Epcot, a Disney theme park in Orlando, Florida, was originally based on Walt Disney’s ideas of urban planning and new technologies. The park now focuses on world culture and innovation, leading to conflicting design elements. The park is split between Futureworld and World Showcase Pavilions, with attractions such as Spaceship Earth and the American Adventure. Despite mixed reviews, Epcot remains a popular attraction, drawing 10.9 million guests in 2007. Walt Disney’s dream of an experimental community was never realized, but his influence can be seen in areas such as Celebration, Florida.
Epcot is an experimental Disney theme park located in Orlando, Florida. Originally based on Walt Disney’s theories of urban planning and new technologies, the park has since become a flagship theme park of the Walt Disney World Resort. Its emphasis on world culture and innovation has led to some conflicting design elements throughout its history, and some critics feel the park is never quite sure which direction it’s headed.
Walt Disney, the visionary founder of the Disney empire, originally wanted to build an experimental community using the latest technologies and urban planning ideas. The city was to be designed for 20,000 people and would constantly reinvent itself as new advances came along. The name “Epcot” is an acronym for Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow. Disney’s vision was never completed; after his death, Disney officials decided to take the park in a different direction.
Imagineers, the designers who create and build Disney attractions, clashed over the theme at Epcot. While some preferred to honor Walt Disney’s futuristic ideals, others insisted that the park should be a celebration of world culture. Eventually, something of a compromise was reached, with half of the park dedicated to each theme.
In Futureworld, Walt Disney’s dreams are applied to a variety of futuristic attractions. Spaceship Earth, the huge metal sphere that is the park’s signature feature, is a time machine journey through the history of human beings, from cave times to the present day. Innoventions offers several rooms filled with new technologies and frequently updated machinery to play with and learn about. In Mission: Space, pilots experience a simulated takeoff of a space rocket and travel to Mars.
The other half of Epcot is devoted to the World Showcase Pavilions, a series of 11 sections each designed to represent a different country’s customs, decor, and cuisine. The Norway Pavilion offers a ride on a replica Viking ship, a model of a Norwegian church, and a bakery where traditional sweets are sold. In the Japanese Pavilion, a giant pagoda and ornamental garden provide guests with a place to rest and relax while sampling Japanese food. Perhaps the best-known attraction is the American Adventure, a theater-style exhibit of the last 200 years of America narrated by Ben Franklin and Mark Twain.
Epcot opened to mixed reviews in 1982. Some experts believe the park has suffered from a lack of overall direction, but it continues to draw many fans into the 21st century. In 2007, the park had 10.9 million guests, making it the third most visited theme park in the country. While Walt Disney’s dream of a model community was never realized by the Disney Corporation, other areas of Florida have adopted his ideals toward urban planning. Some believe that the city of Celebration, Florida was designed with clear indications of Disney’s influence.
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