I’ve been on leave from work this week, which has meant I’ve been looking for fun travel-substitutes to do while in lockdown. And my main activity has been a time-travelling visit to Disneyworld.
What does that mean? It means, I’m watching ride-through videos from Disneyland Florida and the EPCOT Center. But the catch is, I’m only watching vintage videos from rides which are either no longer in operation, or have changed substantially from their original conception.
If this is something you’d like to do too, I’ve compiled a little tour of the best ride-throughs I’ve been able to find (will update if I can find better), plus some useful documentaries and sites on the history of Disney theme parks that I’ve picked up along the way.
Disneyworld
Mr Toad’s Wild Ride (this one’s USP was that you get a slightly different ride on each track, unlike other dual-track rides; the linked video goes through each multiple times).
Original Space Mountain post-show, The Home of Future Living (straight ride-through here) (compilation here)
EPCOT Center
Horizons (straight ride-through, with a little bit of documentary footage; ride-through without the documentary, but lower quality, here)
Horizons (extended ride-through complied from multiple sources)
Universe of Energy (straight ride-through; poor visibility warning but this is literally the only copy of the original version of the pre-show and ride I could find)
Universe of Energy (extended ride-through complied from multiple sources)
And to conclude your day, the IllumiNations fireworks show from 1991….
Background Stuff
Martin’s Tributes to Universe of Energy and Horizons (with background and history as well as ride-throughs)
The Mesa Verde Times (behind the scenes on Horizons)
Now, go stand in a shower with the heat on full blast, eating an overpriced hot dog and drinking a Pepsi, and buy a T-shirt with mouse ears or the CommuniCore on it or a stuffed toy of Figment, and your visit to Florida in the 1980s will be complete.
