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As a general rule, Disney takes much better care of its attractions than most other theme park operators. It is obsessive about clearing its parks of trash, and paintwork and other decorative elements are usually spick and span.

But what about when an attraction has reached the end of its useful life? Sometimes, they are dismantled and packed away neatly to make room for new additions. Other times, though, they are simply abandoned and left to rot. Here are 8 examples of attractions that have been left in place after closing.

8. The New Global Neighborhood at Epcot

New Global Neighborhood

Image: Nomeus, Flurbex.com

AT&T was the sponsor of Epcot's Spaceship Earth for some 20 years, between 1984 and 2004. In 1994, along with Disney, the company decided to give it a major overhaul. Many of the dark ride's scenes remained unchanged, but those showing current and future communications technologies were updated. The post-show was also changed, from "Earth Station" to "AT&T's Global Neighborhood". This featured hands-on exhibits designed to showcase AT&T's communications expertise.

Ahead of the new millenium, the old exhibits were removed and replaced by an enormous tree made of steel cable known as "The Network Tree". This was the star attraction of "The New Global Neighborhood".

When AT&T walked away from sponsoring the attraction in 2004, the New Global Neighborhood wasn't immediately removed. Instead, it was left in place and boarded up.

7. Discovery Island at Walt Disney World

Discovery Island

Located in Walt Disney World's Bay Lake, Discovery Island first opened to the public in April 1974 as Treasure Island, and operated as a wildlife observation attraction until 1999. At that point, many of its captive animals were moved to the newly-opened Disney's Animal Kingdom.

While several alternative uses of the island have since been put forward - including turning it into an attraction based on Lost - it remains off-limits to guests. Urban explorer Shane Pérez reached the island in 2010, claiming to have discovered "abandoned buildings, cages, preserved snakes in jars, even old employee photos".

6. The Food Rocks! stage at Epcot

Kitchen Kabaret

Kitchen Kabaret has to be one of the most unusual Disney attractions of all time. It was essentially a Vaudeville-style show featuring singing food items, and was designed to teach kids about the four food groups. It operated in the Land Pavilion at Epcot for 12 years before being replaced by the similar Food Rocks, which itself closed for good in 2004.

Eventually, Soarin' occupied some of the space that was used for Food Rocks. However, according to Modern Mouse Radio, the actual stage was left in place and hidden by walls. Even the animatronic figures are said to be resting just beyond your reach as you queue for the flight simulator ride.

5. The Original ImageWorks at Epcot

Abandoned Imageworks

The abandoned ImageWorks as seen in 2011.
Image: E82 - The Epcot Legacy (used with permission)

The original Journey to Imagination attraction at Epcot was very popular. After disembarking, guests were sent through the post-show ImageWorks area. This hosted a variety of games and hands-on exhibits, such as Magic Palette (a digital drawing station), Lightwriter (using lasers to write and draw) and Bubble Music (a projection that moved in time with sounds). The most famous of these was the Rainbow Corridor, which assigned a color to each guest and followed them throughout.

When the ride underwent a major refurbishment in 1999 (a move that was incredibly unpopular among fans of the original), ImageWorks was closed. It was left largely intact, being used for storage and special events.

 
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Comments

I just finished my college program in January. ImageWorks looks the same as in those pictures, just a bit creepier cause some workers have been up there or something. The Rainbow corridor is still there though, just isn't colorful anymore. The EPCOT VIP lounge is there, they use it for training and whatnot. Great article! I really enjoyed reading it!

We stay at Fort Wilderness every time I go to Disney, and I recently learned about River Country. This time around (I just got back from there--still as magical as ever!) I was looking around on the ferry to Magic Kingdom and actually saw the dock for River Country! This photo even proves that I was right and not just mistaking it for something else. I really wish they could refurbish it and open it back up, even if it was for the campground only. I'd pay a bit more if it meant I could take a peek inside and be in what I couldn't before it closed!

I was lucky enough to "tour" the remnants of Dreamworks....a flashlight was required to navigate the now definitely offstage area, but there were enough partially lit signs flickering in a Twilight Zone kind of way.... True Imagination believers....it's asleep, it's waiting, it just needs the Dreamfinder and Figment to make it happen!

Spoke with a long time cast member a few years back regarding River Country . He said he was told that the reason it hasn't been removed is that endangered birds had nested there and it was part of their wildlife promise not to disturb the ecosystem. As it turns out the same happened with the Tree Top Villas near Old Key West. Luckily they did eventually get around to refurbishing them I believe - maybe it will happen for River Country some day too.

Also regarding Discovery Island - one of the original concepts to reinvigorate this abandoned island was to make it MYST island ( as in the video game). It would have been an emersive experience for a precious few each day exploring the island and solving the mystery. It got to the discussion stages and tanked after that. I personally would have loved this. Still makes me giddy thinking about what could have been.

I was a cm from January 08 until April of this year. The Food rocks stage is still there but no animatronics. Everything is still in the imagination Pavilion except the rainbow tunnel. The third floor of the land has some offices and a break area for the characters

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