Is EPCOT Still EPCOT? Part One

Many fans of EPCOT complain that EPCOT is no longer about education and more about entertainment. As many of you probably know, EPCOT was original envisioned by Walt Disney as an Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow, a utopian city where people could live. Where all roadways were underground, and monorails and people movers were the main mode of transporting citizens around. Walt hoped EPCOT would be the star of Disney World where guests would arrive from the airport and book their stay at Disney World.

Image by WEDimagineer

After Walt's death the company thought Walt's vision would be too big of a risk and instead built aspects of it elsewhere. The monorail is still a main form of transportation between the Magic Kingdom, Epcot and the Contemporary, Polynesian, and Grand Floridian resorts. The people mover was built at the Magic Kingdom, but only as an attraction. Part of Walt's underground idea was brought to the Magic Kingdom.

The utilidors are on the first floor of the Magic Kingdom, with the park above them. The utilidors are backstage areas where cast members take breaks. This also is the location for the computers that run the park, costuming, deliveries, waste management, etc. It allows cast members to get around without guests noticing them. So if a character meant for Tomorrowland enters backstage in Frontierland, they can walk to their destination without guests seeing them. Legend has it that Walt inspired this when he noticed a cowboy in Frontierland walking through Tomorrowland in Disneyland.

The Florida town of Celebration, which is near Walt Disney World, was built to serve as a permanent residence the way EPCOT was intended. EPCOT Center was instead built to show ideas for the future where major American corporations would showcase their newest innovations and developments for the future. World Showcase was the World's fair type area where a country was represented to showcase their culture, architecture, cuisine, merchandise, and in some cases attractions. After a decade into operations EPCOT Center started to make changes. Pavilions changed, the park was renamed in 1994 to Epcot '94, and again in 1995 to Epcot '95 before being called just Epcot.

When many sponsors pulled out of their attractions, the pavilions were left to Disney to take care of maintenance and upgrades. The problem was that without the companies Disney didn't have the help it needed to understand the topic each pavilion was devoted to. It didn't have a way to display new ideas the companies were investigating. Today only three pavilions have sponsors, and even those have fans complain that they don't fit in with the original EPCOT's purpose. I want to discuss each Future World pavilion's history, what they are today, and why they aren't the same as what EPCOT was supposed to be.

 Spaceship Earth

(original version 1982-86, 1986-94, 1994- 2007. Current version 2007- present)

Spaceship Earth is probably the one attraction that has stayed true to itself since the park opened. It always has been an omnimover that travels through scenes depicting the history of communication, with a descent that showcases the future. It was first sponsored by the Bell System from 1982-84. AT & T then sponsored it from 1984- 2003. Siemens took over in 2005 and still sponsors the attraction. Each version of the ride had a different narrator- Vic Perrin (82-86), Walter Cronkite (86-94), Jeremy Irons (94-07), and Judi Dench (07-present).

When Siemens took over the sponsorship, they changed the focus of the ride a bit from communications to a broader topic of "discovering where we came from". It still focuses on communications such as hieroglyphics, languages, the alphabet, phones, newspapers, TV, etc. The audio animatronics were upgraded to move more smoothly and new effects were added, while dated ones were removed.

The main source of controversy stems from the new narration where classic EPCOT fans believe the content is "dumbed down" for guests. Lines like "Remember how easy it was to learn your ABC's? Thank the Phoenicians. They invented them." The other controversy is the descent. Guests answer a series of questions on a new screen added to each ride vehicle. After answering questions guests see their faces added to a Jetsons-esque cartoon that show possibilities for the future.

Guests are judging this based on the 1994- 2007 version that had animatronic scenes depicting the future such as video conferencing, kids using a computer in class and a model city of the future. Before that however, guest used to ride past screens that depicted silhouettes of children while the song "Tomorrow's Child" played, so the descent had used screens originally, just not in the vehicles.

Earth Station (1982-1994)

The post show area has changed as well. From 1982- 1994 it was known as Earth Station. This area served as guest relations for EPCOT Center. Guests could use a computer to find out more about areas in EPCOT and even talk to a live person through video screens to book dinner reservations (very futuristic in 1982)! The Bell System/ AT &T also had an exhibit located in Communicore West.

Global Neighborhood (1994-2003)

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In 1994 Guest Relations moved to the new Innoventions. The post show area became The Global Neighborhood where exhibits showcased the future of communication through games. It was redesigned in 2000 as The New Global Neighborhood with updated exhibits such as a virtual paddle ball where guests used a paddle sensor to interact with a screen, and a kiosk where guests could take a virtual tour of Epcot. This lasted until 2003. When Siemens took over sponsorship they created a new post show for the refurbished ride in 2007.

Project Tomorrow: Inventing the Wonders of the Future (2007-present)

Image by Michael Gray

Guests can play games like Innervision- A "Simon" like game designed to test reflex skills and health, billed as someday being used in doctors offices. There's also Power City- a shuffle board energy game to bring power to a city. SuperDriver simulates a smart car type game where guests drive to stop a bad guy from destroying the city. Body Builder is a 3D game to construct the human body.

So maybe this area isn't as futuristic as video teleconferencing was in 1982, it is still attempting to show us the future, while being more kid friendly. The center of Project Tomorrow has a giant globe where guests coming off Spaceship Earth can see their face appear for a few seconds before flying to the area they indicated they are from at the beginning of the attraction.

Exterior

Image by Carlos Cuz

The outside wasn't free from controversy either. The millennium celebration saw the construction of a giant Mickey Mouse arm holding a wand with the year "2000" beside it. Glittery stars were put on top Spaceship Earth. After the celebration the "2000" was changed to say "Epcot". It remained that way until 2007 when Siemens was refurbishing the ride and decided to take down the wand.

Communicore (1982-1994)

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Communicore was located behind Spaceship Earth in the middle of Future World. It was designed to be EPCOT Center's version of Main Street U.S.A. It was divided into two buildings: Communicore East and Communicore West. It provided a breezeway through the middle of each side to enter Future World East and West. Inside were a large amount of interactive exhibits with various sponsors. Spaceship Earth had a post show located in Communicore West called Future-Com. While Universe of Energy had a post show in Communicore East called Energy Exchange. The main focus of the pavilion was EPCOT Computer Central, which showcased the main computer systems that ran EPCOT and Walt Disney World. 

Innoventions (Original Version 1994- 1999, 1999-2007, 07-present)

Source

After Communicore closed, it was remodeled into Innoventions, a combination of the words "innovation" and "invention". It still had interactive exhibits but the focus was less on computers and more on video games.  The two pavilions were both enclosed so the windows in Communicore were covered, making the pavilion darker. The sunken floors were filled in as well so everything was on one level, where before guests needed to take a few stairs to some exhibits. The layout was confusing as exhibits were scattered all around so people had a hard time locating the exits. It was redesigned in 1999 for the Millennium Celebration. The new design had a road in the middle alongside each exhibit that lead to the entrance and exit and was dubbed "The Road to Tomorrow."

Today's exhibits are plentiful in Innoventions East, while Innoventions West seems a bit neglected. A lot of areas in the West side are unused. Exhibits in Innoventions West include Where's the Fire? presented by Liberty Mutual where guests go in a house to find fire hazards using a video game control like system. THINK presented by IBM incorporates a lot of EPCOT's original ideals. It has hands on games and models of possibilities for the future of topics like medicine. It's hard to explain it, so for you to get a good idea of what it is, I'll point you over to the website here. The Great Piggy Bank Adventure presented by T. Rowe Price promotes saving money through a game using piggy banks and interactive screens. Videogame Playground has a large array of video games with the latest technology.

Innoventions East has exhibits such as StormStruck presented by FLASH teaching guests how to keep their homes safe in a storm by deciding what materials to use for a virtual house. Habit Heroes presented by Florida Blue/ Anthem Blue Cross & Blue Shield is a series of games that teaches guests about healthy living. The Sum of All Thrills presented by Raytheon is a popular attraction where guests can build their own virtual roller coaster on a computer and ride it in a robotic simulator. VISION House presented by Green Builder Media is an update of The House of Innoventions. Here guests visit a model home with the latest technology and learn environmentally friendly ideas. Test The Limits Lab presented by Underwriters Laboratories, Inc is an older exhibit where guests can see how materials are tested for safety. Among other things, guests can pull a hammer to slam a TV screen, and drop a large metal bucket on a hard hat using a series of magnets. Take a Nanooze Break by Cornell University/ the National Science Foundation is a kiosk that lets guests see things like a butterfly under a microscope.

Unfortunately some EPCOT Center fans feel these exhibits aren't futuristic enough. Communicore had things like an Electronic Forum where the audience would vote on issues to show how fast the results show up on a computer. The focus on computers was really cutting edge in the 1980s and fans want EPCOT once again to be cutting-edge with new technology.

Universe of Energy (1982-1996)

by waltdatedworld

This attraction originally was presented by Exxon and looked at the possibilities of the future of energy. The ride system was the same as the current one, where photovoltaic cells on top of the pavilion store solar energy to charge the large theater cars. The pre-show originally used a series of blocks called "Radok" that would turn to give a 3D-like effect to the pre-show. After the pre-show guests got in the theater cars and would watch a large movie screen that showed the development of fossil fuels. The cars then transported guests into a Primeval world of animatronic dinosaurs. As I mentioned in an earlier blog post, these audio animatronic dinosaurs were inspired by a similar concept used at The 1964 World's Fair on the Magic Skyway. Universe of Energy guests would then go be transported to another theater before returning into the original theater for the finale. Curtains would rise to reveal mirrors that gave the animated laser-like finale a grander scope. The entire attraction lasted a total of 45 minutes.

Ellen's Energy Adventure (1996- present)

The original attraction closed in 1996 and was renovated into Ellen's Energy Adventure featuring comedian Ellen DeGeneres, Bill Nye the Science Guy, and actress Jamie Lee Curtis.  The attraction uses comedy to present facts about energy. The premise is that Ellen is watching Jeopardy and notices her college rival (Curtis) is a contestant. She falls asleep and dreams that she's playing against her with the topic of energy. Her lack of knowledge on the subject makes her fail miserably until Bill Nye comes along to give her a crash course. He takes her back in time to the dinosaur era. The Primeval World is similar to the original but has an animatronic version of Ellen fighting off a dinosaur added to it in one part. The ride remains 45 minutes.

The problem with this attraction is that it's dated. It's already 18 years old and a lot of the information is out of date. It doesn't help that Exxon stopped sponsoring the attraction in 2004. Even worse, lately people are reporting some things aren't working... the animatronic Ellen and the dinosaur she fought were removed. They could update this by filming a new version with the same actors.

World of Motion (1982-1996)

 by auntie rain

by waltdatedworld

Presented by General Motors (GM), this omnimover attraction showed the history of transportation. Audio animatronics were used throughout the attraction. Scenes included the invention of the wheel, the world's first traffic jam, and CenterCore featuring a city of the future with futuristic vehicles traveling the highways. After the ride, guests could go in the TransCenter with exhibits dedicated to the future of transportation. Displays included a computer exhibit where guests could test the aerodynamics of vehicles, The Bird and the Robot Show featuring an animatronic bird and robot arm, and The Water Engine Show, an animated film. There was even a show room featuring current General Motors vehicles.

Test Track (Original Version 1999-2012, 2012- present)

World of Motion closed in early 1996 for a radical redesign. GM wanted a new, hip attraction focusing only on cars. Something Epcot had very few of was thrill rides, this attraction would help resolve that. Transforming an omnimover into a thrill ride wasn't an easy task. There were many redesigns of the new ride system; each vehicle at Test Track is run by a computer system as large as a space shuttle's. The new ride didn't open until 1999.

Guests would enter a garage-like facility where robots were performing a range of tests including the strength of vehicle parts. The attraction itself was themed as a test facility and the guests were the crash dummies. On the ride the vehicles went through road surface tests, brake tests, weather chambers, handling sharp turns, and the finale was the barrier test where vehicles sped straight towards a wall that would open at the last second to a new outdoor track added for Test Track where the vehicles would go up to 65 mph over banked turns. Afterwards guests would go to Inside Track where there were various exhibits, mainly showcasing GM vehicles.

 

Test Track was redesigned in 2012, the pavilion is now sponsored by Chevrolet and is designed to take guests into a computer simulated environment. Guests enter the Chevrolet design studio featuring concept cars of the future. Another area projects images onto a model car while designers explain the design process and kids talk about their ideal car. Guests are lead into a design studio where they get an RFID card to design their own sim-car using a kiosk. Afterwards guests are lead to the boarding area where they scan their RFID card to interact with them on the ride.

The ride itself is a TRON-like environment to simulate a computer generated area. Guests test the cars' capability by going through a simulated rain storm slippery surface, and swerving out of the way of a lightning bolt. The efficiency test scans the car for optimum eco-efficiency, an aero-dynamic test, and hyper-spectrum imaging. Responsiveness puts the car through hairpin turns and the power test goes through the barrier to the outside track. After each test, the riders see whose sim-car performed the best during the test.

When the ride is over, guests go into the After Market to use their sim-cars at different exhibits. What's Your Score? is the first place to visit where guests see the final score of their sim-car. Showroom Showoff! lets guests make a commercial for their sim-car at a kiosk. Give It a Spin! lets guests drive their sim-car on a digital race track. Photo Finish! lets guests take photos with a Chevrolet or their sim-car next to a backdrop that guests can customize, such as a space themed area with a giant ball that can be either a planet, or Spaceship Earth. There's also a showroom featuring Chevrolets much like its predecessors.

The new attraction fits great in my opinion. It's futuristic, it inspires guests, and lets them be creative, all while teaching them about cars. The original Test Track was less futuristic and more of a current look at how cars are designed (or an outdated look at the end of its life considering most vehicles in the show were from the early 2000s.) Still, some people miss the old storyline and think the new version is more confusing. I don't find it confusing, I think everything is tied together better and the post-show has many more exhibits then the original Test Track.

                             Journey Into Imagination pavilion (1982-1998)

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Although the pavilion opened with the rest of the park in 1982, the actual ride didn't open until March 1983. The pavilion was presented by Kodak and had three areas: the ride, the exhibit, and the 3D movie.

Journey Into Imagination Ride (1983-1998)

The original ride is one of the most missed attractions at Epcot. The original ride transported guests into another world using immersive technology. The ride vehicles would connect to a turn-table for a 2 minute scene introducing guests to the Dreamfinder, who creates a "Figment" of imagination. Although guests were moving, it appeared they were staying still. The ride brought to life imaginative ideas in the Dreamport sorting ideas like a giant box of robotic hands applauding, and plasma balls. The Art Room had Dreamfinder holding a fiber optic paint brush, the room was mostly white featuring a carousel of origami animals and Figment opening a pot with a rainbow inside.

 

Literature had scary stories represented as well as words that mimicked what they meant (for example the word shake would shake). Performing Arts had Figment try on a costume backstage at a play while Dream Finder conducted a laser light show orchestra. Science had a large telescope-like machine that Dreamfinder operated and projected images like the formation of crystals. The ride ended with an animatronic Figment in the middle of the room with screens above him imagining himself doing different jobs while singing the attraction's theme song.

The Image Works: The Creative Playground of the Future (1982-1998)

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After the attraction guests could go up a spiraling staircase inside the giant glass pyramid where many exhibits were housed. The exhibit was open with the park in 1982 even though the ride was not. It featured 13 different exhibits such as Dreamfinder's School of Drama, using a blue screen, guests were put inside a movie. Stepping Tones, which were colored panels that made music when they were stepped on. Rainbow Corridor, a tunnel that changed colors as guests went through it. Electronic Philharmonic- a laser show where guests could conduct an orchestra through sensors. Kaleidoscopes that were controlled by guests on a large screen, and more.

The Magic Eye Theater (1982- present)

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The Magic Eye Theater has been home to three 3D shows, Magic Journeys was the first show from 1982- 1986. It looked at the world through the eyes of a child. It was replaced with Captain EO, a sci-fi adventure starring Michael Jackson, from 1986- 1994. That was replaced by Honey, I Shrunk the Audience from 1994- 2010. It was themed as an Inventor of the Year ceremony in the Imagination Institute where Wayne Szalinski would receive the award from Dr. Nigel Channing (Eric Idle) for his shrinking ray. Things go wrong and he inadvertently shrinks the audience. The show was replaced by its predecessor Captain EO in 2010.

                                            Imagination! Pavilion (1999- present)

Imagination! pavilion directory

Journey Into Imagination closed in 1998 for renovations. Kodak wanted a ride that would be cheaper to operate. It reopened in 1999 as Journey Into YOUR Imagination. The Imagination Institute theme from Honey, I Shrunk the Audience was brought into the whole pavilion. The ride was hosted by Dr. Nigel Channing from the show. The ride itself removed 40 percent of its track to get rid of the hard to maintain turntable at the beginning, and most of the finale scenes. The upstairs Image Works was closed and moved downstairs, while the upstairs space remains vacant today.

Journey Into YOUR Imagination (1999-2001)

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Guests were test subjects and put through the Imagination Scanner to measure their imaginations. It was determined the guests didn't have any imagination, so they were brought through a series of labs: sound, illusion, color, connections, and gravity. It ended with another scan where it showed guests imaginations were off the charts. The ride looked cheap, many areas were empty spaces, the props weren't very impressive, there were no animatronics, and the theme song was removed. Figment only made brief appearances in the attraction.

Journey Into Imagination with Figment (2002- Present)
 

The ride was redone after loads of guest complaints and former CEO Michael Eisner ordered it be redone as well. The new version reused a lot of the ill-received second version, the Imagination Institute theme remains and Nigel Channing still hosts. This time Figment is a main part of the ride again and foils Channing's boring scientific way of thinking and encourages thinking outside the box. The labs used this time are Sound, Sight, Smell, Figment's House, and the finale. Also back are the sound-effect of the train passing overhead, the disappearing butterfly illusion, and the upside down house re-themed as Figment's house. Figment animatronics were added throughout the ride and the attraction theme song was brought back as well

The Image Works: The (Kodak) "What If?" Labs (1999-present)

The Image Works is now past the ride exit, on top of the original track area. The original Image Works had 13 different exhibits, the new Image Works only had three different exhibits, which mostly were just updated versions of the original exhibits. The second ride had a new version of the Electronic Philharmonic where guests could use sensors to create drum sounds. An updated version of Stepping Tones was added to feature animals that made noise when they were stepped on. Guests could also perform in front of a camera that added effects to distort their faces.

The exhibits were updated again in 2002. Figment's Melody Maker now had Figment holding different instruments that he would play when guests conducted him using sensors. Stepping Tones had instruments added that would make sounds when stepped on. Create A Figment allows guests to design their own Figment using a touch screen kiosk.  

Sadly, the Imagination pavilion is the biggest problem in Future World (besides Wonders of Life which I'll get to later). The original attraction was about 10 minutes long, the second version was half that. The current version added two stops to make the ride seven minutes. Although the third version is a major improvement to the second version, guests can't help but to compare it to the original. It's still not as immersive as the original, and still has less props. The Image Works is abandoned upstairs and is now used for storage and sometimes special events. Kodak stopped their sponsorship in 2010. Rumors of a new ride keep coming up, and when a new version seems close to happening, Disney decides to put the money elsewhere. The first redo funds went to The Seas pavilion instead. Recently, the money was rumored to be going towards a new Soarin' theater instead.

I will continue with the rest of the Future World pavilions in part 2 soon. I hope you enjoyed looking at the history of Future World. Be sure to comment below!