Is anyone going to miss the Universe of Energy?

[Elizabeth Smith]

For me, I'm sad it is closing because it means one less thing we'll get to do in EPCOT when we go in November. I'm not the kind of person who gets to go to Disney every year or even every other year, so I'm not sentimentally attached to anything, but on the flip side, I'm not really tired of anything either. . .

 

[JasonMouse]

I've been missing Universe of Energy since they took out feel the flow.

 

[DizDaD7]

Last month, Disney announced announced that the Great Movie Ride in Disney's Hollywood Studios and Ellen's Energy Adventure in EPCOT would be closing. Since then there have been special walk through events at the Geat Movie Ride and soon special limited edition commerative merchandise will be released. Why isn't there anything special planned for the Universe of Energy? Isn't it special too?
The Universe of Energy is one of the most technologically complex experiences at EPCOT. The two acres of solar panels on the roof of the pavilion provide 15% of the enerv needed to power Ellen's Energy Adventure, the 45 minute ride back in time to the age of the dinosaurs The six ride vehicles when fully loaded weigh approximately 10,000 pounds yet are guided on the floor by a wire only 1/8 inch thick.
I'm going to miss Ellen's Energy Adventure and the chance to sit back and cool off at EPCOT without having to edit in a long line. My daughter is going to miss seeing Bill Nye , the Science Guy,who every kid who went to grade school instead be ninties will remember.
I'm going to say farewell with a question. What is the one source of energy that will never run out?

Uh....Yea

 

[bobbiwoz]

We're taking a two night trip to Disney next week, to see GMR and UE.

Our 2 sons were awed by the dinosaurs when we first took them to Epcot. The story line changed, but those dinosaurs remained. I want to see them one more time and remember our sons growing up years.

 

[agavegirl1]

Sigh....I will miss it. I kept hoping against hope they would modernize and update it. I will miss those dinosaurs a lot as well as the relaxing, cinematic experience actually sitting.

 

[JerseyJanice]

But that is the reason. It's 35 years old. I'm not sure why a grown man would question a CM who had nothing to do with the decision about the ride's departure, even if he was, uh, "mourning."

I don't think many people would call most attractions at WDW that are older than 35 years "outdated" since the majority of the classic rides in the Magic Kingdom are older than that.

Furthermore, I would bet a great many grown men and women would be in, uh, mourning if rides like the Haunted Mansion and Peter Pan's Flight were shut down to be replaced by attractions themed to fairly recent movies that were not widespread hits.

 

[AlVan]

I'm definitely going to miss it, although I certainly understand that it's been time to replace it. I'm not happy with what they've decided to replace it with, though. This is the first change at Epcot that I've felt is truly...un-Epcot, let's say.

 

[KiniShakenBake]

I will miss it!!! My husband and I both used it as a 45 minute air conditioned nap without leaving the park! I've never, in six years together, seen him take a nap, except in that ride. It was phenomenal!

 

[Tomh]

It remains to be seen what they do with Guardians of the Galaxy. Their official communication so far has indicated that they intended to stay true to the original theme of Epcot. If that is the case, and they use Guardians as a more modern way to present the Energy issues that we face, then I will be all for it, and won't really miss Ellen, and Bill Nye all that much, though I will miss the Dinosaurs.

If, on the other hand, the message of energy conservation, and use of renewable sources, leaves with Bill and Ellen, then I will indeed miss the ride greatly.

 

[ZephyrHawk]

When I was 3, and Epcot newly opened, Universe of Energy was one of my absolute favorite rides of all time! There were DINOSAURS! Which moved! That scene, near the begining, with the sauropods in the swamp? That was literally a scene out of one of my dinosaur books at home!

Of course, this was back in the early 80s. When people still thought that "brontosaurus" lived primarily in swamps because that was the only way they could imagine that it could stand with its massive weight. When people didn't blink an eye at the anachronism of a T-Rex attacking a Stegosaurus. A T-Rex which, of course, stood upright and dragged its tail on the ground like a crocodile. Now we know better. Now it's more likely to confuse our children. Today's three-year-olds may wonder why the dinosaurs don't look like the ones in their books. Plus, we have the highly superior animatronics of Dinosaur! and (at Universal) Jurassic Park. The dinos of Universe of Energy seem sadly immobile and unrealistic in comparison.

It's saddens me a bit, but, it's time to go.

 

[Planogirl]

I agree that something being older is not a good reason to replace it. I just mentally checked off all of the old rides in MK and it would be a sad place if those attractions were removed.

 

[jsmla]

For me "outdated" just depends. The Peter Pan ride is older than Ellen but the movie it's based on hasn't changed. UoE is billed as edutainment which doesn't really work when a lot of the educational information is outdated and no longer relevant.

I like Ellen (can take or leave the rest to be honest) and will miss the easy access to a nice, dark, air conditioned place to sit for a while.

 

[dreiwhit]

UoE is billed as edutainment which doesn't really work when a lot of the educational information is outdated and no longer relevant.

That would be a good reason to periodically update a ride, say every 10 years or so, not just completely replace it. IMHO, Disney need to add attractions to give folks more to do and spread out the crowds. Not replace them.

 

[Dolby1000]

Nope, nothing to miss here. Sure, 35 years ago, the dinosaurs represented one of the most accurate portrayals ever seen of what they looked like. Now such displays are very common, just go down the road to Tampa Lowry Park Zoo and they have a walk through dinosaur attraction with much more realistic looking creatures that don't need dim lighting to disguise the work.
The information in the ride is so dated as to be ridiculous. 50 years of fossil fuels and natural gas left as of the mid 90s is laughable. That would mean we have about 25 years left now, and that certainly is not the case. But let's not turn this into a debate about energy usage, I'm just saying the information in the ride is inaccurate.
My biggest nit-pick though is that final jeopardy answer. Dumb Judy actually has the correct response. No form of energy is ever-lasting, entropy ensures that. Brain Power certainly will come to an end when mankind is extinct, which the universe will ensure happens at some point, hopefully some way off point, in the future. Mankind, nor any life form, is not eternal. For a science themed attraction, to get something like that so wrong, I wonder why Bill Nye even allowed himself to be a part of it.
Won't miss it.

 

[Belle & Ariel]

The reason I don't care for it is that it takes so much time out of your day. If between the preshow and ride it was 20-30 minutes I think we would have done it. But at an hour, it's not worth it at all to me.
We were at Epcot a few years ago on the fourth of July and did it to kill time on a hot and crowded day. Before that we hadn't ridden for probably close to 15 years. And we go often.

 

[keishashadow]

That I understand. The tech is outdated, not the info.

Sadly, many would disagree as to 'the info presented' and term it fake news.

I will miss the dinosaurs, wish they could plop them somewhere else as in AK Dino ride area via a walkthru?

 

[marauder]

Will not miss it at all. During my last trip to Disney with the extended family, everyone else in the group went on Universe of Energy as a heat break. I went to the single rider line at Test Track. I think I had the better time. Wasn't a fan of either the original version and even less of the Ellen version.

 

[tarak]

I'll miss it a little bit, but I miss Maelstrom and Journey Into Imagination a lot more.

My son and I loved Maelstrom. Being sick to death of Frozen, he's especially peeved that Maelstrom was replaced by a Frozen ride. I'm still kicking myself for not buying one of those limited edition Maelstrom shirts the Disney Store was selling a few months before the closure was announced.

 

[BrianL]

Of course being 35 years old doesn't mean that an attraction is not enjoyable anymore. Some of them are far older and still well-loved, but this is a numbers game. When was the last time UoE had any kind of line for it? How many people a day ride it compared to it's capacity? Honestly, the majority of people just aren't that engaged with it. Everything is somebody's favorite, however not everything can stick around forever. I liked UoE just fine, though I don't consider it an untouchable classic.

 

[rstamm]

Miss it
It was a nice break from the heat and tired feet.
I hate that they keep getting rid of attractions.
The new attraction could've been put at the wonders of life building there's nothing in there anymore.
I would prefer they make new attractions without getting rid of older ones.
I will be going at Christmas and there will be so many closed attractions i'm really surprised they didn't wait till after Christmas.