Day 488: Long Gone

Day 8 of the Disney Photo Challenge: A picture of the ride you miss the most. 

Blast from the Past: 

Why are all of these questions so hard? 

For this one I think I'm going to have to say Horizons in Epcot. I don't remember much about this attraction, but I remember enough to know that I enjoyed it as a kid. 

Horizons was a ride where it took you through technologies of the future, ideas that we haven't even thought of beginning to explore. Things that now we are able to do...like grow crops in the desert. Then there are ideas of living underwater, and the class of children on a field trip are able to play with a sea lion. And finally, ideas of what it might be like to live in Space...and this is really the only part I remember. There's a little boy who has lost his shoe and they are trying to leave for the day, but his shoe is off floating...due to the lack of gravity. He's also got his teddy bear, floating quietly in space near him. It was said that the ride is a futuristic continuation of Walt Disney's Carousel of Progress, and if you have had the chance to see both, you can very easily notice the similarities, including the daughter from the famous World's Fair attraction...and the loveable dog, Rover. 

The ride closed in 2001 for good after a long struggle without a sponsor, and was soon after replaced by Mission Space. But I'll always remember the kid in space who lost his shoe.

Back to the Future: 

I completely agree with my past self. I do miss Horizons, but I think I'm going to have to expand a bit here.

In March, I had the chance to explore in the Wonders of Life Pavilion, or at least, what used to be the Wonders of Life Pavilion. I haven't been in there in years, so it was a new adventure to see what was still there and remember what used to exist versus what was there now. Unlike Horizons, I do have quite the firm memory of Wonders of Life, but it brings about a larger topic.

I miss all of the old Epcot. It's not to say that Epcot isn't, well, Epcot, but there's a certain aspect missing now. The Seas isn't the same, although it's getting better, and Dreamfinder is long gone in the Imagination Pavilion. No one really remembers Kitchen Kabaret anymore, and while I love the current version of Spaceship Earth with all my heart, I can't help but feel a bit sad about the loss of the attraction I loved as a child.

So that's my answer: I miss the old Epcot. Where everything was about exploring what the future had to offer.

Have a magical day!

(Note: This blog post was written on August 19).