EPCOT

'Epcot' is the second theme park built at the Walt Disney World Resort near Orlando, Florida. It was dedicated to international culture and technological innovation. The park opened on October 1, 1982, and was named 'EPCOT Center' from 1982 to 1993. It was the largest Disney theme park in the world by area until 1998, when Disney's Animal Kingdom opened.

Contents

History

The planned community

The theme park

Opening day

Facts and figures

Park layout

Future World pavilions

World Showcase

World Showcase Lagoon

IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth

Timeline

References

See also

External links

History

The planned community

Main articles: Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow (concept)

The name ''Epcot'' derives from the acronym EPCOT (Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow), a utopian city of the future planned by Walt Disney (he sometimes used the word "City" instead of "Community" when expanding the acronym). In Walt Disney's words: "EPCOT...will take its cue from the new ideas and new technologies that are now emerging from the creative centers of American industry. It will be a community of tomorrow that will never be completed, but will always be introducing and testing and demonstrating new materials and systems. And EPCOT will always be a showcase to the world for the ingenuity and imagination of American free enterprise."
Walt Disney's original vision of EPCOT was for a model community, home to twenty thousand residents, which would be a test bed for city planning and organization. The community was to have been built in the shape of a circle, with businesses and commercial areas at its center, community buildings and schools and recreational complexes around it, and residential neighborhoods along the perimeter. Transportation would have been provided by monorails and PeopleMovers (like the one in the Magic Kingdom's Tomorrowland). Automobile traffic would be kept underground, leaving pedestrians safe above-ground. Walt Disney said, "It will be a planned, controlled community, a showcase for American industry and research, schools, cultural and educational opportunities. In EPCOT, there will be no slum areas because we won't let them develop. There will be no landowners and therefore no voting control. People will rent houses instead of buying them, and at modest rentals. There will be no retirees; everyone must be employed." The original model of this original vision of EPCOT can still be seen by passengers riding the Tomorrowland Transit Authority attraction in the Magic Kingdom park; when the PeopleMover enters the showhouse for Stitch's Great Escape, the model is visible on the left (when facing forward) behind glass. This vision was not realized. Walt Disney was not able to obtain funding and permission to start work on his Florida property until he agreed to build the Magic Kingdom first. Disney passed away before the Magic Kingdom opened.

After Disney's death, The Walt Disney Company later decided that it did not want to be in the business of running a town. The model community of Celebration, Florida has been mentioned as a realization of Disney's original vision, but Celebration is based on concepts of new urbanism which is radically different from Disney's modernist and futurist visions. However, the idea of EPCOT was instrumental in prompting the state of Florida to create the Reedy Creek Improvement District (RCID) and the Cities of Bay Lake and Reedy Creek (soon renamed Lake Buena Vista), a legislative mechanism which allows the Walt Disney Company to exercise governmental powers over Walt Disney World. Control over the RCID is vested in the landowners of the district, and the promise of an actual city in the district would have meant that the powers of the RCID would have been distributed among the landowners in EPCOT. Because the idea of EPCOT was never implemented, the Disney Corporation remained almost the sole landowner in the district allowing it to maintain control of the RCID and the cities of Bay Lake and Lake Buena Vista. Disney's intent appears to be that it wishes to keep the RCID as an instrument of the company, as witnessed by the method by which the RCID redrew its boundaries to exclude Celebration rather than allow Celebration's resident landowners to dilute Disney's control over the RCID.

The theme park

The theme park was originally known as ''EPCOT Center'' to reflect the fact that the park was built to embody the ideals and values of EPCOT the city. In 1994, the name was changed to ''Epcot '94'' and subsequently ''Epcot '95'' a year later. By 1996, the park was known simply as ''Epcot'', a non-acronym, mixed-case word, as the park no longer reflected Walt Disney's plans for a futuristic city.
The original plans for the park showed indecision over what the park's purpose was to be: some Imagineers wanted it to represent the cutting edge of technology, while others wanted it to showcase international cultures and customs. At one point a model of the futuristic park was pushed together against a model of the international park, and EPCOT Center was born - a theme park with the flavor of a World's Fair.
Epcot is generally regarded as more "learning-oriented" than other theme parks. However, beginning in 1996 with the construction of Test Track, Epcot has seen a shift away from this image. This has been done by renovating or replacing attractions in order to incorporate more thrill elements, such as replacing Horizons with and World of Motion with Test Track, and adding more Disney characters to attractions, such as in The Seas with Nemo & Friends and Gran Fiesta Tour Starring The Three Caballeros, updated versions of The Living Seas and El Rio del Tiempo, neither of which originally contained Disney characters.

Opening day

Before the park had its debut on October 1, 1982, Walt Disney World Ambassador Genie Field introduced E. Cardon Walker, Disney's chairman and CEO, who dedicated EPCOT Center with a short speech:^[1]
Walker also presented a family with lifetime passes for the two Walt Disney World theme parks. His remarks were followed by Florida Governor Bob Graham and William Ellinghouse, president of AT&T.
As part of the opening-day ceremony, dancers and band members performed ''We've Just Begun to Dream''. The Sherman Brothers wrote a song especially for the occasion entitled, "The World Showcase March". During the finale, doves and many sets of balloons were released.
Performing groups representing countries from all over the world performed in World Showcase. Water gathered from major rivers across the globe was emptied into the park's lagoon from ceremonial containers to mark the opening.
Located at the front of the park is a plaque bearing Walker's opening-day dedication, as seen above.

Facts and figures

★ 'Total cost': $1.4 billion (''estimated'')

★ 'Construction time': three years (at the time the largest construction project on Earth)

★ 'Park size': over 300 acres (1.2 km²)

★ 'Parking lot':

★
★ 141 acres (including bus area)

★
★ 11,211 vehicles (grass areas hold additional 500+ vehicles)

★ The pavement at Epcot was engineered by Disney and Kodak photography to be painted a specific custom color of pink that makes the grass look greener and pictures look brighter. In addition, the colored sidewalks give an overall cleaner look to the park.

★ Unlike the Magic Kingdom, Epcot only contains tunnels underneath the buildings that contain Innoventions East, the Electric Umbrella, MouseGear, Innoventions West, and the building housing Club Cool and Fountain View Espresso. The tunnels are used primarily for the support facilities necessary for the merchandise shops and restaurants contained therein (stock rooms, break rooms, prep kitchens, garbage disposal, etc). There is an entry/exit corridor that runs from the northeast corner of the tunnels (the area below Innoventions East/the Electric Umbrella restaurant) to a backstage area located between the Universe of Energy/Ellen's Energy Adventure and the east side of the main entrance complex.

★ To commemorate the opening of EPCOT Center in 1982, the Imagineers who worked on the project put together a massive cake that was a scale model of the park. It was dubbed "EpCake: The Experimental Prototype Cake of Tomorrow".^citation

★ Official dedication didn't take place until October 24, 1982.

Park layout

The park consists of two sections: Future World and World Showcase. Both are patterned after the kinds of exhibits which were popular at World's Fairs in the first two-thirds of the 20th century, in particular the 1939 New York World's Fair. Epcot has become essentially a permanent display of the world's nations.

Future World pavilions

Future World consists of a variety of pavilions that explore innovative aspects and applications of technology. Originally, each pavilion featured a unique logo which was featured on park signage and the attractions themselves. The logos have been phased out over recent years, but some remnants still remain scattered throughout the park.

★ Spaceship Earth

★ Innoventions

★ Universe of Energy

★

★ Test Track

★ The Seas with Nemo and Friends

★ The Land

★ Imagination!

★ Wonders of Life
Each Future World pavilion was initially sponsored by a corporation who helped fund its construction and maintenance in return for the corporation's logos appearing prominently throughout the pavilion. For example, Universe of Energy was sponsored by Exxon, and The Land was sponsored by Kraft, then Nestlé. Each pavilion contains a posh "VIP area" for its sponsor with offices, lounges, and reception areas hidden away from regular park guests. In the years since the park's opening, however, some sponsors have decided that the branding wasn't worth the cost of sponsorship and have pulled out, leaving some of the pavilions without sponsors. Disney prefers to have sponsors helping to pay the bills, so pavilions without sponsors have an uncertain future. After General Electric left Horizons in 1993, it closed for a couple of years, and opened again in 1995. It was ultimately demolished in Jan. 1999 to make room for Mission: SPACE in 2003. MetLife abandoned Wonders of Life in 2001 and that area is now operating seasonally. Test Track is sponsored by General Motors, Imagination! is sponsored by Eastman Kodak, and is sponsored by Hewlett-Packard. Spaceship Earth was sponsored by Bell System from 1982 to 1984, then AT&T from 1984 until 2003. It was not sponsored between 2003 and 2005. It is now sponsored by Siemens.

World Showcase

'World Showcase' contains pavilions representing eleven countries—click on the links below for more information about each. In clockwise order, the pavilions are:

★ Mexico

★ Norway (added in 1988)

★ China

★ Germany

★ Italy

★ United States of America

★ Japan

★ Morocco (added in 1984)

★ France

★ United Kingdom

★ Canada
Of the eleven countries, Norway and Morocco were not present at the park's opening, and were added later. Each of these contains representative shops and restaurants and is staffed by citizens of these countries, many of them college students living in Walt Disney World College Program housing. Some also contain rides and shows. The only pavilion that is sponsored (and paid for) by the country it represents is Morocco, the remaining country pavilions are all sponsored by major corporations.
Pavilions for Russia, Spain, Venezuela, United Arab Emirates, and Israel never made it past the planning phase. An Equatorial Africa pavilion was planned but was never built. It would have featured a large African presentation film hosted by Alex Haley. A small African themed refreshment stop is now in its place, known as the Outpost. After Disney's Animal Kingdom—an African-themed animal preserve and park—opened, any plans for an African Pavilion were dropped.
To cut costs, Disney now usually opens World Showcase two hours after park opening and closes certain Future World rides and attractions at 7:00 PM. However over the years as new rides are built, the newer more popular attractions like Test Track, Soarin', Mission Space, and most recently The Seas with Nemo and Friends, as well as the iconic Spaceship Earth, have been remaining open from park open through to park close.
Unlike the Magic Kingdom, which does not serve alcohol, many stores and restaurants in the World Showcase do serve or sell alcoholic beverages from their respective countries, and beer is sold at refreshment stands throughout the park. A popular activity is to "drink around the world" at World Showcase.
There is an entrance to the park between the France and United Kingdom Pavilions known as the International Gateway. Guests staying in a number of the Epcot Resorts and guests at the Disney Studio's can access this gate by walkway or boat.

World Showcase Lagoon

'World Showcase Lagoon' is a man-made lake located in the World Showcase pavilion. It has a perimeter of 2 miles.

IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth

Main articles: IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth


This thirteen-minute fireworks show takes place in the World Showcase Lagoon every night at the park's closing time (usually 9:00 PM). The show features Fireworks, lasers, fire and water fountains timed to a musical score over the World Showcase Lagoon. A large rotating globe with curved LED screens is the centerpiece of the show and is used to project images of people and places. The current version premiered as part of the park's millennium celebration in 2000. The show tells the story of Earth and is divided into three movements titled "Chaos," "Order," and "Meaning." The music has an African tribal sound to it, to emphasize the idea of humanity as a single unified tribe on this planet; the lagoon is surrounded by twenty large torches signifying the past twenty centuries, and the show culminates in the globe opening like a lotus blossom to reveal a twenty-first torch, representing the new century.

Timeline

★ October 1, 1978: Card Walker, president of Walt Disney Productions, reveals plans for the theme park

★ October 1, 1979: Official groundbreaking and start of construction

★ October 1, 1982: EPCOT Center opens with Spaceship Earth, Universe of Energy, World of Motion, Imagination (Magic Journeys and ImageWorks only), The Land, CommuniCore, and most of the World Showcase

★ October 23, 1982: Carnival de Lumiere is the first nightly fireworks show

★ 1983: A New World Fantasy becomes the nightly fireworks show

★ March 5, 1983: Journey Into Imagination ride opens.

★ October 1, 1983: Horizons opens

★ June 9, 1984: Laserphonic Fantasy becomes the nightly fireworks show

★ October 1, 1984: Morocco opens

★ January 15, 1986: The Living Seas opens

★ February 9, 1986: Magic Journeys closes, to reopen at the Magic Kingdom

★ May 26, 1986: Spaceship Earth reopens with narrator Walter Cronkite

★ September 12, 1986: Captain EO starring Michael Jackson opens

★ January 30, 1988: IllumiNations becomes the nightly fireworks show

★ July 1, 1988: Norway opens

★ July 5, 1988: Maelstrom opens at Norway

★ October 19, 1989: Wonders of Life opens

★ September 30, 1992: Kraft ends sponsorship of The Land

★ November 1992: Nestlé begins sponsorship of The Land

★ September 30, 1993: General Electric ends sponsorship of Horizons

★ 1994: Name changed from EPCOT Center to Epcot '94

★ 1994: Holiday IllumiNations becomes the nightly fireworks show during holidays

★ January 30, 1994: CommuniCore closes

★ July 1, 1994: Innoventions opens

★ July 6, 1994: Captain EO closes

★ November 21, 1994: Honey, I Shrunk the Audience opens

★ November 23, 1994: Spaceship Earth reopens with narrator Jeremy Irons

★ 1995: Name changed from Epcot '94 to Epcot '95

★ 1996: Name changed from Epcot '95 to Epcot

★ January 2, 1996: World of Motion closes

★ September 15, 1996: Universe of Energy reopens, now starring Ellen DeGeneres and Bill Nye

★ September 20, 1996: IllumiNations is shown for the last time

★ September 21, 1996: IllumiNations 25 (A) becomes the nightly fireworks show for the 25th anniversary of Walt Disney World Resort

★ May 18, 1997: IllumiNations 25 (A) is shown for the last time

★ May 19, 1997: IllumiNations 25 (B) becomes the nightly fireworks show

★ January, 1998: United Technologies ends sponsorship of The Living Seas

★ January 31, 1998: IllumiNations 25 (B) is presented for the last time

★ February 1, 1998: IllumiNations (98) becomes the nightly fireworks show

★ October 10 1998: Journey Into Imagination closes in its original form

★ January 9, 1999: Horizons closes

★ March 17, 1999: Test Track opens

★ September 21, 1999: IllumiNations (98) is presented for the last time

★ September 22, 1999: becomes the nightly fireworks show

★ September 30, 1999: Horizons briefly reopens but only for press groups.

★ October 1, 1999: Journey Into Imagination reopens as Journey Into Your Imagination and officially debuts. Millennium Village opens

★ July - August 2000: Horizons demolished

★ January 1, 2001: Millennium Village closes, marking the end of the Millennium Celebration

★ June 1, 2001: MetLife ends sponsorship of Wonders of Life

★ June 1, 2002: Journey Into Imagination reopens as Journey Into Imagination With Figment

★ January 1, 2003: AT&T ends sponsorship of Spaceship Earth

★ October 2003: opens

★ January 3, 2004: Food Rocks closes

★ March 17, 2004: Exxon Mobil ends sponsorship of Universe of Energy

★ May 5, 2005: Soarin' opens at The Land Pavilion

★ November, 2005: Siemens signs a twelve-year sponsorship deal of Spaceship Earth, , as well as attractions at Innoventions.

★ October, 2006: The Living Seas is refurbished and becomes The Seas With Nemo And Friends.

★ January 2, 2007: El Rio Del Tiempo closes to be refurbished in to "Gran Fiesta Tour Starring The Three Caballeros"

★ April 6, 2007: El Rio Del Tiempo reopens as Gran Fiesta Tour Starring The Three Caballeros.

★ April 25, 2007: The new exhibit space in Spaceship Earth's post show called ''Project Tomorrow: Inventing the Wonders of the Future'' opens.

★ July 5th, 2007: Epcot Vice President Jim Macphee officially announces the removal of the wand structure over Spaceship Earth, with the process due to begin on July 9th. It is expected to be fully removed by October 2007.

★ July 9th, 2007: Spaceship Earth closes for major renovations. It is expected to reopen November 2007.

★ August 5th, 2007: The sign and DNA structure in front of the Wonders of Life pavilion are removed.

★ August 24th, 2007: The wand structure over Spaceship Earth is completely removed.

References

1. Epcot Opening Day Dedication

See also

★ Epcot attraction and entertainment history

★ WestCOT

★ Epcot Area Resorts

External links

★ Walt Disney World Resort - Epcot web page

★ Waltopia - Walt's concept for the original EPCOT city

★ WDW Photos and Videos on Theme Park Review

★ Current Disney World Live Entertainment schedule