Without a moment's hesitation, I'd reply "EPCOT Center" if asked which Disney park had the most spellbinding Imagineering art. Much of it was created by the legendary Herb Ryman. Not all, but quite a bit. And the pieces created for Future World are just as stunning as the ones created for Mexico, France, and others.
Oftentimes reality is not as good as Imagineering artwork. Sometimes, reality is better! (See Cars Land at Disney California Adventure for example.) Every once in awhile, concept art shares details we wish Disney had included. Above is one such piece.
The original and enchanting El Rio del Tiempo took riders through sets both elaborate and simple as they explored the history and culture of Mexico. (I'd still take it over The Gran Fiesta Tour any day- but that's a whole different story.) If you look closely at some of El Rio's great concept art, you'll notice the boats were to be more like the classic flower adorned ones of Xochimilco than the plain and ordinary ones they are. A little change like that, however, would have necessitated a much more grand scale than what was built. Due to budget cuts because of overages throughout the park, the lovely boat ride that was supposed to be more on the scale of Pirates of the Caribbean became a lot less ambitious.
Unfortunately, it also became the new standard when it came to ride length of future boat ride attractions. From Norway's Maelstrom to Animal Kingdom's Na'vi River Journey, traditional water attractions are now shorter in time, making it more difficult to fully immerse riders in the story and in the landscapes. They are still very popular, though! Maybe one day, elaborate and lengthy trips on the waterways will make their return. Disney Imagineering seems to be bringing back Audio-Animatronics after years of moving away from their use, so who knows what will happen.
(Art copyright The Walt Disney Company.)
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