Horizons was a
dark ride
A dark ride or ghost train is an indoor amusement ride on which passengers aboard guided vehicles travel through specially lit scenes that typically contain animation, sound, music and special effects. Appearing as early as the 19th century, su ...
attraction at
Epcot
Epcot, stylized in all uppercase as EPCOT, is a theme park at the Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida. It is owned and operated by The Walt Disney Company through its Parks, Experiences and Products division. Inspired by an unreal ...
(then known as EPCOT Center), a
theme park
An amusement park is a park that features various attractions, such as rides and games, as well as other events for entertainment purposes. A theme park is a type of amusement park that bases its structures and attractions around a central ...
at
Walt Disney World
The Walt Disney World Resort, also called Walt Disney World or Disney World, is an entertainment resort complex in Bay Lake and Lake Buena Vista, Florida, United States, near the cities of Orlando and Kissimmee. Opened on October 1, 1971, ...
in
Bay Lake, Florida. Located on the eastern side of the "Future World" section of Epcot, the attraction used
Disney
The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...
's
Omnimover
The Omnimover is an amusement ride system used for Disney theme park attractions. Roger Broggie and Bert Brundage developed the system for WED Enterprises, which patented Omnimover in April 1968. The term was coined by Imagineer Bob Gurr. Outsi ...
system, which took guests past show scenes depicting visions of the future. It is believed to be the sequel to
Walt Disney
Walter Elias Disney (; December 5, 1901December 15, 1966) was an American animator, film producer and entrepreneur. A pioneer of the American animation industry, he introduced several developments in the production of cartoons. As a film p ...
's
Carousel of Progress
Walt Disney's Carousel of Progress is a rotating theater audio-animatronic stage show attraction in Tomorrowland at the Magic Kingdom theme park at the Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida just outside of Orlando, Florida. Created ...
, an attraction in
Tomorrowland
Tomorrowland is one of the many themed lands featured at all of the Magic Kingdom styled Disney theme parks around the world owned or licensed by The Walt Disney Company. Each version of the land is different and features numerous attractions t ...
at
Walt Disney World
The Walt Disney World Resort, also called Walt Disney World or Disney World, is an entertainment resort complex in Bay Lake and Lake Buena Vista, Florida, United States, near the cities of Orlando and Kissimmee. Opened on October 1, 1971, ...
's
Magic Kingdom
Magic Kingdom Park, previously known as Walt Disney World Magic Kingdom (1971–1994) and The Magic Kingdom (1994–2017), is a theme park at the Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida, near Orlando, Florida. Owned and operated by The ...
. Horizons was the only attraction in "Future World" to showcase all of Epcot's "Future World" elements: communication, energy, transportation, anatomy, along with humankind's relationship to the sea, and the land.
The attraction officially opened on October 1, 1983, as part of Phase II of
Epcot
Epcot, stylized in all uppercase as EPCOT, is a theme park at the Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida. It is owned and operated by The Walt Disney Company through its Parks, Experiences and Products division. Inspired by an unreal ...
. Horizons originally closed in December 25, 1994, a little more than a year after
General Electric
General Electric Company (GE) is an American multinational conglomerate founded in 1892, and incorporated in New York state and headquartered in Boston. The company operated in sectors including healthcare, aviation, power, renewable en ...
had ended its sponsorship of the attraction. Horizons re-opened on December 24, 1995 due to the closure of two other attractions that were down for refurbishment in "Future World",
Universe of Energy and
World of Motion
World of Motion, sponsored by General Motors,"GM's World of Motion Exhibit opens in Epcot Center at the Walt Disney World Resort. Before the year is out, the one millionth visitor to the exhibit is recorded." http://www.gm.com/company/corp_info/ ...
. The attraction permanently closed on January 9, 1999, after which the attraction was dismantled and its structure demolished to make room for
Mission: SPACE, a
motion simulator
A motion simulator or motion platform is a mechanism that creates the feelings of being in a real motion environment. In a simulator, the movement is synchronised with a visual display of the outside world (OTW) scene. Motion platforms can provi ...
thrill ride that opened on October 9, 2003.
The attraction, although extinct, still retains a sizable
cult following, especially among Disney park aficionados.
History
''Horizons'', in its concept phase, was named Century 3 (or Century III), to recognize the third century of American existence (1976–2076). The name was changed to Futureprobe to help appeal the attraction toward international guests who wouldn't understand or appreciate ''Century 3''. In the end, the ''Futureprobe'' name was scrapped due to the medical connotation of the word "probe". After much debate, GE and Disney officials settled on the name Horizons. Prior to the start of construction, the project's budget was slashed by $10 million (USD). The building size was reduced and the length of the ride was shrunk by 35%, shortening the ride length by .
Horizons opened exactly one year after Epcot opened and was located between
World of Motion
World of Motion, sponsored by General Motors,"GM's World of Motion Exhibit opens in Epcot Center at the Walt Disney World Resort. Before the year is out, the one millionth visitor to the exhibit is recorded." http://www.gm.com/company/corp_info/ ...
and the
Universe of Energy. The
Wonders of Life
The Wonders of Life pavilion was an attraction at Epcot at Walt Disney World in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. It was devoted to health care, focusing on the human body, physical fitness, medicine and nutrition. Attractions included Body Wars and C ...
pavilion became Horizons' new neighbor in 1989, and World of Motion closed in 1996. Horizons remained operational until World of Motion's successor,
Test Track
Test Track is a high-speed slot car thrill ride located in World Discovery at Epcot, a theme park at the Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida. The ride is a simulated excursion through the rigorous testing procedures that General Mo ...
, was ready to open to the public in early 1999.
[Company officials say it is likely, but not yet certain, that Horizons will close for good when Test Track opens and will be replaced with a space pavilion. ]
It was proposed that Horizons would be the sequel to the
Carousel of Progress
Walt Disney's Carousel of Progress is a rotating theater audio-animatronic stage show attraction in Tomorrowland at the Magic Kingdom theme park at the Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida just outside of Orlando, Florida. Created ...
(located in Tomorrowland at Magic Kingdom), Disney's ride from the
General Electric
General Electric Company (GE) is an American multinational conglomerate founded in 1892, and incorporated in New York state and headquartered in Boston. The company operated in sectors including healthcare, aviation, power, renewable en ...
Pavilion at the
1964 New York World's Fair. As the Carousel of Progress followed the changes in lifestyle that faced a family as they lived through the 20th century, Horizons continued their story, showing how they might live in the 21st century. The Carousel's theme song "
There's a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow" was part of the Looking Back at Tomorrow portion of Horizons. The version of "There's a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow" that could be heard in Horizons coming from a television (sung by
Larry Cedar) in the Art Deco scene is the exact version that can still be heard on a radio during the first act of the present
Carousel of Progress
Walt Disney's Carousel of Progress is a rotating theater audio-animatronic stage show attraction in Tomorrowland at the Magic Kingdom theme park at the Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida just outside of Orlando, Florida. Created ...
.
The original ride concept came from
Reginald Jones (then–
CEO of GE) and
Jack Welch
John Francis Welch Jr. (November 19, 1935 – March 1, 2020) was an American business executive, chemical engineer, and writer. He was Chairman and CEO of General Electric (GE) between 1981 and 2001.
When Welch retired from GE, he receive ...
(future CEO of GE). The concept was to focus on
Thomas Edison
Thomas Alva Edison (February 11, 1847October 18, 1931) was an American inventor and businessman. He developed many devices in fields such as electric power generation, mass communication, sound recording, and motion pictures. These inventi ...
and his body of work along with the origin of General Electric; it was changed to focus on the future of America, a theme that changed yet again to respect that Epcot was to appeal to a global audience. The building which housed Horizons was designed to resemble a
spaceship, while accentuating the third dimension and giving the impression of an infinite
horizon.
![Horizons (Epcot) 1](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/82/Horizons_%28Epcot%29_1.jpg)
On June 24, 1993, it was announced that
GE would not renew sponsorship of Horizons. The sponsorship's expiration occurred on September 30.
Following this, all references to the company were removed. As time went on, Horizons would begin to have technical issues. Several animatronics were deteriorating and the ride would frequently break down. Ideas were tossed around about the pavilion being turned into a space-themed pavilion. The building would have been upgraded and rethemed. The ride system would be changed drastically, in which the guest would be in an individual space harness while viewing space stations and space in general and would control the pitch and yaw of the vehicle. On January 9, 1999, Horizons closed permanently.
No reason was publicly given, but the lack of corporate sponsorship, which happened around the same time of the financial disaster of
Euro Disneyland
Disneyland Park, originally Euro Disneyland Park, is a theme park found at Disneyland Paris in Marne-la-Vallée, France. The park opened on 12 April 1992 as the first of the two parks built at the resort. Designed and built by Walt Disney Ima ...
is widely accepted as having played the largest part in the decision. Also widely speculated as a reason for the attraction closing was major structural problems, along with rumored problems with the roof.
The building stood unoccupied for well over a year as Disney decided between either relaunching the attraction (which would have required a new storyline and major building renovation and upgrades) or demolishing the building and creating a new attraction in its place. It was decided to build a new cutting-edge
outer space
Outer space, commonly shortened to space, is the expanse that exists beyond Earth and its atmosphere and between celestial bodies. Outer space is not completely empty—it is a near-perfect vacuum containing a low density of particles, pred ...
-themed attraction, so the Horizons building was slowly torn down in July 2000. The demolition of the building marked the first time in Disney history that an entire ride building had to be demolished in preparation for a new attraction. Construction on
Mission: SPACE began in late 2000 and the new attraction opened in 2003.
Various props from Horizons have been displayed around Walt Disney World and even in
Walt Disney Studios Park
Walt Disney Studios Park (French: ''Parc Walt Disney Studios'') is the second of two theme parks built at Disneyland Paris in Marne-la-Vallée, France, which opened on 16 March 2002. It is owned and operated by The Walt Disney Company through i ...
at
Disneyland Resort Paris
Disneyland Paris is an entertainment resort in Chessy, France, east of Paris. It encompasses two theme parks, resort hotels, Disney Nature Resorts, a shopping, dining and entertainment complex, and a golf course. Disneyland Park is the origin ...
. A display that features the butler robot animatronic was set up in ''EPCOT: Creating the World of Tomorrow'' for Epcot's 25th anniversary.
[EPCOT: Creating the World of Tomorrow https://www.flickr.com/photos/blm07/1471881269/] At Disney's Hollywood Studios, a few of the props from the underwater city scene are displayed in one of the studio warehouses.
[Disney MGM-Studios Backlot Tour: Horizons props https://www.flickr.com/photos/blm07/2112264230/] One of the Desert ships has made its way to Disney's Hollywood Studios, hanging from the ceiling of a restaurant. The McCall mural, ''The Prologue and the Promise'', painted on canvas, was removed prior to demolition and is on display in Disney offices (inaccessible to the public and most cast members).
Attraction
![Horizons (Epcot) 3](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/46/Horizons_%28Epcot%29_3.jpg)
Horizons began with a section entitled "Looking Back at Tomorrow," showcasing visions of the future as perceived from the era of
Jules Verne and
Albert Robida
Albert Robida (14 May 1848 – 11 October 1926) was a French illustrator, etcher, lithographer, caricaturist, and novelist. He edited and published '' La Caricature'' magazine for 12 years. Through the 1880s, he wrote an acclaimed trilogy of fut ...
through the 1950s. The ride then moved past two immense
OMNIMAX
IMAX is a proprietary system of high-resolution cameras, film formats, film projectors, and theaters known for having very large screens with a tall aspect ratio (approximately either 1.43:1 or 1.90:1) and steep stadium seating.
Graeme F ...
screens (groundbreaking technology at the time the ride was built), showing modern technologies and ideas that could be used to build the world of tomorrow. Afterward came the main part of the ride: visions of futuristic life in cities, deserts, undersea, and even in space. The only Disney attraction at the time with multiple endings, Horizons then allowed riders to select which path they wanted to take back to the FuturePort: from the
space station Brava Centauri (depicting
space colonization
Space colonization (also called space settlement or extraterrestrial colonization) is the use of outer space or celestial bodies other than Earth for permanent habitation or as extraterrestrial territory.
The inhabitation and territor ...
), from the desert farm of Mesa Verde (depicting
arid-zone agriculture
Dryland farming and dry farming encompass specific agricultural techniques for the non-irrigated cultivation of crops. Dryland farming is associated with drylands, areas characterized by a cool wet season (which charges the soil with virtuall ...
), or from the Sea Castle research base (depicting
ocean colonization
Ocean colonization is the theory of extending society territorially to the ocean by permanent settlements floating on the ocean surface and submerged below, employing offshore construction. In a broader sense the ocean being subject of colo ...
).
As the final part of the ride, guests in their "
omnimover
The Omnimover is an amusement ride system used for Disney theme park attractions. Roger Broggie and Bert Brundage developed the system for WED Enterprises, which patented Omnimover in April 1968. The term was coined by Imagineer Bob Gurr. Outsi ...
" would push a button to select amongst the three choices and would be presented with a 31-second video sequence. A film would then be displayed to riders in each individual car. The videos showed a simulated flyover of an outdoor scene. To create the effect, scale models were built and a camera swept across the futuristic terrain. The models were some of the largest ever created at the time.
The model for the desert sequence, for example, was long. The visual effects were filmed in a hangar at the Burbank airport. Produced in 1983 by 30 model makers, it took over a year to build and shoot the three segments.
[Choose Your Tomorrow model design http://www.kesigndesign.com/code/horizon1.shtml] The exit corridor of the ride originally featured the mural ''The Prologue and the Promise'' by renowned
space art
"Space art" (also "astronomical art") is the term for a genre of modern artistic expression that strives to show the wonders of the Universe. Like other genres, space art has many facets and encompasses realism, impressionism, hardware art, scu ...
ist
Robert T. McCall.
Voice cast
*
Corey Burton
Corey Gregg Weinberg (born August 3, 1955), known professionally as Corey Burton, is an American voice actor. He is the current voice of Captain Hook, Ludwig Von Drake, Dale and others for The Walt Disney Company, Shockwave on '' The Transformer ...
– Futureport 'Brava Centauri' Announcer
*
Henry Corden
Henry Corden (born Henry Cohen; January 6, 1920 – May 19, 2005) was a Canadian-born American actor, best known for taking over the role of Fred Flintstone after Alan Reed's death in 1977. His official debut as Fred's new voice was in the 1 ...
– Neon City: Screen 1 voice
*
B. J. Ward – Mesa Verde Announcer, Tommy's Mother, Undersea Classroom teacher and Horizons 1 Boarding Announcer
*
Dena Dietrich
Deanne Frances Dietrich (December 4, 1928 – November 21, 2020) was an American actress. She was born in Pittsburgh and perhaps best known for her portrayal of Mother Nature in a series of 30-second Chiffon margarine commercials from 1971 to 1 ...
– Grandmother
*Tom Fitzgerald – Tom II ('Beach Boy')
*Corine Cook – Tom's Girlfriend
*
Bob Holt – Grandfather
Tributes in other attractions
Disneyland
Some of the attraction's robots appeared in the entry mural of
Innoventions in Tomorrowland.
Walt Disney World Resort
Mission: SPACE
A number of tributes to Horizons can be found throughout its successor attraction,
Mission: SPACE. The center of the gravity wheel in the queue has the attraction logo, and a stylized version also appears on the front of the checkout counter in the Cargo Bay gift shop at the exit to the attraction. Also, following the attraction's 2017 refurbishment, a new mural added to the entrance features the space station Brava Centauri orbiting the Earth.
Space Mountain
When it was refurbished in 2009,
Space Mountain
Space Mountain is a space-themed indoor roller coaster attraction located at five of the six Disneyland-style Disney Parks. Although all five versions of the attraction are different in nature, all have a similar conical exterior façade that is ...
included a number of tributes to Horizons in its post-show:
*One of the bags in the post-show for the ride (located on guests' left at the start of the exit walkway) features the words "Mesa Verde" written on it.
*The undersea post-show scene after the desert scene is reminiscent of a scene in Horizons. This scene is the only post-show scene to be completely new in refurbishing Space Mountain. The flatscreen display in the new scene describes it as "20,000 Light Years under the Sea," a pun on "
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
''Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas'' (french: Vingt mille lieues sous les mers) is a classic science fiction adventure novel by French writer Jules Verne.
The novel was originally serialized from March 1869 through June 1870 in Pierre-J ...
," which is a reference to the defunct Magic Kingdom attraction
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea: Submarine Voyage.
*The robot butler and futuristic city skyline, which is the last post-show diorama, are similar to a scene in Horizons.
Walt Disney: One Man's Dream
![Horizons (1526231718)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/95/Horizons_%281526231718%29.jpg)
Some of the props used in Horizons were once on display in the exhibition gallery before the
short film
A short film is any motion picture that is short enough in running time not to be considered a feature film. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes ...
presented at
Disney's Hollywood Studios
Disney's Hollywood Studios is a theme park at the Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida, near Orlando. It is owned and operated by The Walt Disney Company through its Parks, Experiences and Products division. Based on a concept by M ...
, including the famous robot butler.
''Guardians of the Galaxy'': Cosmic Rewind
During a portion of the queue of
''Guardians of the Galaxy'': Cosmic Rewind,
Peter Quill
Star-Lord (Peter Jason Quill) is a fictional character and superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character, created by Steve Englehart and Steve Gan, first appeared in ''Marvel Preview'' #4 (January 1976) ...
discusses how he visited EPCOT Center as a child and is excited to ride Horizons again (along with other former Epcot attractions), unaware it has closed, as he had not been to Earth since 1987.
Tokyo Disneyland
Star Tours - The Adventures Continue
Located at the exit of
Star Tours - The Adventures Continue at
Tokyo Disneyland
(local nickname ''TDL'') is a theme park at the Tokyo Disney Resort in Urayasu, Chiba Prefecture, Japan, near Tokyo. Its main gate is directly adjacent to both Maihama Station and Tokyo Disneyland Station. It was the first Disney park to ...
is a kiosk featuring video of 3 other Star Tours excursions. Each different "Tour" advertised is the full 31 second sequence from the Horizons finale. The Mesa Verde, Brava Centauri Space Colony, and Sea Castle (said to be located on planet "Praya" for the purposes of tying it into the Star Wars universe) ending sequences are unedited and played in their entirety.
Timeline
![Horizons (Epcot) 2](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2c/Horizons_%28Epcot%29_2.jpg)
*1979: early concepts were presented by the show designer George McGinnis
*August 5, 1981: site work begins
*January 1982: construction of the pavilion begins
*October 1, 1983: Horizons opens as part of EPCOT Center's 1st Anniversary celebration.
*June 24, 1993: General Electric declines to renew sponsporship.
*September 30, 1993: General Electric's sponsorship ends after expiration of 10-year contract.
*December 25, 1994: Horizons closes indefinitely. Disney officials give no timetable for reopening.
*December 24, 1995: Horizons re-opens while
Universe of Energy and
World of Motion
World of Motion, sponsored by General Motors,"GM's World of Motion Exhibit opens in Epcot Center at the Walt Disney World Resort. Before the year is out, the one millionth visitor to the exhibit is recorded." http://www.gm.com/company/corp_info/ ...
are being refurbished (both these attractions remained open until January 21 and 22, 1996 respectively).
*December 31, 1998: Disney's internal staff newsletter, ''Eyes and Ears'', announces the permanent closure of Horizons.
*January 9, 1999: Horizons closes permanently.
*September 23, 1999: all signage Horizons is removed.
*September 30, 1999: Horizons briefly reopens, but only for press groups.
*April 29, 2000: demolition of the Horizons building commences.
*July 25, 2000: demolition is completed.
References
External links
*
Horizons at INTERCOT.comHorizons Tribute SiteHorizons Fan Blog, Mesa Verde Times (with some behind the scenes photos)
Horizons Resurrected(CGI model of the attraction)
{{General Electric
Amusement rides based on rail transport
Amusement rides introduced in 1983
Amusement rides that closed in 1999
Amusement rides using motion pictures
Audio-Animatronic attractions
Dark rides
Epcot
Former Walt Disney Parks and Resorts attractions
Future World (Epcot)
General Electric sponsorships
Omnimover attractions
1983 establishments in Florida
1999 disestablishments in Florida