Epcot

Epcot est un parc à thème de Walt Disney World Resort situé près d' Orlando _cc781905 -5cde-3194-bb3b-136bad5cf58d_dans l'État de Floride aux États-Unis qui a ouvert le 1er _cc781905-5cde- 3194- bb3b -136bad5cf58d_october_cc781905-5cde-3194-bb3b- 136bad5cf58d_1982 . This name comes from the acronym of Experimental Project Community Of Tomorrow, originally EPCOT is a city project imagined by Walt Disney _cc781905-5cde-3194-bb3b- 136bad5cf58d_in the last years of his life).

This project was dear to Walt Disney because it crystallized his dreams of urban planning and solutions for the future. He died before the inauguration of the first theme park, le Magic Kingdom , a preliminary step before the city was completed. The project changed a lot to become a amusement park .

Since then, it has been a park with impressive technological attractions and pavilions of nations whose architecture is meticulously reproduced.

The park aims to be educational, which contrasts a little with the other Disney theme parks, which are more oriented towards leisure (except Disney's Animal Kingdom ). He also brought together other Disney education initiatives including the series EPCOT Educational Media Collection.

To all who come to this place of Joy, Hope and Friendship, Welcome

EPCOT is inspired by Walt Disney's creative vision. Here, human achievements are celebrated through imagination, wonders of enterprise and concepts of a future that promises new and exciting benefits for all.

May EPCOT Center entertain, inform and inspire and above all, may it instil a new sense of belief and pride in man's ability to shape a world that offers hope to people everywhere. — E. Cardon Walker , October 1, 1982

“To all who come to this place of Joy, Hope and Friendship, Welcome.

EPCOT was inspired by a creative vision of Walt Disney. Here, the achievements of man are celebrated through imagination, the marvels of enterprise and the concepts of the future that promise new and exciting benefits for all.

May EPCOT Center entertain, inform and inspire and above all, may it instill a new sense of pride and belief in man's ability to shape a world that offers hope to people everywhere. — E. Cardon Walker , October 1, 1982

The story

From the 1950s, Walt Disney became passionate about urban planning and new technologies, reading books on the subject and hoping to help cities solve their problems 3. He designed a city of the future based on certain futuristic visions of his time. These visions seem dated today but in the late 1950s , early 1960s , it couldn't be more futuristic. The city combined living, working and leisure, all connected by means of transport such as the monorail or electric vehicles. Next door was to open a permanent international fair.

From the beginning of the 1960s, the idea of a second Disney park on the East Coast of the United States emerged. Land was purchased and in order to test the public, the Disney company participated in the New York International Fair 1964-1965 4. The very large area of land purchased by Disney made it possible to go further in the design of this futuristic city 3. Walt then envisages his city, EPCOT, acronym for Experimental Prototype Community Of Tomorrow or Prototype experimental d'une communautaire du futur 3. In October 1966, he had a film made called EPCOT in which he explains his vision 5.

Malheureusement à la mort de Walt Disney en décembre 1966, la construction du Magic Kingdom vient juste to begin. The film is not released until the following year , it is the last film in which Walt 3 appears and the project for EPCOT then underwent many changes and became a theme park.

The planned city project

In 1975 , Card Walker , then CEO of Walt Disney Productions revives the EPCOT project but it is no longer a planned city 3. The project has transformed into a theme park project. The first one that is not based on the Enchanted Kingdom from Disney 7. Due to the difference in concept from Walt's project and also the central position in the Florida complex, the new park has been named EPCOT Center 5.

In December 1993 , however, the "Center" was removed as the estate expanded and changed shape 8. "Epcot" was also changed to disabuse visitors as the park no longer reflected the plans of the futuristic city of Walt Disney .

The original plans for the park showed indecision about what the premise of the park should be: some Imagineers wanted it to represent the latest technology, while others others preferred to exhibit international cultures and works. At one point the two models of the futuristic park and the international park were brought together and EPCOT Center was born 9. The imagineers also wondered about the reaction of the public, on the integration or not of the Disney characters 7.

EPCOT is generally seen as more educationally oriented than other parks. Its vocation is based on "the visionary spirit of Walt Disney" 7. Currently it presents three sensational attractions 3194-bb3b-136bad5cf58d_et Soarin' , the rest are scenic routes, shows or exhibitions.

Description of the preliminary projects

The announcement of a theme park called EPCOT was made in mai 1974 by the president of al78-cc90 5cde-3194-bb3b-136bad5cf58d_ Walt Disney Productions , Cardon Walker .

The first projects came directly from Walt Disney . They consisted of a permanent international exhibition area, which was to be located between the planned city and the Enchanted Kingdom, close to the du Magic Kingdom transport hub.

It is this location, different from the current one, which was for a long time the subject of sketches and preparatory plans. It was essentially a representation of several countries, World Showcase , the technological part to be opened later in its extension, on the other side of a lagoon and connected by bridges.

The pavilions of the different states were arranged first in a circle and then in double ellipses, each presenting the same width and height of facade as its neighbors, only the depth of the location in the building changed. Thirty pavilions were originally planned. A high observation tower would mark the center succeeding a gigantic canopy.
The already named part Future World featured pavilions different from each other. The entrance to this part was for a long time a schematic mountain made up of high points arranged in a star soaring towards the sky, but of different sizes.

En juillet 1975 , un congrès fut organisé au sein du Disney's Contemporary Resort afin de motiver the countries. Fifteen states were invited. After the discussions, World Showcase lost the principle of equivalence of states and the technological part had to be built at the same time. This boosted the project which required many work teams. We can note 16 film crews for the films of the attractions, engineers and technicians to design and produce the 200 special effects, dozens of historians and of course the artists and artisans of each country.

The project was validated in October 1979 and construction began. But many things were changed. The first is the location, much further south, a monorail of several kilometers had to be built to reach it. Future World is transformed into several star-shaped pavilions around a huge innovation center first dubbed Communicore (renamed_cc781905-5cde-3194-bb3b -136bad5cf58d_ Innoventions en 1994). A huge geosphere marks the entrance to the park. World Showcase hosts nine pavilions around a huge lagoon in pavilions evoking part of the national architecture. Two pavilions were added later. The budget exploded from a forecast of $600 million to nearly $1.2 billion.

The theme park

The theme park is derived from inspiration from Walt Disney , The International Expositions.

The park is connected to Magic Kingdom by a monorail that circles the park's landmark, a 10-story geosphere called_cc781905-5cde-3194-bb3b-136bad5cf58d Spaceship Earth (the spaceship earth). Epcot occupies with 0.67 km2 almost twice the area of Magic Kingdom (0.48 km2) 9 and includes a man-made lake of 100,000 m2 (10 ha). The layout of the park elements is based on a variation of the radial plan of the Magic Kingdom, comprising the duality of the two zones, Future World and World Showcase. The first has a radial organization centered on the Innoventions complex, while World Showcase is a ring organized radially around a central lagoon.

After its renaming in December 1993 8, the park underwent in 1994 a major renovation mainly to erase the traces of aging of the park.

In order to save costs, Disney opens World Showcase later (often at 11 a.m.) and closes Future World earlier (often at 7 p.m.), except for a few attractions like Test Track _cc781905-5cde- 3194-bb3b-136bad5cf58d_ou Mission: Space which sometimes remain open until closing.

The park is divided into two parts:

futureworld

The World of the Future showcases technologies in huge pavilions originally sponsored by major US corporations such as General Electric , General Motors _cc781905-5cde- 3194-bb3b-136bad5cf58d_ou Kodak . This part is arranged in several concentric circles, the center being a fountain. Around it, the two wings of the Innovation Pavilion meet to the north at Spaceship Earth, which marks the entrance. Then, the monorail surrounds the two wings, then runs along both sides of the geosphere in order to join the Magic Kingdom . It spans a lake to the west and north, while to the east there are wooded areas. The left half of Future World hosts several pavilions mainly about techniques that have changed the world. On the other hand, in the east, it is rather the world and its beauties as well as the imagination that are in the spotlight in pavilions with multiple attractions.

Each Future World pavilion was originally sponsored by a major corporation that partially funded construction and maintenance. In return, his logo and name appeared large throughout the attraction. The average price for this sponsorship is $100 million for large pavilions and $10 million for exhibits in Innoventions . In addition to the sponsorship, the companies had a private box within the attraction, a calm and restful place with free cold drinks for the members of the company.
Par exemple, Universe of Energy était parrainé par Exxon (maison mère d' Esso ), et The Land par Kraft Foods puis Nestlé .

Since the opening, however, some sponsors have decided that the price of sponsorship is higher than the returns for their brand and have withdrawn their sponsorship, leaving the pavilion without a sponsor. Ainsi après le départ de General Electric de Horizons en 1993 Disney hesitated between leaving the pavilion open and closing it. The building was destroyed to make way for Mission: Space . Depuis que MetLife abandonna Wonders of Life en 2001 _cc781905 -5cde-3194-bb3b-136bad5cf58d_the pavilion is only open during high season.

Future World: the center

Spaceship Earth An 18-story geosphere is covered with 954 three-faceted triangular silver panels for a total of 11,324, made of alucobond, and is the entry point into Future World as well as the icon of the park, like Cinderella's castle for Magic Kingdom 16. Inside, a low-speed "dark ride" attraction tells the story of communications, with particular attention to the development of cultures and technologies of the future 17. For the year 2000, a huge hand of Mickey holding a magic wand -3194-bb3b-136bad5cf58d_ was attached to the side of the sphere. A very important renovation was carried out in 2007 for nearly 6 months with the addition of new scenes, new music but without changing the main theme, communication.
Innoventions qui remplace depuis 1994 le CommuniCore . Both consist of two wings, the east and the west, hosting exhibitions, shows as well as shops and restaurants showcasing the latest technology in a more “tangible, tactile and fun” way.

Future World: East Wing

Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind is an indoor spinning roller coaster indoor attraction 935bb-958 136bad5cf58d_de Vekoma 19, 20, 21, 22. Elle est basée sur le film Les Gardiens de la Galaxie des_cc781905-5cde-3194 -bb3b-136bad5cf58d_ Marvel Studios , this is the first attraction of Walt Disney World based on a license_cc781905-5cde- 3194-635bad Marvel Comics , 24 and the first roller coaster ride at Epcot. Il remplace l'attraction Universe of Energy , fermée le 13 août 2017 . Universe of Energy presented the energies from their gestation to their use in a pavilion partially covered with solar panels supplying the large vehicles moving slowly within the attraction. The attraction began with an episode of Jeopardy! with its actors known to Americans. Then visitors traveling through the prehistory of the world and its dinosaurs, learned that these animals became the fossil oil that we use in our cars 25.
Wonders of Life features medical themes in several exhibits and attractions, including Body Wars a dynamic flight simulator type cinema system also used for Star Tours . The building consists of a golden geodesic dome of 10,000 m2 26.
Mission : Space remplace Horizons depuis le 9 octobre 2003 27. Mission: Space is a pavilion directing visitors to an astronaut training facility. It is necessary to train before departure for Mars . Outside, a reproduction of the system Earth - Moon sets the tone for visitors. The Horizons pavilion was destroyed in 1999 . It looked like a spaceship with its hexagonal base truncated pyramid shape. It presented human life in the future in the year 3000. In 2017, the attraction underwent an update, the pre-show sequences were redone in HD, the same for the green mission. The orange mission completely changes the objective of the green one, and remains much more violent.
Test Track remplace depuis 1998 World of Motion , fermée en 1996 28. Les visiteurs assis in six-seater cars experience the wide range of tests that automobiles must pass before they are allowed to be mass-produced. The cars in the attraction go through extreme temperatures, on slippery surfaces, and around corners at high speed . low speed through scenes presenting the past and the future of transport.

Future World: West Wing

The pavilion Imagination! contains two main attractions on 15,000 m2 (1.5 ha), the entrance being through two glass pyramids at the edge of a fountain. Journey Into Imagination with Figment est un voyage en omnimover en compagnie de Eric Idle (un Monty Python ) and the mascot Figment and which encourages visitors to use their senses and imagination. This attraction is currently showing its third version: a renovation en 1998 had removed the little purple dragon Figment and his creator father the character Dreamfinder (a magician) replaced by_cc781905-5cde -3194-bb3b-136bad5cf58d_ Eric Idle . There were so many complaints that in 2003 the mascot was put back but Dreamfinder is still missing. At the exit of this attraction, a large original interactive games room, ImageWorks allows the experience to continue.
- Imagination! also includes a 3D cinema and special effects. Elle a présenté le film intitulé Magic Journeys de 1982 à 1986, Captain Eo avec_cc781905- 5cde-3194-bb3b-136bad5cf58d_ Michael Jackson , présenté de mai 1986 à avril _cc781905 -5cde-3194-bb3b-136bad5cf58d_ 1994 then Honey, I shrunk the audience . In 2010 as a tribute to Michael Jackson, the attraction Captain Eo was reopened.
The Land is based on the interaction of man with the natural environment. It contains within huge buildings, two main attractions. Living with the Land is a slow cruise which allows to visit operational greenhouses reproducing different climates and where vegetables and fruits are grown from around the world. Soarin' Over California is a copy of the attraction from Disney California Adventure , opened in May 2005 and requiring a major renovation of The Land : its queue had to be built Place de l'attraction (closed for "a good cause") Food Rocks itself having replaced en 1994 57-cc 5cde-3194-bb3b- 136bad5cf58d_Kitchen Kabaret . The third minor attraction is a film Circle of Life showcasing our ecological responsibility and screened in the Harvest Theater with the characters from Lion King . It even replaces since 1995 le film Symbiosis _cc781905-436bad-319_bad518 the theme Note that a restaurant, The Garden Grill, serves visitors dishes made with greenhouse crops.
The Seas with Nemo & Friends Pavilion (formerly The Living Seas ) still features one of the largest _cc781905-5cde-3194-bb3b-136bad5cf58d589_ aquariums -3194-bb3b-136bad5cf58d_closed from the world but has been completely renovated based on the cartoon theme, Finding Nemo . Ce pavillon rouvert le 13 octobre 2006 29, présente deux attractions: The Seas with Nemo & Friends , an omnimover ride and Turtle Talk with Crush , an interactive attraction with the public. On other levels, visitors can see many aquatic animals such as sharks, rays, manatees while learning about ocean preservation.

World Showcase

World Showcase is a collection of pavilions dedicated to various nations and arranged around a central 100,000 m2 (10 ha) lake in the Epcot theme park at Walt Disney World Resort. The whole is organized around a central lake of 10 ha, called World Showcase Lagoon.

Eleven countries are represented in these pavilions. A twelfth pavilion which serves as a second entry point to the park as well as a thirteenth, inaccessible since 2001, is included in this list of nations. The shuttle boats crossing the lagoon are named FriendShips 30, a pun on friendship (friendship) and boats (ships).

Each pavilion contains representative shops and restaurants and its team consists of locals. Some include attractions or movies. They are sponsored and funded by the state institutions they represent, and tourist brochures are readily available. This sponsorship also explains why the pavilions of Russia , Spain and Israel never went beyond the project phase. : they decided not to finance a pavilion annually.

Unlike cc781905-5cde-3194-bb3b-136bad5cf58d_ Magic Kingdom which does not offer any alcohol, several shops and restaurants in the World Showcase serve or sell local alcoholic beverages and beer is sold at refreshment stands throughout the park.

Several spaces are still available, the current pavilions are practically all the same width. We can therefore deduce that six additional pavilions (at most) could be built: one between Mexico and Norway, two between China and Germany, one between Germany and Italy, as between Japan and Morocco finally another between Morocco and France.

This attraction interacts with les Pal Mickey

The pavilions are clockwise:

le Mexico with a cruise through time and Mexican landscapes: Gran Fiesta Tour Starring The Three Caballeros .
la Norway with an eventful cruise through Norwegian history and myths: Maelstrom , today replaced by_57-ccde0 3194-bb3b-136bad5cf58d_ Frozen Ever After .
la Chine avec un film à 360° : Reflections of China qui remplace depuis 2003, Wonders of China .
Germany with a Bavarian restaurant.
Italy with a careful reconstruction of Venice .
the American Adventure presents the history of the United States thanks to a gigantic overhead projector and audio-animatronics.
le Japon with a huge shop and several restaurants.
le Morocco with a restaurant and a souk.
la France with an alternating film at 200°: the beauties of French landscapes: Impressions of France _cc7195c190-5 -bb3b-136bad5cf58d_or Beauty & the Beast: Sing-Along; a restaurant and a bakery. Et une attraction identique à Ratatouille L'Aventure totalement toquée de Rémy à Disneyland Paris qui ouvrira in 2020.
the international entrance (International Gateway) connecting the park Disney's Hollywood Studios by boat and the hotels of Crescent Lake .
le United Kingdom with a pub and restaurant. A new attraction is in development, it will be based on the 1964 film Mary Poppins.
le Canada with a 360° film: O Canada! on Canadian landscapes.