Changes

| land=Future WorldNature

| custom_value_1 = 32

The Land is a pavilion located in World Nature within [[Epcot]].

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, plans called for an Ecology and Mineral pavilionto be located in Future World; however the focus was eventually broadened to include all of the planet's environments. This was done in order to make the pavilion more appealing to potential sponsors <ref name= "Martin"/>. In Walt Disney Production's 1977 Annual Report, Disney stated that The Land pavilion would "illustrate man's role as the protector of the Earth and its environments" <ref name= "hill"/>.

The Land pavilion was originally going to be sponsored by a Georgia Pacific (a logging company) <ref name= "wedway"> Parish, Matt, Nate Parish, and Michael Crawford. "5:3 The Original Land Pavilion." Audio blog post. WedWay Radio. N.p., 20 May 2013. Web. </ref >and thus the first incarnation of the pavilion was created with a focus on natural habitats and the earth’s environments <ref name= "book"> Pedersen, R. A. The Epcot EPCOT Explorer's Encyclopedia: A Guide to Walt Disney World's Greatest Theme Park . United States: Epcyclopedia, 2011. Print.</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>. Guests would have entered After entering this version of The Land and , guests would have first watched a brief theater show set on an American farm <ref name= "wedway"/> . Taking place in a structure similar to the [[Carousel of Progress]], this Carousel Show would have introduced guests to the Landkeeper, who would serve as guests guest's guide throughout the pavilion <ref name= "wedway"/>. After watching the preshow, guests would enter the rest of the pavilion The Land which would have been themed as the Future Fair <ref name= "wedway"/>. The feature attraction of this early version of The Land the pavilion 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:

[[Image:TonyBaxterLand.jpg|thumb|350px400px|Concept art for Tony Baxter's vision of The Land.]]Although fairly well developed, the direction of The Land pavilion changed in 1978 when Georgia Pacific dropped out and Kraft announced that it would be sponsoring the pavilion(for 30 million dollars) <ref> Crump, Rolly, and Jeff Heimbuch. It's Kind of a Cute Story. N.p.: Bamboo Forest, 2012. Print. </ref>. Instead of focusing on the earth’s habitats, the focus of The Land now shifted towards agriculture, and how humans cultivate their food <ref name= "Martin"/>. With Kraft as its sponsor, the layout of the pavilion itself was also redesigned. Tony Baxter left the project to work on what would eventually be the [[Journey Into Imagination pavilion]] (Where where he would eventually rework the Landkeeper into Dreamfinder) and Imagineer Rolly Crump and his team began to come were tasked with coming up with new plans for The Land<ref name= "wedway"/>. At this time, the pavilion was reshaped to look like a glass pyramid or mountain <ref name= "book"/>. Furthermore, the entrance was given murals to represent entering the earth’s core <ref name= "Martin"/>. The new plans also called for The Land to be made up of a boat ride, later named [[Listen to the Land]] and the "Harvest Theater" which would show [[Symbiosis]], an environmental film <ref name= "Martin"/>. Originally, The Land pavilion was also going to feature temporary greenhouses; however it was later decided to permanently incorporate them into Listen to the Land<ref name= "Martin"/>. The final addition to the pavilion came when sponsor Kraft decided that they wanted the pavilion to include an attraction that focused on nutritional information in the pavilion <ref name= "Martin"/>. With this in mind, Imagineers created [[Kitchen Kabaret]]- an Audio Animatronic musical revue which featured singing food characters.

Besides its three main attractions, the Land pavilion also included a large food court on the first level , called the Farmers Market, as well as a rotating restaurant on the second floor (a holdover from the pavilion’s original design) called the Good Turn Restaurant <ref name= "Martin"/>. The Land pavilion opened with the rest of EPCOT Center on October 1, 1982 <Ref> http://thisdayindisneyhistory.homestead.com/epcotgrandopening.html </ref>.

The Land pavilion opened with the rest of EPCOT Center on October 1, 1982 <Ref> http://thisdayindisneyhistory.homestead.com/epcotgrandopening.html </ref>. The first major change to The Land pavilion came in December 1982 when the shop Broccoli & Co. opened <ref> http://kpolsson.com/wdworld/wdw1972.htm </ref>. This little store was themed as a tie in to Kitchen Kabaret and it sold plants, small souvenirs , and (obviously) Kitchen Kabaret merchandise. Besides the addition of Broccoli & Co., the only other significant change to The Land pavilion during the 1980s came in 1986 when the Good Turn restaurant was renamed The Land Grille Room <ref name= "widen"> http://www.omniluxe.net/wyw/ecindex.htm </ref>.

When Nestle assumed sponsorship of The Land in 1993, renovations on the pavilion began immediately. The first major update came to the aesthetics of the pavilion itself, with when the original colors of brown and blue were replaced with a more vibrant color palette <ref name= "Martin"/>. At this time, the Farmer’s Market was rethemed as the Sunshine Season Food Fair, the Land Grille Room became the Garden Grill, and the Broccoli and Co. was renamed the Green Thumb Emporium <ref name= "Martin"/> <ref name= "widen"/>.

Following the mid-1990s refurbishments, The Land pavilion remained essentially unchanged for eight years. This changed ended however in 2003 , when it was Disney decided to bring [[Soarin’]] (a very popular motion simulator attraction in Disney’s California Adventure) to Epcot. Initially, Disney planned on adding Soarin' to one of the World Showcase pavilions<ref name= "press"> http://www.wdwmagic.com/attractions/soarin/news/03oct2004-disney-soarin-press-release.htm </ref>, however when a proper location could not be agreed upon, it was decided to house the attraction inside The Land <ref name= "press"/>. Although the attraction itself would take place in an expansion building, the queue for Soarin' was designed to go through the area that housed Food Rocks <ref name= "Martin"/>. Quietly, construction on Soarin' began in August of 2003, before the attraction was officially announced on October 10th<ref name= "press"/>. Despite the fact that its days were numbered, Food Rocks remained open until January 3, 2004<ref name= "Martin"/>. The Land pavilion itself remained open for part of Soarin's construction. On January 2, 2005 however, the entire pavilion closed for a three month refurbishment <Ref> http://www.wdwmagic.com/attractions/soarin/news/05nov2004-land-pavilion-closing-for-soarin-work.htm </ref>. During the renovation, Soarin' was integrated into the main atrium and changes were made to Living with the Land <ref name= "Martin"/>. Also at this time, Sunshine Seasons was redesigned and the pavilion's central fountain was removed in order to add more seating <ref name= "book"/>. Other changes that happened to the pavilion during the 2005 refurbishment included:[[Image:Soarin3.jpg|400px|thumb|Soarin' opened in The Land in 2005]] 

Despite the significant changes being made the pavilion, the construction only took two weeks longer than expected <ref name= "book"/> , and by April 29, 2005 the entire pavilion was fully operational <ref name= "Martin"/>. Since the 2005 renovation, The Land has only experienced some minor changes. In 2006, the skippers were removed from Living with the Land <ref name= "Jack"> http://land.allears.net/blogs/jackspence/2010/08/living_with_the_land_1.html </ref> and in 2007 interactive games were added to Soarin's queue <ref> http://allears.net/tp/ep/e_soar.htm </ref>. The most significant of the recent changes howeverSubsequently, was the end of Nestlé’s sponsorship on February 13, 2009 , Nestlé's sponsorship of The Land ended <ref name= "Jack"/>. Since that date, the Land has remained sponsorless (although Chiquita Brands International has sponsored the Living with the Land attraction since 2011 <ref> http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/chiquita-and-walt-disney-world-resort-announce-multi-year-alliance-to-offer-fresh-healthy-chiquita-and-fresh-express-products-to-disney-guests-126408463.html </ref>).

'''[[Living With The with the Land]]'''- This narrated boat tour teaches guests about the history of "the land" and the effect that humans have on it. The second half of the attraction takes guests through a working greenhouse where futuristic growing techniques are showcased.

'''[[Circle of Life: An Environmental FableSoarin' Around the World]]'''- Housed in This motion simulator attraction allows to hang glide over various world landmarks. Destinations on Soarin' Around the Harvest TheaterWorld include, this 70mm film teaches guests about their responsibility towards the environment. Circle Great Wall of Life: An Environmental Fable features SimbaChina, Timon and Pumbaa from the 1994 Disney Movie "The Lion King"Matterhorn, the Eiffel Tower and many more.

'''[[Soarin' Around the World]]'''- This motion simulator attraction allows to hang glide over various world landmarks. Destinations on Soarin' Around the World include, The Great Wall of China, The Matterhorn, the Eiffel Tower and many more. '''Behind the Seeds Tour'''- For an additional cost, guests can experience the Behind the Seeds Tour. This tour takes guests on a one hour walkthrough of the greenhouses that guests see are seen on Living with the Land. The Behind the Seeds Tour was known as Tomorrow's Harvest from 1982 until 1993, and the Greenhouse Tours from 1993 until 1996.

'''[[The Garden Grill Restaurant]]'''- The Garden Grill is located on the second floor of the pavilion, overlooking Living with the Land. The restaurant is open for dinner breakfast, lunch and offers an all you can eat "family style dinner" as well as and it gives guests an opportunity to meet Chip, Dale, Mickey and Pluto. Also of note is the fact that the Garden Grill rotates, giving guests a variety of different views of Living with the Land.

'''Broccoli & Co.'''- Located near the exit to Kitchen Kabaret, Broccoli & coCo. sold Kitchen Kabaret merchandise, small plants, and seeds. Broccoli and Co. opened in December of 1982 and closed in 1993.

'''Green Thumb Emporium (1994-2005)'''- The original Green Thumb Emporium was located in the former location of Broccoli & Co.. The store sold Food Rocks merchandise, as well as other plant related merchandise and seeds. The Green Thumb Emporium opened in 1994 and was closed in 2005 in order to make room for Soarin', however a small shop near that location continues to use the Green Thumb Emporium name.

* The design of the The Land pavilion inspired the architecture of the [[Journey Into Imagination Pavilion]] <ref name= "Martin"/>.

* The large fountain originally looked found in The Land's atrium was sculpted Jim Sarno <ref name= "book"/>.