there’s nothing memorable about it. Even as someone who thought the original Test Track was overdue for an update, I appreciated its personality and we still quote some of the quirky pre-show lines. I don’t think the current version has anything that fans will be quoting 10 years from now.

Suffice to say, I’m really looking forward to Test Track 3.0 and hope it pulls from the best aspects of all its predecessors. 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. I just hope Imagineers have enough time, creative freedom and Chevy Bucks to complete a high-quality ride reimagining. Obviously it’s a very different attraction, but seeing the incredible and quick turn-around on Tiana’s Bayou Adventure is very promising!

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Your Thoughts

What do you think of the Test Track reimagining announcement? Surprised that the current Test Track is closing on June 17, 2024? Happy that Imagineering is being given an extra couple of months (as opposed to an late summer/early fall off-season closure) or disappointed it’ll be down during your trip? 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!