Walt Disney’s last major project was the conception of Disney World, secretly known as the Florida Project or Project X for a number of years. After striking success with East Coast audiences through the 1964-65 New York World’s Fair and becoming hungry for more land, Walt settled on the tiny town of Orlando as the site of his next great feat. Disney World would feature a theme park, very similar to Disneyland, along with hotels, recreational facilities, an airport, and a mass transportation system. But the real reason, the real drive behind Walt’s push for the Florida Project was EPCOT. As Walt described it, Epcot would “take its cue from the new ideas and new technologies that are now emerging from the creative centers of American industry.” It was an unprecedented attempt to change American cities for the better, improving issues in transportation, sanitation, and communication by bringing American corporations together for his common goal. Companies would work in a major industrial park south of the city, and their ideas and new technologies would be brought to life for the common good in Epcot. Walt knew that no one company would ever dare to take on this project alone, and so the success of Epcot relied on countless other businesses and people to make his dream a reality.
Epcot had a number of revolutionary concepts that, for a number of reasons, could not come to fruition during his lifetime. The city would be built on “virgin land,” as Walt said, indicating that established cities simply could not handle the changes he had in mind. Epcot would be a circular city, with the business district in the center, enclosed under a weatherproof dome and topped with a thirty-story hotel and convention center. The business district would feature recreations of famous locations and streets from around the world, feeding into a multicultural flair characteristic of today’s Epcot. Surrounding this district, like rings on a dart board, would be apartment housing, followed by a greenbelt containing public facilities and parks, and then low-density residential housing grouped in paddle-shaped neighborhoods radiating from the center.
The business district of EPCOT in a concept drawing, showing the hotel and convention center in the center, the Monorail running through the center, and a cut-away of the weatherproof dome.
Transportation would run effortlessly, as there would be “no need for cars.” The central business district would be automobile-free and would run entirely on foot traffic and the PeopleMover system. Above this level would be the Monorail, a high-speed transit system that would connect Epcot to the theme park area to the north and the industrial park and research facility to the south. Underground, automobile traffic for visitors would operate out of sight; there would be no stop lights, and therefore no traffic, as all entries and exits from this underground highway would be assembled in a series of on- and off-ramps. The level below would be reserved for delivery trucks, operating in the same way as the automobile level. Both the truck and the automobile levels would have vertical transportation to move people and goods to the business district on the ground level. PeopleMovers would also radiate from the city’s center toward all of the suburban housing areas.
Walt Disney with the original schematic of Epcot, featuring the radial design of suburban housing that fanned out from the business district.
Walt’s passing almost brought his dream to an end. Without his vision and charisma, the rallying point for bringing tens of corporations together for this goal was deemed nearly impossible. After the opening of Walt Disney World, the United States economy fell to pathetic levels in comparison to the affluence of the 1950’s and Disneyland. Gas prices skyrocketed and cross-country travel was deemed a burden on most families. Marty Sklar, president of Imagineering, later said that if you told people you wanted to build a theme park in the late 70’s, they would call you a fool! Yet, the stirrings within Imagineering resurrected the Epcot project as a passionate goal for those who wanted Walt’s legacy preserved. Epcot would not be a city, as no one but Walt could ever pull that off. Rather, it would be described as a permanent world’s fair, dedicated to technological development and cultural appreciation.
Epcot Center, as it was originally called, was initially conceived as two separate parks: one focused on the sciences, another focused on culture. Someone got the brilliant idea of pushing the two models together to create one theme park, and so the double-circle formation of Epcot that we have today. The front half of the park, Future World, brought technology to life through interactive pavilions that explored the natural and mechanical worlds we live in. The back half of the park, World Showcase, was dedicated to the nations of the world by representing the architecture, art, food, music, nature and people of different countries. And at the front of it all would be Spaceship Earth, a landmark representing the vessel that we all call home and strive to improve through the intelligent use of our talents and resources.
The original map of Epcot, showing the clear distinction between World Showcase and Future World. The original map was actually a program booklet that had a separate page dedicated to each pavilion, listing each attraction, restaurant, and shop within them.
Once work began, Epcot became the largest construction project in the world at that time. It is estimated the entire park cost over $3 billion to build (almost $8.7 billion today), including brand new infrastructure, nine pavilions in World Showcase, four pavilions in Future World, new Monorail tracks, and Spaceship Earth. Future World East concentrated on the mechanical sciences: the Universe of Energy explored various forms of energy consumption and originally had a serious tone, which has since been redone with a more comical show featuring Ellen DeGeneres and Bill Nye the Science Guy; World of Motion gave a humorous look into man’s motion and the development of transportation over time, all shown in a building shaped like a wheel and presented by General Motors; Horizons, which would open a year later in 1983, would sit in between the other two and would highlight the eternal hope and promise of an uncharted future (Horizons would, to the regret of many Disney fans, close in 1999 and be replaced with Mission: SPACE, an intense simulator ride that would put guests on a journey to Mars under real gravitational conditions). World of Motion would also be replaced by Test Track in 1999 and offered the thrilling experience of being a crash test dummy in an automobile’s testing phase. Wonders of Life would open in 1989 and would feature an interactive look into the human body, featuring a number of attractions that would give insight into how the body works; this pavilion would close in 2007, although the building still remains in its original spot and acts as a central location for the annual Food and Wine Festival.
The Universe of Energy pavilion, colored to match the electromagnetic spectrum of visible light, with a Monorail passing in front of it. Horizons, and later Mission: SPACE, would sit directly to the right of this pavilion.
Future World West was dedicated to the natural sciences, something that could even be found in the walkways. While Future World East uses sharp angles and jagged edges in the design of walkways, Future World East would feature curved walkways mixed with waterways. The Land pavilion was the largest pavilion in the park, sitting at an astonishing six acres under one roof, and explored the different habitats of earth and man’s interaction with it through farming and use of natural resources; Imagination! would explore the five senses and the wonderful world of creativity through the eyes of our friends Dreamfinder and Figment the purple dragon; the Living Seas pavilion would showcase man’s relationship with the oceans and would ultimately open in 1986. Since their openings, these pavilions have undergone substantial changes: the Land pavilion added Soarin’, a hang-glider simulation ride over the California coast, in 2005; Imagination has since been renamed as Journey Into Imagination and features a less-exciting version of the original attraction (again, to the regret of many Disney fans); the Living Seas received a Finding Nemo overlay in 2007 (and I’m proud to say I came up with this idea before the Imagineers ever announced it!)
The Imagination! Pavilion, complete with a backwards waterfall and jumping fountains… we’re exploring the most creative part of our mind, right?
The center of Future World featured Spaceship Earth, a ride featuring man’s scientific drive for progress, and CommuniCore, an exhibition on changing forms of technology. Spaceship Earth stands at 180 feet tall, resting on concrete footers sunk into the ground, and is actually comprised of two spheres inside one another. It was the first geodesic sphere ever built, and has 11,324 aluminum alloy triangles on its outer surface. At its circumference, a gutter system collects rainwater and funnels it into the World Showcase Lagoon. It was a true engineering marvel and feat for its time and remains so today. CommuniCore has since been replaced by Innoventions, a massive exhibition featuring individual activities from different companies that allow guests to create their own experiences in regard to different real-world applications.
Spaceship Earth under construction. The internal ramp system, similar to that of a parking garage, will house the vehicle tracks for the attraction.
From the beginning, Epcot thrived on corporate sponsorships; Marty Sklar famously told IBM to “go to hell!” when AT&T offered a better sponsorship package in the early 80’s. Sponsorships over the years included Exxon, Kraft, Nestle, General Electric, Metlife, Chevrolet, Siemens, Chiquita, Hewlett-Packard, IBM (some years after they were told to go to hell), Coca-Cola and Raytheon. This spirit of collaboration was necessary to the success of Epcot, and this tradition continues even today.
World Showcase originally featured nine different countries, each an accurate recreation of various elements of each nation’s culture. In clockwise order, the original pavilions were Mexico, China, Germany, Italy, United States, Japan, France, United Kingdom and Canada. Morocco was added in 1984 in between Japan and France, and Norway was added between Mexico and China in 1988. Each pavilion is staffed by people from their respective home countries and features a variety of live entertainment. Imagineers visited each country with the intention of recreating unique representations of each nation: France is represented by Parisian architecture created by Baron von Haussmann after the age of revolution; Italy is not shown with ancient columns and Roman forums, but a duplication of St. Mark’s Square in Venice; America’s pavilion is an eighteenth-century Georgian hall modeled after Independence Hall and Monticello. Each country provides its own unique flair to the World Showcase environment, and the whole of humanity and all of its accomplishments are celebrated in IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth, a nighttime water show on World Showcase Lagoon that features a floating LED globe with a vertical flamethrower; the show is performed with fireballs, water fountains, music, lasers, and lights.
Three of the eleven current national pavilions in World Showcase: France, China, and the interior of the Mexico pavilion.
IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth
In many ways, Epcot still gives life to Walt Disney’s original vision of a place where people could learn about technology and culture through engaging interactions. Each pavilion is a monument to the ideas and people it stands to exhibit. Its opening ushered in the 21st century in the year 1982 and welcomed guests to an unprecedented and never duplicated theme park unlike any other (I’m proud to own a number of opening day materials from Epcot, including picture books, maps, and brochures. Thanks Ebay!). In recent years, Epcot has received less attention than the other Walt Disney World parks (Magic Kingdom’s New Fantasyland, Hollywood Studios’ renovations for Star Wars and Pixar, Animal Kingdom’s addition of Pandora: The World of Avatar). On the anniversary of Epcot’s opening, October 1st (which will probably be October 2nd by the time this is posted), there is a great deal of hope among Disney fans that the model for Epcot’s future is preserved in its initial design. I do have some ideas up my sleeve on things that I would like to see added to both Future World and World Showcase (senior thesis, here I come!), but until then, I pray that Epcot will continue to represent Walt Disney’s legacy as an innovator and believer in the duality of entertainment and education, as stated by the Disney Company CEO, E. Cardon Walker at the park’s public opening:
“To all who come to this place of joy, hope and friendship, welcome.
Epcot Center is inspired by Walt Disney’s creative genius. Here, human achievements are celebrated through imagination, the wonders of enterprise, and concepts of a future that promises new and exciting benefits for all.
May Epcot Center entertain, inform and inspire. And, above all, may it instill a new sense of belief and pride in man’s ability to shape a world that offers hope to people everywhere.”
Nicholas Larimer says
So much great information in this post I loved reading it. I did not know that Epcot was originally planned to be like a city with big businesses, I found that really interesting. Also, all the different attractions that has been added onto Epcot makes you really appreciate this theme park because it is constantly expanding to meet the growing demand of consumers. I hope one day I can make a visit to Epcot.
Alison Paige Kuznitz says
Alright, don’t hate me for saying this but Epcot is actually my least favorite park at Disney World. That being said…reading your blog really made me appreciate all of its intricate details, particularly the construction that went into Epcot. Great way to use kairos since yesterday was Epcot’s anniversary 🙂