Updated "Horizons" Attraction for Tomorrowland

[JoeCool]

In early 1999, EPCOT closed the Horizons attraction because many believed that it was outdated. The attraction showed the history of technology and its advances in space, under the sea and in the desert. I would close Innoventions and the Honey I Shrunk movie and build a new Horizons pavillion.
The new attraction would be based on the old EPCOT one but not the same.
The attraction would show in the same style and format as the EPCOT attraction..the advances in medicine, technology, space travel, oceanography, agriculture and more. Living on a space station, or an undersea village station could also be shown. The Horizons attraction would allow Tomorrowland to show the future and I think that the attarctions fits into what Walt Disney wanted Tomorrowland to be. Any ideas about this?

[Kevie]

Not a bad idea at all. I had thought of that before too for my RCT2 Disneyland.

[JoeCool]

Not a bad idea at all. I had thought of that before too for my RCT2 Disneyland.

What was your idea RCT2 Disneyland?

[Kevie]

What was your idea RCT2 Disneyland?

I just used that Innoventions/COP building for Horizons instead of Innoventions. I currently have COP (Carousel of Progress) in there, although it uses the exact same darkride track/vehicles Horizons did in my park.

[JoeCool]

I think Horizons would be a welcome to Tomorrowland. Without Space Mountain and Star Tours, Tomorrowland is lacking....

[Jspider]

I would close Innoventions and the Honey I Shrunk movie and build a new Horizons pavillion.

Innoventions and HISTA arn't next to each other you can't combine them

you'd want to move rocket reds or combine with rocket reds but you would never be able to combine with HISTA

[JoeCool]

Innoventions and HISTA arn't next to each other you can't combine them

you'd want to move rocket reds or combine with rocket reds but you would never be able to combine with HISTA

Yes my mistake. I would close Innoventions, The spirit of refreshment stand and the Pizza port and build the pavillion.

[dshimel]

Nice idea, but not economically practicle.

Over the 50 years that Disney company has been running theme parks the biggest lesson they've learned is that Walt's vision of Tomorrowland was an economic black hole. Edutainment based rides simply don't last. And with 8 theme parks, and a 9th opening soon, they can't affor major rework of parks every 10-15 years. They need DL, MK, DLP, Epcot and MGM to be "done" so that they can concentrate funds on building out DAK, DCA, DSP and HKDL.

Walt's vision of Tomorrowland has been dead for 20 years, killed by economic realities that the concept simply is not workable in a real-world, profit-driven business plan.

[JoeCool]

Nice idea, but not economically practicle.

Over the 50 years that Disney company has been running theme parks the biggest lesson they've learned is that Walt's vision of Tomorrowland was an economic black hole. Edutainment based rides simply don't last. And with 8 theme parks, and a 9th opening soon, they can't affor major rework of parks every 10-15 years. They need DL, MK, DLP, Epcot and MGM to be "done" so that they can concentrate funds on building out DAK, DCA, DSP and HKDL.

Walt's vision of Tomorrowland has been dead for 20 years, killed by economic realities that the concept simply is not workable in a real-world, profit-driven business plan.

I think the idea is economical. Part of the problem with Tomorrowland is that it strayed from Walt's vision. Disneyland will never be "done." Then scrap EPCOT entirely since edutainment rides do not last. An Horizons attraction can last if it is done correctly.

[JiminyCricketFan]

Good idea

I think that the future is not dead. In fact, we need more positive views of the future today more than ever!

I have to say if there might be a problem is not the idea, but the execution. As they say the devil is in the details.

To make this work, one has to understand what Walt would have done. He would not have put an attraction to have you LEARN about the future. He wanted you to EXPERIENCE it. Understanding this concept is key to understanding the "magic" of Disneyland. You don't learn about paddlewheel boats you ride one. You don't learn about Pirates, you get shot at by one! Walt did not want you to see exhibits of space travel. He wanted to have you personally fly to the moon, and then to Mars. Horizans was a popular place at WDW, but it was not as exciting as some would have liked. The key to this is to put the guest INTO the experience and not just watch it!

[dshimel]

I think the idea is economical.

And DisCo totally disagrees, and it is there money.

Space Mt., Star Tours, HISTA, Rocekt Rods, Chevron cars, Buzz, Nemo subs.... These ideas work because they won't grow stale in 5 years.

Edutainment does grow old in 5 years.

Part of the problem with Tomorrowland is that it strayed from Walt's vision. Disneyland will never be "done."

No. THE problem is Walt's vision that DL will never be done. Sure, they'll always need to refurb and refresh and redo some of the rides and shows.... But Walt's vision of Tomorrowland required a complete rebuild from the ground up ever 10-15 years..... It was a financial disaster.

Then scrap EPCOT entirely since edutainment rides do not last. An Horizons attraction can last if it is done correctly.

They are working on scrapping Epcot Future World as quickly as money will allow. Motion = Test Track. Horizon = Mission Space. Land is gettng Soarin'. As money becomes available, they'll continue to rip out the stale edutainmenty stuff and replace it with thrill rides and cartoons.

[JoeCool]

And DisCo totally disagrees, and it is there money.

Space Mt., Star Tours, HISTA, Rocekt Rods, Chevron cars, Buzz, Nemo subs.... These ideas work because they won't grow stale in 5 years.

Edutainment does grow old in 5 years.



No. THE problem is Walt's vision that DL will never be done. Sure, they'll always need to refurb and refresh and redo some of the rides and shows.... But Walt's vision of Tomorrowland required a complete rebuild from the ground up ever 10-15 years..... It was a financial disaster.



They are working on scrapping Epcot Future World as quickly as money will allow. Motion = Test Track. Horizon = Mission Space. Land is gettng Soarin'. As money becomes available, they'll continue to rip out the stale edutainmenty stuff and replace it with thrill rides and cartoons.

Nemo submarines is not even based on Disney. It is Pixar. The reason the Autopia is still open is because of an underground gas leakage problem that Chervon is taking care and DL is locked into a 10 year contract. HISTA is a stale concept as well as Star Tours. Buzz light-year is just an arcade game that has been made into an attraction.

I disagree. Tomorrowland does not need to be completely rebuilt. It just needs to be improved.


Improvements at EPCOT such as the above are welcome but I do not see them getting rid of The Living Seas or Spaceship Earth.

We just can disagree.

[innerSpaceman]

Horizons was NOT edutainment. Not even close. It was the essence of what Tomorrowland is supposed to be all about. It was fun, exciting, trippy, adventurous, immersive and excellent in almost every respect.

It would be the absolute perfect addition to Tomorrowland, a fitting replacement for the vast and useless space that Innoventions takes up, and - with some technological updating to the old Epcot version (most especially in the AA area) - it would be the Pirates of the Caribbean for the east side of the Park.


It's not uneconomical, it's not impractical, and it's not edutainment.


If you can dream it, then you can do it. Yes, you can.

[dshimel]

Horizons was NOT edutainment. Not even close. It was the essence of what Tomorrowland is supposed to be all about. It was fun, exciting, trippy, adventurous, immersive and excellent in almost every respect.

And yet it survived for only 16 years......

It would be the absolute perfect addition to Tomorrowland,

A big budget attraction with a huge maintenance costs, that grows stale quickly and must be ripped out and repaced within 15-20 years?????

Sorry, but DisCo is not going to repeat these horrid financial mistakes...

They're going to find new ways to waste huge amounts of money instead.

[s8ntmark]

Yes my mistake. I would close Innoventions, The spirit of refreshment stand and the Pizza port and build the pavillion.

Gosh, Thats an aweful lot of land for one attraction, you could have three cool new things in that space.

[ModHatter]

Yeah... If DisCo has learned that "edutainment" gets old... DisCo dun lernt rong.

What doesn't work is pavilions reliant on sponsorship (Hornizons, World of Motion), and films/shows (Magic Journeys/EO/HISTA, CoP/America Sings, CircleVision, etc).

Three variations on my dream would be to a) clear out some backstage area, create a small Edison Square area off Main St. which serves as queue for a new Carousel of Progress, which exits into Tomorrowland, where Horizons takes over in the Carousel theater and possibly some adjacent space, b) similarly, since these two attractions are so closely related, it would be great to see them as centerpieces of a third gate I've long refered to as ImagiNations, a revamped vision of Epcot, or c) when the Chevron obligation is up, turn the whole Subs/Autopia/MBC land into SeaCastle, a giant outdoor model city, at the center of which could be a revamped Horizons (revamped because issues like AgriFuture, undersea living, land transportation, etc., will already be addressed in new Hunny Hunt-based Autopias, Aquatopias, a reworked Sub ride, and of course the PeopleMovers/Monorails).

In any case... yes, I wholeheartedly welcome bringing real rides back into Tomorrowland, as well as rides that celebrate... Tomorrow. And, since Horizons no longer exists at Epcot, it would be the first attraction in a long time that is not a clone. Nor is it tied in to anything but another Disney original, CoP. Makes it an A+ candidate in my book.

[dshimel]

Dream on dreamers........

The (original) theme is dead, long live the (fictionalized) theme.

[Jspider]

Nice idea, but not economically practicle.

Over the 50 years that Disney company has been running theme parks the biggest lesson they've learned is that Walt's vision of Tomorrowland was an economic black hole. Edutainment based rides simply don't last. And with 8 theme parks, and a 9th opening soon, they can't affor major rework of parks every 10-15 years. They need DL, MK, DLP, Epcot and MGM to be "done" so that they can concentrate funds on building out DAK, DCA, DSP and HKDL.

Walt's vision of Tomorrowland has been dead for 20 years, killed by economic realities that the concept simply is not workable in a real-world, profit-driven business plan.

rather then get involved in the specifics of theming dishimel I'm going to point out that the idea of having attractions that don't outdate is rediciouls

the whole way a theme park buisness is run is to keep new additions going so that people will alway sbe interested in coming to your park

the goal is to keep the additions big but the prices on adding them low so that you get the most money

but to say that you want to create the "perfect park" which requires no replacements or additions is rediculous

that's like saying you want to create the perfect TV show that never becomes old or dated or that you want to create the perfect movie or how about creating the perfect TV station?

you'll always need to reinvest because theme parks are entertainment and that's how the entertainment industry works

there is a nice side to the theme parks in that I don't think they're quite the "feast/famine" world that most of the entertainment industry is (gaming/films/theator they all have those spurts between producets but theme parks are a constant with a slow drop in price)

[Jspider]

Dream on dreamers........

The (original) theme is dead, long live the (fictionalized) theme.

true, at least for Disneyland itself it's just not fitting to try to create the future like that

a sci fi view has always been more fitting

lets remeber that Disney always takes an oversanitized view on everything so we're already in the realm of fiction

now it's just a matter of how much realisum we want in there

I think for places like Epcot we may see a bit of actual science survive though

[Disneylandrocks55]

I don't think it's a very good idea.. To much space... They could create an awsome original attraction in that(basicly useless) space of Innoventions.