Walt Disney World will never be completed — it will always be an ever-changing map to the worlds of fantasy, yesterday, and tomorrow. Unfortunately, that means some of our favorite attractions were fated to pass on to the great Disney World in the sky.
Recently, we asked YOU to let us know what defunct Disney World attraction you’d bring back if you could, and we’ve gathered the top 13! So climb aboard our Time Rover as we look back at your thirteen favorite closed Disney attractions!
Here’s YOUR Ranking of the Closed Disney World Attractions You Miss the Most!
13. Honey, I Shrunk the Audience
Back in the 90s, Honey, I Shrunk The Kids was one of Disney’s hottest franchises, spawning two sequels, a TV series, and two Disney World attractions. While we do have fond memories of the oversized playground at Hollywood Studios, it was this 4D spectacle that really pushed the limit of what the Magic Eye Theater could do.
Guests were cast as the audience of the Imagination Institute’s Inventor of the Year Award, where Wayne Szalinski was set to claim the award for his shrink ray! Naturally, things quickly went awry as guests were exposed to the illusion of rats rushing past their feet, snakes hissing in their face, and the entire theater being shaken around like a toy! It was one of the most advanced 4D films Disney ever produced. While the theater is currently occupied by the Disney & Pixar Short Film Festival, we’d love for this classic experience to come back for an encore.
Click here to read more about Honey, I Shrunk the Audience!
12. Original Test Track
While the modern version of Test Track is fun, there’s a certain charm to the original that the new version just doesn’t match. Rather than a sleek, TRON-esque virtual testing center, guests would enter something that felt like a real automotive testing lab. Rather than testing broad buzzwords like “efficiency” and “power”, each test was linked to a tangible aspect of your car’s performance. Being grounded in reality made the entire experience feel more realistic, and made the moments of simulated peril all the more thrilling.
Click here to read more about the original Test Track!
11. Snow White’s Scary Adventures
While this ride still exists at multiple Disney Parks around the globe, clearly it’s still very much missed at Disney World! The original version of this ride cast guests in the role of Snow White herself, subjecting them to all the peril the princess faces at the hands of the evil queen! To make things worse, the ride suddenly ended when the Queen dropped a giant rock on you! Later, in response to guests complaints, an appearance from Snow herself was added, as well as a happier ending. Still, for a ride about a Disney princess movie, this ride was spooky. Though it was far from the spookiest ride at the Magic Kingdom…
Click here to read more about Snow White’s Scary Adventures!
10. Alien Encounter: ExtraTERRORestrial
Whenever we bring this ride up in casual discussion, people are amazed this ride was ever built. Not only is it a straight up horror ride filled with macabre effects like dripping blood, but it was built in the middle of the most kid-friendly park at Disney World!
The ride was dark, claustrophobic, and so scary that they had to make the pre-show as creepy as possible to scare away children before they could be actually traumatized. We loved every second of it, and clearly you all did as well!
Click here to read more about Alien Encounter: ExtraTERRORestrial
9. Ellen Energy Adventure
Feel the flow! Here we go! Through the Universe of Energy! …Alright, so while the original is a classic, the Ellen version of this attraction is one of your favorites.
In addition to keeping the best elements of the original (like the Primeval World diorama), it also transformed this classic Epcot attraction into an episode of Bill Nye the Science Guy you could ride through. Ellen’s trademark humor (and a loving tribute to Jeopardy!) only made this experience better.
Click here to read more about Ellen’s Energy Adventure!
8. World of Motion
Before there was Test Track, there was World of Motion, a tribute to planes, trains, and automobiles that wasn’t afraid to give an askew view of the history of human transport. This ride was hilarious, tongue firmly embedded in cheek as it showed the trials and tribulations of pioneers in transportation. Plus, the Pepper’s Ghost illusion at the end that put you inside a futuristic concept car was an awesome finale!
Click here to read more about World of Motion!
7. Backlot Tour
When Hollywood Studios first opened, the Backlot Tour was the attraction. A full fledged, half-day tour through a real movie studio! The scope was pulled back over the years, but riding through real movie sets was always a blast. However, our favorite part was Catastrophe Canyon! This insane disaster simulator put your tram in the middle of an earthquake and flash flood!
Click here to read more about Hollywood Studios’ Backlot Tour!
6. Maelstrom
Before there was Frozen: Ever After, there was Maelstrom, a wild ride through Norse mythology. Monstrous trolls, dark caves, and a perilous cliffhanger over the Norway Pavilion made this ride the most exciting in the World Showcase. While we love Frozen, we just can’t let this ride go!
Click here to read more about Epcot’s Maelstrom!
5. Original Journey Into Imagination
It was the one little spark that ignited our imaginations. The original Journey into Imagination took guests on a tour of human creativity with Figment and the Dreamfinder, using an innovative turntable system that would allow for the creation of a stationary scene on an Omni-mover ride.
The famous Dream-Mobile sequence where the Dreamfinder introduces Figment? The ride doesn’t stop; you’re moving with it! Alas, it was the complexity of this scene that was responsible for the ride being scaled back in its reimagining. Still, we can’t help but dream of seeing the Dreamfinder again, someday…
Click here to read more about the original Journey into Your Imagination!
4. 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
Climb aboard the Nautilus to experience the wonders of the deep! This attraction took guests on a voyage through the depths of the ocean, featuring encounters with mermaids, sea serpents, and a giant squid!
Each ride vehicle was actually a boat in which the guests were seated below the water. The boat would be piloted through an entirely underwater show-sequence. Alas, the expense of maintaining the ride would prove to be its demise, though we can’t help but admire the raw ingenuity behind this incredible experience.
Click here to read more about 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea!
3. Mr Toad’s Wild Ride
Inspired by the Wind in the Willows, this ride cast you as a passenger on Mr. Toad’s motor car, swerving and spinning through London before crashing straight into Hell! …We’re not sure why so many early Magic Kingdom rides were willing to have the passengers “die”, honestly.
Still, it was definitely memorable. What made the Magic Kingdom version stand out was its split tracks, which led to two different ride experiences. Did you get a chance to ride them both? Let us know in the comments!
Click here to read more about Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride!
2. Horizons
The spiritual successor to the Carousel of Progress, this Epcot classic took guests on a tour into the future! Guests would ride suspended omnimovers through the desert, the sea, and space as they looked at what lay beyond the Horizon.
Then, in a first for a Disney attraction, they would vote on which future they wanted to take a flying tour of! A lot of you missed this attraction. In fact, it was second only to your number one pick…
Click here to read more about Horizons!
1. Great Movie Ride
There was nothing like the Great Movie Ride, it was uniquely Disney. A live, guided tour through the world of movies, complete with a cinematic hijacking. Your placid tour of Bubsy Berkley musicals would be literally derailed by a movie villain as you went on a tour through the action packed realms of horror, crime, and adventure.
This was more than just a dark ride — this was a full on show. As much as we love its replacement, there was nothing else like the Great Movie Ride, which is likely why it gained this number one spot!
Click here to read more about the Great Movie Ride!
Interestingly enough, our Final Four in the AllEars Extinct Attraction Throwdown Were WAY Different — Check Those Results Out Here!
What is YOUR top pick for a closed Disney World ride you would like brought back? Let us know in the comments below!
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I would like the Great Movie Ride back. Mickey is good but the movie ride was much better and I felt more entertaining. Big loss I feek
So basically, everything.
Swan Boats.
The Great Movie Ride needs to come back please.
Loved the great movie ride, but as with so many Disney attractions that feature live action, the quality of the performers diminished the longer the attraction was open. By the end, it was no longer a must-see attraction. I rode it for nostalgia alone. Although the Oz finale still gave me goosebumps even at the end.