Omnimover

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Omnimover is an amusement ride system used for Disney theme park attractions. The term was coined by Imagineer Bob Gurr and is a portmanteau of OmniRange and PeopleMover.

The Omnimover system consists of a chain of vehicles operating on a track, usually hidden beneath the floor. The chain of vehicles maintains constant motion at a specific speed throughout the entire course of the attraction. To facilitate boarding and debarking from the vehicles, a conveyor belt moving the same speed as the ride vehicles parallels the track at the loading and unloading areas. Passengers step from the moving belt into the vehicle or vice versa.

One of the defining features that differentiates this system from other ride systems is the ability of the vehicle to rotate to a predetermined orientation. Aside from the rails the vehicle rides on, the Omnimover system has two control rails that are connected to the vehicle via arms attached to a wheel that follows one of the control rails. One control rail controls the swivel of the vehicle, allowing the vehicle to be pointed to a specific direction at a specified location on the track. The other control rail adjusts the tilt of the vehicle allowing it to stay level even as the main track ascends or descends inclines.

The Omnimover system was created by Roger E. Broggie and Bert Brundage to provide a ride system capable of giving passengers a motion picture type experience in which the attraction designers control the line of sight of the riders. This concept also allows the designers to be able to place infrastructure elements of the attraction, such as lighting and projectors, behind the vehicles without concern for having the illusions of the attraction revealed to the riders.

Attractions that use (or used) the Omnimover system are:

Adventure Thru Inner Space at Disneyland, (1967-1985)
Haunted Mansion at Disneyland (later at other parks), (1969-current)
If You Had Wings at the Magic Kingdom, (1972-1986)
Spaceship Earth at Epcot, (1982-current)
World of Motion at Epcot, (1982-1996)
Horizons (Epcot attraction) at Epcot, (1982-1999)
Journey Into Imagination at Epcot, (1983-1998). The 1998 revamp changed to a train-based system.
Delta Dreamflight at the Magic Kingdom, (1987-1996)

The following two attractions use the Omnimover system, but also allow the passengers to determine the swivel of the vehicle within a predetermined range during certain portions of the attraction.

Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin at the Magic Kingdom, (1998-current)
Buzz Lightyear's Astro Blasters at Tokyo Disneyland (later other parks), (2004 - current)
Buzz Lightyear's Laser Blast at Disneyland Resort Paris, (2006 - current)