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The official Disney Parks Blog today held a live chat with Imagineer Melissa Jeselnick, who shared additional insight on what the updated version of Test Track at Epcot will be like when it reopens later this year. Jeselnick is the Assistant Project Manager for the update, working on it spring 2011, tasked with bringing new technology, a new look, and a new story to the high-speed Walt DIsney World attraction.
The very first question of the chat revealed a first look at the new marquee that will be posted outside Test Track, pictured above. The ride’s sleek new design aesthetic is prominently featured on this sign, and will continue throughout the updated attraction.
The questions that followed repeated a lot of known details about the Test Track update, including its new emphasis on designing cars rather than testing them. According to Jeselnick, guests will use “an interactive design kiosk, so in the full experience you can start from a line, then shape your vehicle and add attributes - pick the colors, the tires, and make it truly your dream vehicle. Everybody in the vehicle will have their ride design, whether they designed individually or as a group. As you move through the four groups, you’ll see how the design stacked up against the sim car design.” It’s all built on top of custom software created just for this attraction.
Jeselnick also described the previously-released piece of concept artwork below as depicting moments “just before our final virtual scene. By that point of the ride, you’ve experienced Capability, Efficiency, Responsiveness, and Power and we’re setting you up for Speed.”
Elaborating further, she wrote about each of the four main show scenes in the ride. “Capability is where your car is tested for rough road and weather conditions. Efficiency tests your car design’s environmental footprint. The Responsiveness phase tests maneuverability, and finally, Speed is tested.”
During the live chat, I asked about the ride’s balance between virtual and real-world sets and props, wondering how much time will riders will spend looking at screens instead of real-world items. Jeselnick replied, “We talk a lot about being in the digital space, but it’s still a physical experience. We’re using a lot of new technology to tell the story, but it is still a dynamic physical experience.”
She also confirmed the ride’s track will not be changing, featuring “the same track layout that we know and love.” Only the visuals and sounds surrounding the experience will be new. The ride’s new music “will be futuristic” with “a whole new soundtrack that will not only compliment the attraction with music, but special sound effects too.”
Likewise, the single rider and FastPass options will still be present, though these portions of the queue will limit the vehicle customization that takes place. Jeselnick explained, “The full experience allows you to do a lot of customization with your vehicle; the FastPass and Single Rider lines allow for an expedited queue experience and select you a custom vehicle of your choosing to take with you on your ride all the way through the post show.”
The vehicle customization indeed will continue beyond the ride, enabling guests to continue interacting with their design in a post-show area. Jeselnick described this area’s features as beginning with “a scoring opportunity, not just with the guests in your car, but guests throughout the day. From there, we’ll move into other opportunities to play with your design with multiple interactive elements. The show room space will still be there with the Chevrolet cars, and we’ll have our own photo ops with different concept cars.”
Back in April 2012, we talked with Jeselnick and Show Producer Trevor Bryant about the Test Track update:
Video: Imagineers detail Test Track update with new concept art and information (from April 2012)
Test Track is scheduled to reopen at Epcot in its new form in “late fall” 2012.
Ricky, how can you be appreciative for the “answer” she gave to your question about real vs virtual elements? She basically said “there will be a lot of technology, but there also wont be…”
How it that an answer? That tells us absolutely nothing about the new layout…there can be 1 projector and all real items OR there could be a few glowing arches and all projections walls.
I believe what she meant was that despite the fact that they are emphasizing the digital aspect of this new story and theme, it will still be a very physical experience, not just a simulator. It didn’t exactly answer my question, but could still clear up the fact that some people feel the old “ride” is being replaced by a virtual one, which is not the case.
I thought that most questions that where picked (or created) where lame and if there was a good question (like Ricky’s one) we got a lame answer. No idea why Disney is doing it because it didn’t do anything for me. The attraction sounds like they learned a lot from the Yeti in Animal Kingdom, you drive through a disco and that’s it.
Especialy when she told us the music was futuristic and the ride represents how testing is done now made me feel this ride will look old very soon.
And what about the huge Chevrolet logo. Is it the biggest and most offensive sales pitch ever? This doesn’t sounds Disney it screams GM. So sad.
Ricky,
I’ve been itching for info on the live chat since I couldn’t be online at the time. Thanks so much for providing this!
Can someone explain this to me: is this Test Track supposed to be a Tron attraction without calling it Tron?
It sure looks like Tron.
Are they just going to ship this attraction to DLR and put it in Tomorrowland there and call it TRON where in Florida it’s called TestTrack?
Well Jeff,
The design is clearly inspired by the landscape of Tron but it is not set in the Tron universe so it is not a Tron attraction, so don’t expect the ride vehicles to look like lightcycles
the new ride is essentially you are car designers and you are in chevorlet’s computers
This looks like a cool refresh of a good attraction to me. My wife and I love TT and ride it multiple times on every trip. The worst part of the ride is the atmosphere and theming so getting back to a more futuristic, 80′s Epcot-ish look is welcome, IMO. I am sorry that there is so much negativity online about this refresh. I think there are a few WDW fans that are bitter that Anaheim got Cars Land and we aren’t getting anything near that level (yet?) so they only see the way our things fall short. It’s funny because 5 or so years ago the West coasters were the ones who were bitter about the situation in their parks and felt like red-headed stepchildren while we got “all the good stuff”. Who knows what the future will bring? Regardless, I think that for a 6 month refresh of an existing, popular attraction, this COULD turn out well.
I liked it the way it was. It felt real and was interesting. Now, from what little they showed of it, if reminds me of a cheap glow in the dark paint look. lol.
Personally, the set designs were the best part of Disney attractions. I loved looking at them! Sadly, not much exists now, I guess it is just cheaper to shine some lights than to make a set. I am sure the pre-teens will like it, but maybe not so much those of us who remember rides like Horizons.
If they wanted a Tron style ride, they should have changed Space Mountain.