Space?
Horizons closed December 1994, a year after GE’s sponsorship expired. In an era before social media (and one where many of Disney’s classics were falling), no one seemed entirely sure what would become of Horizons.
Behind the scenes, Disney was apprently working off of long-gestating plans for a pavilion dedicated to a topic that had been conspicuously missing from EPCOT’s opening day lineup: space. The truth is that space had been planned, but intentionally cut from Future World‘s lineup early in the park’s development due to the aerospace industry going belly-up at the close of the Space Age, eliminating any chance of a corporate sponsor.
But now, artwork was developed to imagine repurposing Horizon’s core as a ew, cutting-edge spave-themed pavilion. The (Passholder-exclusive) concept art above and below even show plans to elongate Horizon’s exterior into a pyramid – long associated with stellar cycles and extraterrestrial life.
In these plans, Horizon’s Omnimover-based dark ride would remain, repurposed as a journey through mankind’s relationship with space from primitive navigation to ancient mythologies and onward.
Except now, this dark ride would merely be the prologue, leading to an exciting journey to the stars aboard a very unusual (and now-familiar) ride system. (In fact, in the almost unbelievable art above, you might find details that hint to the proposed experience…)
Of course, neither of the plans to transform Horizons into a space-themed pavilion came about. The pavilion sat silently with no action in or around it for a full year after its December 1994 closure. Then, in December 1995… it re-opened! The unexpected revival of Horizons might’ve given fans of the classic ride hope, but it wasn’t an altruistic move on Disney’s part.
In fact, Epcot – already infamously short on actual rides – had seen its capacity reduced even further by the closure of two fellow classics: the Lost Legend: World of Motion (to become TEST TRACK) and Universe of Energy (to be retrofitted with Ellen Degeneres, Bill Nye, and Alex Trebek). That left three out of the four pavilions on Future World’s east side completely dark, so Horizons was taken out of mothballs as a stopgap.
Given that the original version of Test Track missed its opening by several years due to technical delays, Horizons lasted three more years as a placeholder! Once Test Track finally opened in 1999, Horizons was closed for good: January 9, 1999.
Sunk?
The structure stood, frozen in time, for sixteen months after its final closure. Horizons was finally demolished beginning in July 2000. It was the first of EPCOT”s massive, monumental pavilions to ever be demolished (joined today only by parts of Innoventions in 2020). For fans, its removal was… not pleasant to watch. And inherent in the nature of EPCOT’s imposing architecture, laborious process played out for all to watch.
A popular urban legend alleges that a large marshland sinkhole near the structure had weakened it to the point of near-collapse, necessitated major infrastructural work on Disney’s part (making demolition a much more attractive option that rehab).
Altogether, fans understand this as a convenient excuse. Famed Imagineer Marty Sklar did verify the existence of a large sinkhole in that corner of the park, but never insinuated that it was particularly to blame for Horizon’s demise. Rather, Imagineers hinted that it was much closer to World Showcases’ long-closed Odyssey Restaurant.
More than likely, the sinkhole was a convenient story cooked up by fans that made more sense than the truth: with GE’s sponsorship and financial investment gone, Disney would have to pay out of its own pocket to modernize Horizons – something that the company was unwilling to undertake in the cost-cutting era of the ’90s.
Soon after, construction began on its replacement – the thrill ride simulator Mission: SPACE which would take its place by 2003.
Replacing the future
It’s never easy to say goodbye to an attraction – especially one being removed for being “obsolete.” However, the loss of Horizons rippled through the fan community (particularly those who had supported and grown up alongside Epcot) and shifted the perception of what Disney was capable of. Here are three very simple reasons that the loss of Horizons cut Disney fans deeply.
1. It was a masterful dark ride in the classic EPCOT Center tradition
No one does dark rides like Disney. From the early Fantasyland classics of cut-outs and blacklight of the 1950s, to the sensational, artistic, atmospheric anchors of the ’60s like Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Caribbean, and the (EPCOT precursor) Lost Legend: Adventure Thru Inner Space.
In 1982, it must’ve felt like it was all leading up to EPCOT Center. It’s there that Imagineers seemed to master the medium, producing a lineup of attractions that remains legendary to this day… the Lost Legends: The Living Seas, World of Motion, Journey into Imagination, Universe of Energy, Body Wars, and Kitchen Kabaret. Epic in both concept and execution, these attractions dared to do away with princesses and pirates. As Imagineer Tony Baxter described, Magic Kingdom made fantasy real, but EPCOT Center made reality fantastical.
Each and every loss of EPCOT Center’s lineup was a blow to Imagineering fans who were inspired by Future World at any age; a slow, hair-by-hair removal of a Band-Aid, piecemeal removing the masterpiece rides Disney’s legendary designers envisioned. And reimagining or even replacing classics is inevitable… but the fall of Future World was all-encompassing, and, unfortunately, not for something better. Which brings us to…
2. It’s a classic case of a replacement not worth the loss
For fans, Disney Parks are immensely emotional places. The attractions developed by Disney Imagineers develop cult followings because they’re art; they’re visual, emotional, transformational experiences for those who grow up alongside them. It’s also the reason why fans can feel immense connections to attractions they never even saw in person!
And then, they’re gone. In the name of progress, technology, expansion, or pop culture, even treasured favorites disappear, often to be replaced with something newer, fresher, or more relevant. The problem is that if there’s one thing Disney Parks fans do well, it’s hold a grudge. So especially if fans deem that a replacement attraction wasn’t worth the loss of an original, the “community” can turn against it, souring reviews, perceptions, and ridership. Such is certainly the case with Mission: SPACE, an ambitious (but brainless) thrill ride meant to usher in a new identity for Epcot as Walt Disney World’s park of technological thrill rides.
The problem with closing a classic is that its replacement will always draw comparisons; and for Disney Parks fans, the rose-colored glasses of hindsight often mean that few replacements are ever worth the loss… but certainly, the piecemeal, disconnected ’90s and early-2000s additions to Epcot weren’t. Maybe because they inherently lacked what Horizons had… Connection.
3. Horizons represents the lost connectivity of Epcot
When Future World premiered in 1982, it wasn’t just that its pavilions each contained monumental dark rides willing to tackle massive topics in science and industry; it’s that those pavilions were ultimately connected. Like earning badges, visiting each pavilion and riding its respective dark ride gave you one piece of the story of our collective future; Horizons was the keystone that brought them together. When Horizons closed, it was the undeniable end of Future World’s thoughtful, intentional, and intellectual mission.
It’s likely that most guests to Epcot today don’t recognize or mind that Future World’s pavilions have diverted from their interconnected origins; that Finding Nemo and Guardians of the Galaxy sit, mis-matched, among ’80s originals, which are neighbors with 21st century thrill rides. But for fans, that connectivity; the “big idea;” the all-at-once master-planned design and development; the embedded narrative were what made the EPCOT Center concept so powerful.
And in fact, Epcot’s epic transformation (beginning in earnest in 2020) will begin to draw those connections once again, even visually reintroducing new iconography for Future World. But are these new icons a gilded shell when placed upon pavilions that don’t have anything cumulative to say? And without a “Horizons” to bring it all together, would a message matter, anyway?
Does Epcot 2020+ have a purpose? A mission statement? A story to tell? Without Horizons, it’s hard to imagine.
When the future unfolds
The mural above is entitled “The Prologue and the Promise,” by Bob McCall. Perhaps the most beautiful mural ever commissioned for a theme park attraction (of which Epcot alone has plenty), the mural depicts the flow of civilized man from the past and present toward the future. Originally located along the exitway of Horizons, the mural seems to encapsulate the entire concept of Epcot – even though we all come from different places and have different customs, beliefs, and traditions, we’re all looking for the same thing. Together, the promise of tomorrow is assured.
Horizons will always be remembered as an Epcot classic. It will always be remembered as a much-loved ride that could’ve become a permanent staple if only it had been given a little love and a 21st century lease on life, just like Spaceship Earth.
Walt Disney’s dedication for Disneyland called on it to be a place where “age relives fond memories of the past,” and where “youth may savor the challenge and promise of the future.” Horizons would’ve made him proud.
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If you enjoyed our in-depth journey to the 21st century, be sure to visit our Legend Library and set course for another Lost Legend. As always, we encourage you to recall details and stories of Horizons in the comments below and on social media so we can preserve this ride for future generations.