steve2wdw
WDW Fan Since 1973
An earlier post said "the living sea's has to go". I disagree. The basic concepts are still good. It just needs to be freshened up a bit with some new exhibits. An awful lot goes on under the sea. Earthquakes, volcanos, and just think of the shipwrecks on the bottom (maybe some Titannic related exhibits). The possibilities are endless. All they need is a sponsor with some cash. I agree with some other posts that a weather themed pavilion on this side of Future World would do wonders. Place "The Weather", with the TDS attraction, Stormrider, between The Land and The Living Seas, allow access from both pavilions (all three affect each other) and from the outside, and you've got a mega-pavilion that would certainly draw lots of people to Future World West.
As far as abandoned Future World ideas go, going back to my 1975 Walt Disney Productions Annual Report, Future World Theme Center was going to be divided into three big areas. This is from the report; "Surrounding the Comminicore will be three major Theme Center Pavilions, where American corporations, industry associations or consortiums, foundations and government will be invited to sponsor major Disney-designed and operated showcase attractions. The Science and Technology Pavilion will present the future world of energy, transportation, agriculture and food production, oceanography and outer space. The Community Pavilion will present future concepts in education, health and medicine, and the various and vital components of a community--economics, planning and design, and government services for people. The Communication and the Arts Pavilion will simulate and demonstrate the future world of information and communications, and the role of all the arts--performing, visual, design--in our global environment."
As you can see, most of these ideas have been used in the current Future World, just not in their original format. In fact, Epcot, as we know it now, was actually going to be two different parks. Epcot Future World Theme Center, and the World Showcase park which was to be located near the Transpotation and Ticket Center, near or in the middle of the Magic Kingdom parking lot.
The Walt Disney World Showcase was to be housed in a giant circular building, cut in half. It looked like a giant shopping mall, with a huge courtyard in the middle. Each country was like a store front (with equal exposure). From the stock report " No matter how large the interior area of a nation's pavilion, the outside exposure will be equal for all." The depth of each country was decided on the amount of sponsorship money and what was to be housed in the particular country. Everything was indoors, like the current Mexico pavilion. Amazingly, the concept art for Mexico looks almost exactly like what actually materialized.
By the time the 1976 sock report came out, the company was deciding to combine the two concepts into one park and by the 1977 report, the artwork of pavilion concepts was starting to look like what is now built in Florida. Back in the 70's and early 80's, the company actually gave out a lot more info on their future theme park projects than they do now. I remember looking forward to January each year, waiting for my Annual Report to arrive, with all the artwork and concept idea's being tossed around by the imaginneers. There was a lot that never materialized, but a lot more that did. I love browsing through that old material.
As far as abandoned Future World ideas go, going back to my 1975 Walt Disney Productions Annual Report, Future World Theme Center was going to be divided into three big areas. This is from the report; "Surrounding the Comminicore will be three major Theme Center Pavilions, where American corporations, industry associations or consortiums, foundations and government will be invited to sponsor major Disney-designed and operated showcase attractions. The Science and Technology Pavilion will present the future world of energy, transportation, agriculture and food production, oceanography and outer space. The Community Pavilion will present future concepts in education, health and medicine, and the various and vital components of a community--economics, planning and design, and government services for people. The Communication and the Arts Pavilion will simulate and demonstrate the future world of information and communications, and the role of all the arts--performing, visual, design--in our global environment."
As you can see, most of these ideas have been used in the current Future World, just not in their original format. In fact, Epcot, as we know it now, was actually going to be two different parks. Epcot Future World Theme Center, and the World Showcase park which was to be located near the Transpotation and Ticket Center, near or in the middle of the Magic Kingdom parking lot.
The Walt Disney World Showcase was to be housed in a giant circular building, cut in half. It looked like a giant shopping mall, with a huge courtyard in the middle. Each country was like a store front (with equal exposure). From the stock report " No matter how large the interior area of a nation's pavilion, the outside exposure will be equal for all." The depth of each country was decided on the amount of sponsorship money and what was to be housed in the particular country. Everything was indoors, like the current Mexico pavilion. Amazingly, the concept art for Mexico looks almost exactly like what actually materialized.
By the time the 1976 sock report came out, the company was deciding to combine the two concepts into one park and by the 1977 report, the artwork of pavilion concepts was starting to look like what is now built in Florida. Back in the 70's and early 80's, the company actually gave out a lot more info on their future theme park projects than they do now. I remember looking forward to January each year, waiting for my Annual Report to arrive, with all the artwork and concept idea's being tossed around by the imaginneers. There was a lot that never materialized, but a lot more that did. I love browsing through that old material.
