Adventures in Armchair Imagineering: New Horizons

I've had so many ideas about new rides and how to enhance older attractions in a way that balances the original intent with the wonders of newer technology (not justifying anything holographic or screen-based). It is a tricky undertaking, but it comes with wisdom and knowledge. The wisdom is knowing, for example, that a classic attraction is a major part of the theme park experience for the audience, but knowledge is how to make sure the themed experience is properly created in three-dimensional form.

However, I am here talking about what I would either do to enhance the experience without sacrificing thematic integrity and the original intent or to create new experiences within the context of not upsetting the implied atmosphere or the natural progression of themed spaces. For example, I'm talking about what I may do to help increase walking space to allow for large enough capacity without disturbing the spacing and beauty of a themed land. I am also referring to how I may revive old shows in the context of the theme park while expanding upon established or implied motifs (e.g. Discovery Bay-style lands) with new rides, shows, and spaces.

So today I begin my journey on here as an Armchair Imagineer. Today's suggestion for a ride idea is based on a desire to experience an extinct attraction in a feasible manner without disrupting the infrastructure of an older ride.


Horizons was supposed to be a sequel to the Carousel of Progress as it presented a continuation of the family beyond the present. It opened in October 1983, one year after Epcot Center, and for the sixteen years it operated, it became a beacon for a better future as well as an icon of Epcot's purpose. The old Horizons ride closed down permanently in January 1999 and the site of the attraction became home to Mission Space, which opened in 2004.

Walt Disney World's "Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin" is a continuation of a history of Omnimover-based Tomorrowland dark rides that started in 1967 with "Adventures Thru Inner Space" at Disneyland. When it came to designing the Magic Kingdom in Florida, the designers at Disney used the original theme park as a template. This meant that classical attractions were due to be recreated in Florida, but that's a post for a different day. Ultimately, the Florida sister of the dark ride in Disneyland's New Tomorrowland was a similar show, sponsored by Eastern Airlines, called "If You Had Wings". This dark ride, which was being planned as the park was nearing completion, opened in June 1972. Fifteen years later, Eastern's sponsorship was canceled and the ride was turned into "If You Could Fly", which operated for two years until Delta sponsored a new attraction, "Delta Dream-Flight" until 1996. In 1998, the ride system and interior was reconfigured to be a Toy Story-themed shoot-em-up ride called "Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin", which opened late that year.

The ride system has been used since its installation in 1972 for a number of incarnations and the most recent ride opened in 1998. It's the same ride system used in Adventures Thru Inner Space and the Haunted Mansion as well as the prototype for the ride system used for Horizons.

My suggestion is to replicate Horizons within the If You Had Wings/Buzz building with the major scenes being shown. I mean it has that Omnimover ride system.



THE LAYOUT OF THE RIDE

This blueprint of the If You Had Wings building (with the adjacent Circle-Vision theater blocked by the Eastern logo) shows the track of the 1972 ride system and the interior. Construction began on the extension of Tomorrowland's southern building around September 1971 and the WED-Way track goes through the ride building.

QUEUE/LOAD (FUTURE-PORT)
SCENE ONE (INT. GLOBE)
SCENE TWO (ASCENDING FLIGHT-AZTEC MEXICO): EASY LIVING
SCENE THREE (MEXICO CITY): EASY LIVING
SCENE FOUR (CARIBBEAN PORT): OMNISPHERE
SCENE FIVE (STRAW MARKET): NOVA CITE
SCENE SIX (PUERTO RICO/CARIBBEAN PORT): MESA VERDE (DESERT FARM)
SCENE SEVEN (TRAFFIC SCENE-TRINIDAD): SEA CASTLE (UNDERWATER CITY)
SCENE EIGHT (NEW ORLEANS-SPEED ROOM): BRAVA CENTURI (SPACE COLONY)
SCENE NINE (MIRROR ROOM-ASCENDING FLIGHT): FINAL SCENE
UNLOAD/GIFT SHOP

HORIZONS CENTER (PROJECT): In the area due south of the WED-Way track between the Carousel of Progress and the If You Had Wings building is a small area that could be used for the Horizons Center, which is a Disney tourism center acting as a travel office of the future with various resorts and parks being advertised to play on the uniqueness of the original ending of Horizons with its "choose your own future" section. Perhaps, Disney can even consider building a Horizons Hotel resort with Mesa Verde, Brava Centuri, Sea Castle, and Nova Cite sections in the future to capitalize on such an idea.

In conclusion, the New Horizons is a wonderful idea and I owe it to thinking a lot about why Disney seemed to forget about Horizons while building new rides without the spirit that made the Carousel of Progress and eventually Horizons. In fact, it makes perfect sense and it helps the theming of Tomorrowland.


PS: I also thought about using the nearby Circle-Vision theater for some sort of pre-show. Perhaps, Disney can honor the tradition of preview centers by establishing a permanent Walt Disney World Preview Center in that space or even repurposing the old Hospitality House on Main Street for a permanent preview center. Granted, "Disney isn't a museum" according to some people, including Michael Eisner. I know it's ironic that a theme park touted as always growing would have a museum dedicated to its history, but then again it would also be a preview center, so it's a balance of yesterday and tomorrow for a time when only today is truly honored.