Changes

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 <ref> http://progresscityusa.com/energy/rehab.htm </ref>. Although the Universe of Energy had been quite popular when it opened, by the mid-1990s the pavilion’s popularity had waned <ref name= "Martin2"> http://www.martinsvids.net/?p=619 </ref>. Furthermore, the information given in the pavilion was becoming dated, and guests began to complain about the overly serious tone of the attraction <ref name= "book"/>. 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) <ref name= "book"/> <ref name= "Martin2"/>. In order to do this, Imagineers pitched a new attraction titled Ellen’s Energy Crisis, which would take the format of a game show and 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 <ref name= "Martin2"/>.

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 <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 which 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"/>.