Our Top 10 Missed Attractions

As new attractions are added to Walt Disney World, unfortunately, some older attractions must give way.  In this post, we will discuss our favorite attraction of years gone by.

10. Mickey’s Toontown (Magic Kingdom)

Mickey’s Toontown was situated between the royal carousel and the Fantasyland Railroad Station.  This attraction was geared toward younger children and featured Mickey and Minnie’s houses which you were able to enter and check out the various interactive features.  This area also included The Barnstormer at Goofy’s Wiseacre Farm rollercoaster (now The Great Goofini’s Barnstormer).  Pixie Hollow, Donald’s Boat and Toontown Hall of Fame.  The area was closed in February, 2011 so that construction on the Fantasyland could begin.  Today, Storybook Circus resides in this area and include a refurbished, double Dumbo attraction and The Great Goofini’s Barnstormer along with Casey Jr Splash ‘n’ Soak Station.

9. The OLD Test Track (EPCOT)

Test Track, the fastest ride on Disneyworld property, is a really fun ride, but…  It used to be so much better.

In 2012, the sponsorship of Test Track in Epcot switched from GM to Chevrolet.  At that time, it was refurbished into a modernistic, almost Tron-like design where you were able to design the vehicle that you would drive in while waiting in the queue.  The ride itself was changed into a dark ride with neon blue lighting before you went outside and hit 65 mph on the track.

I miss the old Test Track due to the fact that the first half of the ride was more realistic.

You would be zipping through thecar’s paces on what looked like a real road with actual street signs.  When going through the test lab, it looked like an actual lab.

Although the high-speed section of the ride remained the same, the GM version of the ride was much better.

8. Studio Backlot Tour (Hollywood Studios)

The Backlot Tour was a tram ride that was where Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge currently stands.  The Backlot Tour was a ride that brought your through and showed behind the scenes aspects of moviemaking.  You would start by viewing how a World War II naval battle would be filmed.  Showing how bullets are portrayed hitting water along with real fire and explosions.  You would also be able to see actual props that were used in major motion pictures.

A tram ride would follow where there were vehicles that were in movies, along with the actual plane that Walt Disney used when scouting the Florida swamps to build Disneyworld in the 1960’s. The ride would conclude with a passage through “Catastrophe Can

yon” which was supposed to be a working movie set of a natural disaster.  This included explosions, earthquake and a lot of water that was quite exciting.

7. SpectroMagic (Magic Kingdom)

SpectroMagic was a nighttime parade that was in the Magic Kingdom from October, 1991 to June 2010.  The parade would start off in Main St Square and wind throughout the park.  The parade consisted of various characters and floats decorated in fiber optic lighting (in the days before LED lighting).  The parade was narrated by Jiminy Cricket and the backstory was about Mickey Mouse and the Spectromen create the power of SpectroMagic.  It had five different themes and end with Jiminy Cricket saying “So long! From Jiminy Cricket… In SpectroMagic.”

The parade ended in 2010 when Disney’s Main Street Electrical Parade was shipped from Disneyland in California to temporarily replace SpectroMagic.  The Main Street Electrical Parade ended in Florida on October 9, 2016 and SpectroMagic, who’s floats had deteriorated due to improper storage in the Florida humidity was retired.  Currently, there is no nighttime parade in Magic Kingdom even though rumors of Disneyland’s “Paint the Night” had surfaced as a replacement, they never came to fruition.

6. Sorcerer’s Hat (Hollywood Studios)

Although the Sorcerer’s Hat in Hollywood Studios is not a ride or even an attraction, for many years it was associated with Disney’s Hollywood Studio.

The Sorcerer’s Hat premiered in front of the Chinese Theatre in Hollywood Studios on September 28, 2001. It was built to celebrate the 100 Years of Magic celebration that was held throughout the Walt Disney World Resort. Interactive kiosks were built under the hat to promote employment and life with Disney. The celebration ended in 2003 and the interactive kiosks were removed.

In October, 2014 Disney confirmed that the hat was to be removed and on January 7, 2015, construction began.  The had was completely removed on February 25, 2015.

In it’s short fourteen year lifespan, the Sorcerer’s Hat became the unofficial icon of the Hollywood Studios park.

 

5. Sum of All Thrills (EPCOT)

The Sum of All Thrills was an attraction in the Innoventions attraction within EPCOT sponsored by Raytheon.  The ride allowed guests to create their own ride using special tools and an innovative touch screen table.  Once guests completed creating the ride, they would then enter a 4-D robotic simulator where they would be able to “ride” their creation.  This attraction closed on September 14, 2016.

 

4. American Idol Experience (Hollywood Studios)

The American Idol Experience opened in 2009 and was a replication of the hugely popular FOX-TV show “American Idol”.  The experience started with auditions.  Any Park Guest 14 or older could audition before a Disney “Casting Director”.  If they passed the audition, they would then perform in Preliminary Shows that occured fiver times a day.  The audience would vote for a winner from each show with the voting pad on each seat.  The winners of the five shows would compete in the Finale show.  The winner of that show would receive a “Dream Ticket” which would allow them to skip the queue at one of the regional auditions for the American Idol television show.

The attraction was themed to look just like the TV show and when it attraction first opened in 2009, it was immensely popular with people waiting through several shows just to get inside.  As time went by, the FOX show started to loose popularity as did the Hollywood Studios attraction.  The attraction ended up closing in August, 2014.  The television show was cancelled not long after by FOX.

This past year, ABC-TV renewed the “American Idol” television show and most of you know that ABC is owned by Disney.  If the TV show becomes a hit, could this attraction re-open?

3. Lights, Motors, ACTION! (Hollywood Studios)

Lights, Motors, ACTION! was a stunt show that was in Hollywood Studios where Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge currently is located. Lights, Motors, ACTION! opened on May 5, 2005.  The show was based around a small French town where an action movie was being shot.  The show included high-speed chases, jumps, explosions and gunfire using motorcycles, stunt cars and even jet skis.  Earlier versions of the show included “Herbie the Love Bug”.  Later versions, Herbie was replaced by Lightning McQueen from the Disney movie “Cars”.

The show was quite popular and you would need to get in line up to 45 minutes before a show to get in.  The last show was held on April 2, 2016.

2. Ellen’s Energy Adventure (EPCOT)

Held in EPCOT’s Universe of Energy pavilion, Ellen’s Energy Adventure was a dark ride hosted by Ellen DeGeneres and Bill Nye (“The Science Guy”). The show opened in 1996.  Guests would start with Ellen DeGeneres dreaming of being on Jeopardy with her college rival Judy Peterson, played by Jamie-Lee Curtis and Albert Einstein.  As Ellen is getting trounced in the game, she goes into a dream sequence with Bill Nye and they go on an adventure about energy… past, present and future (for 1996).  The theming of this ride was incredible and it is a shame that they did not just update the story to have it work with today in mind.

The ride closed on August 13, 2017 and the building is being refurbished to house a “Guardians of the Galaxy” rollercoaster.

1. Wishes (Magic Kingdom)

Wishes was the nightly fireworks show held at Magic Kingdom from October 9, 2003 until it was replaced by “Happily Ever After” on May 12, 2017.

Wishes, who’s official name was “Wishes: A Magical Gathering of Disney Dreams” was hosted and narrated by Jiminy Cricket and the Blue Fairy.  The story revolved around the wishes of famous Disney characters, both heroes and villains. Wishes also featured many popular Disney songs and music of the past 40-50 years along with incredible fireworks.  The crescendo of the the show was Tinker Bell soaring above the crowd from Cinderella’s Castle!  The last showing of Wishes was held on May 11, 2017.

 

That is our top ten of rides/attractions/shows that are no more at the Disney World parks.  Let us know if you agree with our choices.  Also, let us know if there were any attractions that we may have missed.  Thanks for taking the time to read through and don’t forget to keep up with us on all of our Social Media sources.  The links are in the top right of this website.