The Land

	The Land
	The exterior of The Land pavilion.
	Epcot
Land	Future World
Theme	Earth's Environment
Opening date	October 1, 1982
Number of Attractions	3
Sponsored by	Kraft (1982-1993); Nestle (1993-2009); Chiquita (2011-Present)

The Land is a pavilion located in Epcot.

Pavilion History

Development and Sponsorship by Kraft

The genesis of the Land Pavilion dates back to the original concepts for EPCOT Center. Initially, the plans called for an Ecology and Mineral Pavilion; however the focus of the pavilion was eventually broadened to include all of the planet and its environments, in order to make the pavilion more appealing to potential sponsors. The Land 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. 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. According to 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. 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 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. According to Imagineer Tony Baxter:

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

Although fairly well developed, the direction of The Land 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. With Kraft as its sponsor now officially in place, the layout of the pavilion itself was also redesigned. The Land Pavilion was reshaped, to look like a glass pyramid or mountain and 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. Originally, The Land Pavilion was also going to feature temporary greenhouses; however it was later decided to permanently incorporate these into Listen to the Land. The final addition to the pavilion came when sponsor Kraft decided that they wanted to include nutritional information in the pavilion. With this in mind, Imagineering created Kitchen Kabaret- an Audio Animatronic musical revue which featured singing food characters.

Besides its three main attractions, the Land 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. The Land Pavilion opened with the rest of EPCOT Center on October 1, 1981.

The first major change to The Land Pavilion after opening, came in December 1981 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.

Sponsorship by Nestle and Renovations (1993-2004)

Along with the rest of Future World, The Land underwent major renovations in the mid-1990s. When Nestle assumed sponsorship of the pavilion in 1993, these renovations began immediately. The first major update came to the aesthetics of the pavilion itself, with the original colors of brown and blue were replaced with a more vibrant color palette. At this time, the Farmer’s Market was rethemed as the Sunshine Season Food Fair, the Land Grille Room became the Garden Grill, and the Broccoli and Co. was renamed the Green Thumb Emporium.

As part of the Nestle refurbishments all three of The Land's attractions were also updated. First, on September 23, 1993, Listen to the Land closed. The attraction later reopened as Living with the Land on December 10, 1993. During the refurbishment, both the Symphony of the Seed scene and the attraction’s theme song "Listen to the Land" were removed. Further changes included the fact that a prerecorded narration was now used for the first half of the attraction, and the attractions finale was changed. The second of The Land's attractions to be updated was Kitchen Kabaret, which closed on January 3, 1994, before reopening on March 26 as “Food Rocks”. Instead of focusing on nutrition (as Kitchen Kabaret had), Food Rocks instead parodied the top musical acts of the time. The last of The Land's attractions to be renovated was Symbiosis, which was shown in the Harvest Theater. Symbiosis closed on January 1, 1995 in order to make room for a new for a new film: The Circle of Life: An Environmental Fable. The new movie opened on January 21, 1995 and featured Timon, Pumbaa and Simba, characters from the 1994 Disney movie, The Lion King. Other minor changes to come to The Land pavilion during the mid-1990s refurbishment included:

The seating in the atrium received new umbrellas

Carpet was added to the atrium

The ceiling mural was painted over.

Banners were hung from the roof in order to help with the pavilion's acoustics.

The three floating balloons, which represented food groups, were replaced with five new ones which represented the different types of seasonal weather.

Recent History (2005-Present)

Following the mid-1990s refurbishment, and Nestlé assuming sponsorship of the pavilion, The Land pavilion remained essentially unchanged for eight years. This changed however when in 2003 it was decided to bring Soarin’ (a very popular motion simulator attraction in Disney’s California Adventure) to Epcot. Initially, Disney planned on adding Soarin' to one of the World Showcase pavilions, however when a proper location could not be found, it was decided to house the attraction inside The Land. Although the attraction itself would take place in an expansion building, the queue for Soarin' was designed to go through the location that housed Food Rocks. Quietly, construction on Soarin' began in August of 2003, before the attraction was officially announced on October 10th. Despite the fact that its days were numbered, Food Rocks remained open until January 3, 2004, when it finally closed for good. The Land pavilion itself remained open for part of Soarin's construction, until on January 2, 2005 the entire pavilion closed for a major, three month refurbishment. During the renovation, Soarin' was integrated into the main atrium and changes were made to Living with the Land. Also at this time, Sunshine Seasons was redesigned, and the pavilion's central fountain was removed in order to add more seating. Other changes happened to the pavilion during the 2005 refurbishment included:

A remodeling and repaving of the entrance.

The entire pavilion was given a new color scheme of green, light blue, light tan and golden yellow.

The pavilion received new carpets, as well as new lighting.

New ceiling banners replaced those added during the 1990s refurbishment.

The balloons were repainted, so that the now signified the earth and the four seasons.

In order to help with the predicted increase in traffic flow, the pavilion's escalators were reversed.

Despite the significant changes being made the pavilion, the construction only took two weeks longer than expected, and by April 29, 2005 the entire pavilion was fully operational. Since the 2005 renovation, that Land has only experienced some minor changes. In 2006, the skippers were removed from Living with the Land, and in 2007 interactive games were added to Soarin's queue. The most significant of the recent changes however, was the end of Nestlé’s sponsorship on February 13, 2009. Since that date, the Land has remained sponsorless (although Chiquita Brands International has sponsored the Living with the Land attraction since 2011).

Attractions

Living With The Land- This narrated boat tour teaches guests about the history of "the land" and effect that humans have on it. The second half of the attraction takes guests through a working greenhouse, and focuses on how humanity can use new technology to live in harmony with the land.

Circle of Life: An Environmental Fable- Housed in the Harvest Theater, this 70 mm film teaches guests about their responsibility towards the environment. The Circle of Life features Simba, Timon and Pumbaa from the 1994 Disney Movie- The Lion King.

Soarin'- This motion simulator attraction allows to hang glide over California. Along the way, guests fly over California landmarks including: the Golden Gate Bridge, the Redwood Forests, and Disneyland.

Behind the Seeds Tour- For an additional cost, guests can experience the Behind the Seeds Tour. This tour takes them on a one hour walkthrough of the greenhouses that guests see on Living with the Land. The Behind the Seeds Tour was known as Tomorrow's Harvest from 1982 until 1993, and the Greenhouse Tours from 1993 until 1996.

Former Attractions

Listen to the Land- The first incarnation of Living with the Land, Listen to the Land ran from 1982 until 1993.

Kitchen Kabaret- Kitchen Kabaret was a 13 minute Audio Animatronic musical revue, which focused on promoting healthy nutrition. Kitchen Kabaret Ran from October 1, 1982 until January 1, 1994, when it was replaced by Food Rocks.

Food Rocks- Food Rocks was an Audio Animatronic show that was themed to be a musical fundraiser to promote healthy eating. Parodying many of the top musical acts of the time, Food Rocks ran from 1994 until 2004, when it was closed in order to make room for Soarin'.

Symbiosis- Symbiosis was a 70 mm film shown in the Harvest Theater. The film focused on human's destruction of the land, and balance they needed to strike between technological advancement and protecting the environment. Symbiosis opened on October 1, 1982 and closed in January 1, 1995, when it was replaced by the Circle of Life: An Environmental Fable.

Restaurants

Garden Grill- The Garden Grill is located on the second floor of the pavilion, overlooking Living with the Land. The restaurant is open for dinner usually beginning right around four in the afternoon. The time of closing varies, depending on park hours. The Garden Grill allows guests to get a "Family Style Dinner" while allowing them to meet Mickey, Pluto, Chip and Dale. Also of note, is the fact that the Garden Grill actually rotates, giving guests a variety of different views.

Sunshine Seasons- This food court allows guests to choose food from six different shops. The Sunshine Seasons consists of: a sandwich shop, an Asian shop, a soup and salad shop, a grill, a bakery, and a breakfast shop. The food court is located on the first level of the pavilion, across from Soarin'.

Former Restaurants

Although they have gone by three different names, The Land has always included a food court and a rotating restaurant.

From 1982 until 1993 the food court in The Land was known as the Farmers Market Food Court. The food court specialized in Kraft products. In 1993, Nestle renamed it the "Sunshine Food Fair". During the 2004 refurbishment of the pavilion the name was changed a final time, to Sunshine Seasons.

The rotating restaurant located on the second floor of the pavilion was known as the Good Turn Restaurant from 1982 until 1986, when the name was changed to the Land Grille Room. Following Nestles sponsorship of the pavilion in 1993, the restaurant was renamed again to it's current name, the Garden Grill.

Shopping

Soarin' Tour Desk- Located on the left hand side of Soarin', the Soarin' Tour Desk allows guests to book spots on the Behind the Seeds Tour. Guests can also purchase small plants known as Mickey's Mini Gardens.

Green Thumb Emporium- Located across from the Soarin' Tour Desk, the Green Thumb Emporium sells Soarin' merchandise as well as Mickey's Mini Gardens. The shop takes it's name from a much larger store that was formally located in The Land.

From 1982 until 1993, their was a large shop called Broccoli & Co. Located inside The Land pavilion near Kitchen Kabaret. The store sold Kitchen Kabaret merchandise, as well as various seeds. In 1993, the store became the Green Thumb Emporium, which sold Land and Epcot merchandise in addition to seeds. During the 2004 refurbishment, the store was demolished and was not replaced. A small store also named the Green Thumb Emporium did open, but it is nowhere near as large as it's namesake.

Characters

Chip- Chip can always be found inside of the Garden Grill. However, guests must have reservations at the grill in order to meet him.

Dale- Along with Chip, Dale can always be found inside of the Garden Grill. However, guests must have reservations at the grill in order to meet him.

Mickey Mouse- Mickey can usually be found inside the Garden Grill with Chip and Dale. However, guests must have reservations at the grill in order to meet him.

Pluto- Pluto can usually be found inside the Garden Grill with Chip and Dale. However, guests must have reservations at the grill in order to meet him.

Trivia

Almost all of the fresh food used by the Garden Grill and Sunshine Seasons, is grown inside The Land pavilion itself.

Solar panels line the roof of The Land pavilion.

There is a VIP room at the top of the Pavilion accessible by pressing the elevator buttons in a certain sequence. The room looks down on parts of the Living with the Land attraction

The Land pavilion is so big, that all of Fantasyland could fit inside it.

Although The Land is best known for it's entertainment, the pavilion is also a working demonstration, production, and research facility.

During Nestle's sponsorship of the pavilion, they introduced Junior Chef. Located near the food court, young guests could make Toll House cookies here. The experience closed in 2008.

There are two nearly identical mosaics located on either side of the entry ramp The Land. The mosaics were designed by Hanns and Monika Scharf, with the only difference between the two being a single dark green tile, located on the right mosaic.