Changes

Epcot

527 bytes added, 17:47, 11 June 2016
/* History Since Opening Day */
More closures hit Epcot in 1996 when the [[World of Motion]] closed <ref name= "motion"> http://www.lostepcot.com/worldofmotion.html </ref>. After a series of delays, the pavilion reopened in 1999 as [[Test Track]] <ref name= "motion"/>. Still sponsored by General Motors, Test Track took guests through the rigors of automobile testing procedures, including a speed test where guests reach a maximum speed of 65 mph<ref name= "motion"/>.
Change continued to be a constant at Epcot, as the park got ready for its Millennium Celebration. In 1998, the popular [[Journey Into Imagination pavilion]] closed for refurbishment <ref name= "imagination"> http://www.martinsvids.net/?p=95 </ref>. During the renovation, the [[Journey Into Imagination attraction]] was replaced by the unpopular [[Journey Into Your Imagination]], and the upstairs [[ImageWorks]] was closed off to guests (a smaller ImageWorks reopened in the pavilion's first floor) <ref name= "imagination"/>. Following the renovation, the pavilion was renamed simply Imagination! <ref name= "imagination"/>. The following year, in January of 1999, Horizons closed for good<ref name= "horizons"/>. The pavilion had remained unsponsored since GE ended its sponsorship in 1994, and it was beginning to look dated<ref name= "horizons"/>. As opposed to repurposing the pavilion, Disney instead chose to demolish it, to create room for the previously announced [[Mission: Space ]] attraction<ref name= "horizons"/>. In 2000, Disney also decided to add a large mickey arm holding a wand, to the top of Spaceship Earth<ref name= "wand"> http://www.yesterland.com/icontower.html </ref>. The large dedication “2000” was also added at the end of the wand, although this was subsequently changed to “Epcot” starting in 2001<ref name= "wand"/>.
Following the addition of the wand, Epcot stayed relativity stagnant until 2003 when [[Mission: Space]] finally opened<ref name= "space"> http://www.wdwinfo.com/wdwinfo/guides/epcot/epfw-mission.htm </ref>. The new attraction was a motion simulator thrill ride which was themed as an astronaut training program for the first flight to Mars<ref name= "space"/>. In 2005, Another simulator was added to the park, this time to the Land pavilion in the form of the new attraction Soarin'<ref name= "soarin"> http://www.martinsvids.net/?p=208 </ref>. Initially created for Disney’s California Adventure, this motion simulator gave guests the feeling they were hang gliding over California<ref name= "soarin"/>. In 2006, The Living Seas was rethemed to tie in with the Disney-Pixar movie Finding Nemo, subsequently renamed [[The Seas with Nemo & Friends]]<ref name= "seas"/>. The pavilion now housed a dark ride attraction (also called the Seas with Nemo & Friends), as well as Turtle Talk with Crush, and the interactive exhibits in Sea Base<ref name= "seas"/>. Overall, the pavilion took a much more of a fantasy tone, as opposed to the previously scientific tone of the pavilion.  The most recent next major change to Epcot came in 2007, when the Wonders of Life Pavilion closed<ref> http://www.yesterland.com/erasing.html </ref>. The pavilion had not been sponsored since 2001 when MetLife dropped its sponsorship, and had seen a decrease in popularity<ref> http://www.bizjournals.com/orlando/stories/2001/06/25/story7.html </ref>. The Wonders of Life pavilion remains closed to guests, except during special events like the Flower and Wine Festival.
==Current Future World Pavilions Pavilions==