World of Motion
Logo for the World of Motion
Epcot
Land	Future World
Attraction type	Dark ride
Theme	Transportation
Opening date	October 1, 1982
Closing date	January 2, 1996
Music	It's Fun to be Free
Vehicle type	Omnimover cars
Ride duration	15 minutes
Total height	60 ft (18.3 m)
Site area	79,400 sq ft
Audio-animatronics	188
Ride Capacity	20,000
Scenes	30
Average Annual Attendance	7 million
Replaced by	Test Track
Sponsored by	General Motors

World of Motion (October 1, 1982–January 2, 1996), sponsored by General Motors ^[1], was the former tenant of the Transportation pavilion at Epcot in Walt Disney World, Lake Buena Vista, Florida. It was an opening day attraction at EPCOT Center in 1982 and it closed in 1996 to make way for Test Track, a new thrill ride through a GM testing facility. Visitors would board moving two-bench (four to six person) Omnimover vehicles, and would be taken through scenes that were populated with Audio-Animatronic figures and some projection effects. Of the technology-themed long dark rides in the original Future World, namely Spaceship Earth (communication), Listen to the Land (agriculture), Universe of Energy (energy), and later Horizons (settlement), World of Motion (transportation) was the "funny" one, with a gently irreverent tone (unlike its at-times humorless counterparts). It was a whimsical look at the history and achievements in transportation ranging from cavemen having to use foot power, the invention of the wheel, Leonardo Da Vinci's plans for gliders and flying machines, Christopher Columbus setting sail for America, and the first automobiles. Among the many gags were different attempts at inventing the wheel, a used-chariot sale, and the world's first traffic jam. The grand finale of the attraction featured CenterCore, a sparkling metropolis of the future that seemed to be in perpetual motion. Riders looked into mirrors showing them in a gleaming futuristic car. At the ride's conclusion, visitors disembarked into the exciting TransCenter, an interactive area about tomorrow's vehicular transportation. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Epcot is the second theme park built at the Walt Disney World Resort near Orlando, Florida. ... The Omnimover is an amusement ride system used for Disney theme park attractions. ... Audio-Animatronics is the registered trademark for a form of robotics created by Walt Disney Imagineering for shows and attractions at Disney theme parks, and subsequently expanded on and used by other companies. ... The interior of Test Track shows a simulated test lab, including test dummies and damaged cars. ... General Motors Corporation, also known as GM or GMC is the worlds 2nd largest auto company by sales revenue (behind Toyota[1]) and was the worlds largest automaker by unit sales from 1931 to 2006, longer than any other automaker. ... October 1 is the 274th day of the year (275th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1982 (MCMLXXXII) was a common year starting on Friday (link displays the 1982 Gregorian calendar). ... January 2 is the 2nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty. ... General Motors Corporation (NYSE: GM), also known as GM, is an American automobile maker with worldwide operations and brands including Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, Holden, Hummer, Opel, Pontiac, Saturn, Saab and Vauxhall. ... Epcot is the second theme park built at the Walt Disney World Resort near Orlando, Florida. ... Cinderella Castle, at the center of the Magic Kingdom, is Walt Disney World Resorts most recognizable icon Introduction Owned and operated by The Walt Disney Company, the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida, USA is home to four theme parks, two water parks, several resort hotels and golf courses... Lake Buena Vista is a city located in Orange County, Florida, U.S., at the 2000 census the population was 16. ... The interior of Test Track shows a simulated test lab, including test dummies and damaged cars. ... The Omnimover is an amusement ride system used for Disney theme park attractions. ... Audio-Animatronics or just animatronics is a form of robotics created by Disneys Imagineers for several shows and attractions at Disney theme parks, and subsequently expanded on and used by other companies. ... Epcots logo Spaceship Earth is the symbol of Epcot. ... Spaceship Earth is a world view term usually expressing concern over the use of limited resources available on Earth. ... The Entrance to the Universe of Energy The Universe of Energy is a pavilion located in the eastern half of Future World at Epcot, a theme park at the Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. ... Horizon The horizon is the line that separates earth from sky. ... The Mona Lisa Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci (April 15, 1452 – May 2, 1519) was an Italian polymath: scientist, mathematician, engineer, inventor, anatomist, painter, sculptor, architect, musician, and writer. ... Christopher Columbus (1451 – May 20, 1506) was a navigator and maritime explorer credited as the discoverer of the Americas. ...

History

The premise of the ride was an intended look into the history of transportation, leading up to the future (aka CenterCore). GM signed a 10 year sponsorship deal for the ride, not to be outdone by Ford again with Disney's World's Fair Pavilion. Construction began along with the Epcot park itself (back then dubbed EPCOT Center). The ride opened along with the park on October 1, 1982. It became an instant hit with the park guests. Ford may mean a number of things: A ford is a river crossing. ... Epcot is the second theme park built at the Walt Disney World Resort near Orlando, Florida. ... October 1 is the 274th day of the year (275th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1982 (MCMLXXXII) was a common year starting on Friday (link displays the 1982 Gregorian calendar). ...

The ride

The ride began with a modern u-turn up a portico that was situated directly in the entrance into the building. The Omnimovers would then bring you to a simple caveman cave. However, it would head into the first mean of transportation: footpower. Categories: Architectural elements | Stub ...

The second scene brings you into the earliest means of over water transportation, people traveling on a raft. The next scene shows you the first time animal power was introduced. It shows an Assyrian tableua with a person trying to control animals from camels to zebras.

The next scene shows the invention of the wheel at Babylon. A gag shows men holding a square object, a triangle object, and the award-winning circle object. Before exiting, we pass a wheel factory, where everything, including the Trojan Horse, is trying to be sold.

The next scenes are the "Age of Flight". It begins with Leonardo da Vinci and his many attempts to fly and next to him is a clearly upset Mona Lisa. The following scene is a man looking over London in a hot air balloon. The Mona Lisa Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci (April 15, 1452 – May 2, 1519) was an Italian polymath: scientist, mathematician, engineer, inventor, anatomist, painter, sculptor, architect, musician, and writer. ...

The next scenes are the evolution of steam. It starts out with a Mississippi Riverboat with the never ending stream of stagecoaches and such for the Western Expansion. The steam locomotive is the next evolution of steam travel, which in turn shows an authentic steam locomotive...and an authentic railroad robbery.

The scene shifts over to one of the most photographed and most remembered scene: the world's first traffic jam. The animosity includes items such as an upset horse, a spilling ice truck, and kids screaming during the 1900's. We than travel past the open road scenes which include a man who crashed a bicycle, a family picnic, and early 40's and 50's cars.

The following areas are "speed tunnels" which pay homage to the Magic Kingdom's "If You Had Wings" successful tunnels. The Omnimover travels through these bullet-shaped tunnels while images are played on the screens. Some include crop-dusting, rafting, and traveling down a snowmobile trail. If You Had Wings (June 5, 1972–June 1, 1987) was a two-person Omnimover dark ride in Tomorrowland in the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World. ...

The tunnels let out to the final exhibit: CenterCore, the amazing city of the future. Just before unloading, you are asked to "help shape tomorrow's mobility" with a similar effect as The Hitchhiking Ghosts from the Haunted Mansion, you in your Omnimover are simulated as a car of the future. The Haunted Mansion is a dark ride attraction located at Disneyland, the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World, Tokyo Disneyland, and Disneyland Park in Paris (as Phantom Manor). ...

TransCenter

You leave your Omnimover vehicles and go to the TransCenter, which is full of exhibits and shows about transportation and the things surrounding it. It takes an Innoventions-style feel to all of it. You traveled through the center, looking at prototype cars such as the Lean Machine in the Dreamer's Workshop and a show called The Water Powered Engine, which pits nine all-new Disney characters in a debate over which motor design should be used to power cars. There is a replica of America's only wind-tunnel on display. The ever-popular show "The Bird and the Robot", starring a toucan, Bird, and an assembly-line robot, Tiger, entertain people with acts (and Bird's signature bad jokes) about the importance of the GM assembly line. A computer-generated display shows GM's car 'torture' test without actually performing it. Concept 2000 shows the process of creating prototype cars for GM. An exhibit called Areotest educated people about air-flow on auto concepts and fuel economy. Another exhibit featured stylings of clothes with GM's advanced polyester production styles. Tom Morrow, Mayor of Tomorrowland and host at Disneylands Innoventions Innoventions is a pavilion in Future World at Epcot in Walt Disney World, Florida that opened in 1994. ...

The Closing

Economy slumped with General Motors after the second sponsorship deal ended for WOM, and GM started signing 1-year contracts for the ride. However, a suggested idea to gut the building and turn it into a new attraction stuck with Disney representatives and GM businessmen. It would take World of Motion, close it down, and rehab it into a new ride that focused only on cars. Thus, World of Motion was shut down to the public while a new ride, called Test Track, was taking its place. Scheduled to open 19 months after WOM's closing, this new ride would put you in a test car against vehicle tests that were needed to deem the car safe for road travel. ^[2] However, nothing went as planned, and the new ride opened significantly later than the scheduled opening date. The interior of Test Track shows a simulated test lab, including test dummies and damaged cars. ...

Facts and Figures

• Building size: 60 feet high and a 318 feet diameter (circular building)
• Building exterior: The building was clad in stainless steel panels.
• Pavilion sponsor General Motors signed a 10-year sponsorship contract in Dec. 1977. When the second contract finished in 1992, and with a slumping economy GM agreed only to one year contracts and wanted Disney Imagineering to work on a new attraction. GM insisted that the new ride would focus only on cars, as opposed to the general concept of transportation. The marketing department wanted to strongly promote their cars. GM was the sponsor for the whole run of the attraction.
• The prototype concept cars at the TransCenter were the most photographed spot in Walt Disney World.
• After the ride closed, several of the Audio-Animatronic characters were reused in refurbishing the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction at Disneyland in 1997. The sea serpent featured in the ride was shipped to Disney's California Adventure, and the horse pulling cart driver animatronic was made into Ellen for "Ellen's Energy Adventure" at the adjacent Universe of Energy pavilion.
• The theme song for this ride was a lively song, called "It's Fun to Be Free," written by X Atencio, writer of "Yo Ho (A Pirate's Life for Me)" of Pirates of the Caribbean and "Grim Grinning Ghosts" of The Haunted Mansion, and Buddy Baker, another legendary Disney composer.
• Famous radio disc jockey Gary Owens provided the ride's humorous yet very informative narration.
• Chickens from the ride can now be found in the Magic Kingdom at Mickey's Toontown Fair. They are inside the barn located at Goofy's Wiseacre Farm.
• Various animatronics, sets, and props can be found in the Backstage Tram Tour queue at Disney MGM Studios.
• Ironically, on the final ceremonial ride of World of Motion, on January 2, 1996, it broke down. GM executives who were riding it had to climb out and walk back to the exit.
• The closing of World of Motion forced the reopening of Horizons, another Disney attraction focusing on the future of the family. It was closed 2 years prior to the closing of World of Motion.

Pirates of the Caribbean is a multi-billion dollar Walt Disney franchise encompassing a theme park ride, a series of highly successful films and spinoff novels as well as numerous video games and other publications. ... Disneyland, see Disney anthology television series. ... Disneys California Adventure Park is a theme park in Anaheim, California, adjacent to Disneyland Park and part of the larger Disneyland Resort. ... The Entrance to the Universe of Energy The Universe of Energy is a pavilion located in the eastern half of Future World at Epcot, a theme park at the Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. ... F. Xavier Atencio (born 1920 in Walsenburg, Colorado), more popularly known as X Atencio, is a former animator, composer, and Imagineer for The Walt Disney Company. ... Yo Ho (A Pirates Life for Me) (1967) is the theme song for the Pirates of the Caribbean attractions at Disney theme parks. ... Grim Grinning Ghosts is the theme song for the Haunted Mansion attractions at Disney theme parks. ... This article relates to the theme-park attraction. ... Norman Buddy Baker was a film composer who composed many of Walt Disneys Classic Films, like The Apple Dumpling Gang (film), The Apple Dumpling Gang Rides Again, The Shaggy D.A., and The Million Dollar Duck. ... Gary Owens (born Gary Altman on May 10, 1936) is a disc jockey and voice actor born in Mitchell, South Dakota. ... The Magic Kingdom is a theme park within the Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, near Orlando. ... Mickeys Toontown is one of the themed lands at the Disneyland park run by The Walt Disney Company. ... January 2 is the 2nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty. ... For other uses of horizon, see Horizon (disambiguation). ...

Soundtrack

It's Fun to Be Free The World of Motion theme song (written by Buddy Baker and X. Atencio). The song was played throughout the ride (and queue area) with music changing to reflect the different time periods as the ride progressed through the various scenes.

The song can be found on The Official Album of Disneyland and Walt Disney World (1991 CD). The Official Album of Disneyland and Walt Disney World (1991 CD) was the official album released for Disneyland and Walt Disney World in 1991. ...

References

See also

• Epcot attraction and entertainment history

Epcot is a theme park located at the Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. ...

External links

• World Of Motion Memorial: A fanpage preserving the attraction's memory.

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