Changes

The genesis of the Land Pavilion pavilion dates back to the original concepts for EPCOT Center<ref name= "Martin"> http://www.martinsvids.net/?tag=the-land-pavilion </ref>. Initially, the plans called for an Ecology and Mineral Pavilionpavilion; however the focus of the pavilion was eventually broadened to include all of the planet and its 's environments, in order to make the pavilion more appealing to potential sponsorssponsor <ref name= "Martin"/>. The Land Pavilion pavilion was originally going to be sponsored by a logging company, and thus the first incarnation of the pavilion was created with a focus on natural habitats, and the earth’s environments<ref name= "book"> Epcot Encyclopedia </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. According to the 1977 Walt Disney Production's annual report, The Land Pavilion would have illustrated man'com/editor_in_chief1/b/jim_hill/archive/2011/10/07/why-for-did-epcot-s role -future-world-not-turn-out-as the protector of the Earth and its environments-wed-had-originally-planned. This incarnation of the Land Pavilion was to feature a drilling machine thrill ride that would have taken guests to the center of the earth, as well as a rotating, treetop restaurantaspx </ref>. The feature attraction however 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. According to Imagineer Tony Baxter:

In the 1977 Walt Disney Production's annual report, The Land pavilion would have illustrated man's role as the protector of the Earth and its environments <ref name= "hill"/>. This incarnation of the Land Pavilion was to feature a drilling machine thrill ride that would have taken guests to the center of the earth <ref name= "book">, as well as a rotating, treetop restaurant. The feature attraction however 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: {{Quotation|The blueprints unfolded in the snowflakes of winter, then the germinating seeds of springtime, the flowers of summer, and the leaves of the fall. As we observed this never-ending cycle, the balloon soared upward with the flying eagle. "For man alone can learn from nature and can soar with the birds". The ride concluded by flying through all the crystals. When you looked down, you got an overview of the area you would soon be visiting on foot, which was the third part of the show.|Tony Baxter<ref name= "baxter"/>}}

Although fairly well developed, the direction of The Land Pavilion pavilion changed in 1978, when the sponsor logging company dropped out and Kraft announced that it would sponsoring the pavilion. 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 now officially in place, the layout of the pavilion itself was also redesigned. The Land Pavilion pavilion was reshaped, to look like a glass pyramid or mountain and <ref name= "book"/>. Furthermore, the entrance was given murals, to represent entering the earth’s core. 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]], and environmental film<ref name= "Martin"/>. Originally, The Land Pavilion pavilion was also going to feature temporary greenhouses; however it was later decided to permanently incorporate these into Listen to the Land<ref name= "Martin"/>. The final addition to the pavilion came when sponsor Kraft decided that they wanted to include nutritional information in the pavilion<ref name= "Martin"/>. With this in mind, Imagineering Imagineers created [[Kitchen Kabaret]]- an Audio Animatronic musical revue which featured singing food characters.

Besides its three main attractions, the Land Pavilion 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 pavilion opened with the rest of EPCOT Center on October 1, 1982.

The first major change to The Land Pavilion pavilion after opening, came in December 1982 when the shop Broccoli & Co. opened. This little store was themed as a tie in to Kitchen Kabaret and 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.