Changes
Epcot
,/* A Remimagined Epcot (2017-Present) */
{{Template:Infobox amusement park
| image=Spaceship Earth.jpg
| caption='''Spaceship Earth, the icon of Epcot.'''
| theme=Technology, The Future, Internationality
| opening_date=October 1, 1982
| homepage=[http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/parks/epcot/ Epcot Homepage]
| custom_label_1= Previously Known As
| custom_value_1= EPCOT, EPCOT Center, EPCOT 94, EPCOT 95
| icon=Spaceship Earth
}}
Epcot is a theme park located in Walt Disney World.
==History==
===Walt Disney's Experimental Community of Tomorrow===
The genesis for what would one day be known as Epcot began in the early 1960s with Walt Disney himself. After having many grandchildren, Walt began to worry about the world that they would grow up in <ref name= "florida"> https://sites.google.com/site/theoriginalepcot/the-florida-project </ref>. As he looked around at the cities of America, he saw places that were full of crime, disorganization, dirt and chaos. Disneyland on the other hand, was the opposite of these things, and Walt decided that he could take the Disneyland philosophy and apply it to the real world. To go along with this, Disneyland had also proved that Walt and his company were very efficient in the art of constructing and designing buildings. With this information in mind, he began to read about how to start a city.
[[Image:WaltEpcotVideo.jpg|thumb|400px| Walt explaining his vision for EPCOT| alt=Walt Disney EPCOT plan]]
Walt’s plan for a Utopian city got its name in 1966, when Disney narrated a video in which he described his dream <ref name= "film"> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sLCHg9mUBag </ref>. The city would be a part of Walt's secret Florida Project in central Florida, and would be called the Experimental Community of Tomorrow, or EPCOT<ref name= "film"/>. Walt called EPCOT, “the most exciting, by far the most important,” and the heart of what he planned to do in Florida. The city would take its cues from the new ideas and technologies of American industry and would be a “community of tomorrow”<ref name= "film"/>. Walt wanted to plan and design every detail of the city, in order to meet the public's needs <ref name= "florida"/>. Industry was also expected to partner with Disney to solve the problems of the society<ref name= "florida"/>. Walt said that EPCOT would never be finished, it would always be improving and he hoped that when it was built, it would house about 20,000 people <ref name= "florida"/>.
The final part of EPCOT would have been the industrial center<ref name= "film"/>. This is where companies from around the world would work on various projects<ref name= "film"/>. Walt wanted guests to be able to visit these companies, and hopefully take some inspiration for industry home with them <ref name= "florida"/>. Citizens of EPCOT would take a monorail to the rest of Walt Disney World and the EPCOT industrial center. The monorail and the [[People Mover]] were expected to be the main methods of transportation in EPCOT thus eliminating traffic<ref name= "film"/>.
To go along with the scientific and futuristic components of EPCOT, Disney also announced related plans for World Showcase and International Village <ref name= "showcase"> https://sites.google.com/site/theoriginalepcot/the-world-showcase </ref>. World Showcase was to be an area that allowed guests to experience the different cultures of the world. Each country would have its own exhibits space, in a vein similar to a World’s Fair<ref name= "showcase"/>. Furthermore, the showcase would show how technology and communication could promote the betterment of all nations. The International Village on the other hand, would be a place where the international cast members that worked in World Showcase would live <ref> https://www.mouseplanet.com/8907/The_Other_Epcot </ref> The World Showcase area was to be built separately from the Future World Theme Center; however the two locations would be connected by monorail <ref> http://jimhillmedia.com/editor_in_chief1/b/jim_hill/archive/2004/06/18/415.aspx </ref>. This new version of Walt’s original EPCOT idea was described in the 1975 annual report:
====Development and Construction====
[[Image:epcotconstruction.jpg|thumb|400px|The World of Motion (front), Universe of Energy (middle) and Spaceship Earth (back) under construction.| alt= Future World Under Construction]]
Following Disney’s announcement of EPCOT, plans for their newest theme park remained in flux. By 1976, the scope of the project had been narrowed, with one section of the park being the Future World Theme Center, and the other section being World Showcase. Imagineers Marty Sklar and John Hench literally had pushed models of the two areas together, creating the unified EPCOT that would eventually be built <ref> https://sites.google.com/site/theoriginalepcot/becoming-epcot-center </ref>. During the ongoing development, the name of the park was changed to EPCOT Center, and the parameters of what the park would include were more clearly defined. The Future World portion of EPCOT Center would contain various pavilions including: [[Spaceship Earth]], [[CommuniCore]], the Life and Health Pavilion, the [[Transportation pavilion]], [[The Seas]], [[The Land]], the [[Space pavilion]], and the [[Energy pavilion]] <ref> http://www.mainstgazette.com/2010/04/master-plan-5.html </ref>. Like Future World, World Showcase had also changed dramatically since its initial incarnation. By 1977, World Showcase was designed so that all of the countries’ exhibits were now surrounding a central lagoon. Another change in the area had to do with the exterior architecture. Initially, Disney (and CEO Card Walker) had wanted the exterior facades of each country’s pavilion to be identical and interconnected <ref name= "primer"> Crawford, Michael. The Progress City Primer: Stories, Secrets, and Silliness from the Many Worlds of Walt Disney. N.p.: Progress City, L.L.C, 2015. Print. </ref>. Imagineer Harper Goff on the other hand, felt that the pavilions should be highly themed and unique, with landmarks from each country drawing guests towards the pavilion <ref name= "primer"/>. Although Goff’s idea was initially rejected, the Imagineer continued to press the issue. One day, when various international sponsors were touring the plans for World Showcase, Goff left paintings of the highly themed and aesthetically pleasing pavilions on display<ref name= "primer"/>. Due to the enthusiastic response of the investors, Goff won out, and the World Showcase pavilions were given unique exteriors<ref name= "primer"/>.
Initially planned as a six year project, construction on EPCOT Center began in October 1979, with a projected opening date of October 1, 1982 <ref name= "korkis"> https://www.mouseplanet.com/10081/Building_Epcot_Center_1982 </ref>. At this time, EPCOT Center was considered the largest construction project in the world<ref name= "korkis"/>.
===Construction and Layout=History Since Opening Day==== ====EPCOT Center (1982-1994)====[[Image:horizonspavilion.jpg|thumb|400px|In 1978 Disney announced they would be constructing a new theme park, 1983 Horizons became the first pavilion added to EPCOT Center| alt= "Horizons"]]After the Grand Opening in October of 1982, EPCOT Center continued to expand rapidly. Construction The first expansion, known as Phase II, began on May October 1, 1979 and 1983 with the addition the Horizons pavilion <ref name= "horizons"> http://www.lostepcot.com/horizons.html </ref>. Horizons, which was completed September 27sponsored by General Electric <ref name= "horizons"/>, 1982was a dark ride attraction that took guests into the 21st century, to see what the future might be like. Epcot went under 19 different design renovations before The attraction would be one of EPCOT Center's most popular rides in the final 1980s. One year after the addition of Horizons, the [[Morocco]] pavilion opened in World Showcase<ref> https:/Future World design was accepted/disneyparks. Originallydisney.go.com/blog/2013/09/vintage-walt-disney-world-morocco-pavilion-opens-at-epcot/ </ref>. Although the pavilion didn't feature any new attractions, the east side of popular Restaurant Marrakesh opened at this time. Future World was supposed to have shallow lagoonssaw even more expansion in 1986 when [[The Living Seas]] opened on January 15th <ref name= "seas"> http://www. This idea was eventually scrapped lostepcot.com/livingseas.html </ref>. Although a Seas pavilion had always been planned for EPCOT Center, changes in design and East Future World became the dry side, while West Future World became budget constraints delayed the wet onepavilion’s construction. 4 Sponsored by United Technologies,000 workers worked The Living Seas focused on phase 1 of Epcot. 10oceanic study,000 workers and 3,000 designers were used in total during housed the creation world’s largest aquarium (at the time of Epcotits construction) <ref name= "seas"/>. This included moving an astonishing