©Disney

Everyone has some interest in transportation. Whether using cars, trains, airplanes, buses, boats or just by simply walking, everyone uses some form of transportation. Man has always relied on his ability to travel, and he has always searched for ways to improve that ability. EPCOT Center's Future World included a pavilion all about transportation - the World of Motion.

Fittingly located in a round building to represent a wheel, World of Motion used the EPCOT formula of examining the past of transportation as well as looking forward to its future. So now lets travel back in time to look at this classic attraction.

The World of Motion building

In the waiting area, we hear songs being played, alternating with sounds of different transportation passing overhead, such as planes, cars, horses and trains. Perhaps we realize that each song we hear is a different arrangement of the same song, the theme song for the attraction. After winding our way through the waiting area, we go up a small ramp, step onto a moving walkway and then into our vehicle. The ride vehicle then exits the building, going up and around a large column outside and offering a great view of Future World, before reentering the building. During this time our announcer reminds us that it is fun to be free, the same idea we heard in song while we were waiting.

The first thing we see is footprints walking along beside us and up over us. The search for man's freedom to move around began with footpower, which man quickly wanted to improve. We see cavepeople trying to cool their red-hot feet from all the walking they have been doing. Water was discovered to be a way of transportation, as we see a raft in a stream below a projection of other types of watercraft.

We next move into a large room to see many people trying out different forms of animal transportation. Included are people attempting to ride a donkey, an ostrich and an elephant, and we also see a man on a flying carpet in the distance.

©Disney
The invention of the wheel

Next we come to the invention of the wheel, described by our narrator as a "revolutionary turn of events!" Several men have different attempts at wheels, which are shaped as squares and triangles. But the king seems to be delighted with the round one. We then see several examples of wheeled transportation, such as chariots and Chinese carts, along with a centaur. We pass by a used chariot lot, where two salesmen try to make a sale.

Our narrator tells us that ships sailed forth looking for new worlds. We see a projection of a ship sailing off the edge of the world. We then see a man on a ship looking through a telescope at a large sea serpent.

©Disney
Da Vinci studying flight

We then go on to the Renaissance to see Leonardo da Vinci working on a flying machine while Mona Lisa sits impatiently for her unfinished painting. Up next is a man, a pig and some other animals in a hot air balloon above the rooftops.

Then our narrator tells us we have reached the age of steam. "Nothing stands in the way of progress," he says. We see a steam carriage, which is not moving due to a bull standing in its way, pushing the carriage with its horns as the passengers look out to see what the problem is. Steam is also used in boilers of paddle boats, and one example of that is before us. In the boat's windows, we can see the shadows of the dancing passengers. Several people are on the dock watching the boat.

As the narrator tells us of passengers enjoying the scenic west, we pass by a stagecoach where the passengers are under attack from Indians. On the wall behind them we see the Indians and the Cavalry going back and forth. Then the narrator says that the iron horse, the railroad, brings "fast, dependable, safe travel" to the West. We then pass by one of those fast, safe, dependable trains that is being held up by train robbers, but there is hope, as the sheriff can be seen in the distance.

Next we enjoy a view of the countryside and "that infallible combination of man and machine - the bicycle." Several people are riding bicycles, including one man who was chased by a dog and another who has fallen into the mud with the pigs.

©Disney
The world's first traffic jam

We then move on to the age of horseless carriages. We see a man working on a car engine. Another man tries to crank start his car while a man and his horse look on in surprise. Next we see the world's first traffic jam, as vehicle traffic has stopped due to a frightened horse whose cart has turned over, blocking the road. We then move on ahead a few years to see several people out for a Sunday afternoon picnic, thanks to having their car to drive out to the country. We then pass by a billboard, behind which is a police officer on a motorcycle watching the traffic go by. We next come to an air show, where a pilot is posing for photographs in front of his biplane.

Four different cars are next, and their passengers are on different types of trips. The first car has a couple that has just been married and are obviously leaving on their honeymoon. The second car carries a group of college students, while the third car has a children's baseball time. The fourth car carries a family on vacation.

Up next are some speedrooms, which contain projections on the curved walls to make us feel that we are in the middle of the action. The first speedroom has projections of different kinds of travel, including flying, skiiing and underwater travel. The next speedroom has scenes from the computer world of Tron. Next we arrive at the center of the building, which contains a large model of a futuristic city. The city contains all sorts of transportation - cars, monorails, airplanes - showing that as man continues to progress he will continue to find new ways to travel. For the final scene of the ride, we pass a large mirror, which shows us riding in a sleek, futuristic car.

The Bird and the Robot show in the TransCenter

After we exit the ride, we come to the TransCenter, which features exhibits about transportation. First is a windtunnel demonstration showing how these tunnels are used to help design more fuel efficient cars. In the Bird and the Robot show, an Audio-Animatronic bird tells us how robots are used to quickly and safely build new cars on assembly lines. The Water Engine show uses a series of animated characters who discuss different types of engines, featuring possible alternatives to the internal combustion engine. Several exhibits on future types of vehicles are encountered. Then there is a showcase of the latest models of General Motors automobiles.

One of the advisors for World of Motion was veteran Disney animator Ward Kimball. His offbeat sense of humor was apparent throughout much of the ride, from the comical look of the characters to the way the scenes presented were often in humorous contradiction to the narration. The narration was provided by Gary Owens, whose scholarly, serious delivery was a perfect contrast to the humorous scenes. Owens is perhaps most famous as being the announcer on "Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In."

Many of the vehicles seen during the different scenes of the ride were either authentic models or exact replicas. Of course, all of the automobiles were General Motors brands. GM sponsored the show, and was one of the first sponsors signed up for EPCOT Center. Interestingly, Disney had approached GM about creating an attraction for the 1964 New York World's Fair. GM declined, suggesting Disney talk to Ford, which had been having some public relations problems. That combination produced the Magic Skyway attraction for the fair, featuring a trip back to prehistoric days. Some of the scenes of dinosaurs from EPCOT Center's Universe of Energy are rather similar to scenes found in Magic Skyway.

The attraction made use of 150 Audio-Animatronic figures. This was the largest Audio-Animatronic cast in any Disney attraction. While many of the figures weren't as complex as those in the American Adventure, each figure was effective given the short amount of time it was seen by each guest. The attraction also used the familiar Omnimover system, which had also been used in Spaceship Earth, as well as the Haunted Mansion in the Magic Kingdom.

The song "It's Fun to be Free" was written by X Atencio and Buddy Baker, the same two who wrote "Grim Grinning Ghosts" for the Haunted Mansion. Buddy also arranged the song into countless variations which are heard throughout the ride, as well as in the waiting area. Much like in the Haunted Mansion, these variations were heard in one minute loops that repeated continuously. The loops were all synchronized, so that to guests it would sound like one continuous song throughout the attraction. Buddy demonstrated his talents by arranging the song in every style from Egyptian to Renaissance to modern times and everything in between. Especially impressive was his arrangement for the future city model.

Because of its humor, catchy song and simple storytelling methods, World of Motion was one of the more popular attractions in Future World. Also, its subject - the history and future of transportation - touches on something almost everyone experiences every day - going from one place to another. As the attraction reminded us, it is always fun to be free!

- Story and Photos by Steve Burns
Posted

Steve is a three-time Disney Store National Trivia finalist and webmaster of BurnsLand, home of Steve's Disney Railroad Adventures.

E-mail Steve at steve@startedbyamouse.com, discuss this article in the StartedByAMouse.com Disney Discussion Forums or use the Talkback feature below.

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