The Dream of the Children

My first trip to Walt Disney World was in 1991, when I was just three years old. At that time, EPCOT Center was still virtually the same as it was in the mid and late 80's, so it still retained a lot of the original idea that it had been born from: Using the wonders of modern technology and mutual understanding to create a better and brighter tomorrow. When you're exposed to such a profound concept at such a young age, it continues to resonate in your imagination for years afterwards. Though EPCOT Center as a whole was completely enchanting and mesmerizing at the time, Horizons was the one pavilion that really stood out in my mind.

While gathering information for the archive, I became acquainted with Brian Scala, a fellow Horizons fan with a passion for preserving its history.

Here's what Brian had to say about his childhood memories of Horizons:

"I was eight years old when I first visited WDW/EPCOT Center. I was a bit of a computer geek back then, so EPCOT was my own little Fantasyland, so to speak. I don't remember much about my first time on Horizons. I know I was blown away at the overall presentation of Horizons. Plus, I had never been on a ride to that point where you could choose your own ending. In later years, I became deeply moved by the Omnimax loop. In the part where they show us a computerized view of earth, it really felt as it you were soaring along with them. 

My father, my stepmother and I would ride in the same car and each pick one of the endings to see which one came up in the event of a three-way tie. It was random every time. We did this more than once... I loved the synergy where you would see Tom Fitzgerald as the boyfriend talking with Corine Cook in animatronic form and then in the next scene, it was her talking to Tom Fitzgerald's animatronic self. I miss the attraction terribly and endorse any and all attempts to preserve its history. Thank you!"

When he found out I was starting the archive, my good friend Sam Vigorito sent me this picture of his daughter Alexandra standing in front of Horizons, in which she appears to be about the same age that I was when I first experienced it:

 After reading Brian's account of his memories of Horizons and receiving Sam's picture of Alexandra,  I began to think about just how many children were influenced and inspired by Horizons, during its brief but potent existence.

Do you have a favorite childhood memory of Horizons? What kind of an impact did it have on your life? 

If you'd like to share your story, you can leave it in the comments below, on the Looking Back At Tomorrow Facebook page, or email your story to: LookingBackAtTomorrowArchive@gmail.com.

I'd love to hear from you!


 

New Horizons

       (From left to right, my husband Casey, Steve’s wife Marci, Steve, and me, in front of Innoventions.)

Today's contribution to the archive comes from my good friend, Steve Gitler! I met Steve at a charity event for Give Kids The World, a non-profit organization that helps send terminally ill children to Walt Disney World. Like me, Steve is an avid Epcot fan and collector, as he explains below: 

"I've been going to WDW since 1978. I was at the EPCOT preview center in MK, and then my first visit to EPCOT was spring break 1983, so the park had only been open for a few months. I'm a huge Disney collector and have been selling Disney memorabilia since 1986. This is one item in my sale stock and there's one in my personal collection too, of course. A 1982 park guide showing Horizons as "Opening Fall 1983".
 

Steve shared another wonderful brochure, filled with beautiful concept drawings and a slightly different moniker: 

“This is the brochure that was given out at the EPCOT Preview Center in 1981. The artist renderings show what was then to be called New Horizons."

Thanks again Steve for sharing these with me!

If you would like more information about Give Kids The World, please visit www.GKTW.org.

The archive is already beginning to grow!

Only a few hours after posting my first entry, I was fortunate enough to receive stories from two very knowledgeable gentlemen, who I've had the distinct privilege of getting to know over the past few years, Ron Schneider and Josh Young.

Ron Schneider, the original Dreamfinder from EPCOT Center’s Journey into Imagination, was nearby just as cast previews were about the start.

According to Ron, the first person to ride Horizons was actually the Dreamfinder incogonito:

"Congratulations on the new page! I have an appropriate story to help you start it off... I was working across the park one day when a friend told me that the new Future World pavilion was about to open for its first preview run with employees. So I took off my beard and wig, stowed my dragon in our dressing room and threw a coat over my costume. I arrived just in time to see a side door - off to the left of what would later be the guests' entrance - open to admit us cast members... and I got to ride in the first car of the first preview of Horizons! Imagine that... "

As a bookend to Ron's story, his good friend Josh Young, tells about his opposite experience:

"I can't have Ron show me up, so I'll throw in my counter story to his. A fun fact we discovered about each other, but only fairly recently. Horizons was hands down my favorite attraction. When they announced it was closing, I was beyond devastated. Without question, it embodied the spirit of Epcot and more importantly, felt like the next logical step in what Walt envisioned for the future.

 If you find out a loved one is on life support and only has a few days to live, you spend as much time with them until their passing. So on January 9, 1999 I took the day off work to ride the attraction over and over until Epcot closed. I packed a bag of snacks, sandwiches and sodas and had mini picnics in the ride throughout the day. Only taking bathroom breaks.

 At 9 pm, I slowly walked up the ramp towards the sliding glass doors. A group of around 20 people were also taking their final rides. But I hung back and they never seemed to notice me. As I walked towards the load platform, the Cast Member behind me locked the front doors. The group ahead boarded and I jumped in about 5 cars later.

 As my ride vehicle came to unloaded, I felt a bit misty eyed. As you left the unload belt, there was a small space where you could see the ride vehicles make a 180 turn and head toward load. I looked over and I could see all the Horizons Cast Members with champagne flutes in their hand (learned it was sparkling cider later) and they took the final ride just after I exited.

 Indeed, I was the last guest to ever ride Horizons. And Ron was the first person to ride during previews. We've known each other nearly 20 years and only discovered this recently. Crazy how life intertwines."

Crazy how life intertwines, indeed! I never thought I would have the opportunity to interact with these gentlemen, let alone have the pleasure of them contributing stories to my blog! Thank you again!

Ron Schneider is the author of From Dreamer to Dreamfinder: A Life and Lessons Learned From 40 Years Behind a Name Tag.

Josh Young is the author of Theme Park University and the host of TPU Radio.

"Well, here's the stuff dreams were made of, several hundred years ago. Yup, it's always fun looking back at tomorrow. Come on, I'll show you what I mean."

If you recognize that line, you've come to the right place! If not, that's okay, too. I'm just happy you're here! That line is one of the very first pieces of narration spoken in EPCOT Center's attraction Horizons, and it seems awfully fitting. Horizons was a gateway to the past, the present, and the future, (also known at the time as the 21st century). Now that the 21st century is the present, and Horizons exists only in the past, I wanted a place where we could all collectively reminisce about it, so the memory of Horizons could live on forever.

Since the idea of a gift shop at the end of an attraction went against everything EPCOT Center stood for at the time of its conception, not a lot still exists from Horizons that is easily accessible. Every once in a while, Disney will release the occasional pin or t-shirt to commemorate the attraction, and as much as I hate the fact that it's so difficult to come by these days, I love that it wasn't the kind of attraction that just cranked out mindless chotchkes.

This blog will serve as an interactive digital archive, that will capture your memories, your thoughts, your pictures, and your stories. My personal collection of Horizons artifacts, pictures, and memories is very limited, so I'm counting on all of you to help me grow and expand this archive, as a love letter to one of the most cherished Disney attractions of all time.