Horizons

Front view of Horizons. The shape of the building is suppose to represent the spaceship, "Horizons" taking you into space.

Horizons was an Omnimover attraction in Future World at Epcot that took guests into the future of what earth might be like based on scientific advancements. The attraction opened on October 1, 1983 on the first anniversary of the opening of EPCOT Center. The ride closed permanently on January 9, 1999 due to a sinkhole beneath the building, much to the dismay and public outcry of fans. The symbol used for the ride from 1983-1994 (shown right) symbolizes the sun rising over the land, representing a new horizon. This attraction is still very beloved by many Disney Fanatics to this day. And considered by many to be the best Disney ride of all time.

Origin:

During the planning phase of Horizons it has gone through many name changes before the came with the name Horizons. The original name of the attraction was going to be century 3 because the U.S was entering it's 3rd century in 1976. The next name that was proposed for this attraction was futureprobe due to thinking that guests will relate it to medical more than the future.

The Story of the Attraction:

The attraction was a sequel to the Carousel of Progress. And bring through past visions of the future, the present, and what life will be like in the 21st century.

Ride Experience:

Queue:

This is Futureport as you entered into the Horizons Pavilion

You start of just getting inside the building where there was a sign in the wall saying, "If we can Dream it. We can do it." After passing this sign you head into the main queue where you enter Futureport, the airport of the future. After heading through Futureport, you will be at the loading station as you hop on board your spaceship on Horizons. After boarding you will head through a wave of clouds as you start your journey.

History of views of the future:

After exiting the wave's of cloud's as you are greeted by Jules Verne showing a depiction of his novel, Around the Moon. After passing by the next scene is of what people during the 1800's though the future looks like. Next is what people though what the future will look like in the 50's. This scene contains one of the most famous animatronics from the attraction, the Robot Chef.

Tributes

• Autopia: A billboard added to Disneyland Paris' Autopia in 2023 shows a car passing by an underwater city, desert mesa and outer-space which seems to reference the ending of this attraction.:
• Innoventions: The robot butler appeared on the exterior mural for Innoventions in Disneyland.
• Space Mountain: In the Magic Kingdom's Space Mountain, there is luggage visible from Mesa Verde. A more sleek and futuristic version of the Robot Butler appears in the exit-area for Space Mountain in Walt Disney World, promoting vacations to, "Constellations", "The City of Stars".

EPCOT

• Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind: In the queue, Star-Lord mentions wanting to go on Horizons, not realizing that it has been shut down.
• Mission: SPACE: Mission: SPACE occupies the space previously used by Horizons. In 2017, a mural was added which shows Brava Centauri in Earth's orbit. The logo for Horizons appears on the gravity wheel in the queue, which was repurposed from Horizons, along with on the cash register counter.
• Space 220: EPCOT's Space 220 restaurant is set on the Centauri Space Station, a station from the same fictional wave of space-stations as the Brava Centauri. There is a rotating room scene in Space 220, reminiscent of a scene from Horizons.
• Spaceship Earth: The "Welcome to Your Future" addition of guests choosing their future at the end of the attraction is similar to the ending of Horizons. This includes sections of going to outer space, underwater, or on a futuristic farm.