Changes

===From City to Theme Park===

When Walt Disney died in 1966, the future of EPCOT was forever changed. In 1967 the Reedy Creek Improvement District was signed into law giving Disney more liberties when it came to construction <ref name= "widen"> http://www.omniluxe.net/wyw/epcot.htm </ref>. Furthermore, the state of Florida created the cities of Bay Lake and Reedy Creek, which were essentially governed by the Walt Disney Company <ref> http://www.bizjournals.com/orlando/stories/2004/02/23/story1.html </ref>. Although this seemed like the first step towards the construction of EPCOT, Disney’s board of the directors decided that they did not want to build the city. Despite Roy O. Disney’s desire to see EPCOT built, when Walt Disney World opened in 1971 it consisted of only the [[Magic Kingdom]], the Contemporary, the Polynesidan and the Fort Wilderness Campgrounds.

By 1975, Disney had determined that EPCOT as a day to day community was not a feasible idea. Instead, Disney announced that they would be taking the ideals and goals of EPCOT and building it in the form of a theme park. In July of 1975 Disney announced that their plans for EPCOT would have three main components <ref name= "florida"/>. The first component would be the EPCOT Institute, which would have helped facilitate the flow of research and information from EPCOT’s other components, to the parks sponsors and the general public<ref name= "florida"/>.. The second component of EPCOT would be various “satellites” where research and development of future products and new systems in fields such as: energy, communication, agriculture, and education would take place<ref name= "florida"/>.. The EPCOT satellites would be located both on Walt Disney World property and off<ref name= "florida"/>.. The third, and most perhaps most prominent component of the 1975 EPCOT plan, was the Future World Theme Center<ref name= "florida"/>.. Here, guests would be able to visit various pavilions that showed the research that was being done at EPCOT. Fields including communication, science and technology would all be showcased in the Future World Theme Center<ref name= "florida"/>..

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: