Disney Parks Is Using A Popular Defunct Attraction To Tease The Future, But Fans Are Not Having It

Disney parks are always changing, there's always something new at Disney World or other parks to get excited about. And yet they’re also big on nostalgia. This contradiction has come together in a big way for next month’s Disney Experiences Showcase at the D23 event in Anaheim. It has been announced that the name of the panel is “Horizons,” which was surely meant to excite old-school Disney World fans but has seemingly only annoyed them.

Horizons is one of those Disney World attractions we wish were still around. The Epcot attraction closed 25 years ago and was demolished and replaced with Mission: Space. A lot of people have a lot of fond memories of the attraction, and the name of the presentation is certainly meant to trade on those memories. Check out the artwork from The WDI Instagram below.

Taken on its own, it’s a fantastic image. Mickey Mouse stands in front of a horizon that shows elements from all the Disney Parks all over the world, as well as a pair of Disney Cruise Line ships. Expectations are high for this event among fans who have been waiting for not simply announcements but specifics about future attractions, and when they’ll open.

The use of the word Horizons is certainly not an accident. The presentation promises to reveal to fans “what’s on the horizon” for all the Disney Parks, but using the name of the defunct Epcot attraction that so many people loved is only frustrating most fans. While it could be an indication that something new using the Horizons concept might get announced, few are expecting that, and most seem just annoyed the event would trade on the name’s value to fans.

Of course, it certainly wouldn’t be the first time that Disney Parks have used a piece of classic Epcot for something new, only to disappoint. The recently completed Epcot transformation opened its final piece last month. The underwhelming Communicore Hall took its name from the original Communicore Epcot pavilion, another piece of the park that no longer exists. This seems to be a similar case of using a name that means something, but that is unlikely to deliver what's expected by the name.

Whatever it’s called, and whatever that name may or may not mean, a lot is riding on this year’s Disney Experiences panel. The last couple of years have seen Disney Experiences chief Josh D’Amaro announce a lot of theoretical “blue sky” ideas, without a lot of firm concepts or any idea when we may see any of it. We know that a Tropical Americas land at Disney’s Animal Kingdom will replace Dinoland USA, but no active construction has been done. We know a new land is being added to Magic Kingdom, but we have no idea what’s name or theme will be, or when work on it will begin. Some fans are already preparing to be disappointed this year.

We also know that major Disneyland expansion is happening, but when any work will begin, or what lands or attractions will be included is a total mystery. Who knows, maybe the use of the Horizons name isn’t just nostalgia bait but part of something that will be announced at the D23 panel. Of course, the fact that Horizons wasn’t based on any Disney IP, and CEO Bob Iger has specifically stated that Disney Parks' plans going forward are very focused on IP, makes the idea of something involving Horizons happening quite unlikely.

While the name of the D23 panel may be eliciting more annoyance than nostalgia, if the panel itself delivers then Disney Parks fans likely won’t care too much. We’ll find out what’s on the “horizon,” and hopefully just how far away that horizon is, when the panel takes place on August 10.