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The Seas with Nemo & Friends

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{{Template:Infobox Disney ride |
| image= seasfacade.jpg
| caption='''The coastline facade façade in front of the Seas With Nemo & Friends.'''
| theme=Finding Nemo, the sea
| sponsor= United Technologies (1986-1998)
| land=Future WorldNature
| park= Epcot
| opened=January 15, 1986
| custom_label_2 = Formally Known As
| custom_value_2 = The Living Seas (1986-2005)}}
The Seas With Nemo & Friends is a pavilion within Future World Nature in [[Epcot]]. If you are looking for the attraction located within the pavilion please see [[The Seas with Nemo & Friends (Attraction)]]
==Pavilion History==
===Development and Construction===
When Disney was originally planning its pavilion's for Future World, Although The Living Seas would not open until 1986, plans for The Seas pavilion was slated to be present on the parkhad been a part of EPCOT Center's opening dayearly designs. According to The first mention of The Seas pavilion appeared in the 1977 Walt Disney Productions Annual Report, one of . While touting the early ideas for an attraction within the pavilion would have allowed guests to "Board the clipper ship ‘Spirit breakthrough of Mankind’ their newest plan to sail through moments of peril and triumph with seven legendary marinersmake EPCOT Center a reality, Disney described the great explorers who charted the seas for civilization" <ref name= "Hill"> httpplanned Seas pavilion://jimhillmedia.com/editor_in_chief1/b/jim_hill/archive/2006/06/06/2772.aspx?PageIndex=1 </ref>
Throughout its early development however{{Quotation|'''The Seas''' -- Guests will board the clipper ship, Imagineers decided "Spirit of Mankind," to shift the tone sail through moments of the Living Seas away from fantasy peril and towards sciencetriumph with seven legendary mariners ... These changes, accompanied by corresponding changes to the content of great explorers who charted the pavilionseas for civilization. In another adventure, led Poseidon the Sea Lord will challenge visitors to a series fo delaysjourney through ocean depths . By 1980 it was apparent that .. from the pavilion would not be opening with Continental Shelf to the rest of Epcot CenterGreat Coral Reef. InsteadFinally arriving at "Sea Base Alpha, " guests will experience an authentic ocean environment with live marine life, an undersea restaurant, and a showcase of oceanographic exhibits and displays <ref> Walt Disney planned to open the pavilion in 1983Company. In the 1980 book Walt Disney's Epcot CenterProductions 1977 Annual Report , the 1977. July 2018. </ref>.}}[[Image:Seas2.jpg|400px|thumb|Early concept art for The Living Seas pavilion is described:featuring the glass bubble ride vehicles.]]
As plans for The Seas continued to develop, the makeup of the pavilion began to change. By 1980, the "clipper ship" attraction seems to have been removed. In this new version of the pavilion, guests would enter The Seas through a “portal” which transported them into a grotto <ref name= "Martin"> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P7TGeBE_0cQ </ref>. From here, they would enter a large preshow theater. As a storm raged around them, the doors of the theater would close. With a strike of lightning, Poseidon would appear and calm the storm with a stroke of his hand. He then noted that despite mankind's superstitions regarding the sea, it was the oceans themselves that were the “cradle of life”. Looking back at the few men who were brave enough to explore the oceans, the god would then note that with wisdom and courage, guests too could explore the sea<ref name= "Martin"/>.
 
At this point, the entire theater was to turn 180 degrees, as the action on the screen followed guests. Another crash of lightning would then reveal a load area in the distance. As Poseidon called guests to move forward, they would travel down a long corridor to their ride vehicles, which were shaped like large glass bubbles<ref name= "Martin"/>.
 
After boarding their omnimover vehicles, guests would go on an adventure where they would pass through a “series of scenes depicting the visual drama of ocean kelp forests, abyssal canyons and other marvelous and mysterious ocean environments” <ref name= "intercot"/>. They would then enter a clear acrylic tube which was to run through the pavilion's 5 million gallon sea water tank. Following this journey, they would arrive in Sea Base Alpha, where they could further examine interactive exhibits, as well as enter a long viewing platform to observe the activity in the large aquarium.
 
Continuing to tinker with the pavilion, eventually, Imagineers cut the large entrance hall between the Poseidon show and the omnimovers<ref name= "Martin"/>. Furthermore, the ride path that the omnimovers would take was changed so that instead of going straight through the pavilion's massive tank, the ride vehicles now went around its circumference, before entering and exiting through the central viewing module<ref name= "Martin"/>.
 
By the end of 1980 plans for The Seas pavilion were still changing. At this point the omnimover ride was shortened and the tone became more scientific. In the 1980 book Walt Disney's Epcot Center, the Seas pavilion is described:
{{Quotation| "Visitors to The Seas pavilion will explore the wonders of the aquatic frontier through two major presentations. First, "The World of the Sea," a ride-thru experience presenting various ocean environments; and second, "Sea Base Alpha," a futuristic undersea research station complete with a 5,000,000-gallon tank supporting a living coral reef community." <ref name= "intercot"> http://www.intercot.com/edc/LivingSeas/lsconstr.html </ref>}}
[[Image:Seas2Seasopening.jpg|400px|thumb|Early concept art for The Grand Opening of The Living Seas pavilion.]]
Another early concept would have begun with guests entering Between 1980 and 1982, the tone of The Living Seas and seeing a preshow where the Greek god Poseidon would calm a raging stormhad clearly shifted. After Gone was the fantasy elements of the pavilion's designs (including the preshow, Poseidon would have narrated guests on their dark ride adventure <ref name= "Martinbubble"/>. This dark ride would have been a fully immersive experiencevehicles), with shark attacks, shipwrecks, and various special effects adding as the focus of The Seas moved completely to the excitement <ref name= "Martin"/>. Guests would eventually enter scientific, with an emphasis on the pavilion’s 200 ft. tank at the rides conclusion. Following the dark ride, guests would have arrived at Sea Seas Base Alpha- an underwater research facility <ref name= "Martin"/>portion of the pavilion. According to the The 1982 book EPCOT Center: Creating the World of Tomorrow, notes that while in The Living Seas ride guests would see:
{{Quotation| The environment, designed to look like a futuristic sea base, is an actual working environment in which man and machine coexist with the sea and its original inhabitants. All around us, we see diver’s carrying on their tasks, often accompanied by their coworkers, the dolphins, trained to work alongside man.| <ref> Beard, Richard R., and Walt Disney. Walt Disneys EPCOT Center: Creating the New World of Tomorrow . Harry N. Abrams, 1982. </ref>}}
Inside of Sea Base Alpha, guests could see a "television" system that allowed them to follow various divers’ activities. One camera would be set When EPCOT Center opened on the sea floorOctober 1, the second mounted on a robotic device which followed the diver1982, and a third would however, The Seas pavilion was nowhere to be on the diver’s helmet itselffound. In the research facilityInstead, guests would also an empty large plot of land could be able to see found in Future World West, with a series of exhibits sign that announced that showcased not only underwater life, but also the future of underwater science. Unlike its successor, the original plans for The Living Seas pavilion’s architecture called for would be opening in 1984<ref name= "Martin"/>. Despite this promise, Disney had yet to find a two story pavilion with a glass roof. As designs sponsor for the pavilion . This changedon July 20, and the entire Living Seas took on a more serious tone1983, when United Technologies agreed to sponsor the glass ceiling was replaced by a conventional one90 million dollar pavilion<ref name= "Martin"/>.
Due to this change in tone as well as logistical issues, construction on The Living Seas was pushed back. Before construction beganWith United Technologies now sponsoring the pavilion, the final layout of The Living Seas was alteredbegan to take shape. This was either due to a change in At this time, the pavilion's tone or Poseidon preshow and the unwillingness of the pavilion's sponsor long dark ride attraction (which United Technologies was unwilling to fund the elaborate design pay for) were removed <ref name= "Martin"/> <ref> https://futureprobe.blogspot.com/2012/10/from-seas-to-living-seas-and-beyond.html </ref>. Instead of the extensive dark ride that would have led guests to Sea Base Alpha, guests would now enter the pavilion and watch a short preshow video and short . After this, they would take a quick trip through the pavilion's aquarium were instead installed <ref name= "Martin"/>. The pavilion was now designed with essentially two parts: the large Coral Reef Aquarium, and before arriving at Sea Base Alpha, where guests could look at the future of underwater research <ref name= "Martin"/>. After a series of setbacks, construction on The Living Seas began in March of 1984, and the pavilion opened to the public on January 15, 1986 <ref name= "Martin"/>.
===The Living Seas Presented By United Technologies (1986-1998)===
[[Image:Seasentrance.jpg|400px350px|thumb|The entrance to The Living Seas prior to the 2005 refurbishment. Photo Michael Grey.]]
When The Living Seas officially opened it featured three connected attractions and to guests on January 15, 1986 <ref> https://d23.com/a-to-z/living-seas-the [[Coral Reef Restaurant]]/ </ref>. After winding their way through On hand for the queue pavilion's Grand Opening were Disney president Frank Wells (where guests could see historical artifacts from who cut the history of sea explorationopening ribbon inside the pavilion's 5.7 million-gallon tank), guests watched a short film called The Seas. This movie showed guests how water made life on earth possiblechairman Michael Eisner, while also touching on how humanity's understanding of the Florida Governor Bob Graham, United Technologies chairman Harry Gray, and Roy E. Disney <ref> http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/1986-01-16/news/0190190142_1_walt-disney-disney-productions-living-seas has developed</ref>.
The completed Living Seas pavilion was unique among the original EPCOT Center pavilion's in that it did not house a "feature attraction". Instead, the pavilion was made up a series of interconnected smaller attractions, concluding with guests arrival at the futuristic underwater research center [[Sea Base Alpha]].  The Living Seas began with guests entering a winding queue that featured artifacts from the history of sea travel. They would then enter the first preshow, where they watched a slideshow touting United Technologies. Following the slideshow, guests would walk into another theater, where they were shown the 7 minute film "The Sea". This movie showed guests how water made life on earth possible, while also touching on how humanity's understanding of the seas has developed. After watching the short film, guests entered exited to the Hydrolators, which were "sea elevators that took " designed to take 30 guests "downbelow the surface" to . Exiting the ocean floor (although in actuality they only went down two inches)Hydrolators, before they were loaded into guests would then board their "SeaCabs for " and travel on the Caribbean Coral Reef Ride. The Caribbean Coral Reef Ride took guests through the oceanpavilion's depths (the Caribbean Coral Reef Aquarium(thus the name of the ride) to Sea Base Alpha, in omnimover fashion. Once at  Sea Base Alpha, guests could explore various interactive exhibits that allowed them Aplha was designed to learn about marine lifelook like a futuristic, and the technology that made underwater research possiblecenter (thus guests had to take Hydrolators to get there). From While Imagineers had originally planned on Sea Base Alphabeing made up of eight modules, the final version only featured six <ref name="Martin"/>. Each of the modules housed a series of interactive exhibits which focused on a central theme. In addition to the modules, guests could also further observe the Caribbean Coral Reef Aquarium from a viewing platform. Finally, The Living Seas was also home to the [[Coral Reef Restaurant]], which allowed guests to look out into the various tankspavilion's aquarium while they dined. After exploring Sea Base AlphaOf note is the fact that in order to exit the pavilion, guests could would enter another set of Hydrolators and exit . The first major change to The Living Seas came in 1991 when the pavilion's corporate lounge was closed due to due United Technologies' budget constraints <ref name="Martin"/>. Following the closure, the space was used for park events. Subsequently, between August 10th and September 14th 1998, the Coral Reef Restaurant underwent major renovations <ref name= "Martin"/>. At this time, the restaurant was moved upstairs to the former corporate lounge. During the refurbishment the restaurant's color scheme and original wood was removed, and the decor was lightened.
===The Living Seas (1998-2006)===
Aside from minor changes to Sea Base Alpha, The Living Seas remained essentially unchanged until 1998 when United Technologies ended their sponsorship of the pavilion <ref name= "Martin"/>. With the end of United Technologies sponsorship, all references to the company were removed from the pavilion by the end of 1999 <ref> http://www.intercot.com/EDC/LivingSeas/index.html </ref>. At this time, one of the two preshow theaters was also closed in order to allow returning guests to skip the film altogether and move directly to the Hydrolators <ref name= "Martin"/>. Subsequently, in 2002 the Caribbean Coral Reef Ride portion of the pavilion closed, with guests now walking from the Hydrolators, past the Coral Reef Aquarium, and into Sea Base Alpha (of note is the fact that the SeaCabs remained intact after being discontinued, they were just boarded up) <ref name= "Martin"/>.
With no sponsor and a decreasing popularityIn June 1999, Disney United Technologies decided that to end its sponsorship of The Living Seas needed to change<ref name= "Martin"/>. In order to increase With the end of the pavilion’s popularitysponsorship, Disney began all references to tie the popular 2003 film Finding Nemo into company were removed from the exhibits in Sea Base Alphapavilion by the end of the year <ref> http://www.intercot.com/EDC/LivingSeas/index.html </ref>.
In December 2003The next major change to come to The Living Seas took place in 2001, references when one of the two preshow theaters was closed in order to Nemo began allow returning guests to skip "The Seas" film altogether and move directly to appear through the Hydrolators <ref name= "Martin"/>. Subsequently, on October 21, 2001, the Caribbean Coral Reef Ride portion of the pavilionclosed, especially in with guests now walking from the gift shop Hydrolators, past the Caribbean Coral Reef Aquarium, and into Sea Base Alpha. Although the SeaCabs remained intact, in January 2002 they were boarded up <ref name= "Martin"/>. Next By 2003, The Living Seas was a far cry from the busy and vibrant pavilion that it had been when it opened in January 2004 Module 1C 1986. The changes to the pavilion's structure in the previous years had killed the natural flow that it relied on. As previously mentioned, the original Living Seas was designed to be more than the sum of its parts. With the ability to bypass the preshow and 1D the loss of the SeaCabs however, the pavilion no longer worked. As attendance problems continued to plague The Living Seas, Disney began to look for a change. Following the release of the Disney-Pixar movie "Finding Nemo", in December 2003, Disney began to tie the animated characters from the film into The Living Seas. While this integration originally took place mostly in the pavilion's gift shop, exterior and in some of the Sea Base Alpha were closed exhibits, a larger change was coming <ref name= "MartinMartin2"> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wj6VD1bJEYs </ref>. In the end, the first Nemo references would only be Phase I of a complete remodel of The Living Seas. The next step of the overhaul came in 2004 when Module 1C and Module 1D in Sea Base alpha closed. When the modules reopened on November 16, 2004 they were replaced by featured two new Finding Nemo based exhibits- "Bruce’s Bruce's Shark World" (in Module 1D) and a new attraction [[Turtle Talk with Crush]] (in Module IC) <refname="book">Pedersen, R. A. The EPCOT Explorer's Encyclopedia:. United States: Epcyclopedia, 2011. Print. </ref>. While Bruce's Shark World was a playground for younger guests, Turtle Talk With Crush was an interactive show that featuring featured Disney's newest technology, "digital puppetry". Looking through an arcylric window, on Turtle Talk with Crush, which allowed guests to could talk and interact with Crush the Turtle from Finding Nemo. The new show proved to be so popular that Disney decided to integrate Nemo into the entire Living Seas pavilion. In order to do this, on August 21, 2005 , the entire whole pavilion closed to the public(although the [[Coral Reef Restaurant]] remained open)<ref name= "MartinMartin2"/>.
===The Seas with Nemo & Friends (2006-Present)===
[[Image:SeasMickeyjpg.jpeg|400px|thumb|Mickey swimming in the Coral Reef Aquarium.]]
On November 23, 2005, the Sea Base Alpha half of The Seas pavilion reopened <ref name= "MartinMartin2"/>. During the refurbishment, the exit Hydrolators were removed from the pavilion, and guests now (temporarily) entered and exited through large glass doors <ref name= "MartinMartin2"/>. The Sea Base (as it was now called) had also been completely remodeled. New signs and decor were added and some of the previously scientific exhibits were replaced by Finding Nemo themed ones<ref name= "MartinMartin2"/>.
Although Sea Base - (and thus Turtle Talk with Crush - ) was operational by November, the front half of the pavilion remained closed. In this area, Imagineers were hard at work creating a new dark ride attraction, "The Seas with Nemo & Friends". The new attraction was constructed in the location that had previously housed one of the pavilion's preshow theaters, the Hydrolators, the holding areas, and the queue for the old Caribbean Coral Reef Ride (the SeaCabs) <Ref name= "MartinMartin2"/>.
The Seas with Nemo & Friends's queue replaced the Hydrolator portion of the attraction. The new queue was themed so that guests would travel from the beach, under a pier, and finally underwater. This allowed Disney to eliminate the need for the Hydrolators, but retain the original story that they told. The removal of the third Hydrolator , as well as the preshow theater , also allowed Imagineers to install nine new dark ride scenes <Ref name= "MartinMartin2"/>. In order to extend the original Caribbean Coral Reef Ride track to include these new scenes, 280 ft of additional track was installed<Ref name= "MartinMartin2"/>.The SeaCabs themselves were remodeled into replaced with the "Clamobiles" that would take guests through the story.
Finally, on October 10, 2006, the construction walls outside of the pavilion came down. The rest of the pavilion opened to the public on October 19th as The Seas with Nemo & Friends. The Seas with Nemo & Friends pavilion now features a substantial dark ride (also named the Seas with Nemo & Friends) to go along with Turtle Talk with Crush and the rest of Sea Base. On January 4, 2007, the pavilion was officially rededicated<Ref name= "Martin2"/>. With the Seas with Nemo & Friends operational, there was still one final change to The Seas pavilion. On January 29th 2007, Turtle Talk with Crush closed <ref name= "Martin"/>. The popular attraction was then moved from module 1C to the larger module 1A. A corridor was then also built to connect the module to the old preshow theater #2, allowing Turtle Talk to have a much higher capacity <ref name= "MartinMartin2"/>.
==Current Attractions==
'''[[The Seas with Nemo & Friends (Attraction)]]'''- This dark ride allows guests to explore the "Big Blue World" with Nemo and his friends. On The Seas with Nemo & Friends, guests board Clamobiles and set off to help rescue Nemo , who is once again missing. The Seas with Nemo & Friends is based on the Finding Nemo franchise.
[[Image:TurtleTalk.jpeg|490px|thumb|Turtle Talk with Crush opened in The Seas with Nemo & Friends in 2005.]]
'''[[Turtle Talk with Crush]]'''- This interactive show allows guests to meet and talk to Crush himself. Turtle Talk with Crush uses digital puppetry to help the sea turtle answer guests guest's questions.
'''Sea Base'''- This interactive area allows guests to further explore the seas. Here, guests can look out into the pavilion's aquariums, and learn more about aquatic life from various interactive exhibits.
Originally, The Living Seas featured three separate but interconnected attractions. The attractions formally located in the pavilion included:
'''SeasThe Sea'''- This short video explained to guests how the Earth changed from a volcanic planet, to one covered in oceans. The Seas Sea film played from 1986 until 2005.
'''Caribbean Coral Reef Ride (aka The SeaCabs)'''- This short omnimover attraction allowed guests to board SeaCabs and take a ride through Caribbean Coral Reef Aquarium to Sea Base Alpha. While on board the ride vehicles, guests could get a 270 degree view of the large aquarium. The Caribbean Coral Reef ride closed to guests in 2001. Following their closure, guests simply walked down a corridor to Sea Base Alpha.
'''Sea Base Alpha'''-Sea Base Alpha featured many scientific exhibits related to underwater research. Although the exhibits changed over time, they always had a marine focus. From Sea Base Alpha, guests could look out into the pavilion's aquariums and see many exotic marine animals. Sea Base Alpha was open from 1986-2005. At this time, the area was renamed simply Sea Base, and many of the exhibits housed within were given a Finding Nemo Themetheme.
==Restaurants==
'''[[Coral Reef Restaurant]]'''- The Coral Reef Restaurant is a table service restaurant which specializes in seafood. The restaurant is located to the right of the entrance to [[The Seas with Nemo & Friends (Attraction)]]. Inside, guests can look out into the Caribbean Coral Reef aquarium and observe over 4000 6000 sea creatures.
==Shopping==
==Fun Facts and Trivia==
*When United Technologies signed on to sponsor The Living Seas, the company wanted their own set of characters similar to Dreamfinder and Figment in the [[Journey Into Imagination pavilion]]. Perhaps in jest, Imagineer John Hench designed Captain Saltyhinder and his pet mackerel. The characters were never used <Ref> https://d23.com/the-saga-of-captain-saltyhinder/ </ref>.
 
*The background music played in the original Living Sea's Hydrolators was composed by Russell Brower and based on a theme by George Wilkins <ref name="D23"> https://d23.com/a-to-z/living-seas-the/ </ref>.
* There are 61 different windows through which guests can view the Caribbean Coral Reef aquarium<ref name= "intercot2"/>.
* Spaceship Earth could fit completely inside the Caribbean Coral Reef aquarium<ref> https://twitter.com/wdwtoday/status/872105819361480704 </ref>.
* Many of the interior pipes in the Seas With Nemo & Friends have the name and extension number of Imagineers who worked on the attractionpavilion <ref name= "trivia"> http://www.wdwradio.com/2007/09/the-seas-with-nemo-and-friends/ </ref>.
* Montgomery Watson was the prime architectural and engineering contractor for The Living Seas pavilion<ref name="book"/>.
* The gravel floor in the Caribbean Coral Reef aquarium was replaced for the first time in 1998<ref name= "intercot2"/>.
* In 1991 Lorilei, the VIP lounge and conference center first manatee born in captivity, was born in The Living Seas closed due to United Technologies' cost cutting effortspavilion in 1991 <ref name= "intercot2"/>.
* Lorilei the first manatee born in captivity was born in The Living Seas pavilion in 1991Caribbean Coral Reef Aquarium holds 5,700,000 gallons of water <ref name= "trivia"/>.
===Consultants <Refname="intercot2"> http://www.intercot.com/edc/LivingSeas/lsfacts.html </ref>===
Consultants that helped in the creation of The Living Seas included:
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