At last week’s “What’s New, What’s Next at Walt Disney World” presentation, Walt Disney Imagineering unveiled some of their plans for the upcoming revamp of the popular Epcot attraction, Test Track. The world of automotive design has migrated to the digital realm since Test Track debuted in 1999, which left the attraction feeling a bit old fashioned prior to its closing earlier this month. The reimagined Test Track presented by Chevrolet promises to take WDW guests into the world of digital automotive design, complete with interactive pre-show and post-show features.

For details, concept art, and video interviews with the Imagineers, continue reading about the changes coming to Test Track.

Test Track is getting a complete overhaul, starting with the queue. The pre-show area is being transformed into the Chevrolet Design Studio, where guests will get the chance to design their own vehicle which they will be able to take into the ride itself. Instead of taking the physical tests for Bill and Sherrie from the previous iteration of the ride, guests will enter a digital realm where their cars will be tested on four different areas: Capability, Efficiency, Responsiveness, and Power. These quadrants are represented by “Ride Icons.” As you travel along, the car you designed pre-boarding will be scored for each of the four ride icons. Each person who designed a car in the pre-show will receive a cumulative score at the end of the attraction.

Test Track Ride Icons

While the new Test Track represents a complete revamp of story and theme for the Epcot attraction, the physical layout of the track will remain the same. That means expect the same hairpin turns and high-speed thrills from the previous iteration. However, as you can see from the concept art, this promises to be a completely different experience. The art features a Tron-esque aesthetic, which I am a very big fan of. The Tron look is evocative of “the future,” and feels much more in line with the tone of Future World than the previous Crash Test Dummy version of Test Track did.

Test Track Redesign

Below are two interviews with Imagineers behind the redesign of the attraction. The first, from InsideTheMagic.net, is an interview with Assistant Project Manager Melissa Jeselnick. The second interview, from Attractions Magazine, is with Imagineer Trevor Bryant, the Show Producer on Test Track presented by Chevrolet. Epcyclopedia.com pointed out that Trevor was one of the Imagineers behind the extremely popular past-attraction Horizons.

Personally, I’m excited about the changes coming. I was a fan of the previous version of the attraction, despite the fact that its show scenes were a bit barren. It wasn’t a perfect attraction, but it was a fun attraction. I think the new look of the ride could greatly improve upon the show scenes and provide an attraction that feels much more like a fit inside of Epcot’s Future World. Getting scored on a car guests design before the ride (much like Sum of All Thrills) could add new some repeat visit value to Test Track, depending on how in depth and variable the design system is.

So, when is Test Track reopening? While Disney World’s website lists Test Track as closed until November 30th, Disney’s representatives are still using the more vague “fall this year” to describe the reopening. Disney World guests will have to wait until later this year to find out exactly how the new elements stack up in Test Track.

Are you a fan of the new look for Test Track? Let me know on Twitter or Facebook, or email me at [email protected].