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==Pavilion History==

An Energy pavilion was one of the concepts that was agreed upon early in EPCOT Center's development. Initially, the pavilion’s focus was on solar energy, with plans for a large solar energy "collector" to be located in the building's center, around which a complex attraction that would feature unguided cars and a walkthrough portion would be constructed <ref name= "Martin"> http://www.martinsvids.net/?s=Universe+of+Energy </ref>. Eventually however, this design was deemed too complicated and the plans were scratched <ref name= "Martin"/>. When Exxon signed on to be the pavilion’s sponsor, the Energy pavilion’s scope was broadened so that it included all forms of energy, with a special focus on fossil fuels <ref name= "Martin"/>. Taking inspiration from the 1964 World's Fair, the new plans for the Energy pavilion called for moving theater vehicles which could hold a large amount of guests <ref name= "Martin"/>. By 1978, the plans also called for guests to travel back in time to view the dinosaurs, while subsequently learning about of the power and energy that wind, lightening, water, heat and the sun could create <ref name= "Martin"/>. Furthermore, by 1978, the Energy pavilion's shape began to take its final form <ref name= "Martin"/>.

The Universe of Energy (as the pavilion was eventually named) was the first of Future World's pavilions to reach its final design. Of note, is the fact that throughout the development of EPCOT Center, the Energy pavilion never changed locations, despite the fact that many of the other Future World pavilions were being constantly moved around <ref name= "Martin"/>. The reason for this, was that plans for the pavilion always called for solar panels to be used in some capacity (initially as part of the solar energy collector and then later as a part of the pavilion's roof). In order to maximize the amount of the sun that the panels would receive, the Energy pavilion needed to be in the location that it was eventually constructed <ref name= "book"> Pedersen, R.A. The EPCOT Explorer's Encyclopedia:. United States: Epcyclopedia, 2011. Print. </ref>. By 1979, the pavilion's final shape was decided. During the Energy pavilion's development there were only minor changes to the building's exterior. A 1981 model of the pavilion shows that at one time Imagineers planned on giving the pavilion a blue color scheme <ref> http://progresscityusa.com/2011/04/01/energy-a-few-of-its-faces/ </ref>. Furthermore, pre-construction concept art showed a number of shallow lagoons that were to be located in Future World East, much like those that were eventually constructed in Future World West. In the Energy pavilions final design however, a fountain was constructed outside of the building in lieu of shallow lagoons <ref> http://progresscityusa.com/2011/06/19/epcot-origins-a-model-future-1978/ </ref>.

Construction began on the Energy pavilion in 1979/1980 <ref name= "Martin"/>. The pavilion featured 105,000 ft of show area, as well as 2,156 solar panels <ref name= "book"/>. Construction on the Universe of Energy was completed on time, and the pavilion opened with the rest of EPCOT Center on October 1, 1982. When completed, the Universe of Energy pavilion housed an attraction (also called Universe of Energy) that featured four films and a dark ride <ref name= "Martin"/>. Guests entered the pavilion and watched a preshow film before moving into a large theater. When seated, visitors watched a second film, before the theater itself broke up into six dark ride vehicles. In the dark ride portion of the attraction (known as the Primeval Diorama), guests traveled back to the time of dinosaurs to get a better idea of where fossil fuel energy came from<ref name= "Martin"/>. After traveling through the Primeval Diorama, the ride vehicles reassembled and guests watched another film and then a grand finale. After exiting the attraction, guests could explore a few Exxon exhibits before leaving the pavilion <ref> http://www.lostepcot.com/universeofenergy.html </ref>.

Although originally scheduled as a five month refurbishment, problems with the filming and editing of the new attraction’s films led Disney to conclude that the Ellen’s Energy Crisis would not be ready for the Summer of 1996 <ref name= "Martin2"/>. Due to the fact that the [[World of Motion]] was already closed in order to convert the pavilion to [[Test Track]], it was decided that the Universe of Energy would reopen for the busy summer season using the old films, albeit with the new infrastructure that had already been installed <ref name= "Martin2"/> . With many of the attraction’s original components unusable or removed altogether (as in the case of the breathtaking Radok screens in the first theater), a hybrid version of the original Universe of Energy and the unfinished Ellen’s Energy Crisis opened on June 1, 1996 <ref name= "Martin2"/>.

On July 15, 2017, Disney announced that the Universe of Energy pavilion (and Ellen's Energy Adventure attraction) would be closing on August 13, 2017 to make way for a new Guardians of the Galaxy attraction <ref> http://themeparkuniversity.com/disney/universe-energy-closing-august-13th-2017/ </ref>.

==Former Attractions==