Difference between revisions of "Living with the Land"

Revision as of 18:39, 17 March 2012

Living with the Land is an attraction in The Land pavilion in Epcot.

Attraction History

Living With the Land was opened with The Land pavilion on October 1, 1982 as Listen To The Land. The attraction was designed to be an open topped boat ride through simulated habitats. Listen To The Land was created with the idea that it would "Part Disney ride and part educational". After the tour of the habitats, guests were shown a working research center. The University of Arizona Environmental Researchers were brought in as consultants on the attraction, which also included too (originally temporary) greenhouses.

The attraction had it's soft opening on September 28, 1982 and it's grand opening, along with the rest Epcot on October 1, 1982. Listen to the Land remained the same until 1993 when Nestle took over sponsorship of pavilion. The attraction was renamed Living With the Land, and the opening and closing scenes were changed. In 2004 the attraction received FASTPASS booths, although they are currently not operational. Finally, on August 20, 2006, the Cast Member narrators were removed from the attraction, in favor of an automated narration.

Attraction Plot

Living with the Land is a boat ride which shows guests how agriculture grows in various habitats. The attraction concludes with a tour of a working research facility and greenhouse.

Listen to the Land

Listen to the Land began with guests boarding their boats and being greeted by their tour guide. While they loaded, they could hear the attractions theme song, "Listen to the Land". The first scene in the attraction was known as the Symphony of Seed. The scene was a stylistic look at how plants grow and spread. Inside the scene, guests could see seeds being blown by the wind, while classical music played. The next scene in the attraction was the Rainforest scene. Here, the tour guide explained that in the rainforest, plants had to overcome a lack of light in order to grow. All around them, guests could see lush vegetation and Audio Anamatronic animals. After exiting the Rainforest, guests entered a dessert. Here, the cast member would explain to them that plants faced the threat of a lack of water and sandstorms, but were still able to grow. In this room, guests could hear the sandstorm howling, and also see vegetation (such as a cactus) growing.

The third habitat that guests would visit on Listen to the Land was the prairie. Here, the tour guide would explain that the unpredictable whether of the prairies caused problems for plant life there. His two examples, wildfire and storms, could be seen in the horizon. Large bison could also be seen feeding in the prairie. The next scene in the attraction showed a turn of the century farm. Here, an country version of "Listen to the Land" could be heard. A farm and an old house were both located here, while a dog laid on the front porch. Guests would then go inside the barn, where images showing various forms of agriculture were shown. The tour guide told guests that research was continuing to make agriculture more efficient. Examples of this included better, machines, fertilizers, and seeds. The guide also told guests that much of the food served in Epcot was grown using these techniques.

At this point in the attraction, guests would enter the research half of Listen to the Land. This would begin in the Topiaries, where guests could see various plants being grown in a tropical atmosphere. Plants located here included: papia, sugar cane, rice, bananas, pineapple, and vanilla. The next section of the research center focused on "Aqua Culture", here fish farming took place, and guests could see various exotic fish. The tour guide would inform guests that many of this fish here, were used in restaurants throughout The Land pavilion.

The final part of the attraction showed new ways in which researchers at The Land were growing food. The first example that guests could see, was cotton and cucumbers that were shown growing in the desert. Further on, guests could see crops growing vertically, which the narrator informed them would save space. Other crops were shown growing without soil, and the tour guide would tell guests that researchers were using ladybugs as a pestilent. The last thing that guests could see on the attraction was future methods of agriculture. These included ideas for growing food on the moon, and genetically altering crops to make them more nutrition and resistance. Guests could then hear "Living With the Land" one more time, before reaching the unloading area.

Living With the Land

In 1993, following Nestle assuming sponsorship of The Land pavilion, Listen to the Land was closed for refurbishment. The attraction re-opened later that year as Living With the Land. Living With the Land was almost identical to it's predecessor except for a few changes. These changes included:

• The replacement of the Symphony of Seeds with a new storm scene. In this scene, the narrator tells guests that climate changes are sweeping over the land. She then goes on to say that the storm is a new beginning for the land, and that the water combined with sunlight leads to the growth of the planet.

• The Rainforest scene was extended

• The finale of the attraction was changed so that it showed various humans standing in front of agriculture. The formal finale, showcasing future agricultural methods was moved to the greenhouse section of the tour.

• The removal of the "Listen to the Land" song from the attraction.