Future World Fountain

[disneydata]

A very interesting story ...

During the grand opening festivities, there was a rumor that the fountain was leaking from below. No one knew what happened, just that there were engineers below keeping it from emptying out! Well, here is what actually happened ...

One of the BIG things they had for the festivities were elephants. Yes, elephants. It was one guy's job to giude the eephants from the International Gateway (how they were being brought in) to Future World. Once they got there, they did a little thing up on the fountain stage. The planners never really thought anything of having very heavy animals on that stage. As you probably guessed, the weight cracked a portion of the fountain which is where the leak came from. One night, they had to empty it and completely rebuild that section.

Disney thought twice about bringing elephants on that stage again!

 

[tenchu]

Originally posted by Nick
A very interesting story ...

During the grand opening festivities, there was a rumor that the fountain was leaking from below. No one knew what happened, just that there were engineers below keeping it from emptying out! Well, here is what actually happened ...

One of the BIG things they had for the festivities were elephants. Yes, elephants. It was one guy's job to giude the eephants from the International Gateway (how they were being brought in) to Future World. Once they got there, they did a little thing up on the fountain stage. The planners never really thought anything of having very heavy animals on that stage. As you probably guessed, the weight cracked a portion of the fountain which is where the leak came from. One night, they had to empty it and completely rebuild that section.

Disney thought twice about bringing elephants on that stage again!

Interesting fact Nick, i hadn't heard that one before.

:wave:

 

[ImagineerFan04]

Re: Re: Future World Fountain

Originally posted by tenchu
Interesting fact Nick, i hadn't heard that one before.

:wave:

Me either and that's quite funny:lol:

 

[Testtrack321]

I thought that the stage was added latter on, around 1994-ish.

 

[freaklarm]

i was there for the big fountain celebration, but i dont remember the elephants show, probably i missed it while i was riding SSE or doing something else. Anyway, that is funny story.

 

[donsullivan]

I can't confirm whether the elephant story is true but it certainly didn't happen at the original opening. That stage was added to the south side of the fountain in the early 90's for a short lived show that had Mickey conducting the dancing fountains from the basket of a lift frame and other enternatainment. It didn't last long at all.

 

[salvecolumbia]

Cool fact Nick :sohappy:

 

[kurros]

Epcot has an underground? I thought that was just an MK thing.

 

[General Grizz]

Originally posted by kurros
Epcot has an underground? I thought that was just an MK thing.

Epcot does have a smaller set of Utilidors under certain portions. I believe they're under Innoventions, but I could be wrong on that part.

 

[Al]

That's interesting, thanks for sharing! :wave:

 

[wild01ride]

Originally posted by Nick
It was one guy's job to giude the eephants from the International Gateway (how they were being brought in) to Future World.

Maybe I'm mistaken, but I thought that the International Gateway was added years after the opening of the park (there was nothing for it to be a gateway to until the Crescent Lake Area was developed.
:veryconfu

 

[StevenT]

Originally posted by grizzlyhall
Epcot does have a smaller set of Utilidors under certain portions. I believe they're under Innoventions, but I could be wrong on that part.

The Epcot utilidors runs under the two Innoventions wings and the Land. And another runs from Universe of Energy, runs under Spaceship Earth and ends at the Living Seas.

I found this information at:
http://www.hiddenmickeys.org/WDW/MagicKingdom/Secrets/General/Underground.html