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Just about an hour ago, the large-format community lost two of the hardest working friends in the industry... the two IMAX projectors within the Horizons Pavilion at Epcot (Walt Disney World) in Orlando, Florida.
I am pleased to say that I was there on the very last cycle of the ride that had been operating a minimum of 12 hours a day since October 1, 1983.
Although the attraction was closed for a thirteen month period about a year after it lost the sponsorship of G.E., the two projectors contained within the facility have surely broken all 15/70 records with regard to the amount of film each had shown, lamphouse hours, and I'm sure others.
There are many facts about Horizons located on an unofficial tribute site which you should visit if you have a chance. Like Tiger Child, it may not have been the most shining example of what 15/70 technology is or has been capable of doing, but it was definitely one of the early bricks in the large-format foundation that we're still building on today.
I was able to shake the hand of "Rick" (the projectionist on duty) this evening right as I stepped aboard the ride for the last time. While there's no telling if or where these two icecap beasts (and a spare detachable lamphouse) will show up again, they'll always hold a special place in my heart. |
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 Jim DiDio posted on Sunday, January 10, 1999 - 11:45 am
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For those of you unfamiliar with Horizons, being an avid Disney nut let me add some commentary to Brian's. The Horizons pavilion is toured by sitting in a slow-moving vehicle unique for even Disney; the vehicle chairs are perpendicular to the motion of the transport (in other words, you face "to the left" and can't see behind you or to the sides). At one point, you are slowly moved by what I have lovingly referred to as the OmniBra: two giant domes, seemingly standing on edge, that are connected in a bra-like shape, and the same film is playing on both. Thus the effect is that you move slowly by one screen and watch the little scenes and then you exit that "screen" and pick up the same action as it continues on the other side. The loop film is short (probably about two minutes, if that), so you just about see the whole thing.
It was always one of my favorite places to break down. :) When you had to hang there in space and watch the film for about five minutes, you really wanted to hurl. To this day, the rotating DNA chain with you going "down the pipe" is still the IMAX effect that is most likely to make my stomach roil.
(Note to Brian: I'm sure I'm only one of many, but I'd like to take the opportunity to ask... if you can get any scrap film from that ride, I'd love some. Ultimately, I'd love an actual screenable piece, or even enough to make a test-loop (man, just think of that DNA piece as a test loop), but I'd even settle for a few feet or a few frames of scrap.) |
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Nice to know that someone else appreciated Horizons. I'm all for change, and really cool attractions, but I really will miss Horizons.
As for a clip of the film stock, I don't know where the prints from the last ride will go off to, but farbeit for me to miss an opportunity to ask for a clip or two. I'll keep you posted. I'll also keep my eyes peeled for long strips of Estar hanging from the back of any Disney garbage trucks. |
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I've heard through friends at Walt Disney Inagineering that one of the projectors may be recycled for use in the California Soaring sim at Disney's California Adventure, opening 2002 in Anaheim. The ride is designed as a hangglide sim with seats like those used on an inverted hangglide coaster (ie. Top Gun, Batman). The projection system will be Imax Dome.
Also of note, the original Circlevision location at Disneyland was saved and is now part of the preshow for the Rocket Rods attraction. |
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| Anonymous posted on Sunday, January 10, 1999 - 02:33 pm
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| Hmmm... another company that sells a 15/70 projection system has made claim to be installing a 15/70 48FPS 3-D system for a "southern California entertainment giant." Wonder if it's the same project, and if so, which story is correct. |
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I'd go with what I've heard from Imagineering. As far as I know, the attraction will not be 3D. And Disney has a longstanding contract with IMAX. I've also heard that the other projector may be used in the new space pavilion at EPCOT that will be replacing Horizons.
As far as this other company - I couldn't tell you what project. Sea World (a Busch Entertainment subsidiary) has a contract with IWERKS. Universal, if they put in a rumored Spiderman ride, like the one at Islands of Adventure, will be using IMAX. And the IMAX going in at Citywalk will be run by Loew's/Sony. |
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| Anonymous posted on Monday, January 11, 1999 - 12:01 am
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I tend to agree with you, but am curious about the project that Iwerks announced in a press release on September 18, 1997.
The signing of a contract valued at over $3.5 million with a Southern California entertainment giant to produce a major new theme park attraction utilizing the new Iwerks 15/70/48 technology. The Company won a rigorous competition to prove its new system against the market-leading 15/70 projector manufacturer in order to secure the contract. Details of the contract are confidential under terms of the agreement.
The same release speaks of an Iwerks 15/70 camera (capable of up to 60fps) to be available by the Summer of 1998.
Anyone know the status of either of these projects or whether they are still on or not? |
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I checked the press releases on the IWERKS web site. Only the Sept. 18 press release and the first quarter financial results that followed list this upcomming attraction. I do know for certain that the Terminator 2:3D attraction scheduled for a May opening at Universal Studios Hollywood will use an IWERKS 5/70 system. By the way, going through the IWERKS client list I found it somewhat funny that they listed IMAX.
On the bad side, when I visited Disneyland last week, it appears that the Circlevision theater is on a constant 10 to 15 minute loop, and that after 4 hours of operation, I had already noticed quite a bit of emmulsion. |
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| Well, now I'm not sure what to believe. Some web pages I've gone to state IMAX and some others state IWERKS. In the Preview Center located at the entrance to Disneyland, the schematics list the attraction as using an IMAX dome. I contacted a VP at Disney Imagineering I know, but due to a nondisclosure agreement, he couldn't say. It is important to note, however, that themepark plans and suppliers can change anytime during the development and production process. |
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| O.K. Here's the scoop on Horizons. I've contacted a new source at Walt Disney Imagineering who's in the know on such things. Regarding if the IWERKS system is the one to be used in the new park, she said that she can't discuss it, but alluded that it probably is. She said that the IMAX projectors from Horizons may be recycled for use in the pavilion that will replace Horizons, but is checking to varify this. As for scrap prints, she's also checking on that for me. Will post again as soon as I know. |
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| Linda Folsom, a production executive for Imagineering checked on this for me. According to the head of Disney World's projection dpt., the two IMAX projectors were leased from IMAX and will be returned to Canada shortly. No word on scrap prints yet. |
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E-mail received today from Linda Folsom at Walt Disney Imagineering:
"Tom Wright, the Film Show Quality Standards manager, says the film will be vaulted until such a time as it is decided to trash it, but they won't release it."
Disney has on occasion reopened the vault for special showings of discontinued theme park films, such as Circlevision of 3D productions. These are usually done for people in the industry or in the company. I've suggested to Linda that they show the Horizons 15/70 print at the LFCA meeting in May. |
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| I'm sure it would be a hit at the next Splinter Group's Big Shorts at ISTC or GSTA or whatever they go by these days. |
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| ...or on "Vault Disney" on the Disney Channel. :-) |
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| Anonymous posted on Wednesday, September 15, 1999 - 02:09 am
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| I have just heard from a source in Mississauga that the two Horizons projectors have just completed refurbishment and are to be returned to Disney for a new attraction at Epcot. |
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Kinda sad news.
While never "fun" to work on, the Horizons system was certainly different.
And I think those projectors must hold all records for total hours, total passes on a print, and hours between failures. They ran - continuously - from about 7:30am till 10:00 pm as I recall, and easily got ten thousand passes on each print. Prints would look excellent but faded at the end of their scheduled life!
Disney demanded a lot of reliability, so for 2 projectors there were 3 lamphouses (the "hot spare" could be relamped and aligned on a test stand and the whole thing was changed if a lamp failed) 3 rectifiers (with a pretty heavy duty switchboard thingy) and 3 CCU's.
Only 2 actual projectors and loop cabinets though. The projectors were on one floor (#4?), the loop cabinets directly below with the film feeding through the ceiling, and the rectifiers and CCU's one floor below them. No compresssor, Disney provided air.
The projectors used DC direct drive motors running from Imagineering control boxes, which synced up to the sound source coming from Epcot Control.
The projection and equipment room were at about 50 degrees F... and it's hard to remember to take a sweater along in July in Orlando.
Nobody that worked on it will miss those damn projector transporter / slack generator / loop cabinet drive mechanical nightmares, though!
The strangest part of service work there (from 10:00 pm till 7:00 am) was the haunted-castle groans and rumbles that vibrated through the walls from the ride mechanism itself... the thing seemed to run most of the night. That and the deskinned animatronic figures lurking in the offstage halls gave it a pretty spooky feel. |
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