Nine Closed Walt Disney World Attractions We Still Miss

While there are plenty of new attractions to love at Walt Disney World, that doesn’t mean there aren’t some closed rides of the past that we still miss!

Sleep well, my prince…

As part of our ongoing series on Disney History, here are nine defunct Disney attractions we still miss to this day.

Horizons

Horizons was the thesis statement of Epcot and one of the most innovative attractions Disney ever built. Even modern day wonders like Flight of Passage and Runaway Railway lack the sheer polish and detail that went into this classic ride.

A scene from the ride.

Considered by many to be the successor to the Carousel of Progress, Horizons took guests on a trip into the future on a suspended Omnimover-like vehicle that soared over elaborate sets and immersive projections. At the ride’s climax, you would vote for one of three trips to the future, witnessing space colonization, desert agriculture, or ocean colonization. It was one of the most innovative rides of its time, and the choose-your-own-ending portion was revolutionary.

So what happened? Several things. GE, the ride’s sponsor, pulled funding in 1993. Around the same time, Disneyland Paris (then called Euro Disneyland) hit the world with a wet flop and caused Disney to hemorrhage money. Structural problems with the building (allegedly due to sinkholes) meant that Disney either had to find someone to pay for extensive repairs to the aging attraction or replace it with something more exciting. They chose the latter. The result was Mission: SPACE, which… also didn’t live up to expectations, but that’s an entirely different story. For now, we’ll have to look longingly at the past to see a vision of a future that never was.

Body Wars

Staying in Epcot, we travel to the now defunct Wonders of Life Pavilion.

Wonders of Life

We miss this entire pavilion, but there’s one ride that really stood out as something special. BODY WARS.

Talk about an adventure thru inner space!

Built on the same system as Star Tours, this ride took guests on a fantastic voyage through the human body. You’d enter the HQ of Miniaturized Exploration Technologies, a futuristic (yet still realistic) science lab. You’d witness white blood cells fighting against disease in an epic flight-simulator attraction. Your routine tour of a splinter soon goes wild as your scientist guide gets sucked toward the heart. To escape, you’ll need a power boost from the brain!

Now, the ride wasn’t entirely scientifically accurate, and it had the production value of a SyFi Original Movie, but it was charming and one of the few thrill rides Epcot had for a long time. In fact, for many years after its closure in 2007, the ride was still there, just inoperable. Unfortunately, with Wonders of Life being converted to the PLAY! Pavilion, it’s likely this beloved attraction is gone for good… though it would be neat to see them repurpose that old flight simulator.

The Magic Eye Theater

Okay, I know what you’re thinking, “They didn’t close the Magic Eye Theater!” And you’re correct; it’s still there, but it’s a shadow of its former self. Currently, it’s home to the Disney and Pixar Short Film Festival, a cute and charming attraction that shows off a trio of animated shorts with some minor added effects. These shorts are fantastic, but the entire experience is a lot weaker than it’s earlier incarnations.

From Captain Eo to Honey I Shrunk the Audience, this theater had some hits!

Captain Eo, the collaboration between George Lucas and Michael Jackson was a musical phenomenon, so popular that it was brought back for an encore in 2010.

However, as a child of the 90s, I’ve got a soft spot in my heart for Honey, I Shrunk the Audience. One of the most iconic 4D films, this adaptation of the wildly popular franchise brought insane special effects to the theater. Mice running by your feet! A snake in your face! It was the most immersive theatrical attraction of its time, and only It’s Tough To Be a Bug has been able to compare with the sheer spectacle.

Journey into Imagination

Have you noticed how these have all come from Epcot? What happened, Epcot? You’ve changed so much. Anyway, one of the most iconic attractions at the park was the original Journey into Imagination.

One little spaaaark, of inspiraaaation…

Starring the Dreamfinder and Figment, the ride featured a tour through the world of imagination, providing an insanely complex ride experience. Not to mention one of the most iconic songs in Disney history. Unfortunately, the complexity of the ride system and the loss of a critical sponsor meant the ride was gutted into its current incarnation. Alas, poor Dreamfinder… we miss you.

Maelstrom

Before there was Frozen Ever After, there was Maelstrom: a wild water ride through the waters of Norway where you’d encounter some malevolent trolls.

The Mural at the Start of Maelstrom.

After sailing past vikings and seafarers, you’d encounter a three-headed troll that would send you flying back through polar bear infested tundra, before plummeting safely into a modern Norwegian port. The ride system hasn’t changed at all, but the conversion to a Frozen ride means the iconic thrill where your boat dangerously teeters over the edge of a waterfall has been removed.

Ellen’s Energy Adventure

Older fans remember this attraction back when it was Universe of Energy, but as a child of the 90s, I remember the more recent version starring Ellen DeGeneres and Bill Nye. Set in the famous comedian’s nightmare, this ride began with a hilarious Jeopardy parody before guests boarded the famous moving theaters.

Universe of Energy

You’d take a ride through the famous Primeval diorama. This diorama was the star of the show. In fact, many guests would hope for the ride to be evacuated for a chance to stroll through the breathtaking vistas of this display. Some people think they even stopped the ride on purpose during its last run so guests could take one last stroll through the past.

The Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind Coaster is sure to be fun, but we’ll miss walking with the dinosaurs with Ellen.

CommuniCore/Innoventions

Of all the Epcot attractions we’ve lost over the years, this is one of the ones we miss the most. Epcot was always built around the concept of futurism, and no place represented this quite like the old CommuniCore. Like the coolest museum ever, it expanded upon all the concepts of each pavilion. You could talk to a robot, see the computer that ran the park, and even design your own roller coaster. There were even plans for a PeopleMover on the second floor!

Companies like IBM showed off their latest developments.

Unfortunately, in 1994, the CommuniCore was reduced in scope to the more corporate driven Innoventions… not that it was any less cool. This place was the closest thing a kid like me could get to going to the Consumer Electronics Expo. You could tour a house of tomorrow… not a kitschy one like you’d see in Tomorrowland but one using real working technologies! I remember seeing things like robotic lawnmowers and internet-connected health monitors at Epcot long before they hit the market… though stuff at Innoventions was always a bit more ambitious than what most people got.

They even added a KUKA Arm-operated roller coaster to the pavilion!

A DIY Rollercoaster? Sweet!

Unfortunately, being beholden to corporate sponsorship meant that when the sponsorships dried up, the attraction atrophied away until it eventually closed. Good night, sweet prince.

The Great Movie Ride

Leaving Epcot for Hollywood Studios, we’ve got a ride that was, um, actually originally intended for Epcot. JUST WHEN YOU THINK YOU’VE ESCAPED, EPCOT PULLs YOU BACK IN!

Dorothy, Tinman, Cowardly Lion, Scarecrow and Toto, too, follow the yellow brick road in a scene from the now-closed Great Movie Ride attraction at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. ©Disney

Enter the Chinese Theater for a tour through cinema history, seeing classics like The Wizard of Oz, Fantasia, Singin’ In The Rain, and Alien up close! Your guided tour will quickly go awry as a movie villain hijacks your vehicle, sending you through the darker side of cinema… but don’t worry! This movie always has a happy ending!

The Great Movie Ride was iconic and showed off the world of cinema in a way only Disney could. In fact, it was designed before Hollywood Studios was even a concept, as part of a planned Cinema Pavilion at Epcot. When the concept was spun into a whole park, this was the centerpiece. Well… one of them.

The Backlot Tram Tour

The dream of Disney-MGM Studios was to be a real movie studio, where Disney could produce films. In fact, it was a working studio for many years, where films like Ernest Saves Christmas as well as series like The Golden Girls were shot. Animated films like Mulan, Lilo & Stitch, and Brother Bear were also made at the park! When the park first opened, you could see all the magic by taking the Backlot Tram Tour.

With those iconic red trams!

When the park first opened, this was the experience. It took up most of your day, taking you on a tour of elaborate sets, and culminating with a pass through Catastrophe Canyon, a simulated disaster set!

Catastrophe Canyon was a highlight of the Backstage Studio Tour. ©Disney

Unfortunately, the dream of an East Coast Hollywood petered out shortly after the park opened, and the tour shrunk down until it was little more than a quick drive through the backlot with a stop at the Canyon. The ride never quite stood up to the spectacle of the Universal Hollywood Tram Tour, which had the advantage of being set in a working film studio. Still, it was a beloved fixture of the park that would be sorely missed.

That’s our selection of the Disney attractions we miss the most. Was there anything we missed? Let us know in the comments!

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Austin Lang is an Orlando local with a love of Disney, puns, and Disney puns. He's been a contributing writer for AllEars since 2019, and has been sharing his quirky view of Disney life ever since.

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25 Replies to “Nine Closed Walt Disney World Attractions We Still Miss”

  1. I am an oldster who remembers all these old rides. I miss them, but what I find sad is that Disney took rides the whole family could do together, and changed them to rides only some people can ride.
    Disney has changed so much, and not always for the good.

  2. One of my favorites (because of the video of Walter Cronkite and Robin Williams), was the tour through The Art of Animation.

  3. I could spend hours in Communicore growing up. I probably learned more about math & science there than I did in school. And loved kitchen kabaret

  4. I’d have to say Eastern Airlines “If You Had Wings” Yea it’s a corporate sponsored ride, but that was back in the ticket book days anyway.

    1. It was FREE under Easter Airlines sponsorship back in the ticket book days.
      My siblings and I took a lot of laps around If You Had Wings waiting for my parents to watch the Monsanto Circle-Vision movie.

  5. I cannot believe that jouney into imagination is gone! It was my absolute favorite ride in all of the parks! I even have 2 figment keychains, 3 figment shirts and a stuffed figment. I was looking forward to it on my next trip very soon! 😫

  6. When i see lists like this I’m always surprised when “Honey I shrunk the Audience” is never to be found. My family always loved it, not to mention it provided a cool, welcome break from the blistering Florida heat.

  7. Love Test Track but still miss the original World of Motion ride. Also really loved the original Animation Tour at MGM with voices of Robin Williams and Walter Cronkite. It was fascinating to watch the animators at work and talk to them.

  8. Great Movie Ride-I miss a lot for two reasons. One, since it is located at Hollywood Studios it represented the history past of movie making. It talked about actors who made the magic of certain movies work.
    Secondly, my daughter-in – law was one of the gangsters when the ride was shut down.
    It should be noted that so many people have come up to the ride while it was being repurposed to the sign that said that the ride was closed, had their picture taken with the sign showing the middle finger, that the last time I was there Disney cast members were assigned near the signs to defuse that behavior.
    New ride theme is ok but how they drew the Mickey’s crew look likes the artists were on Meth. Not riding it ever.

  9. Yes, 20,000 leagues under the sea. I remember it from I was little and I really liked it. At that age it seemed real to me. I went when I was older and when I asked a cast member where the entrance was, she said it had been closed for years. I was highly upset.

  10. One of my favorite attractions was the Animation building tour when the animators were still there and I enjoyed the short animated movie at the end of the self guided walk-through.

  11. I miss 20,000 leagues under the sea. The queue for The Great movie ride was half the fun, I loved all those movie clips.