Please keep an open mind when reading this.
I know that many of you are huge fans of Epcot, I am too. As many of you have realized, I am a very logical and rational person, I realize Epcot is not for everyone, and I am convinced that the general public no longer “gets” Epcot, or at least the original EPCOT Center…what is left of it.
I would ask that this not become a discussion of how the Epcot of today varies from Walt’s original vision, a vision that will never come to fruition, the closest we will get will be Celebration.
(In preparing this, I have taken quotes from the book Walt Disney’s Epcot Center, published in 1982, as well as other sources)
Let’s first take a look at how Walt’s EPCOT became EPCOT Center, we will start in 1975.
In 1975, Walt Disney Productions announced they were moving forward with plans for Epcot. Prior to WDW being built, the area on which the resort is located was swampland and scrub forest. It was far removed from any public services, and was pretty much “the middle of nowhere” (keep in mind, Orlando was a small town back then). A lot had changed since then. With the building of the Magic Kingdom and the original resorts, WDW had built a state of the art public service system, with high-tech systems seen nowhere else at that time. David Brinkley of NBC news referred to WDW as “ the most imaginative and effective piece of urban planning in America”. Along with that, WDW had issued the Epcot Building Code (which is available at the Orlando Library) and had formed the Reedy Creek Improvement District, which is the governing arm of the WDW resort land. At this time, The WDW resort was seeing 13 million visitors per year, with hotels running at 99% year around.
At this point, the planners, designers, engineers, and operators of WDW thought that they were already providing all of the services (public, government, sanitation…) that Walt’s Epcot would have provided for the near 16,000 people staying on property every day. By doing this, they were under the belief that the WDW resort ALREADY embodied Walt’s vision and philosophy of Epcot, but what was lacking was a “public focus” for new ideas and concepts, a “center” for the communication of new possibilities for the future – directly to the public.
To answer this need, they chose to develop Epcot Center, a permanent world’s fair of imagination, discovery, education, and exploration that combines the Disney entertainment and communication skills with the knowledge and predictions of authorities from industry, the academic world, and the professions. The goal of the park would be to inspire people, using and optimistic approach, to be turned on to the positive potential of the future, and will want to participate in making the choices that will shape the future.
At this time, an advisory board was formed with experts from various fields to help shape the park.
Next stop, 1976, where then CEO Card Walker made a speech to the Urban Land Institute. In the speech, he stated 4 main objectives of Epcot Center.
First, Epcot Center was to be a demonstration and proving ground for prototype concepts.
Second, it was to be a forum of the future, where ideas would be exchanged to meet the real needs of mankind.
Third, it was to be a communicator to the world, bringing new knowledge in the most effective ways to the world community.
Last, it was to be a permanent international people-to-people exchange, advancing the cause of world understanding among its citizens.
That being said, lets move on to 11/20/1981, when Martin Skalar wrote the forward to this book: (taken directly from the book)
“What we’re doing here is inventing a ‘Schweitzer Centrifuge’…that’s the way I look at the Epcot Project. If we build this correctly, if we build this beautifully, if we set an example for the world, we can change the whole damn country.
Now…my thoughts.
Starting at the 1981 point, is it too much to expect something built as a for-profit theme park, built by a for-profit company, to CHANGE THE WORLD?
Now, looking at the 1976 speech, did Epcot ever fulfill these goals, even upon opening?
Ok, more from the book.
Now, onto the main part of the book.
“The emphasis is on possibilities, since Walt Disney had an abiding faith in the ability of people the appreciate imagination and ingenuity, to recognize what was good. It was his contention, shared by his successors, that if people got the right information they would inevitably take the right action. The trick, of course, is to get people to sit still long enough for the information.”
I think this had become a major problem. I don’t believe that the general public of today has the patience or the attention span for this. It is my opinion that the vast majority of people want the 2 minute thrill, not the 20 minute experience. I feel this is very sad.
“At Epcot Center, the future is ever-evolving and fluid. While some pavilions leap forward fifty or 100 years, others emphasize that the technology available to us today will create the world of tomorrow – indeed, that the world of tomorrow is already upon us.”
While some pavilions were very forward thinking, it was the vision of the future that was changed, and made Epcot seem very dated. On the second point, it is my feeling that Innoventions nails this point very well, much better than most people give it credit for doing.
“Nor will Epcot remain static. Several displays are designed to incorporate advances as they come of age, and additional pavilions are planned into Future World’s future. Horizons, a look into the twenty-first century, is scheduled to open in 1983, and a year later The Living Seas will join the ring of pavilions. Not yet in the building stage are Life and Health, which will conduct guests on a journey through the human body, and a space pavilion, to be realized with cooperation from NASA, which will feature a simulated space station.”
Changes in the pavilions were planned from before day 1, as were the additions that have been made to date.
“While entertainment will continue to be a highly visible attraction of Epcot Center, it is the underlying educational value of Future World that is its most important contribution.”
While the show remained the same, the audience has changed. The attitudes and views of the general public has changed since 1982, but until recently, the park did not. It is my view that the park now has to over-compensate for being “behind the times”, not so much in the message, but in the delivery of the message.
I am going to wrap up now....I have more to write, but my fingers are tired.
I guess my main point is this. Epcot was a radical concept, based on a concept that had not really been that successful in America. (The 1964-65 World's Fair in NYC was supposed to attract 70 million visitors over 2 years, but only attracted 51 million). Epcot was supposed to education people and change views and actions...but is that too much to expect from a theme park?
I am interested in all of your views.
I know that many of you are huge fans of Epcot, I am too. As many of you have realized, I am a very logical and rational person, I realize Epcot is not for everyone, and I am convinced that the general public no longer “gets” Epcot, or at least the original EPCOT Center…what is left of it.
I would ask that this not become a discussion of how the Epcot of today varies from Walt’s original vision, a vision that will never come to fruition, the closest we will get will be Celebration.
(In preparing this, I have taken quotes from the book Walt Disney’s Epcot Center, published in 1982, as well as other sources)
Let’s first take a look at how Walt’s EPCOT became EPCOT Center, we will start in 1975.
In 1975, Walt Disney Productions announced they were moving forward with plans for Epcot. Prior to WDW being built, the area on which the resort is located was swampland and scrub forest. It was far removed from any public services, and was pretty much “the middle of nowhere” (keep in mind, Orlando was a small town back then). A lot had changed since then. With the building of the Magic Kingdom and the original resorts, WDW had built a state of the art public service system, with high-tech systems seen nowhere else at that time. David Brinkley of NBC news referred to WDW as “ the most imaginative and effective piece of urban planning in America”. Along with that, WDW had issued the Epcot Building Code (which is available at the Orlando Library) and had formed the Reedy Creek Improvement District, which is the governing arm of the WDW resort land. At this time, The WDW resort was seeing 13 million visitors per year, with hotels running at 99% year around.
At this point, the planners, designers, engineers, and operators of WDW thought that they were already providing all of the services (public, government, sanitation…) that Walt’s Epcot would have provided for the near 16,000 people staying on property every day. By doing this, they were under the belief that the WDW resort ALREADY embodied Walt’s vision and philosophy of Epcot, but what was lacking was a “public focus” for new ideas and concepts, a “center” for the communication of new possibilities for the future – directly to the public.
To answer this need, they chose to develop Epcot Center, a permanent world’s fair of imagination, discovery, education, and exploration that combines the Disney entertainment and communication skills with the knowledge and predictions of authorities from industry, the academic world, and the professions. The goal of the park would be to inspire people, using and optimistic approach, to be turned on to the positive potential of the future, and will want to participate in making the choices that will shape the future.
At this time, an advisory board was formed with experts from various fields to help shape the park.
Next stop, 1976, where then CEO Card Walker made a speech to the Urban Land Institute. In the speech, he stated 4 main objectives of Epcot Center.
First, Epcot Center was to be a demonstration and proving ground for prototype concepts.
Second, it was to be a forum of the future, where ideas would be exchanged to meet the real needs of mankind.
Third, it was to be a communicator to the world, bringing new knowledge in the most effective ways to the world community.
Last, it was to be a permanent international people-to-people exchange, advancing the cause of world understanding among its citizens.
That being said, lets move on to 11/20/1981, when Martin Skalar wrote the forward to this book: (taken directly from the book)
“What we’re doing here is inventing a ‘Schweitzer Centrifuge’…that’s the way I look at the Epcot Project. If we build this correctly, if we build this beautifully, if we set an example for the world, we can change the whole damn country.
Now…my thoughts.
Starting at the 1981 point, is it too much to expect something built as a for-profit theme park, built by a for-profit company, to CHANGE THE WORLD?
Now, looking at the 1976 speech, did Epcot ever fulfill these goals, even upon opening?
Ok, more from the book.
Now, onto the main part of the book.
“The emphasis is on possibilities, since Walt Disney had an abiding faith in the ability of people the appreciate imagination and ingenuity, to recognize what was good. It was his contention, shared by his successors, that if people got the right information they would inevitably take the right action. The trick, of course, is to get people to sit still long enough for the information.”
I think this had become a major problem. I don’t believe that the general public of today has the patience or the attention span for this. It is my opinion that the vast majority of people want the 2 minute thrill, not the 20 minute experience. I feel this is very sad.
“At Epcot Center, the future is ever-evolving and fluid. While some pavilions leap forward fifty or 100 years, others emphasize that the technology available to us today will create the world of tomorrow – indeed, that the world of tomorrow is already upon us.”
While some pavilions were very forward thinking, it was the vision of the future that was changed, and made Epcot seem very dated. On the second point, it is my feeling that Innoventions nails this point very well, much better than most people give it credit for doing.
“Nor will Epcot remain static. Several displays are designed to incorporate advances as they come of age, and additional pavilions are planned into Future World’s future. Horizons, a look into the twenty-first century, is scheduled to open in 1983, and a year later The Living Seas will join the ring of pavilions. Not yet in the building stage are Life and Health, which will conduct guests on a journey through the human body, and a space pavilion, to be realized with cooperation from NASA, which will feature a simulated space station.”
Changes in the pavilions were planned from before day 1, as were the additions that have been made to date.
“While entertainment will continue to be a highly visible attraction of Epcot Center, it is the underlying educational value of Future World that is its most important contribution.”
While the show remained the same, the audience has changed. The attitudes and views of the general public has changed since 1982, but until recently, the park did not. It is my view that the park now has to over-compensate for being “behind the times”, not so much in the message, but in the delivery of the message.
I am going to wrap up now....I have more to write, but my fingers are tired.
I guess my main point is this. Epcot was a radical concept, based on a concept that had not really been that successful in America. (The 1964-65 World's Fair in NYC was supposed to attract 70 million visitors over 2 years, but only attracted 51 million). Epcot was supposed to education people and change views and actions...but is that too much to expect from a theme park?
I am interested in all of your views.
