World of Motion

Closed January 2nd, 1996
Lasting just over thirteen years, the World of Motion is one of the most beloved extinct attractions from Epcot. The pavilion was one of the few light hearted attractions of the very serious collection of Future World rides. This is largely due to animator/imagineer Ward Kimball's influence on the project. Previously, Ward Kimball had been involved in creating some of the most zany moments in Disney animation as possibly best shown in the Three Caballeros musical number from the film of the same name. The slightly irreverent tone the main attraction of the pavilion, "Fun to be Free" is possibly one of the many reasons why guests still have fond memories of the World of Motion.

The main ride was an omnimover similar to the system used in the Haunted Mansion or Spaceship Earth. The vehicles started the journey by spiraling around the outside of the building which worked well for it's motion theme. Inside the building itself were twenty-four different show scenes which took riders through the history of transportation. The historical scenes usually featured a clever gag, such as the experimentation of triangular and square wheels before discovering the round wheel or Leonardo di Vinci being so fascinated by his model flying contraption that he leaves an annoyed Mona Lisa waiting around. Quite possibly the most famous scene in the attractions was the 1900s scene depicting a major traffic jam involving a spooked horse, an ice truck and chickens. Some of the human figures from this scene and others were found between 1997 and 2006 at the Pirates of the Caribbean in Disneyland. The chickens can be found at Goofy's Wiseacre Farm near the Barnstormer roller coaster in Mickey's Toontown Fair at the Magic Kingdom. One of the more humorous stories about this ride involves the train robbery scene. Apparently, Imagineers recycled many of the presidents heads from the Hall of Presidents in the Future World attractions. It makes sense, because after all how many guests would recognize the face of Millard Fillmore? However, there is an urban legend that the train robber actually beared the image of Richard Nixon underneath his red bandana mask. It certainly would be fitting of Ward Kimball's sense of humor. The ride ended with speed tunnels which used large screens to give the effects of high speeds, very similar to the effect currently used in one of the last scenes of Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin. Finally, guests were let out at exhibits which showed the future of automotive technology. The most popular exhibit was "The Bird and the Robot" which discussed the process in which how cars were built.

Unfortunately the closing of World of Motion was the start of what would become the permanent loss of three of the greatest audio-animatronic attractions ever constructed: Horizons, World of Motion and Journey into Imagination. World of Motion was closed in 1996 and eventually replaced by Test Track which officially opened in 1999, two years after it's announced opening date. The pavilion's theme song "It's Fun to Be Free" can still sometimes be heard as instrumentals throughout Disney parks, and as mentioned earlier many of the props and figures from the ride ended up in other locations. While Test Track thrills guests and has brought a new generation of fans to Epcot, one hopes that someday Disney will build ride another dark ride with hundreds of impressive audio-animatronic figures again.

Epcot's World of Motion Pavillion images © JWL Media. All Rights Reserved.