Disney World is currently demolishing an attraction, and it is so hypnotizing and sad to watch

It’s very rare to see Disney World take a wrecking ball to anything, let alone a long-standing attraction in the park Downtown Disney Disney Springs, but it’s happening right now. Earlier this summer, DisneyQuest — the best 5-floor indoor interactive adventure you’ve probably never heard of!! — closed down permanently to make way for a new NBA Experience. Usually, when Disney closes something down to make way for something new, they just remodel everything, no demolition required.

But not in this case. They are literally tearing down the DisneyQuest building and it is so weird and fascinating to watch. This is not something you see every day at the happiest place on Earth.

The building is situated on the West Side of Downtown Disney Disney Springs, right next to Cirque du Soleil (which will also be closing at the end of this year). There’s nothing wrong with closing one thing to make way for something new, as it’s been done literally hundreds of times across Disney property. Mr. Walt Disney wanted things to change over time since, according to his thinking, the parks would “never be completed. [They] will continue to grow as long as there is imagination left in the world.” (Actual Walt quote from Disneyland opening day.) (Also he called this constant progress, “plussing,” the more you know

.)

But back in 1955, Walt probably wasn’t talking about tearing DQ down in 2017. Now want to see a video of it being torn down?

For those completely unfamiliar with DisneyQuest, it was a stand-alone building outside of the park, and filled with virtuality reality attractions — like one themed around Magic Kingdom’s Jungle Cruise and Pirates of the Caribbean. At the time it opened, 1998, it was revolutionary, and DisneyQuest attractions were planned for locations outside of Disney World. One opened up in Chicago in 1999, but it closed shortly thereafter in 2001.

While DisneyQuest was the cool, new thing for a while, it unfortunately couldn’t keep up with changing technology and the need for more ~thrill rides~. Everything inside soon became outdated, attendance dropped, and it became nothing more than great place to spend a rainy day when the Florida weather was too much; aside from that, DisneyQuest was never really busy. (Full disclosure: I worked as an attractions cast member at DisneyQuest during my semester in the Walt Disney World College Program, but that is a story for another time.)

In a few short weeks, all of DisneyQuest will be gone and join other demolished things in the great attractions graveyard in the sky — like the recently gone Streets of America, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, and all of Camp Minnie Mickey. DisneyQuest, you might be gone, but never forgotten.