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Epcot
 

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

History

The planned community

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 wasn't able to obtain funding and permission to start work on his Florida property until he agreed to build the Magic Kingdom first, and he died before its opening day. The Walt Disney Company later decided that it didn't 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 Epcot 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. It has only three thrill rides (Test Track, Mission: SPACE, and Soarin'); the rest of its attractions are dark rides, shows, or walkthrough exhibits. Epcot's Future World is showing its age; the exhibits there no longer represent the most modern advances in technology. A plan code-named "Project Gemini", once rumored to exist, would have changed Future World into "Discoveryland," changed its theme to the idea of discovery, reduced the pressure to keep everything cutting-edge, and added a few more thrill rides. "Project Gemini" was simply a hypothetical project that, when leaked to the internet community became regarded by many as fact. It simply never was.

Epcot is also regarded today as the quintessential park of the 1980's. There are many who feel the park is severely outdated. On the other hand there are many who enjoy the nostalgia as there has been a growing trend toward interest in 1980's culture. To showcase this growing trend Epcot has a performance troupe in the Future World area perform many New Wave hits from the 80's on synthesizer instruments. The troupe dresses in Duran Duran- and A Flock Of Seagulls-esque clothing and also peforms many Disney songs.

Various satirical expansions of the acronym EPCOT have emerged over time, such as "Every Person Comes Out Tired" (because of the amount of walking required in the park), "Every Pocketbook Comes Out Thinner," "Evil Polyester Costumes Of Torture" (which refers to the puppets in the Tapestry of Nations and Tapestry of Dreams that created back problems from many Cast Members)(this satirical acronym actually predates the Tapestry of Nations parade by more than a decade and refers to the costumes of most Cast Members throughout Walt Disney World, as polyester is not very comfortable in the Florida humidity), "Every Paycheck Comes On Thursday" (the pay day for Disney Cast Members), "Eisner Puts Cash On Table" (in light of the high admission price to the Disney parks, and former Disney CEO Michael Eisner's reported 40 million dollar bonuses in the 1990s), "Eisner's Personal Coin-Operated Toy," and "Eisner's Personal Cash On Tap."

Opening day

October 1, 1982 was a grand opening day celebration with international performing groups representing countries from all over the world with and without pavilions in World Showcase. Water was gathered from major rivers all over the world and emptied into the lagoon from ceremonial containers to mark the opening. Located at the front of the park is a plaque bearing its opening-day dedication:

Facts and figures

  • Total cost: States Dollar|$" target="_blank" >*1.4 billion (estimated)
  • Construction time: 3 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/Ice Station Cool & 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 EPCOT Center. It was dubbed "EpCake: The Experimental Prototype Cake of Tomorrow".

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

See also: List of current Epcot attractions

Future World consists of a variety of pavilions that explore innovative aspects and applications of technology.

  • Spaceship Earth: The eighteen-story-tall geodesic sphere covered in 11,324 triangular silver panels made of alucobond, is the gateway to Future World. Inside is a slow-moving dark ride through the history of communication, with a focus on the development of cultures and the future of technologies. In 1999, the Sorcerer Mickey hand and wand was constructed next to the geosphere to commemorate the turn of the millennium. Originally reading 2000, the text following the wand was changed to Epcot in 2001 in lieu of its destruction. At 256 feet (78 m) high, the hand and wand is the tallest structure at any Walt Disney World park.

  • Innoventions, located in two pavilions (aptly named Innoventions East and Innoventions West), houses hands-on exhibitions from various science-and-technology oriented companies such as IBM and Segway. When Epcot was first opened, Innoventions was called CommuniCore, as it was a communications-themed exhibit and housed the mainframe for the park.

  • Innoventions Plaza: Home to the "Fountain of Nations," a large choreographed musical fountain which performs every fifteen minutes. During Epcot's opening ceremonies in 1982, water from 22 nations was poured into the fountain. Kristos, a circus-act of group strength and flexibility, performs daily near the fountain. The three performers are from Bulgaria; they include a mother and her two sons. Nearby are MouseGear, Epcot's largest store offering a wealth of Disney related merchandise; the Fountain View Espresso and Bakery, a coffee shop; and the Electric Umbrella, Future World's main counter-service restaurant with typical theme-park-style fast food.

  • SPACE: Simulates the training required to be member of the space program. Gary Sinise is the guide through a simulated mission to Mars in a spinning centrifuge gravity-simulator, which lets guests feel what it's like to blast off in a rocket. (This attraction is built on the former site of Horizons, a ride which compared science fiction of the past with what life might be like in the future.)

  • Test Track: Guests sit in six-seater cars and experience the wide range of testing that automobiles must go through before they are approved for mass production. Cars in the ride pass through extreme temperatures, over rough surfaces, and around high-speed turns. (This pavilion formerly housed World of Motion, a slow-moving ride past scenes depicting the past and the future of transportation; It was replaced in 1996).

  • The Living Seas: One of the largest indoor aquariums in the world, designed to appear as the deep-sea research station Sea Base Alpha. Guests can view many different aquatic animals such as manatees while learning about the preservation of the oceans. Scuba divers appear occasionally to maintain the aquarium and educate visitors; For a fee, guests with certified diving credentials can join a group dive in the aquarium itself. The pavilion is also home to Turtle Talk with Crush, an interactive show starring Crush, the Sea Turtle, from Disney/Pixar's film Finding Nemo.

  • Imagination!: Contains Journey Into Imagination, a lighthearted ride starring Eric Idle and the Epcot mascot Figment. It encourages guests to use their senses and their imagination. This attraction is currently in its third incarnation: a refurbishment in 1998 removed the little purple dragon Figment and his creator/father figure Dreamfinder and featured Idle instead. There were so many complaints over the disappearance of Figment that a 2002 refurbishment added him back; Dreamfinder is still absent, except for a cameo in the queue area (look for a door reading "Dean Finder"). Imagination! also contains Honey, I Shrunk the Audience: a 3-D short film featuring Eric Idle, Rick Moranis, and the rest of the cast of the film Honey, I Shrunk The Kids; A demonstration of a new invention inadvertently shrinks the entire theater. (From May 1986 until April 1994, this theater had shown the film Captain EO, which starred Michael Jackson, was directed by Francis Ford Coppola, and was produced by George Lucas. Before that, the theater had shown a film titled Magic Journeys, which featured a collection of children and their fantasies).

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 several years, operating only on rare occasions. It was ultimately demolished in 2000 to make room for Mission: SPACE. After MetLife abandoned Wonders of Life in 2001, that area operated seasonally, until it ultimately closed. Test Track is sponsored by General Motors, and SPACE is sponsored by Hewlett-Packard. Spaceship Earth was sponsored by AT&T from the park's opening until early 2004. It is now sponsored by Siemens.

World Showcase

See also List of current Epcot attractions

World Showcase is made up of eleven pavilions: in clockwise order, Mexico, Norway, China, Germany, Italy, United States of America, Japan, Morocco, France, the United Kingdom, and 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. Some also contain rides and shows. Each pavilion is sponsored (and paid for) by the country it represents, so tourism brochures are readily available. The sponsorship also explains why pavilions for Russia, Spain, and Israel never made it past the planning phase: these countries declined to fund pavilions. An Equatorial Africa pavilion was planned and part of it was built. It is now known as 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 opens World Showcase late (usually 11:00 AM) and closes Future World early (usually 7:00 PM, except for Test Track, SPACE, Spaceship Earth, and Soarin' which sometimes remain open until park closing). 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 thirteen-minute fireworks show takes place in the World Showcase Lagoon every night at the park's closing time (usually 9:00 PM). Fireworks and lasers fill the sky above an immense rotating globe whose continents show changing pictures of culture and technology throughout the ages, while a rousing musical score plays over the loudspeakers. The current show is titled Reflections of Earth and 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.

There is an entrance to the park between the France and United Kingdom Pavillions 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.

Pavilions in the World Showcase
=Mexico
=
  • The Mexico Pavilion looks like an Aztec pyramid. Visitors enter through a display of Mexican artwork, the "Animales Fantasticos" art collection. The main room is the home to a twilight-lit Mexican marketplace, Plaza de los Amigos. At the edge of the plaza, a restaurant, San Angel Inn, overlooks an indoor lagoon. To the side of the plaza, a boarding area leads to a boat ride, El Rio del Tiempo (The River of Time), which takes the guest through the lagoon, past a model volcano, and then through Mexico, past and present.

=Norway
=
  • The Norway Pavilion is designed to look like a Norwegian village. The village includes a detailed stave church. Much of the pavilion is taken up by interconnected shops. These shops are decorated with large wooden trolls and sell assorted Norwegian goods, including clothing, candy, and small troll statues. The courtyard of the pavilion contains the entrance to Maelstrom, a boat ride into Norway's past and present. Kringla Bakeri Og Kafe is a bakery, featuring assorted Norwegian pastries, such as cream horns and open-faced salmon sandwiches. There is a children's play area that looks like a Viking ship. The courtyard contains the entrance to Restaurant Akershus, a hot and cold buffet which also hosts 'Princess Breakfasts'.

=China
=
  • Visitors enter the China Pavilion through a large Chinese gate. The courtyard is dominated by a Chinese temple, the Temple of Heaven, which contains the entrance to Reflections of China, a Circle-Vision 360° movie exploring China's history and scenery. The courtyard is bordered by shops selling Chinese merchandise. The pavilion is decorated with ponds, crossed by bridges. The pavilion also contains a Chinese restaurant, the Nine Dragons Restaurant and a fast food version called Lotus Blossom Cafe. Chinese acrobats also perform frequently in the pavilion.

=Germany
=
  • The Germany Pavilion is designed to look like a German town, but with architecture from different eras and regions. The Platz (plaza) is decorated with a statue of St. George and the Dragon and a clock tower. The Biergarten, at the rear of the courtyard, sells traditional German food. The pavilion also has numerous small shops selling German goods, including dolls and cuckoo clocks. The area near the pavilion is decorated by an extensive model village with working model trains. There was a boat-ride based attraction planned for Germany, a Rhine River Cruise, but while the building for the ride was built and the planned entrance area is still recognizable the ride itself was never constructed.

=Italy
=
  • The Italy Pavilion features a piazza surrounded by a collection of buildings evocative of Venetian and Roman architecture, including a functional re-creation of Venice's Campanile (bell tower) of St. Mark's Square. A replica of the Doge's Palace from Venice also figures prominently. The Pavilion is also home to the four-star "L'Originale Alfredo di Roma Ristorante," which was created by the direct descendants of Alfredo di Lellio, the inventor of Fettuccini Alfredo and features classical Roman decor. The piazza is decorated with statues, such as the Neptune Fountain and the Lion of St. Mark. In the piazza various types of street performers, such as clowns, pantomime. A Living Statue Act used to perform, but is now found more often at the France pavillion. There are also small shops selling Italian goods, such as candy and wines. Italy is also the location for the VIP viewing area for Illuminations, perhaps giving you a glimpse of a celebrity with their family.

=The American Adventure
=
  • The American Adventure Pavilion is in a building designed in the Colonial style. It contains The American Adventure, a stage show about American history using audio-animatronic actors and the Hall of Flags exhibit, a display of the different flags throughout U.S. history. It also contains the Liberty Inn restaurant which serves American fare, such as cheeseburgers and hot dogs. There is a small gift shop, Heritage Manor Gifts, selling American items. It was initially sponsored by American Express jointly with the Coca-Cola Company, at one of its renewal periods Coca-Cola chose not to renew and it is now sponsored solely by American Express.

=America Gardens Theatre
=

Across from the pavilion is the American Gardens Theater, an outdoor amphitheater. The American Gardens Theater hosts concerts, singers, and bands from around the world. Many entertainment acts from around the world perform on this stage. The American Gardens theatre has hosted huge amount of shows since it was built. Over the years some of the more famous shows include Blast!, Barrage, and many 1960's bands (such as Davy Jones from The Monkees) who bring back the old days each year at the Flower Power concert series, a part of the Epcot Flower and Garden show (held each spring).In 1999 The best of Michael Flatley's Lord of the Dance performed in the theater over the summer. Even though dance master Michael Flatley did not perform in the show, it was still a summer hit in Epcot. In 2000 the show was brought back by popular demand for another summer run. Originally the theatre did not have a covered stage but was open air the stage cover (and backstage dressing and show equipment areas) were added during a refurbishment that was completed before the inception of a Barbie stage show.

  • During the holiday season, the theater hosts what is arguably its most popular show, the Candlelight Processional, this show follows in the footsteps of the show first performed in Disneyland in 1958, in 1971 a Florida version began, and it moved to the America Gardens Theatre in Epcot in 1994. This show includes an orchestra and large choral group that perform traditional holiday songs while a guest celebrity retells the biblical story of Christmas. In 2005, some of the celebrities included John Stamos, Marlee Matlin, Haley Joel Osment and Jim Caviezel. The show is usually performed three times daily between Thanksgiving and Christmas week.

=Japan
=
  • The Japan pavilion is made up of buildings surrounding a courtyard. The entrance to the courtyard features a Japanese Pagoda. A torii gate decorates the water in front of the pavilion. The area is filled with Japanese pools and gardens. At the end of the courtyard is the gate to a Japanese castle, including a moat, which leads into a display of Japanese culture. The Mitsukoshi department store sells many Japanese items, including clothing, jewelry, and toys. It has been expanded in recent years to include a far greater variety of items than before. More specifically, a greater portion of the store sells Japanese pop-culture related items, presumably to take advantage of the growing interest in these types of products in America. In the Teppanyaki Dining Room, chefs prepare stir-fried foods right in front of the guests. The attraction Meet the World from Tokyo Disneyland, which explores Japanese history, was planned and the show building built, but the show never opened.

=Morocco
=
  • The Morocco Pavilion is designed to look like a Moroccan city, with a realistic Minaret. It features the Restaurant Marrakesh which serves Moroccan fare, such as roast lamb and shish kebab. It includes the Gallery of Arts and History and the Fez House, an example of a typical Moroccan house. It has many shops with a Moroccan feel, selling such goods as rugs, leather goods, and clothing. The area is decorated with gardens and fountains to give a North African feel. Later in the evening, there is a musical show including a Belly Dancer.

image:Epcot_maroco.JPG image:Epcot_Maroco1.JPG image:Epcot_maroco2.JPG

  • Often throughout each day, Aladdin, Princess Jasmine, and the Genie from Disney's Aladdin appear at the Morocco Pavilion to meet and greet guests and take pictures.

=France
=

  • The France Pavilion is themed to look like a Paris neighborhood with a pool and fountains and with a view of the Eiffel Tower in the distance. Most of the shops on the streets are actual shops selling French goods such as Guerlain perfumes. The pavilion features Impressions de France a panoramic movie which visits France's cities and historical structures. It also includes two French Restaurants, the Bistro de Paris and Les Chefs de France, and a bakery, the Boulangerie Patisserie.

  • Often throughout each day, Belle and the Beast from Disney's Beauty and the Beast appear at the France Pavilion to meet and greet guests and take pictures.

=United Kingdom
=
  • The United Kingdom Pavilion is designed to look like an English village, with buildings based on different periods of British architecture. It has English gardens (including a hedge maze). The shops sell British items, such as tea, toys, clothing and Beatles merchandise . There is also a Beatles tribute band called "The British Invasion" that performs regularly in the Pavilion. The Rose & Crown Pub and Dining Room serves traditional British food, as well as beer and ale. There is also a Harry Ramsden's restaurant serving Fish and Chips.

=Canada
=
  • The Canada Pavilion is designed to remind the guest of the Canadian outdoors. The pavilion is decorated with a canyon, a waterfall, gardens, a pool with fountains, and totem poles. The main attraction at the Canada Pavilion is O Canada!, a Circle-Vision 360° movie of Canada's cities and scenery. The film was made in 1979. This pavilion also includes Le Cellier Steakhouse and the semi-permanent home of the Celtic rock band Off Kilter.

  • At the opening in 1982, the original musical talent for the Canadian pavilion was performed by a trio called the "Caledonian Pipe Band". They consisted of 2 pipers, 1 drummer. The performers were Robert (Bob) Proctor (lead, drummer), Mauchin (piper) and Robert Mauchin (piper). These performers were recruited by Ron Rodriguez (talent co-ordinator for WDW) from the Rosie O' Grady's Pipe Band of Orlando. Because all three had ties to Scotland, they also performed in the UK pavilion at various times. Black Thistle Pipe Band

Timeline

See also

External links

1982 establishments | Disney parks and attractions | Epcot | Walt Disney World Resort

EPCOT | אפקוט | Epcot

 

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the "Epcot".

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