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Walt Disney World Resort - Epcot, Introduction and Future World
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| Spaceship Earth, icon of Epcot... |
So, with Walt's passing and his vision incomplete, the original idea of EPCOT was scrapped, but the name lived on. Disney (the company) needed a second theme park, and Walt had always said it would be EPCOT. Instead it became EPCOT Center, and eventually, just Epcot.
Now, until I read the book Imagineering in 2001, I couldn't figure out Epcot. The North half of Epcot is Future World, a technology showcase; the South half is World Showcase, a Disneyfied version of a World's Fair.
Then I found out that they have nothing to do with each other, and it all made sense. Future World and World Showcase were two not-quite-a-theme-park concepts, that were combined to create Epcot. That imaginary line on the map, where Future World meets World Showcase, is literally the line between the models of the incomplete parks when they were pushed together.
But this park, in a way, is more of a tribute to Walt Disney than any of the other Disney parks. It's the first park Walt had no input into, since it was so far removed from his death, but it involved the two things that Walt had great love and enthusiasm for: Technology, and World's Fairs. (And corporate sponsorship. But that's another topic.)
Epcot opened on October 1, 1982, at a rumored cost of $1.4 billion. That's in 1982 dollars... It's over 300 acres, making it about twice the size of the Magic Kingdom. And they serve adult beverages there.
I've always thought Epcot was the Magic Kingdom for older people. Instead of Fantasy and the Imagination, Epcot presented education, culture (if you can call it that) and wonder. It's very unlike the other theme parks here (or anywhere else, for that matter), and it's probably my favorite park. Food is better and more varied than in the other parks, too. And they serve alcohol here. (I think I mentioned that.) All different kinds, from all different countries...
Epcot - Future World
Future World was supposed to be Tomorrowland done right, a showcase that displayed the latest in technology and engineering; what could be done, and what the future could and would look like. Unfortunately for the Imagineers, this thing called the microprocessor was in it's infancy when the park was being planned and built, and they had no idea how that little silicon wafer would change the world...
Amazingly enough, for all the times I've been to Epcot, I don't have any
pictures of the entrance gates. Oh well.
But just beyond the entrance, are the Leave A Legacy stones. In 2000, for the millennial celebration, Disney thoughout it'd be a great idea to be able to leave a little of yourself in Epcot. They took a digital picture of you (and remember in 2000, the technology was close to abysmal), and redigitized it on a plate of aluminum. A nice idea, similar to the Seven Seas Lagoon brick idea. But that was 10 years ago.
Now, they are getting a little old, and the kids that sit on the stones (and just where are those parents?) rub their shoes over them, and wipe out the print, and pehaps it's time for them to go. It's a large area that forces guests to funnel through past the stones. Take the aluminum places and remount them someplace else...
Entrance
You can't talk about the entrance of Epcot, without talking about Spaceship Earth. (And I'm not talking about the back door by the English Channel, either.)
Spaceship Earth, is a 180 foot tall geosphere, and anyone who has ever been to Epcot probably has a picture of it. So here's another 39 of 'em from every angle that's even half-way interesting, with all of it's controverisal headgear...
Spaceship Earth
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Innoventions is probably the single pavilion in Epcot that lives up to the Future World vision. It's ever changing displays are showcases to the latest in innovation, technology and entertainment. There is a fountain outside the main entrances, which dances to several tunes throughout the day. You can find some video here.
Innoventions
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Universe Of Energy, has one attraction, and that's Ellen's Energy Adventure, starring Ellen DeGeneres and Bill Nye the Science Guy, with appearances by Alex Trebec, Jamie Lee Curtis and, uh, Albert Einstein. Anyway, if you try to take pictures, Disney'll cut off your fingers, or something like that.
Universe Of Energy
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Wonders of Life Pavilion
I can't seem to find any pictures of the now closed Wonders of Life
Pavilion. But I do have video of one of the attractions "Cranium
Command". You can get it on my
Video Page.
Mission:SPACE (the ':' is silent) is the latest thrill ride in Epcot, a really intense ride that simulates blasting off to a mission to Mars. (Mission to Mars... Hmmm...) They simulate the g's by spinning you in a centrifuge, and by manipulating the speed at which you spin, does an amazing job of simulating a craft in flight.
I'm not sure what's more intense, the ride or the stress from reading all the signs about how intense this ride is. There's a reason this ride is known as Mission: Barf. (There are now "motion sickness" bags in the ride vehicles.)
After a couple of unfortunate incidents in which guests with a pre-existing heart condition died after being on the ride, Disney came up with Mission:Spayed, a tamed down version of the blast off into space. (No, it's not really called Mission:Spayed. It's the Green Team and Orange Team. The Orange Team is the original ride, the Green Team is the wimpy version.)
After *I* got off the ride, my brain was saying "That was cool," but my legs and stomach were saying, "You did something to me, and if I ever find out what it was, you're going to pay for it..." I never got sick, but I can see why someone would.
Mission:SPACE
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Soon after Universe of Energy got it's upgrade in 1996, the imagineers set their sights on a new attraction, something that Epcot desperately needed, a thrill ride. So General Motors and Disney Imagineers got together and created an attraction based on an automotive test track, the kind automakers use to test chassis dynamics, durability, and livability over differing terrains and environments.
Thus, Test Track was born in 1999. This ride seems to break down a lot, but when it's working, is a pretty cool experience. Just think of it as the world's largest slot car track.
There's video of this attraction. You can get it on my Video Page.
Test Track
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There are three attractions at the Imagination Pavilion, Honey I Shrunk The Audience, a 3-D movie based on the Rick Moranis films. It's another one of those not-to-be-missed attractions, unless you don't like mice, or snakes or dog snot. (Note: Captain EO, the old Micheal Jackson 3D movie at Epcot, will be making a return on July 2, 2010. So in case I don't get around to updating this page, this caveat is in place... :-))
There's also Imageworks, an interactive area to stimulate your senses and your imagination. And it runs on Windows.
And then there's Journey Into Your Imagination With Figment, a reworked version of Journey Into Your Imagination. Journey Into Your Imagination, an upgrade to Journey Into Imagination was such a stinker and drew so many complaints that Disney only kept that version around for a year or two before changing the dark ride into the current version. Let me say I've been on this ride three times, twice because someone I was with hadn't been on it. At least the lines are short.
But the real treat here might be the pavilion itself. The uphill waterfall fountain, the jumping water fountains, even the geometrically trimmed trees make this place a visual delight, completely transformed when it gets dark...
Now, other than the unwelcomed change to the dark ride, this is the oldest pavilion in Future World that hasn't had a major upgrade of some sort.
Imagination!
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The Land Pavilion has three attractions, and probably the best food court in any of the parks. It also has a table service restaurant that I've never tried.
The first attraction is a film called "The Circle of Life", your obligatory environmental cartoon (featuring the Lion King cast) in a pavilion called "The Land"...
The second is "Living With The Land", a boat ride that first takes you through a anamatronic dark ride, then the four greenhouses that Disney maintains, from tropical plants to their hydroponic systems that actually grows vegetables for their restaurant.
The third attraction is "Soarin'", a direct copy of "Soarin' Over California" from California Adventure.
This wildly popular attraction puts you in a hang glider, and takes you through some of California's most scenic and iconic areas of the state. Between the ride mechanism and the IMAX movie in front of you, it's pretty realistic...
Soarin' replaced an attraction called "Food Rocks", and so no one forgets that it existed, there's video of it on my... that's right, my Video Page.
The Land
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The Living Seas was getting sorta old, and once they took the sea-cabs out of the place, it was apparent the place needed a make over.
The Living Seas was given new life with a "Finding Nemo" makeover, making it one of the more popular attractions in Future World. Get on a clammobile, and be amazed at the effects in front of you. You can interact with Crush the Turtle in Seabase Alpha. And of course, you can look at the largest aquarium in the World.
The Seas with Nemo and Friends (aka The Living Seas)
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End Epcot - Part 1
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05/09/2010 - Page Updated, pictures re-imaged, pictures added