The Best Disney Attractions That Are No Longer Around

Travel + Leisure Staff

December 3, 2016 at 1:36 AM

<p>Openedin 1983, this Epcot dark ride took guests on a slow-paced journey throughout the future. Displaying visions of technology across history and timeas well as predicting innovations like hydroponic planters and video conferencingthe journey culminated in a trip to colonized space, wherein guests could choose from three different paths back to present day. Famous for its multiple endings and a cult favorite among Disneyphiles, the reasoning behind its closure is still debated between structural issues with nearby sinkholes and the loss of corporate sponsor GE. Curiosity was only fueled when Horizons shuttered in 1994, but re-opened exactly one year later while neighboring attractions were being remodeled, lasting until early 1999. Mission: Spacea spaceship flight simulatornow stands in its place, but the futuristic exit of Walt Disney Worlds Space Mountain at Magic Kingdom now serves as a thoughtful homage to Horizons.</p>

<p>Horror, murder, an infamous featured actorits hard to believe this short-lived ride even existed. The interplanetary adventure, which was intended to be tied to the blockbuster film <i>Alien</i> but ultimately wasnt, goes down in history for being the only Disney attraction likely to close for being too frightening. Even a pre-show with a lovable alien being burnt to a crisp couldnt prepare guests for the horrors to come via harnesses rigged with sensory capabilities, retrofitted to Mission to Mars theatre-in-the-round seats. The special effects delivered in that pitch black roomthe breath and saliva of a massive alien on the loose felt on the back of guests necks, blood splattering from the rides narrator being eaten alivewere so realistic that many young guests left traumatized. The thriller closed just eight years after it opened and was replaced by the much-lauded Stitchs Great Escape. If rumors are true, ExtraTERRORestrial may soon have a new legacy as the home of the first-ever <i>Wreck-It Ralph </i>attraction.</p>

<p>Beginning in 1956 at Californias Disneyland and 1971 at Floridas Magic Kingdom, these sky gondolas took passengers across the park in delightful colorful buckets overlooking bustling crowds below. When Disneyland opened the Matterhorn Bobsleds in 1959, passageways were even erected to allow the Skyway to fly straight through the new mountain. Though more transportation than ride, the Skyway between Fantasyland and Tomorrowland was a nostalgic gem that closed somewhat surprisingly in California in 1994, and five years later in Florida. The remnants of Disneylands Skyway were demolished earlier this year to make room for Star Wars Land, but at the Magic Kingdom, an impressive Tangled-themed restroom area has replaced the abandoned Fantasyland chateau.</p>

<p>These bouncy bumper cars, one of famed Imagineer Bob Gurrs early creations, played like individual spaceships that bopped into each other in early Tomorrowland from 1961 to 1966.Theyre said to have closed due to constant maintenance and necessary upkeep for the unique air pressure system, but its innovative design was worth remembering on more than one occasion. In 2012, the <em>Cars-</em>themed Luigis Flying Tires in Disneys California Adventure was inspired by the classic ride system, but shuttered after only three years, leaving both in the memory books.</p>

<p>In this Disneyland classic, guests traveled through a Mighty Microscope to be shrunken to the size of a snowflake, a trick so effective children often thought they were truly miniaturized. While most likely dont miss the post-ride displays of Monsanto-created materials, the chemistry-centric dark ride, which was the first to use the Omnimover system most famously found in the Haunted Mansion, is still a favorite among many who experienced it between 1967 and 1985. It was eventually replaced by Star Tours, which still features a small nod to the beloved ridea glimpse of the original attractions microscope within the Death Star.</p>

<p>Of all the shuttered Disney World rides, this innovative Epcot favorite still resonates strongly with park guests who passed through the four realms of imagination with its guide, Dreamfinder, and his purple dragon Figment in the 1980s. It became a cult classic for its forward-thinking ride systems, whimsical effects and spectacular splashes of color, but was never the same after re-opening in 1999 following a major rehaulmostly due to budget constraints with a Kodak sponsorship. A shell of the former ride still exists today under a similar name, but fans of the original still hope for a full restoration, a goal made less lofty by an increase in Figment merchandise, plush toys, and clothing sold at Epcot in recent years.</p>

<p>In this Norway Pavilion dark ride at Epcot, guests would board a makeshift Viking boat traveling through whimsical lands inhabited by three-headed trolls and polar bears before being led into an auditorium to watch a more realistic film about modern-day Norway. While the documentary wasnt a show-stopper, one of the big highlights was Maelstroms ride system a log flume with backwards capabilitieswhich remained integral to the attraction since it <a rel="nofollow noopener" href="http://www.travelandleisure.com/trip-ideas/disney-vacations/disney-world-frozen-epcot-details" target="_blank" data-ylk="slk:reopened as Frozen Ever After;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas" class="link ">reopened as Frozen Ever After</a> earlier this year.</p>

<p>Much to the dismay of obsessive locals, <a rel="nofollow noopener" href="http://www.travelandleisure.com/attractions/amusement-parks/disneyland-tower-of-terror-closing" target="_blank" data-ylk="slk:The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas" class="link ">The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror</a> at Disney California Adventure will be shutting its doors in early 2017 to become a <i>Guardians of the Galaxy</i>-themed attraction. With favorite familiar characters and classic jams from Star-Lords mixtape playing throughout, its bound to be unique, but as Disneys first Marvel attraction, Mission: BREAKOUT! has indeed become a beacon of the hotly debated changing face of the parks. It may be going away, but Tower of Terror is not gone foreverthe debatably superior version still stands at Disneys Hollywood Studios in Florida.</p>

Openedin 1983, this Epcot dark ride took guests on a slow-paced journey throughout the future. Displaying visions of technology across history and timeas well as predicting innovations like hydroponic planters and video conferencingthe journey culminated in a trip to colonized space, wherein guests could choose from three different paths back to present day. Famous for its multiple endings and a cult favorite among Disneyphiles, the reasoning behind its closure is still debated between structural issues with nearby sinkholes and the loss of corporate sponsor GE. Curiosity was only fueled when Horizons shuttered in 1994, but re-opened exactly one year later while neighboring attractions were being remodeled, lasting until early 1999. Mission: Spacea spaceship flight simulatornow stands in its place, but the futuristic exit of Walt Disney Worlds Space Mountain at Magic Kingdom now serves as a thoughtful homage to Horizons.

Courtesy of Mesa Verde Times

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The Best Disney Attractions That Are No Longer Around