Not every ride reimagining is an upgrade. Some updates to old attractions, or outright replacements, are actually inferior to what came before. This list offers an EPCOT Center and Magic Kingdom-heavy list of the worst of the many attractions that have come and gone at Walt Disney World, as the parks have evolved.
This is the second installment in our “Replacements Attractions at Walt Disney World” series, a follow-up to our Best Attraction Replacements at Walt Disney World list. It should go without saying, but this is simply an academic exercise–or just for fun. We don’t expect Walt Disney World to undo past mistakes, many of which they don’t view as errors, but rather, evolving the parks to comport with contemporary guest expectations and preferences.
As with the last list, we’re comparing current attractions with their immediate predecessors. This prevents the sins of the father from being laid upon the son, and keeps things cleaner. This saved a few current attractions because there have been multiple replacements since the “good” attraction.
My belief is that many people conflate change for progress. The latter is undoubtedly good, but the same cannot be said of change. Change for the sake of itself is not necessarily good; it can be a positive, negative, or lateral move. A replacement can be inferior, in which case it most certainly was not “progress.” For me, this is borne out in the decline of EPCOT Center into today’s Epcot.
With that said, and as intimated above, we recognize a couple of things. First, that the times change, and what might’ve been beloved in the 1980s or 1990s is no longer popular today. Guests have certain expectations and preconceived notions of Disney theme parks before they even visit. As a business, it makes sense to Disney to meet guests where they are. Conversely, we are under no such obligation to pretend that guests have great taste and that replacements that make good business sense are high-quality.
Second, this is entirely subjective and colored by the rose-colored glasses of nostalgia. Disney’s secret to success is sentimentality. Whatever you saw or experienced as a child, or on your first visit, is not only etched into your memory–but your heart. We’re hardly immune to this, and this list is undoubtedly biased as a result.
Basically, don’t take any of this too seriously if one of your favorites makes the “worst” list. You may have a great reason for loving it, or you could simply lack the nostalgia we had for the previous incarnation of the attraction. In the end, none of this matters–and even if it did, you’d “win” since your version is what actually exists!
Our latest update for late 2025 is fairly significant. There were previously a couple entries from EPCOT resulting from its then in-progress overhaul that fall off the list, such as Innoventions to the Giant EPCOT Dirt Pit. The aggressively mediocre CommuniCore Hall is open, and even though that falls woefully short of expectations, it’s still better than dirt–and more or less a lateral move to what it replaced. It’s still not as good as the original CommuniCore, but such is the story of EPCOT Center to EPCOT.
It’s a similar story with Luminous: The Symphony of Us. Our previous entry was ‘IllumiNations to the Fantasyland Fireworks at EPCOT,’ lumping together Harmonious and EPCOT Forever. We could pretend that Luminous is an extension of this, as the idea is similar. In our view, the newer show bridges the gap between old and new in a more delicate way, giving modern audiences what they want, respecting the park, and being more sophisticated.
Another entertainment win comes with the return of a night parade at Magic Kingdom in Disney Starlight. It can no longer be said that SpectroMagic’s replacement by Main Street Electrical Parade and then nothing is one of the worst in Walt Disney World history. To the contrary, going from no night parade for a decade to Starlight is one of the bigger recent upgrades.
Then there’s Walt Disney World’s hugely contentious ride reimagining: Tiana’s Bayou Adventure. This misses the cut on both this list and the best replacements, being neither a substantial upgrade nor downgrade. (See Splash Mountain vs. Tiana’s Bayou Adventure for a head-to-head.)
Honestly, it comes closer to this list, especially in its current operational form. It’s been a while since we’ve had a ride-through without at least two major Audio-Animatronics broken. Tiana’s Bayou Adventure has already not aged well, and clearly isn’t going to become a classic, but it still manages to miss this list.
Speaking of which, with construction walls up pretty much everywhere outside of Tiana’s Bayou Adventure along the Rivers of America and around Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, not to mention Muppets Courtyard at DHS and Dinoland at Animal Kingdom, we should soon have new entries to our respective replacements lists. Hopefully not this one!
Anyway, on with the entries that do make the cut for this list…
It’s Tough to Be a Bug -> Zootopia: Better Zoogether – This announcement actually had us excited. We’re big fans of Zootopia, felt It’s Tough to Be a Bug had a good run, and we weren’t overly concerned with the thematic inconsistencies of Zootopia in Animal Kingdom since it was being confined to this location. We were the perfect audience to be receptive to this new show!
With that said, Zootopia: Better Zoogether needed to be a step forward and not just change. After all, It’s Tough to Be a Bug was a strong show that had aged gracefully. It broke the fourth wall, contained sharp writing, working on multiple levels. It also was a mixed media presentation, a 3D film with Audio-Animatronics figures, and in-theater 4D effects. There was good reason why this opening day Animal Kingdom attraction was still going strong.
Unfortunately, Zootopia: Better Zoogether is not an upgrade. It’s vapid and nonsensical, with unrelenting action that’s downright disorienting. There are fast cuts and scenery changes for no discernible reason; the plot is an afterthought, the show is really “about” a bunch of stuff just happening…and quickly. Zootopia: Better Zoogether doesn’t capture the heart or cleverness of the films, and anyone over the age of 12 will need to turn their brain off to enjoy this. It is mindless fun, but on the plus side, it is fun.
Great Movie Ride -> Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway – Let me start by saying that I have the self-awareness to realize that this is a minority opinion. Great Movie Ride wasn’t particularly popular in its final years, and Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway is much more of a crowd-pleasing draw. Wait times and guest satisfaction both bear this out.
Not only that, but time had passed by Great Movie Ride. It was too long, too slow, and featured movies that most younger people had never seen. While I firmly believe that Great Movie Ride was a timeless tribute to the classics of cinema that could pique curiosity about great movies, it missed the mark for the majority of guests.
Great Movie Ride had tremendous depth, set design, and was a long attraction bursting with detail. It was a love letter to classic cinema and Old Hollywood that helped define the identity of the Disney-MGM Studios. It was one of the reasons that I fell in love with both Walt Disney World and movies as a kid. Great Movie Ride was the perfect culmination of the Disney-MGM Studios of yore and a thesis statement of sorts.
Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway is kind of the same thing today with Disney’s Hollywood Studios. It finally gives Walt Disney’s most iconic creations their own ride, which is very overdue. It also helps that Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway is a very good attraction that has a ton of heart and personality, and is an absolute hoot. Given all of that, it’s tough to be mad about this replacement, even if for me personally, it’s a big downgrade as compared to Great Movie Ride.
Legend of the Lion King -> PhilharMagic – On the one hand, Legend of the Lion King (a show similar to Voyage of the Little Mermaid) had a good run and was probably due for a replacement. On the other hand, the puppetry was great and even when PhilharMagic was added, it seems like people were sort of “over” 3D shows.
I really enjoy PhilharMagic so I really can’t complain too much here, especially with the latest updates that brought Coco to the show. Swapping out (or simply adding) more scenes to PhilharMagic would extend the life of this excellent 3D show.
Nevertheless, I think an updated Legend of the Lion King would still be popular today. Just listen to how crazy guests go for the Lion King scene in Disneyland Forever (audible cheers are louder than they are for the Frozen scene–children of the 90s represent!)
Snow White’s Adventures -> Princess Fairytale Hall – I get the thinking here: Seven Dwarfs Mine Train made Snow White’s Adventures a redundant Fantasyland attraction. However, replacing a ride with a simple meet & greet leaves a bad taste.
This would’ve been a prime opportunity to introduce a refreshed Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride, or build another charming C-Ticket Fantasyland dark ride. Meet & greets certainly have their place–and I really like what was done with Enchanted Tales with Belle–but that place is not at the expense of actual attractions.
The Timekeeper -> Monsters Laugh Floor – Unlike a lot of people, I actually enjoy Monsters Laugh Floor. A lot, actually. Still, it makes the list because The Timekeeper was better, and thematically appropriate. The Timekeeper was a visual feast with a clever “something has gone wrong” mix up involving Jules Verne.
Between its quirky spins in history (that’s right, back in my day, Disney made guests learn even outside of Epcot!) and infusions of humor, The Timekeeper was a real gem. Monsters Laugh Floor can have humor (if you get a good audience), but it’s not on the same level as The Timekeeper.
Wonders of Life -> Nothing – This list could easily be titled “Ways Disney Screwed Up EPCOT Center” but I want to avoid fixating on that carnage, so I’m going to limit my EPCOT Center selections.
Near the top of the list of EPCOT screw-ups would be the decision to simply shutter and forget about the Wonders of Life pavilion. Admittedly, the last original-era attractions to EPCOT Center aged the worst, but never has a conversation about health and wellness been so important. Offering guests an entertaining and educational perspective on these topics could help make a profound difference.
We had hoped that this would fall from the list once the Play Pavilion opened, but that has become the Pause Pavilion, and likely abandoned. Kind of fitting, even if it is disappointing. What we’d really love is to see a Baymax Health Pavilion concept, but we’d settle for something with Inside Out, Zootopia–whatever–at this point.
World of Motion -> Test Track – I get why EPCOT Center changed. Future World had too many elaborate, lengthy, and slow-moving Audio Animatronics-based dark rides. Management and guests(?) wanted attraction diversity…and more thrills. That doesn’t mean I have to like the change.
Test Track is a solid attraction that fits Future World, and both the 2.0 and 3.0 versions have been iterative upgrades that have succeeded in attempting to bridge the gap between old and new EPCOT. Test Track is not a bad attraction; to the contrary, it’s very good!
Test Track is also visually-sparse as compared to World of Motion, and while the new ride has flashes of greatness, it has never come together as a cohesive attraction from start to finish. World of Motion was funny and educational, presenting rich and detailed vignettes as it progressed through the history of transportation.
Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride -> The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh – This doesn’t make the list because I think Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride is an iconic attraction the replacement of which is tantamount to “Disney treason.” In fact, had I been active online during the “Save Toad” campaign, I probably would’ve been indifferent. After all, Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride was dated and had a good run. The Imagineers were capable of doing far better.
Unfortunately, “better” didn’t happen. Unlike the revolutionary Pooh’s Hunny Hunt at Tokyo Disneyland (which was in development at the same time as this version), the Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh was a lateral technical move, and a squandered opportunity.
The ride itself lacks the charm and whimsy of Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride and it fails to showcase Pooh’s posse and their quirky personalities, making the change a net loss. This could be the most popular attraction in Fantasyland–it was at Tokyo Disneyland until the Enchanted Tale of Beauty and the Beast Mega E-Ticket opened. Instead, it’s a mid-tier dark ride that feels like it could’ve been built in 1971.
Horizons -> Mission Space – I’ll be honest: I don’t really remember Horizons. My family visited numerous times while it was operating, but for some reason, it didn’t stick with me (that, or we didn’t do it much). Although I have watched ride through videos of it numerous times, I don’t have the same emotional attachment to Horizons as many fans.
As much as I think Horizons was a brilliant dark ride with an optimistic and inspiring view of the future, I view Mission Space as a story of squandered potential. This was to be the Space pavilion. Few things are more inspiring than humankind’s exploration of space. How do you not fully convey that?!
Were Mission Space actually a thought and emotion-provoking attraction offering a glimpse into the promise of space exploration, and not merely an entertaining simulator, I think the loss of Horizons wouldn’t sting nearly as much. It also doesn’t help that Mission Space can be uncomfortable and unpleasant, which is why it makes our list of attractions we skip at EPCOT.
Alien Encounter -> Stitch’s Great Escape – I experienced Alien Encounter for the first at just the right time in my life, when I was 10 years old, shortly after it opened. I was at an age where I could grasp some of the dark humor in the pre-show, but not so old that the attraction didn’t scare me a tad.
It had everything that made an attraction awesome to me: an interesting story, an entertaining wait in line, and original characters with personality. Sure, it scared children–but there were plenty of warnings, and Stitch’s Great Escape also scared children–but it was satirical, well-written, and thrilling.
Alien Encounter was a thoughtful attraction disguised under the hype of “aliens,” whereas its replacement is mindless and clumsy. At least Stitch’s Great Escape has now been retired, too. Addition by subtraction.
Journey into Imagination -> Journey into Imagination with Figment – Some Disney attractions are so captivating and entertaining that they are timeless. Despite utilizing technology from the 1800s, I doubt anyone’s reaction to Haunted Mansion is that it feels dated. The same holds true for the original Journey into Imagination. The original was, in a word, mesmerizing. In another word–as cliche as this sounds–it was imaginative.
As a young child, I was spellbound by this attraction, its characters, and the scenes they inhabited. I remember it in vivid detail not because we rode it over and over (although we did), but because it was a timeless attraction that captured the attention of guests, sparked their imaginations, and left an indelible impression. The replacement, Journey into Imagination with Figment (I’m not even acknowledging the insipid and short-lived Journey into Your Imagination) seems like it strives to annoy rather than inspire.
With Figment seeing a resurgence in popularity, fan nostalgia being stronger than ever, and the current incarnation of Journey into Imagination being unpopular and underutilized, it’s time to finally reimagine Journey into Imagination.
Yeah…so I have to admit that writing this list bummed me out a bit. I’d like to think of myself as a realist, albeit one who is largely optimistic (maybe to a fault) about the parks, but a few of these really sting. In some cases, like Journey into Imagination and Alien Encounter, it’s a personal thing.
In other instances, it seems like Disney, renowned for the “Disney Difference” just isn’t trying. There’s a lot to be optimistic about in terms of the parks’ future, but a place as financially successful and with as high of standards as Walt Disney World should and can do better than some of what’s on this list.
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Your Thoughts
Do you agree or disagree with my list? Do you miss any of these attractions, or do you think the replacements are true progress? Which extinct attraction do you miss most? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!