Nestled in the warm rocky cliffs of the Desert Biome is Beneath Our Roots, a hidden gem of a dark ride that takes place underground. With the closure of Animal Kingdom's Bugs Life theater to be updated into a weirdly smashed-in Zootopia theater, the bugs and their underground environment are now thrown into EPCOT in a whole other fashion- but without any of that IP from the Bug's Life movie is nonexistent- simply its essence is retained and blended in with the classic Disney Attraction, Adventures Through Inner Space. Come take a peak- and dare we say, dig in!
Dr. Apogean, a lead scientist at SKY Institutes (a future subdivision of SEA and ironically named considering the team dedicates time towards the underground), is conducting a new project- one that's potentially dangerous. One of his newest inventions is the Apogeator, a machine that continues to dig in a downward spiral that shrinks in size, which creates a funnel-like tunnel that becomes microscopic after some time. The Apogeator's drill, which includes an entire seating station for scientists, shrinks to fit into the tunnel that is created. The Apogeator's created tracks allow other machines (the vehicles you'll ride in) to follow along, so repeat expeditions can allow scientists to research the underground. With its success, society wants YOU to help them explore and test the Apogeator... just hope that nothing goes wrong.
The Apogeator has already dug its tunnel into the Earth, and it's time for you to enter it. A large crevice with a sign bearing the name of the ride and its wait time beckons you in deeper. Once you climb in, you'll find how unsettlingly reminiscent it is of the underground tunnels found in the Bugs Life Theater, with detailed rockwork and beautiful subterranean immersion. Various lab equipment is thrown around, and you can see coats hanging from hooks hammered into the earth. Because everything was put inside the Apogeator and then entered into the space, everything is proportionate- no funky "giant" items can be found. Weaving through the tunnels, you'll finally be able to reach the loading station. This is a typical dark ride, with a visible track- its explained by the fact that a rail is laid by the Apogeator to ensure that the vehicles you'll ride in, Subteraneators, will stay on track towards a destination. Climbing into the vehicles, the cast members do a safety check and you're off!
"Thank you for joining us- this is simply FABULOUS! Well anyways, for a quick introduction before we explore what goes on beaneath our roots, I'd like to welcome you all to the Underground. My name is Dr. Apogean, and I'm the lead scientist for this project at SKY. I'll be your tour guide today too. Make sure you keep all hands and feet in the vehicles at all times, and you'll be guaranteed safe from any spiders or creepy crawlies coming our week. So that's that, and I'll meet you in a few inches!"
From the darkness, we suddenly turn a corner and reach the first tunnel. Dr. Apogean explains that near the entrance of the tunnel, the area is infested with little creatures that live underground. This includes moles, burrowing owls, and groundhogs, and we get to see them up close and personal. The first animal, the Burrowing Owl, Pokes its head from the ceiling and stares at guests. Not many guests may notice it, but when you continue to move forward, you'll realize that the Owl is still looking at you- its simply turned its head 360 degrees.
Soon, another curious critter pops out- but this time from the ground. A large mole seemingly sniffs the air and suddenly notices that its you being there which is confusing its senses. It eventually disappears back into the ground, but not before sending a series of enormous chitters. The final large critter in the first scene is the groundhog, accompanied by a family of baby groundhogs. They're right next to you on all sides, sniffing you. Light projected makes sure that they're shadow is right in front of them, which makes Dr. Apogean laugh, explaining that it's not Groundhog Day yet (and if it is Groundhog Day, the attraction changes the spiel by saying "I guess we have more winter ahead of us!").
The vehicles soon head into darkness again and come out into the next scene. Suddenly, you've shrunken a great deal! And that's not a good thing, because the next scene of critters is the tarantulas, all of whom are massive and fluffy- quite a shock to any young kids or spider-lovers! Dr. Apogean, who has a great fear of spiders, turns up the speed and we rush into the next scene. We've now shrunken to the size of ants and smaller insects. A grasshopper, Jimminey as the scientists call him, is an imported animatronic from the Bug's Life theater, and talks to him, speaking (Dr. Apogean affirms this: "Yes, he can talk- it's your conscience speaking") and judging your attire. You then meet a variety of ants dotted around. Everything is getting bigger as you continue- they're not growing bigger, you're getting SMALLER!
Finally, we enter the next room, devoid of any pesky critters. This time, surrounding you is a tangle of wild roots, twisitng around everywhere ("NOW we're beneath our roots!"). But the strangest thing is a phenoenom that can't be seen on a microscope- the roots send green "flashes" of light that course through them, and a suprised Dr. Apogean says that it must be that theyre sending communication signals to each other becuse of the fungi on the roots, the Earth's way of communicating, a piece of information you can gladly take home.
The next few scenes are even cooler- you're now passing into the microscopic level, so the nexr few parts of similar to Adventure in Inner Space. You see cells, the unseeable dust-eaters, and more. Dr.. Apogean says that we'll need to stop soon, because if we shrink too small, we might not even be able to get out...
Suddenly, when we reach the point where it is all darkness, our vehicles "spin" on an axle many times, until we don't know where we are facing. Suddenly, the vehicles seem to "lurch" backwards (still moving forward), and flashes of light surround us. We're speeding back into normal size, until we arrive to the loading station. Dr. Apogean thanks us for staying on this journey, and hopes that we learned more of what goes on... Beneath Our Roots.