Epcot was the second theme park built at Walt Disney World.
The park opened with a focus on technology and world cultures, and while that’s still
prevalent, recent additions have placed a greater emphasis on Disney characters and
IPs.
And this park has some great attractions, so in this video, I will rank the top 10 rides
and shows at this park.
Before starting the countdown, I want to note that this list will include a few defunct
attractions I’ve experienced through the years.
10) Gran Fiesta Tour- This boat ride is located in the Mexico pavilion.
A lot of the ride does admittedly feel tacky as you have screens with cartoon versions
of the Three Caballeros overlaid over real life Mexican landmarks, but the final animatronics
look good and it nice how Donald Duck finally got his own ride after all these years.
Ellen’s Energy Adventure- This was one of the longest rides in the world, clocking in
at 45 minutes.
The concept was wacky how Ellen Degeneris ends up on an energy-themed version of Jeopardy.
The ride was slow-moving and there were some cool dinosaur animatronics, but a lot of the
ride depended upon how much you enjoy Ellen’s humor.
Honey, I Shrunk the Audience- I grew up watching the Honey films, so I was excited to see Wayne
Szalinski on the big-screen.
The show is slow-moving at the start, as you don’t shrink until halfway through the attraction,
but the effects are pretty terrifying.
You have some giant 3-D animals lunging at you and some additional multi-sensory effects
that could make your skin crawl.
It was dated by the end, but I still enjoyed the experience.
9) Harmonious- Debuting for Walt Disney World’s 50th anniversary, this nighttime spectacular
is a visually pleasing show.
The mix of pyrotechnics, water, and projections is eye-candy.
The music is good too, drawing from a lot of the recent Disney animated films.
I didn’t quite get the same emotional attachment to this show as its predecessor, but it’s
still fun.
Maelstrom- This Norwegian boat ride featured the exact same layout as Frozen, just replace
Ana, Elsa, and Olaf with Vikings, animals, and trolls.
The two drop sequences were well-executed, but the other scenes did feel a bit dated
by the attraction’s end.
8) Spaceship Earth- Located in the park’s iconic geodesic dome, this lengthy dark ride
covers the advances in human communication.
It’s not the most exciting premise, but the scenes are well-done and detailed.
Then the build-up and reveal of Earth at the top is stunning.
The return back down adds some laughs with an interactive cartoon showing you a goofy
version of your future.
Illuminations- This show was beloved and for good reason.
It was a beautiful show about unity.
The way the show played out was perfect with the pyrotechnics to engage you at the start.
Then the music and lighting choices over the rest of the show really captured your emotions.
7) Mission: SPACE- This is a polarizing attraction.
On one hand, the orange side is one of the most intense attractions at Walt Disney World.
The centrifuge exerts some impressive positive Gs on riders, particularly during the launch
sequence.
It’s neat how you ride in intimate capsules and I like the ride’s story, but I have
two gripes.
One, I wish you had more control over the experience like Smuggler’s Run.
If you fail to complete a command, it’s done automatically.
Two, and this is the bigger one, the video quality isn’t very good.
This can make me feel a bit queasy when paired with those aforementioned Gs.
Sum of All Thrills- This Kuka robot arm was in the Innovations pavilion for a few years
and it was capable of providing a very intense ride.
Due to a lack of footage I could use of this version, I’m showing a similar ride on-screen
in Ice Pilots School at Legoland Billund.
Guests could program a series of elements for their arm to perform.
It was pretty neat.
You could create a milder experience, or do what I did and create a ride with some inversions.
Sum of All Thrills placed a computer screen in front of guests to simulate being on a
coaster, but the tradeoff is that the arm’s motions were noticeably slower on this one.
6) Journey Into Imagination- Where you place this ride depends how much you like Figment,
and I really like the character.
He exudes a childlike joy start to finish.
Some of the effects are pretty neat, most notably the disappearing butterfly and the
bombastic, over-the-top finale.
This ranking reflects the current version.
I did experience the original Journey to Imagination with the Dreamfinder and the much hated Journey
Into Your Imagination, but I was a kid and don’t have a strong recollection of those
versions.
5) Soarin’- One of the oldest flying theaters, it’s still one of the best.
This ride is a beautiful aerial journey past famous landmarks.
The visuals are crisp and you pass some truly amazing landmarks like the Great Wall of China
and the Eiffel Tower.
Then those sights are paired with the perfect soundtrack.
4) Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure- This trackless dark ride was ported over from the Paris resort
and it’s a really nice fit in World Showcase.
The ride creatively uses giant screens and 3D to make you feel as small as a rat.
The visuals are chaotic, which creates a sense of danger as you move through the kitchen
and realize all the dangers that face a rat.
I prefer attractions with physical animatronics, but this ride does at least have some details
in between screens and the motion is perfectly synchronized throughout the experience.
3) Frozen Ever After- This boat ride is pure fun.
The ride features some of Disney’s best animatronics.
The ones for Olaf are particularly impressive.
Then the ride has awesome use of music, especially if you like the soundtrack of the original
Frozen.
I particularly like the sequence with Let It Go that includes the wonderful Elsa animatronic
and the backwards drop.
Then the final plunge features a giant snowman turning towards you and blowing smoke in your
face.
It’s a fantastic visual.
Neither drop is too wild.
They’re more about the theatrics.
This ride is really well-done and it beats a lot of the older Disney dark rides without
a doubt.
2) Test Track- This dark ride is a nice mix of theming and thrills.
The indoor section has this highly-stylized, futuristic vibe as you progress through a
series of tests.
And some of these are accompanied by some exciting parts.
The braking sequence has some fun accelerations reminiscent of a coaster launch and the handling
section has some wild turns.
Then the high-speed, outdoor finale is the ride’s signature moment.
The sense of speed as you fly around that final turn is pure bliss.
I have an entire review on this attraction, but it was Epcot’s best thrill ride for
many years.
1) Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind- It took Epcot nearly 4 decades to finally
get a roller coaster, but their first one may be the best coaster at the resort.
Guardians is spectacular.
After a series of pre-shows immerse you into the experience, you board a prototype spinning
coaster ride system from Vekoma.
These ones don’t spin freely; rather they rotate at pre-determined points to emphasize
certain ride or story elements.
The ride is pure chaos and fun.
I think it’s Disney’s best paced coaster.
You have a fun launch at the start followed by a long layout with some airtime pops and
some fairly forceful turns.
Then you also have the environment of Space Mountain with some giant video screens to
progress the story.
Lastly, you have on-board audio.
I got 4 of the 6 songs, and all the ones I experienced fit the ride perfectly, enhancing
the experience.
I have an entire review on this coaster, but it’s a really neat experience.
So those are my top 10 attractions at Epcot.
What are your thoughts on this park’s rides and shows?
Let me know down in the comments.
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