Ride Discussion: Test Track.

[Hamlet Schmalzbach]

In the six times I have been to EPCOT while they were either building or running it...it was always closed. Can't wait to ride it so I can share.

[TheDisneyInquisitor]

What the theme should have been is let's experience what it is like to be a NASCAR driver.

But then why would GM have wanted to keep sponsoring it? And I don't think it's fair to say that no one fantasizes about being a test dummy. It is one of the most popular rides in any Disney park and I'm sure there are a lot of people that do like being the test dummy.

The space advantage is negated.

If I remember correctly though, it was GM that wanted to replace the attraction. They wanted something much more fun that more people would enjoy in order to give their sponsorship of the attraction a boost.

-Michael

[MickeyMania]

What the theme should have been is let's experience what it is like to be a NASCAR driver.

I'll disagree on two counts. First, that's what the raceway is for. Second, even if the track wasn't there, NASCAR fans would complain that the cars move much faster than that, and non-fans wouldn't care for it because it's NASCAR.

[Pizzapants]

And people would get sick of turning left..over..and over... and over...

[TDLFAN]

I'll disagree on two counts. First, that's what the raceway is for. Second, even if the track wasn't there, NASCAR fans would complain that the cars move much faster than that, and non-fans wouldn't care for it because it's NASCAR.

Not to mention... SO trailer park redneck! Yuk!

[thejoshualee]

A NASCAR ride. heh... They do have one in Las Vegas though. It's a pretty good coaster... but it is very trailerpark.

I really like Test Track. I like the idea of putting a car through its paces. I don't think the idea is "Lets pretend to be a crash test Dummy" the story and preshow ride doesn't agree with that. The crash test was a joke played on you by the testers. Plus I had this one guy conviced that it was real and it only hurt a little. He was pretty mad at me afterwards.

Anyway. I love it.

My wife doesn't like it much at all. She feels like it's a school asighment. She has to ride it because I like it so much. But That's ok. I can't stand parades so we both give in to each other.

[WDW1974]

Test Track is the MOST overrated attraction in WDW history.

WoM was so much better, and I often used that ride to nap on in th AC.

You want to experience Test Track on at home version? Simple. Rent a convertible and drive it over various road surfaces, maybe you could rent some heat lamps and freezers to drive past too ...

[captsmith84]

Call me dumb, but there's no way I can possibly agree with that statement when Stitch's Great Escape over at the Magic Kingdom had a bigger press event and marketing blitz than Test Track ever had.

[Cmash95]

wom was borrrrring. You rode it once and you didn't need to go back again. and that song drove me crazy. " it's fun to be free!!!" it reminded me of a real bad copy of COP. actually I could see it as a GM attraction for the NYC worlds fair. and that was held in the 60's? for those who truly miss WoM you can still ride SE. it's quiet and sedate.

[Mouse princess]

I like the ride. I don't like the fact that it is down more than it works, but overall it is an OK ride. I like to walk the queue and see the different tests. As long as you don't go in expecting a thrill ride, it is a "fun" ride.
WoM is gone. Out with the old, in with the new. The way it goes. I completely enjoyed WoM, admittingly more than I like Test Track, but I don't dislike Test Track because of it.

[mrtommorrow]

Anyone see this interesting post on the Re-Imagineering blog about Test Track vs. World of Motion?

I'm kind of sad that they couldn't just add Test Track behind the existing World of Motion building... I'm sure there was enough space back there to include both attractions... The existing slower omnimover ride about the history of transportation and then Test Track, a speedier thrill ride about current car technologies...

[JiminyCricketFan]

First, I want to respond to some statements.

People do not ride Test Track because they want to be a test dummy. They ride it because it goes fast.

As to the connection to NASCAR, that is the MOST popular and growing sport in the country. To call its fans trailer trash, is showing a lot of ignorance to the market place. It is simply the HOTTEST sport out there, growing faster than baseball, football, basketball, and hockey combined. There must be a lot of common people out there who love it.

GM makes cars. Cars run at NASCAR. Connecting GM to NASCAR would only improve people's opinion of GM cars. I don't believe that riding as a test dummy improves people's opinion of GM's cars.

I understand that GM sponsored the attraction, the Disney should never have put GM in the driver seat to determine the theme and location of the attraction. I think the World of Motion could have co-existed with Test Track with a little creativity. For example, if the World of Motion as a sort of pre-show that lead you to the Test Track queue would have been a home run. Then both attractions could have their queues close to one another to promote each other.

Second, my suggestion of NASCAR was to suggest a better theme. If you think that test dummy is the absolute BEST theme possible, then I guess you have to disagree with me. But I believe that there ARE many better themes. Just because a GM executive likes test dummies, that does not mean that GM execs know anything about theme parks.

[fundesign]

I'd like to point something out to all the "but Test Track brings in the numbers" crowd. Yes Test Track is one of the more popular attractions at Epcot. Yes it attracts the thrill-seeking demographic. But it only succeeds at the level it does because there is NOTHING else to compete with it.

I remember visiting a county fair a few years back. I'm not much for "spin and puke" rides so there wasn't much I had the desire to do while there. Where could I be found for the majority of my visit? Looking for and riding the dark rides and roller coasters. That's what I prefer. Did that mean I thought those rides were well done? Did that mean I wouldn't have preferred a more elaborate and creative attraction? All that means is that they came the closest to the type of ride I enjoy.

May I submit to you that Test Track enjoys its success from the thrill-seeking demographic due to similar circumstances as the dark rides found in the county fair. Epcot offers no other linear track thrill experience. So what else are the adrenaline junkies going to enjoy more?

What about the family market? Families enjoy challenging each other to withstand an experience testing the boundaries of their normal limits. Test Track sells that opportunity with the sounds of cars racing by the front entrance. I would say at some level it succeeds at delivering on that promise, but has very little else to offer. Nothing in the themeing or story category. Very little in the education or inspiration department either.

Did I learn anything about vehicle testing? Only that vehicle proving facilities workers like Bill Makael(the guy in the pre-show video) don't belong in any attraction media. Seriously, who doesn't know that they test speed, braking, corrosion etc.? For anyone that didn't know that before they rode, how did that knowledge enrich their lives or even entertain them in any way? Is there anything I'm missing with respect to learning on this ride? It doesn't even inspire to create a better testing facility or develop new testing systems. If it doesn't inspire or educate, what is its purpose...To entertain.

Okay, so far I agree that it entertains for the short speed segment at the end of the ride. But mainly for families with a low thrill threshold. Ask many teens or young adults looking for a thrill and most will yawn. What is the entertainment value of everything before the speed segment loops? Where is the Disney quality themeing?

Test Track suffers from the latest trend in low-budget attraction development...making the sets and story "behind the scenes" or "real world" as an excuse to spend less money on show. Journey Into your Imagination, Soarin' cue, Dinorama carnival and Mission Space are other examples.

Speaking of theme, why are we riding in futuristic electric convertible race cars? Cool ride technology but very little to offer in the way of authenticity or story. Yes I realize there is internal combustion audio but it doesn't read authentic. It reads as on-board audio. Even a gas smell would have added something to the effect.

All that being said, Test Track is not as horrible a ride as Journey into Your Imagination in my opinion. At least it has a little thrill. My problem is that it doesn't come close to the Disney standard. We should all come to expect more then anticipated before riding for the first time. Surprise me for cyring out loud! Maybe I'm a bit jaded because I'm a ride designer but this also affords me the knowledge of what was left out and what a product could have been. Oh what Test Track could have been if executed properly.

To sum it up, Test Track offers very little in the way of creative entertainment, inspiration or education. The minute amount of thrill it offers attracts many Epcot guests but leaves only a few satisfied. Once again, let's put Test Track side by side with "Journey to the Center of the Earth" at Tokyo DisneySea (exact same ride system) and find out if Test Track maintains its approval ratings. The Tokyo version has story, theme, thrill and detail, while Test Track has only thrill.

[captsmith84]

I'd like to point something out to all the "you're an idiot cause you like Test Track" crowd. Yes (no comma because I don't like grammar) Test Track is the best at Epcot. Yes it attracts the thrill-seeking demographic. But it only succeeds at the level it does because there is NOTHING else to compete with it. (Mission: SPACE and Soarin' don't count.)

I remember visiting a county fair a few years back in the future. I'm not much for "spin and puke and die because the screw is lose" rides so there wasn't much I had the desire to do while there because I had a headache anyway. Where could I be found for the majority of my visit? In the port-a-pottie. Looking for and riding the dark rides and roller coasters. Didn't find any in the port-a-potties though. (Cool, so you're comparing Epcot to a carnival, umm, what is wrong here?) Did that mean I thought those rides were well done? Heck yes! Did that mean I wouldn't have preferred a more elaborate and creative attraction? Yup. I just want the thrills. Because I like it like that.

May I submit to you that Test Track enjoys its success from the thrill-seeking demographic due to similar circumstances as the dark rides found in the county fair. (No question mark... umm, hmm...) Yes, I will submit that to you, you're a captive audience. Epcot offers no other linear track thrill experience. (1 point) So what else are the adrenaline junkies going to enjoy more? Mission: SPACE?! Come on, no one would ride a ride that evidently killed like 8 people.

What about the family market? (You know, the grocery store where you can buy families... they taste like chicken) Families enjoy challenging each other to wrestle in a boxing area... an experience testing the boundaries of their normal limits. Test Track sells that opportunity (though I don't know how) with the sounds of cars racing by the front entrance... which, is actually made by cars racing by the entrance. I would say at some level it succeeds at delivering on that promise, but has very little else to offer. Nothing in the themeing or story category. (Yes, themeing is spelled that way.) Very little in the education department either. (Though what do I know about that?)

Did I learn anything about vehicle testing? Only that vehicle proving facilities workers like Bill Makael(the guy in the pre-show video) don't belong in any attraction media. (Even though he is an actor and that isn't even his name.) Seriously, who doesn't know that they test speed, braking, corrosion g-forces, heat, ABS, steering, crash tests, trucks attacking you etc.? For anyone that didn't know that before they rode, how did that knowledge enrich their lives or even entertain them in any way by riding on a convertable in a track? Is there anything I'm missing with respect to learning on this ride, because we don't want Epcot to do anything except teach you things, right? It doesn't even inspire to create a better testing facility or develop new testing systems. If it doesn't inspire or educate, what is its purpose...To entertain, and give guests a behind the scenes look at a GM testing facility, unlike any other.

Okay, so far I agree that it entertains for the short speed segment at the end of the ride, because if I didn't you'd all laugh at me. But mainly for families with a low thrill threshold like you. Ask many teens or young adults looking for a thrill and most will yawn, except for the millions of people who ride each year. Besides, everyone goes to Epcot for the ultimate in thrills, right? What is the entertainment value of everything before the speed segment loops? Where is the Disney quality themeing? Where is my brain?

Test Track suffers from the latest trend in low-budget attraction development...making the sets and story "behind the scenes" or "real world" as an excuse to spend less money on show so we can make more money selling tickets to this attraction. Journey Into your Imagination, Soarin' cue, Dinorama carnival and Mission Space are other examples. Yes, just how you play pool in line for Soarin' with a pool cue.

Speaking of theme, why are we riding in futuristic electric convertible race cars? So it doesn't smell like crap when you board?! Cool ride technology but very little to offer in the way of authenticity or story. Nope, that's def. not a car I'm in. Yes I realize there is internal combustion audio but it doesn't read authentic. It reads as on-board audio. Even a gas smell would have added something to the effect. Yes, I want the smell of gas and CO so you can all get high and die while riding.

All that being said, Test Track is not as horrible a ride as Journey into Your Imagination in my opinion. Because I love dark rides at the carnival, and it can't hold a candle to them. At least it has a little thrill. My problem is that it doesn't come close to the Disney standard. (2 Points) We should all come to expect more then anticipated before riding for the first time. Surprise me for cyring out loud! Maybe I'm a bit jaded because I'm a ride designer but this also affords me the knowledge of what was left out and what a product could have been. Yeah, you see, I designed the best ride ever, revenge of the fired ride-designer. Oh what Test Track could have been if you were executed properly on the ride.

To sum it up, Test Track offers very little in the way of creative entertainment, inspiration or education. The minute amount of thrill it offers attracts many Epcot guests but leaves only a few satisfied. Once again, let's put Test Track side by side with "Journey to the Center of the Earth" at Tokyo DisneySea (exact same ride system) and find out if Test Track maintains its approval ratings. The Tokyo version has story, theme, thrill and detail, while Test Track has only thrill. (5 points.) And just in case you didn't know, I posted this same post over here too. http://imagineerebirth.blogspot.com/...e-freeway.html
But I didn't think you'd notice.

Ah, please re-read the quote... lol

fundesign, no hard feelings, but this is pretty poorly written. I felt it was just perfect to make fun of!

BTW, welcome to MiceChat. I'm Bill, the crazy one here. Though everyone says I know everything, so if you have any questions about yourself, fell free to ask me, because chances are that I know more than you.

Though if you want the PR spin on anything, just Ask Mike, TheDisneyInqusisitor. He can help you out.

Seriously, welcome to MiceChat.

[mrcoaster]

I wouldn't say that only a "few are satisfied." It may not be the most exciting or thrilling ride out there, but the majority of people I've talked with over the years enjoyed it and thought it was a great ride.

I really enjoy it, but I still miss World of Motion. It wasn't really one of those things people want to ride over and over (except for us hardcore types), but it was a relaxing ride with some fun scenes.