The genesis of the Land pavilion dates back to the original concepts for EPCOT Center <ref name= "Martin"> http://www.martinsvids.net/?tag=the-land-pavilion </ref>. Initially, the plans called for an Ecology and Mineral pavilion; however the focus was eventually broadened to include all of the planet's environments in order to make the pavilion more appealing to potential sponsor <ref name= "Martin"/>. The Land pavilion was originally going to be sponsored by a logging company, and thus the first incarnation of the pavilion was created with a focus on natural habitats and the earth’s environments <ref name= "book"> Epcot Encyclopedia </ref>. This early version of The Land called for the pavilion to be made up of seven crystal structures that would have housed five different environments, plus an agricultural and an urban section <ref name= "hill"> http://jimhillmedia.com/editor_in_chief1/b/jim_hill/archive/2011/10/07/why-for-did-epcot-s-future-world-not-turn-out-as-wed-had-originally-planned.aspx </ref>.
In the 1977 Walt Disney Production's annual report, The Land pavilion would have illustrated man's role as the protector of the Earth and its environments <ref name= "hill"/>. This incarnation of the Land Pavilion was to feature a drilling machine thrill ride that would have taken guests to the center of the earth <ref name= "book"/>, as well as a rotating, treetop restaurant. The feature attraction however would have been Blueprints of Nature, an attraction where guests would board a "balloon" (using a track mechanism similar to [[Peter Pan's Flight]]) and follow the journey of snow as it melted into water and flowed through earth's various ecosystems <ref name= "baxter"> http://homepages.which.net/~ian/historybaxter.html </ref>. According to Imagineer Tony Baxter:
{{Quotation|The blueprints unfolded in the snowflakes of winter, then the germinating seeds of springtime, the flowers of summer, and the leaves of the fall. As we observed this never-ending cycle, the balloon soared upward with the flying eagle. "For man alone can learn from nature and can soar with the birds". The ride concluded by flying through all the crystals. When you looked down, you got an overview of the area you would soon be visiting on foot, which was the third part of the show.|Tony Baxter <ref name= "baxter"/>}}