I learned _____ at EPCOT.

CThaddeus

New Member
It's amazing the amount of information you could take from EPCOT if you were willing to invest the brain power to do it. Many go there expecting to simply turn their brains off and be entertained. If that's all you're after, you'll find it, but for those of us who see a trip to EPCOT as something more than that, there is plenty you can take with you. In fact, I'm often amazed when someone asks me some little bit of trivia and I'll know the answer because EPCOT (or one of the other Parks) taught it to me. The best attractions - Spaceship Earth, for example - don't hit you repeatedly over the head that you're being educated, but subtly you are. There were a couple of examples of attractions that did hit you over the head - Symbiosis, the original Universe of Energy, and the Seas - but mostly they entertained while educating. Those that can't see it really don't give EPCOT the credit it deserves. I think the most important thing the Park as a whole taught us is what we've accomplished, where we are, and where we might be going. It also taught a oneness - the It's a Small World point of view. We may be separated by wide oceans, but we're not all that different when you get right down to it.
And now here's a short description of what each pavilion taught me (hey, you asked for it, Mr. EPCOT-taught-me-nothing):
1. Spaceship Earth - Duh. The history of communication. Yes, I was taught history in school, but never in a way like this. I can honestly say I never knew some of the information imparted in that attraction. And that which I did know, didn't stick in my head until Disney presented it in an entertaining way (I often think of Jeremy Irons as my Communications school teacher!). Anyone else out there who has memorized his spiel cannot tell me you don't know more about Egyptian papyrus, Greek theatre, Roman roads and Rome's downfall, the contributions of Jewish and Islamic scholars, the printing press, and more.
2. Universe of Energy - Oh, come on. You can't say this attraction doesn't have tons of information contained within it. Oil, solar power, wind power, methods of discovering more forms of power...fact after fact about it is presented in a truly humorous way. Ellen and Bill Nye bring a humor and humanity to an attraction that was nothing but dry facts when EPCOT first opened. If you're one of those who claim this is just a great place for a 45-minute nap, you're one of the ones who are probably just looking for "rides." If all education were like this, I would still be in school today.
3. Wonders of Life - Another pavilion filled with education. From the kiosks and computers imparting information about the human body, nutrition, and good health to the attractions you had to be blind and deaf not to learn something. The Making of Me was all about conception, and while you may already know about it if you're an adult, as a kid it's truly an education...none of that BS about storks and birds and bees. And, it has that spoonful of sugar Disney does so well, making it fun, funny, and educational. Body Wars wasn't so much on the education, so I'll skip it. Cranium Command, though, taught me little things here and there, such as that the hypothalumus controls "automatic" bodily functions. It's also a great example of its theme, "Use your brain, don't lose it." And Goofy About Health was great for the lessons of good nutrition.
4. Horizons - A history of the future. This attraction isn't as heavy on the knowledge as some of the other pavilions, though it does teach about the possibilities of things like uses for crystals, the secrets of the DNA chain, the possibilities of life in outer space or the ocean, and the importance of men like Jules Verne in portraying the future. Still my second favorite attraction of all time, right behind Spaceship Earth.
5. World of Motion - a history of and the possible future of transportation. Just like Spacship Earth, you visit various points in history and LEARN about contributions to man's need to get from one place to another. This attraction also wasn't heavy on seriousness, but it did a great job of imparting mankind's achievements in motion in a fun and entertaining way.

I've only covered about half of Future World, and I think my point is already made. Perhaps later this evening, when I have more time, I'll continue this. Trust me, there's a lot more to be learned from EPCOT, and still some you can learn from Epcot, too. I haven't even covered The Land or The Seas, yet.
 

dxwwf3

Well-Known Member
There's no telling how much I learned from Epcot. I guarantee I wouldn't be getting ready to finish my History/Secondary Education degree if Epcot hadn't sparked my interest in the subject. Take that for what it's worth.
 

cloudboy

Well-Known Member
What have I learned at Epcot?

American bread tastes much to sweet to Germans.

French college program kids are just like American kids, and they aren't all into fashion, either.

Germany has some incredibly good sweet wines.

Most people in Norway speak English.

(p.s., those were this past year, not 20 years ago)

I learned that Americans associate automobiles not just with trasnportation but with freedom and a better life

I learned that energy is a whole lot more than just the type of fuel it comes from

I learned that technology often grows at a faster pace than we are able to implement it

I learned that Agriculture was a heck of a lot more than just digging holes in the ground, throwing down seeds, and digging up weeds.

At Epcot, I first experienced the interactive video connection (dining reservations)

I saw how computers evolved from big boxy things in clean rooms to something that stick in the corner of our office and kick every couple of days.

I witnessed society progressing from barely understanding how to communicate and the communication process to interglobal communications become matter-of-fact

I saw the first signs of smart homes and phones a person could carry

I got to try new foods that back then people had never heard of, which today you can find in fast food places across the country.

But most importantly, I learned that future is not something to be afraid of, but something to look forward to with eagerness. That we are the people who get to shape the future!


***

When I was younger, I used to think to how my grandfather went from a time when cars were rare and flying was yet impossible, electricity was a luxury and people had outhouses and cooked on wood and coal stoves, to a time when people flew faster than the speed of sound, actually stepped foot on another planet, and could communicate near-instantly to the other side of the world. But when I look back over my lifetime, I see now all these new changes I have seen: we have discovered new planets and even found them in different solar systems!; Now expect people to actually be reachable by phone anytime, anywhere via a portable phone; have gone from handwritten calculations and slide-rules to calculators that are more dictated in size by having to be large enough to make teh buttons big enough to press; Computers that were the size of rooms that would be outperformed today by your refrigerator; A total change in the political structure of the world and which countries were friendly and which were foreign; and an exploitive attitude towards natural resources to a better understanding of where we fit in this world.

I don't believe anyone does not learn anywhere. How much you learn is limited more by attitude than available material. So the question isn't what have you learned, but why didn't you?
 

DDuckFan130

Well-Known Member
Why do some people insist that you do not learn anything from JIYI? I remember the original JII, and yeah you learned this from good ol' Dreamfinder BLAH BLAH BLAH! But sheesh people...you're getting some "imagination education" now. The guy is telling you to use all your senses and gives examples for 3 of them (the hearing part is a good example because how many of us can NOT envision that train coming?). On top of that, you have Figment telling you to use your imagination in topsy turvy ways.

What else do you want? :hammer: Oh well, I know I learned something from it and the original JII is a distant and boring memory.
 

dxwwf3

Well-Known Member
I also think that JIIWF serves an educational purpose. So did Journey Into Your Imagination before it was changed. That doesn't mean I think they were as good as the original ride, which they certainly were not IMO, but I don't think the educational aspects can be ignored in the current pavilion. The same thing with The Seas. There are still exhibits there than educate as well as entertain.
 

Epcot82Guy

Well-Known Member
I really think it depends on your definition of "learn."

What did I "learn" from Epcot as a kid? A few things about countries I hadn't known before. A lot about hydroponic production and the potential it might have if fully implemented. How a lot of our historical moments were fused to the development of communication.

However, I think it was a lot more what EPCOT Center inspired that was what drew me back. I learned that the future was a hopeful place. It was a time when the successes and failures of the past could come together in a way to present new joys, new capabilities, and, of course, new challenges. It showed the brink of a future that may be, but, much more importantly, it showed just what the future was: a fun dream that is always coming true. Not a reluctant reality or a nightmare that we fear. It gave someone like me a chance to dream about (a) what the next step was and (b) how to become a part of it. While you may not believe it, EPCOT (The Land) was the reason I earned my degree in biology. The presentation of design played a large part in my graphic design hobby. It also served as my most memorable internship work experience during undergrad. EPCOT Center truly did change my life, although some may disagree. EPCOT found a way to SHOWCASE achievement. Not too much of it was truly educational for me. It was always more about the hope and inspiration. Of course, that relied on an accurate enough presentation of history, science, etc., but the chance to see or, wow, be a part of something larger was its biggest draw. And if you want proof, I'll dig up essays I wrote in fifth grade and high school that centered on the concept of being part of and/or designing the future under the EPCOT model.

In short, what did I learn from EPCOT Center? That the future was inspiring, amazing, fun, and friendly. And, all it takes is the cooperation and ingenuity of this generation. I learned that the future was up to me to do my best and contribute every creative ounce I could.
 

imagineer boy

Well-Known Member
I just thought about something about the seas. What does the Nemo ride teach us? That Nemo seems to have a constant problem of getting lost? That's one reason why I'm not a big fan of it.
 

luna99

New Member
I learned that I absolutely love learning about other cultures and want to eventually travel the world for real instead of just at world showcase.

I also learned that I'm the only person in my family who ADORES the living with the land boat ride and my sister thinks I'm weird for it.
 

Hakunamatata

Le Meh
Premium Member
I learned that at one time in England that people were taxed on the square footage of their home that was on the first floor...and that thats why the buildings had a larger second floor than first floor.

I learned that sod roofs keep your house cooler (Norway).

I learned that you can control insects with insects. (Living with the Land).
 

Pongo

New Member
I just thought about something about the seas. What does the Nemo ride teach us? That Nemo seems to have a constant problem of getting lost? That's one reason why I'm not a big fan of it.

Psst... you haven't ridden it yet ;)

Don't knock it 'til you've tried it.

EDIT: In fact, the part of the ride with Mr. Ray can be said to inspire people to learn more about science. I know it did with me.

"Science is fun, there's so much to know"
 

cloudboy

Well-Known Member
I think you hit on the right idea there. Keep in Mind that Epcot really opened in the early eighties, and things that seem silly now really weren't back then.

This was before the age of communication, and few people really understood the world of communication or it's history. A lot of people idn't even have cable back then! We didn't have the same concerns with oil back then - nobody was really talking about oil running out, and solar cells were still really cool things. Those scenes from Horizons were quite futuristic back then, and that really is what we thought our cars would look like in the future.

Computers were still kept in a room - and you could add value to a product just by calling it "computerized". Back then I was pplaying with an Atari 400. I believe the thing had 28K or memory. That's 28k - there are 1024Kbs in a MB, and your typical computer nowadays has 512MB. Phones still had cords, you certainly couldn't imaigne how you would have a phone in your car, and even into the 90's portable phones were carried in bags. Not everyone had a VCR back then, and there were still people who had one of the old style machines that had two reals. People shot using super 8 cameras and fortunately were trading in 8 tracks for cassettes.

I remember playing with all the fun fountains in Imagination, and a lot of those exhibits were really novel ideas. The pin cushion tables, though now a cheap toy, were something completely new. And things like Hydroponics and aquaculture were still quite imaginary.

Mexico was still thought of as a completely different country, as was Canada. Norway was really out there - it was up against the iron curtain! Europe was still fairly exotic, and many people couldn't even tell you where Morroco was. Today we meet people from all over the globe - back then hearing foreign languages was a lot more exotic.

Epcot has aged pretty poorly. What is left of the old pavillions is dated, and the new pavillions have not done anything to continue the spirit of the old Epcot. It's not that we simply want the old rides or don't like the new ones. It just that they are only rides that completely fail to fit into the spirit of Epcot. The other parks put you in an imaginary place. Epcot puts you (or used to, anyway) into a frame of mind. One where you felt part of a growing world. A place where you could shape the future - and that future was going to be a fun place. It isn't teaching as in a school, and it isn't an imaginary future world as is Tomorrowland. Rather, it's a look at how we got where we are, and how we are going to get to the future.
 

joel_maxwell

Permanent Resident of EPCOT
On SSE, I learned that like a grand and miraculous spaceship, our planet has sailed through the universe of time. And for a brief moment, we have been among its many passengers. From the very beginning, we have always sought to reach out to one another....to bridge the gaps between us....to communicate. :lookaroun
:sohappy:

well said.

:lol:
 

joel_maxwell

Permanent Resident of EPCOT
double..... deal

a lot of the original EPCOT Center didnt actually teach me anything since i didnt retain any of the knowledge it was presenting me, but what it did do was inspire me to explore the things i saw there once i got home. i did retain certain things. usually it was the history of things; communication, motion, etc etc.

i hadnt really studied those things specifically in school. we might have touched them but not to the extent of a 13 minute omnimover. :D
 

monorailguy01

New Member
I learned not to film durning a show at the American theater.....

and I also learned that it is very very hard to "Drink Around The World"
you will mostlikey make it to 5 or 6 stops and like and get drunk...

And the last one I learned it is very hard to tape ROE with out getting trees or bushes in your shot
 

wedway71

Well-Known Member
Ive learned one very important thing at Epcot.
NEVER RIDE MISSION SPACE AFTER SAMPLING A BEER FROM EVERY COUNTRY IN WORLD SHOWCASE.:hurl:
 

AndreainNY

New Member
I learned to either write down or circle the names of the wines I liked during Food and Wine Festival because there is no way I will remember them by the time I get home.

I learned that drinking your way around "the world" will cause one to stand on their bench and sing along (loudly) to Three Dog Night.

I also learned that this singing will cause your husband and son to deny your very existance.

I learned that I DO NOT LIKE Frog's Legs soup.

I learned that all of the guys in the store in Italy are shameless flirts (and so much fun because of it!!!).

I learned that after a couple of glasses of wine, I made a DAMN good Edna in "Romeo and Edna" (gotta love the World Showcase Players).

I learned that Japan and China have the best stores to hide in during those wonderful Florida downpours.

I learned that I really like Epcot and will be back there in 16 days!!!
 

Register on WDWMAGIC. This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.

Back
Top Bottom