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| opened=October 1, 1982

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==Attraction History==

While an attraction inside the America pavilion had always been a part of the plans for [[EPCOT Center]], its location and design changed frequently during the park's planning. As early as 1976, there were plans for an American attraction to be one of Epcot Center's major draws <ref name= "vid1"/>. By 1978, Imagineers wanted to use the American Adventure pavilion as a bridge between Future World and World Showcase <ref> http://progresscityusa.com/2009/06/27/a-visit-to-epcot-center-1979/ </ref> <Ref name= "Martin"> http://www.martinsvids.net/?p=218 </ref>. This version of the pavilion would have been two stories tall, with the American Adventure attraction located on the building's second floor <Ref name= "allears"> http://allears.net/tp/ep/e_adv.htm </ref>. Eventually however, Imagineers decided to place the American pavilion within World Showcase. By placing the pavilion at the back center of the land, Imagineers not only put America amongst the other countries, but they also created a "weenie" to draw guests back into the land <ref name= "allears"/>.

Like the pavilion itself, the American Adventure attraction also went through a series of changes. When development began on the attraction, Imagineers knew that they wanted to tell the story of America, but they were not sure how to do it. Six different attraction ideas were disregarded, before the show’s final form was accepted <ref> http://2719hyperion.blogspot.com/2007/01/lost-imagineering-happy-fun-american.html </ref>. These discarded ideas included:

With a goal of creating a venue that would be “alive and moving” <ref name="vid1"> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pT8dbXhN1G8</ref>, Imagineers eventually came up with the idea of creating a “Magic Theater” <ref name= "mouseplanet"> https://www.mouseplanet.com/9905/Will_Rogers_and_the_American_Adventure </ref>. The theater was designed so that it would be able to combine: Audio Animatronics, video, audio, and moving sets to tell the story of America <ref name= "mouseplanet"/>.

With the infrastructure and form of the attraction now settled on, Randy Bright and his team set about writing the shows script. Early on, Bright proposed the idea of focusing on “dreamers and doers”, an ethos that would guide the show's development <ref name="vid2"> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u8WTTQzuDZge</ref>. Bright and professor of history at UCLA D. Allen Yarnell would meet late at night at Imagineering to work on the show. One of the theme that they hoped to portray was the overcoming of adversity, while also not wanting to whitewashing the country's history <ref name="vid2"/>. Bright further noted that the show focused on a series of individuals using their own words.

In order to help set the various scenes which were to be depicted in the American Adventure, Imagineers initially wanted the attraction to have three hosts, with each host representing one of the centuries that America had existed for <ref name= "Korkis"/>. The three men chosen to guide guests through the story of America were Benjamin Franklin (18th century), Mark Twain (19th century), and Will Rogers (20th century). Although promoted in concept art by Disney <ref> http://progresscityusa.com/page/57/ </ref>, it was eventually decided that Will Rogers would not appear as one of the attraction's hosts (although he would appear in Audio Animatronic form in the 20th century scene), leaving the duo of Franklin and Twain as the sole narrators. This decision was made after Disney discovered that only 5 out of every 150 college students knew who Will Rogers was <ref name= "mouseplanet"/>, and they could not come to a consensus on a replacement. Bright later contemplated that the events of the 20th Century were too current to properly find a representative for <ref name= "mouseplanet"/>

The soundtrack for the American Adventure attraction was carefully created by composer Buddy Baker, who combined known, period specific songs, with new tunes written specifically for the attraction<ref name="vid2"/>. The music was then recorded by the Philadelphia Symphonic Orchestra before being mixed by engineer Bob Zalk <ref name="vid2"/>. In total, it took 18 months to mix the attraction's music, sound effects, and narration into the final score <ref name="vid1"/>.

Like the attraction's score, the artwork used in the American Adventure was specifically curated. Bright noted that they did not want to use "modern art" in the 18th and 19th century scenes <ref name="vid1"/>. Instead, Disney created new artwork that was stylized to look like it was from the correct period. In a similar fashion, photographs and motion pictures were not used until the scenes set in a time where these technologies had been invented <ref name="vid1"/>.

==Attraction Plot==

[[Image:AmericanAdventureStatues3.jpg|thumb|400px|The Spirits of Adventure, Self-Reliance, and Tomorrow ]]

* '''Spirit of Individualism'''- A cowboy

* '''Spirit of Innovation-''' A scientist

* '''Spirit of Tomorrow-''' A woman holding a baby

* '''Spirit of Freedom-''' A male pilgrim

* '''Spirit of Pioneering-''' A male aviator

* '''Spirit of Adventure-''' A sailor

===Opening Scene===

===New World Bound===

At this point, the attraction's first song, “New World Bound” begins to play. As the song play, images of pilgrims coming to the new world are shown. The song tells the story of the troubles that the pilgrims faced, both coming to America and then subsequently surviving there. The lyrics to New World Bound are:

'''♫ There's a land cross this ocean,''' <br>

Following the reading of the Declaration of Independence, scenes of the American Revolution are shown on the screen as guests hear the traditional song “In the Days of '76”. The song begins:

'''♫ In the days of '76, my boys,'''

'''we never must revere'''

As the booths descend, guests are shown dioramas which feature the latest technological advancements. Among the inventions featured are the light bulb, trolley, moving picture, and the airplane. Following these achievements, Mark Twain observes that the country was flying into the 20th century on the wings of invention and the winds of change. Because of the changes happening in the country, Twain also observes that America needed people like Teddy Roosevelt and John Muir to lead it.

[[Image:MuirRoosevelt.jpg|400px|thumb|Jon Muir and Teddy Roosevelt. Photo by Lauren Javier]]

At this cue, Teddy Roosevelt and Jon Muir are shown on stage standing in a forest. The two men are discussing the need for balance between industrial progress, and conservation of the environment. Muir is eventually able to impress upon the President that Roosevelt needs to stop the massive destruction of America's national parks. After Roosevelt says he agrees that they need to protect the country's resources, Muir says:

'''Once I built a tower, now it's done.'''<br>

'''Brother, can you spare a dime? ♫ '''

As the song finishes, the men discuss the state of the country, joking about how millionaires in New York are selling apples just like they are. As the storm around them begins to let up, the gas station owner hopefully suggests that Sunday drivers might now venture out for gas. In the middle of their conversation, one of the men shushes the others, so that they can listen to Franklin Delano Roosevelt being inaugurated on the radio.

===World War II===

As the gas station fades away, a shipyard is shown. Here Rosie the Riveter is welding a piece of a battleship as "I'll be Home for Christmas" plays over the radio. After the conclusion of the song, the radio announcer says:

===Golden Dreams===

Following the World War II scene, the Golden Dream montage begins to play. During the song images and video of famous Americans from the 20th and 21st century are shown. The lyrics for Golden Dream are:

'''♫ Male Singer:'''<br>

'''Sail on freedom's wind, across the sky.'''<br>

'''Great bird, with your golden dreams'''<br>

'''Female Singer: <br>

Some of the Americans shown during the Golden Dreams montage include:

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*Frank Lloyd Wright

*Tom Brokaw

*Bill Clinton

*George Bush

*Firefighters raising the United States flag at Ground Zero after the September 11 attacks.

|}

After the montage ends, guests see the Apollo 11 rocket blasting off to the moon. Following the launch, Golden Dreams commences:

==Fun Facts and Trivia==

* Randy Bright, the American Adventure's producer, helped write the song Golden Dream. <ref name= "Korkis"/>