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View Full Version : What was World of Motion??



Zeike
08-05-2002, 11:13 AM
Hi everyone!! I went to WDW for the 1st time in 1977, 1979 and 1981. Then went back in 1994, so I miss World of Motion at Epcot. I have read that it was a favorite of many people around here. Could anyone tell me exactly what WOM was? was it a dark ride? long ride? any pictures I can get now? any website?. I am glad I got to see Horizons before disney closed down. Horizons was one of my favorites, it will be miss. Thanks for any information you can provide on WOM.

1977- Comtemporary
1979- Comtemporary
1981- Polynisian
1994- Off site
1996- Off site
1998- Off site
1999- All Star Sports
2001- All Star Movies
2005- Hoping to take my by then 3 year old boy to his 1st WDW visit, Cant wait!!!.

GoofyWill
08-05-2002, 06:27 PM
World of Motion was an Omnimover ride with animatronics sponsored by GM. The ride dealt with the history of transportation. It was a fun ride with lots of funny scenes. You would board your omnimover vehicle inside. The vehicles ascened up a hill, exited the the front of the building and continued their spiral ascent back into the ride building.

frakers
08-06-2002, 08:43 AM
And it was always empty. That was the best part of it. You could walk right up and on and never stop. Kind of like Spaceship Earth (after the initial park opening line up).

Rprs
08-06-2002, 09:19 AM
Originally posted by frakers:
And it was always empty. That was the best part of it. You could walk right up and on and never stop. Kind of like Spaceship Earth (after the initial park opening line up).So you can now see why it was closed. Lack of interest. graemlins/sleepin.gif

ChipDale
08-06-2002, 09:42 AM
World of Motion (along with Horizons) used to be my favorite Epcot attraction. The show was written by Ward Kimball and his quirky sense of humor was visible throughout the ride.

I didn't think it was always empty. They had an efficient loading/unloading system that kept long lines down.

This was a great attraction for relaxing and getting out of the heat. If I remember correctly, it was pretty long (about 15 min.)

You can see some of the animatronics from W of M in Disneyland's Pirates of the Caribbean. graemlins/thumbsup.gif

[ August 06, 2002, 09:44 AM: Message edited by: ChipDale ]

Zeike
08-06-2002, 09:43 AM
I think same thing happen to Horizons, lack of interest, cause last time I got to ride Horizons, it was always empty, we rode it like 3 times in a row with no lines. The ride was great though and I miss it.

:(

drosenbe
08-06-2002, 09:47 AM
World of Motion embodied the educational/entertainment goals of EPCOT. The imagineers attempted to show the history of transportation from the earliest (foot power) to the future (yet another diorama of a lighted city of the future). It took you past scenes showing the 'invention' of the wheel, thru train travel, thru (surprise, surprise) the invention and popularity of the automobile.

It was a fun ride (although I do enjoy Test Track) and it was much closer in spirit to the World's Fair atmosphere. Unfortunately, time and people move on. People don't want to commit the 15 minutes, or whatever it was to a single ride. That's a shame. That's why we have ended up with JIFI.

Tekneek
08-06-2002, 12:28 PM
When I went to Epcot with my parents in something like 1987, there was plenty of interest in the rides (World of Motion, Horizons, etc) as I recall, but the rides moved in such a way that a queue never had to buildup. The cars were constantly in motion and there were enough to handle the crowd.

TiggerRPh
08-06-2002, 12:38 PM
WoM was one of our favorite rides too! I like Test Track but it was sad to see WoM gone. In it's later years of operation, I'll admit it wasn't the most popular attraction but I would hardly call it empty. I found the attraction an amusingly educational ride, and yes a nice ride to get out of the heat for.

Horizons before it shut down was pretty empty and was poorly attended. A lot of this probably was due to it's erratic schedule of operation.

Chris Proctor
08-06-2002, 01:44 PM
Just feeling like tossing a couple of thoughts out there.

WOM handled a large number of people. The fact that it got people on it quickly is not lack of interest in my mind. If so, we may as well close Mexico's ride and every version of the Journey into Imagination. Disney does seem to believe that if you aren't willing to wait an hour, it must not be all that attractive.

I have been to Disney at least 200 times, and to Epcot no less than 40. I can safely say that there are only four attractions I refuse to go on in the entire resort. TT is one of those rides. I don't mind waiting for rides, but TT has the most uncomfortable queues in the parks.

WOM was a bit redundant with Horizons and SSE but I definately think TT needs remade. The long queue has little to do with its popularity and a lot to do with the low volume it handles.

For the advertiser, the long queue gives them more for their buck though. So GM is probably thrilled.

Bonus points for the other attractions I avoid.

SpecJoe Magic
08-06-2002, 02:05 PM
Welcome to Intercot, Chris Proctor! smile.gif

World of Motion did actually have some long lines because I remember waiting in them. The line did move fast because of the omnimover ride system. I don't think a lack of interest had anything to do with the WoM closure. I think it was probably because GM wanted a changed attraction that would better represent the company, which is why we got Test Track. Test Track sure seems to be more of an advertisement for GM than WoM did. Plus, Disney would have a new attraction for Epcot. You cannot always look at lines, and know if there is a lack of interest. For example, Test Track always has a long line because of the slow throughput of the attraction, whereas Spaceship Earth's line will always be shorter because of the fast, efficient loading/unloading of the omnimover ride system. I would be willing to bet that more people ride Spaceship Earth in a day than Test Track.