Favorite Classic EPCOT memories

fargosteve

New Member
Original Poster
My wife and I went to EPCOT the first year it was opened, and had no idea what to expect. I'd read some articles about it, but basically everything was a surprise.
We were amazed to say the least. The first time on SE, WOM, UE, Journey into your imagination, Kraft Kitchen Cabaret (veggie veggie fruit fruit),American Adventure, Mexico, all were unbelievable.
My favorite by far was World of Motion, the "fun to be free" stuck in my head ever since then. We have been back quite a few times since, but it's not the same. I really miss the classic EPCOT.
One of my favorite memories was the motorcycle cop on World of Motion. After you rode by, if you looked back he would turn his head quick and look back at you like he was catching you.
What's your favorite memory of the classic EPCOT attractions?

My first post this should have gone into general - oops
 

ssidiouss@mac.c

Well-Known Member
The first time I went to epcot it was in the 80s when I was a kid.. and my favorite memories of that classic Ecpot are :

1. That I liked it like alot better than Magic Kingdom.. it seemed to futuristic and new.

2. I loved The Living Seas.. the way it felt like you were going to an actual underground seabase was amazing. THe Hydrolaters followed by the Seacabs to the seabase was awesome!!! I felt that was the most amazing "intro" to a place ever.

3. I liked figment... the ride and song were so cool to me.

4. The Biergarten.. lol.. even as a Kid I loved it.

5. Mexico.. I remember loving the inside where it looked like it was always night.
 

raven

Well-Known Member
I as well was at Epcot (Center) the first year it was open. I was a kid but I remember it very well. Certain attractions were still in the works but I remember WOM and SE very well. Coming attractions back then were Horizons, The Living Seas and a new World Showcase pavillion Israel (which never opened). Other countries that are there now didn't even exist back then. JII and The Land was by far my favorite though. I still have a souvenir picture book of WDW from that trip! :wave:
 

Laura

22
Premium Member
My favorite memory was seeing the Dreamfinder and Figment when I was really little. I always believed Figment was really alive, never knew that Dreamfinder was just a puppeteer until I was older.
 

dxwwf3

Well-Known Member
My fav would be turning the corner at Horizons and seeing the huge IMAX screen with that music.

Also the special scents of Horizons and Journey Into Imagination. Of course, you can't forget the classic songs of each pavilion. Music played a HUGE part in Epcot Center. I really love the current Epcot, but the way it was in the 80's will always have a special place in my heart.
 

Epcot82Guy

Well-Known Member
So many...

EPCOT Center was my favorite park as a kid.

1. Singing all the songs from the Epcot pavilions on the way to Florida (MY favorite memory, not so much for my dad who drove). There was something about the upbeat, fun, whimsical songs. They were honestly some of my favorite songs as a child and continue to be.

2. The Land pavilion was the reason I went into science (although that has now ended... ha ha)

3. JII. Such a great attraction. The whole pavilion just had a whimsy as did WoM. That whimsy is sorely lacking right now, and I would love for something to bring it back.

4. The SMELLS! Namely, SSE's burning Rome and Horizon's oranges.

5. Learning what EPCOT stood for after a knowledgable Communicore Cast Member told me at the ripe old age of 7.

I will also say some new Epcot attractions have brought about great memories, but it is simply not the same. I:ROE, however, is right up there. I never liked the original shows, but this one blew me away. I was reluctant to see this new incarnation when I was down for my CP, but was I glad I did (and did several times each week - perk of working at Epcot). Hopefully we can get a new era of classic EPCOT-worthy times and memories for a new generation.
 

KlarkKent007

New Member
EPCOT center

I cannot bring myself to call it Epcot.

I remember going during the first year it was open, then in 1984 going to the World Fair in New Orleans, and only wanting to go back to EPCOT center to enjoy my local Worlds Fair.

Future World was full of whimsical, charming and clever entertainment that treated the future as an optimistic place full of possibilities; now it is becoming a 'thrill ride' junkyard. Gone is the work of the 9 Old Men, replaced by outsourced cheap knock offs.

I wanted to be an Imagineer when I visited EPCOT center back then, now I wonder if there are any left who still dream (or are at least allowed to).:mad::brick:
 

EpcotServo

Well-Known Member
I loved Epcot Center. I miss Horizons so much. It was a ride that gave me hope that the future wasn't such a scary place after all. The Epcot rides today, make the future look scary. (The vision of the future now seems to be that, in the future everything will be metal and we like to put things through their paces)
 

Dragonrider1227

Well-Known Member
I remember enjoying bits of it in '90 like Imagination, and bits of the American Story show but I recall being I don't want to say "BORED" but I remember enjoying MK and MGM alot more. Though I always liked the futuristic, and historic sense to it.
 

JaclynR

New Member
The first time I went to EPCOT was summer 1990. We didn't spend much time in the World Showcase but I remember many of the Future World pavilions. I loved Dreamfinder and Figment, so magical to a kid how the sets change and the music is still in my head. I remember the old Listen to the Land song and when Body Wars was a new ride. And Captain EO also! I loved it and had never experienced 3D before, I thought the little fuzzy guy was only flying in front of ME. LOL
 

One Lil Spark

EPCOT Center Defender
Ahhhh, EPCOT Center... How I loved thee...

WoM:
The man inflating his bicycle tire so much it looked like it was going to pop b/c he was paying attention to the other guy hitting on his girl.
The "caesar-esque" scene with the half man half horse and the fat guy selling the golden carriage with a squeaky voice that sounded like a mouse.

Horizons:
The kid who lost his shoe and the dog that were all floating around saying "Look Ma!"
Weightless exercising on the upside down bike.
The kitten swatting at the fish in the pond that would jump if you waited on it as you entered the "orange smell" room where the daughter was doing her farming.
"Well, we're almost back from the future." "Awww, it went by so quickly."

JII:
"Numbers, letters, papers for writing. Costumes, makeup, stages for lighting!!"
"Science? We'll need electron beams and crystal prisms gyroscopes and magnatisms..."
Ahhh, too much to write!!

SSE:
"Extra, Extra, Read All About It. New York Daily!"

The Land:
"Just listen to the land we all love..."
"I'd like to sing about a bread who has really gone far. He started as some dough and then he rose to be a star..."
"A hungry fox boldly walked through a hen house door. Too bad for him he met a hen that stood at six foot four. He won't forget the lickin that he got from that big chicken. Now he gets his poultry from the store."

Gimmie a little bit. I'll think of more!:wave: :D
 

Miss DW

New Member
I've never actually been to Epcot, but I always feel nostalgic when I listen to the Epcot songs on The Official Album of Disneyland, Walt Disney World, and Epcot Center. I've had the CD for a long time, and the songs are just great. I love listening to Tomorrow's Child, and I wish that it was still in SSE, so that when I go, I would be able to hear it within the ride.
 

hayzer11

Energy, you make the world go round!
Fav memory

i loved all the old stuff basicaly, like when all the attractions had there own sing desing, if that makes since, and i just miss jII alot!
 

Monty

Brilliant...and Canadian
In the Parks
No
hayzer11 said:
i loved all the old stuff basicaly, like when all the attractions had there own sing desing, if that makes since, and i just miss jII alot!

:veryconfu
 

EpcotGirl

New Member
fargosteve said:
My wife and I went to EPCOT the first year it was opened, and had no idea what to expect. I'd read some articles about it, but basically everything was a surprise.
We were amazed to say the least. The first time on SE, WOM, UE, Journey into your imagination, Kraft Kitchen Cabaret (veggie veggie fruit fruit),American Adventure, Mexico, all were unbelievable.
My favorite by far was World of Motion, the "fun to be free" stuck in my head ever since then. We have been back quite a few times since, but it's not the same. I really miss the classic EPCOT.
One of my favorite memories was the motorcycle cop on World of Motion. After you rode by, if you looked back he would turn his head quick and look back at you like he was catching you.
What's your favorite memory of the classic EPCOT attractions?

My first post this should have gone into general - oops
Riding Horizons :( sniff
 

Number_6

Well-Known Member
I didn't go the year that it opened, but my first trip to EPCOT Center was back when I was in second grade, so I was about 7 years old at the time(say about two or three years after it opened). It immediately became my favorite place to go in Orlando and has remained my favorite to this day, despite the changes. I remember being amazed seeing the AA Dinos in Universe of Energy and getting the song stuck in my head there. I remember riding Horizons and thinking it was the most amazing thing I had ever been on as well as the most enjoyable. I loved being able to pick my ending. Going on World of Motion and having the brief point where it slightly exits the building followed by seeing the footprints light up on the walls. Going over to JII and meeting Dreamfinder and Figment outside, and being kissed on the cheek by Figment. Seeing World Showcase for the first time and being amazed by all the variety, having it make me want to learn more about the countries of the world and their histories. And of course, SSE with great animatronics and at the time, Walter Cronkite's distinctive voice providing the narration.

And then later, when TLS opened, I was back and found that things were even more incredible. I loved seeing the science behind things for the ocean(of course being from Boston I had a fantastic Aquarium and Science Museum at home, so those things already held great interest for me). Then Wonders of Life opened with Body Wars and the Exercycles which I loved. It really was a wonderful place back then.

My final visit to EPCOT Center before I met my wife and we had children was back a few years before Animal Kingdom opened, so when I returned with my own kids, I was a little disappointed that they were not able to experience Horizons or World of Motion, and I was downright upset when I saw what had happened with JII, but I saw the looks on the faces of my kids and realized that maybe this wasn't the EPCOT Center that I grew up with, but it was going to be the Epcot that my kids will grow up with and as long as it makes them smile the way it used to make me smile, then it's not really bad at all.
 

Number_6

Well-Known Member
There is one last thing I miss from when I was a kid going to EPCOT Center, and that is Communicore. I loved all the different cool displays they had and I especially loved SMRT-1, the little purple robot that would play games with everyone.
 

Jorma

New Member
I first went to Epcot in '94 having really no idea what to expect. The only theme park I had ever been to was Six Flags over Texas. I can remember being blown away by the whole WDW experience, Epcot most of all. My wife and I spent two whole days in Epcot and still missed things we are seeing years later.
I do miss WoM and Horizons...although the replacement for WoM is fun in it's own right.
 

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