Changes
==Pavilion History==
A pavilion which focused on energy was included in many of the early EPCOT Center designs. 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. Eventually however this design was deemed too complicated and the plans were scratched. When early on 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. Taking some inspiration from the 1964 World's Fair, the new designs for the Energy pavilion called for moving theater vehicles which could hold many guests. By 1978, the plans also called for guests to travel back in time to view the dinosaurs, while also learning about of the power and energy that wind, lightening, water, heat and the sun could create.
The Universe of Energy (as the pavilion was eventually named) was one of the first Future World pavilions to begin construction. 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 moved throughout the park’s development. 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 eventually as a part of the pavilions roof). In order to maximize the amount of the sun that the panels would receive, the Energy pavilion needed to be in location that it was eventually constructed. Construction on the Universe of Energy was completed on time, and the pavilion opened with the rest of EPCOT Center on October 1, 1982.
Throughout the first 14 years of its existence, the Universe of Energy pavilion did not see any major modifications. This changed however on January 20, 1996 when the pavilion closed for a major refurbishment. Although the Universe of Energy had been quite popular when it opened, by the mid-1990s the pavilion’s popularity had waned. In line with the rest of Future World pavilions, Exxon wanted the Universe of Energy to get a new attraction in time for the pavilion’s 15th anniversary in 1997. In contrast to the original attraction’s scientific tone, Disney hoped to rejuvenate the pavilion by giving it a lighter and more comedic tone, while still keeping the original attraction’s basic structure (including the Primeval Diorama). In order to do this, the new attraction (titled Ellen’s Energy Crisis) would take the format of a game show which would star Ellen DeGeneres. At the time that the attraction as being developed, DeGeneres had a popular show on ABC, which Disney was in the processes of buying).
Although originally scheduled as a 5 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. 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 which had already been installed. 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.
