Goodbye Test Track 2.0, Hello Test Track 3.0!

Epcot's Test Track is transforming again! Get ready for bits and pieces of the classic Future World attraction World of Motion to be gracefully Imagineered into version 3.0! Am I excited? You bet! Test Track 1.0 was brilliant, but 2.0 not so much. 

This first piece of concept art had already been revealed, giving just a glimpse of what is coming. But wait! There's more.

Here's the new art for the entrance (Top piece.) Do you love the clean lines and classic look? I do too. Like much of the ongoing transformation of Epcot, the best ideas seem to come from what was there before. Take a look at what World of Motion looked like when EPCOT Center opened:

It's Fun to Be Free, the theme song of World of Motion, would be the icing on the cake if it were to return to the ride. Even the queue. 

We won't see this one.

Did you know there's a tribute to World of Motion

in It's A Small World in Disneyland Paris?

I bet there's one thing we won't see. Original scenes full of Audio-Animatronics. But even a few would be nice. 

Why didn't the Epcot of latter years keep our interest? We are the reason Epcot had to change. Check out my detailed theory here.

(Art copyright The Walt Disney Company.)

Rare World of Motion Art

Ah, the EPCOT Center of old! When the Imagineers were forward thinkers and given more reign to create fresh and innovative ideas instead of just expensive promotional attractions for the animation and live action movie divisions most successful films. 

It's fun to be free! Here's a nice, fairly rare, little piece of concept art for EPCOT Center's wonderful and humorous World of Motion attraction. The rest of the pavilion could be explored only after the "E Ticket" ride. But what a ride it was! Filled with state of the art Audio-Animatronics and a clever narration by radio and television's beloved Gary Owens, and a very catchy theme song, it must a must see hit. 

Much akin to Pirates of the Caribbean in the Magic Kingdom, the ride through the history and future of transportation had so much going on that you had to ride several times to catch as much of it as possible. But it seemed like every trip, I would discover something new. There was even a whole scene "lifted" from Imagineer Marc Davis' unbuilt Western River Expedition- a pretty little nifty tribute to the mega complex of attractions that was given the axe when management panicked and brought in pirates instead. (See this.)

Test Track would come along and replace World of Motion, but that was certainly unnecessary. Remember that "blessing of size"? Yeah, me too. Should have had both. Such as shame the Disney suits had such disdain for their old school classics at the time. When they removed this, Horizons, the original Journey into Imagination, and the Universe of Energy, the tore out the heart and soul of the park. It's now just become a showcase for the Company's latest Intellectual Property- but without much intellect. 

(Art copyright The Walt Disney Company.)

World of Motion Meets Western River Expedition

Concept art is something I can never seem to get enough of! EPCOT Center had some of the very best due to the enormous talent of people like Imagineer Herb Ryman. This Future World pavilion might look a bit unfamiliar to you as it wasn't built like this, but instead, it was given a different exterior. Look closely though, and you'll recognize it to be World of Motion presented by General Motors. 

Scenes from World of Motion in postcard form.

The centerpiece attraction was a ride through adventure filled with good humor a la Marc Davis style and scores of Audio-Animatronics. In a very sly and subtle move, there's one very big tribute to Marc Davis in the attraction. The Old West scene of a stagecoach being held up is taken directly from pieces of a journey planned for the never built Magic Kingdom attraction, the Pirates of the Caribbean inspired Western River Expedition. (The best series of articles on this unbuilt Thunder Mesa mega attraction filled area is found on Passport to Dreams Old & New. Here's the link to Part One.)

Don't get me wrong- Test Rack is pretty fun, although I am a fan of the original version instead of the Tron rip-off we now have. (The test crash dummy scene was a perfect blend of concept, theme, and execution.) But the suits and Imagineers should have been able to leave the original E Ticket while building a second one.

Anyone ready to sing World of Motion's classic theme, "It's Fun to Be Free"? Wish I could see this attraction again!

(Art copyright The Walt Disney Company.)