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20 secrets of Epcot
An insider lifts the curtains on two decades of behind-the-scenes magic
By Bruce Pecho. Special to the Tribune. Bruce Pecho, a freelance writer in the Chicago area, has visited Walt Disney World 35 times
March 9, 2003
ORLANDO -- Nobody conjures up magic better than Walt Disney World. Where else could you find a 189-foot-tall castle transformed into a candied and frosted cake for a 25th anniversary, the world's first geodesic sphere topped with a glittering "2000" to honor a millennium celebration, and a 122-foot-tall fiber-optically illuminated sorcerer's hat to celebrate the 100th birthday of its founder.
It's no secret that when you're in Walt Disney World, the magic is all around you. What is secret is just how much magic surrounds you. Swirling around--beneath the surface--secrets abound, helping to preserve creative entertainment elements, maintain operating efficiency, and ensure safety while blasting you with the imagination and innovation you expect from Disney.
Here's another secret. Walt Disney World is so big, anniversaries now have a tendency to overlap.
The recently concluded blockbuster 17-month long 100 Years of Magic celebration, honoring Walt's 100th birthday, kicked off on Oct. 1, 2001, a day that also marked the lesser-emphasized 30th anniversary of the Vacation Kingdom.
The 100 Years of Magic celebration continued through Walt's 101st birthday (on Dec. 5), and Walt Disney World celebrated another Oct. 1 milestone in 2002--the 20th anniversary of Epcot.
That's right, for 20 years, Epcot, the "Discover Park," has been presenting its unique amalgam of future living and current cultures from around the world to guests from many nations. Epcot, originally conceived as the "Experimental Prototype Community Of Tomorrow," has come into its own as a place where breaking technologies and diverse cultures co-mingle to entertain and enlighten.
Of course, Epcot is not without its share of secrets. In honor of that 20th anniversary, here are "20 Secrets of Epcot," exploring some behind-the-scenes magic for which Disney is renowned.
1. Let's start with, perhaps, the most frequently asked question about Epcot: Is there a system of tunnels under Epcot similar to the "utilidors" (utility corridors) snaking under the Magic Ki? The answer: Yes and no.
Yes, there is a tunnel under Epcot. In Future World, a U-shaped tunnel stretches 700 feet. It starts at the north end of Innoventions East, curves under Spaceship Earth and ends at the north end of Innoventions West. The tunnel is used for deliveries to Future World shops and restaurants.
But, no, it is not part of an elaborate system of tunnels like those in the Magic Kingdom which connect almost all of the themed lands underground. Those are used as behind-the-scenes service passages allowing workers, food, props and characters to be shuttled from land-to-land unseen by guests.
2. Why, during a thunderous downpour, don't the throngs of people standing beneath Spaceship Earth get drenched from rainwater running off the geosphere?
Because hidden behind the 11,324 silver triangular-shaped tiles lies a unique drainage system--two gutters that surround the geosphere, one at the sphere's equator and another below that. The surface tiles are spaced an inch apart, permitting rainwater to flow through and into the submerged gutters. Both gutters collect the rainwater and channel it through Spaceship Earth's support legs down below Future World, where it flows out and replenishes World Showcase Lagoon.
3. Ever notice how many torches outline the shore of World Showcase Lagoon?
The torches were installed as part of the IllumiNations 2000: Reflections of Earth fireworks show celebrating the coming of the new millennium. Nineteen torches were erected around the lagoon representing the first 19 centuries of the last two millenniums. The torch representing the 20th Century rises up out of the globe during the IllumiNations finale.
And the torch representing the 21st Century? Well, it's not really a torch. It's the blinding juggernaut of white fireworks showering the sky all across the surface of World Showcase Lagoon, heralding the arrival of the new century and the third millennium.
4. Grab a satisfying sip from one of three Future World water fountains--and listen to the fountains talk to you.
Well, they don't really hold conversations, but when the water starts flowing, you hear comical recordings embellished with sound effects coming right out of the fountain. You might hear the clanging of pipes deep inside as workers lament, "Hey, don't you know we've got a plumbers convention going on down here?" Or gurgling water followed by a sarcastic man whining, "Hey, whatta ya trying to do, drown me?" Or a droll woman pining, "No doubt about it--I've gotta move to a drier climate."
The fountains are located on the west side of Innoventions West, just across from The Land pavilion, outside the main entrance of MouseGear beside the Fountain of Nations in Innoventions Plaza, and on the walkway between Future World and World Showcase alongside the kiddie fountain.
5. Take a good look at the exterior of the American Adventure. Why does this Georgian-style brick building rise so large on the shores of World Showcase Lagoon when it's only two stories tall?
It's another example of Disney's use of forced perspective where the scaling of buildings decreases the higher up you go, which creates the illusion that buildings are taller than they actually are. The American Adventure portrays a Colonial building, which in those days stood no taller than two stories. An actual reproduction of a building from that time period would be too small to be seen from across World Showcase Lagoon. So Imagineers used inverted forced perspective to make a five-stories-tall building look like a two-story structure, thereby making it visually impressive from all around the lagoon.
6. What exactly is that gold, pink and teal structure twisting its way into the sky in front of the Wonders of Life pavilion?
The 75-foot-tall sculpture, called the Tower of Life, is a huge replica of a DNA molecule, the building block of life. The molecule is five and a half billion times its actual size; a human being possessing DNA of this size would stand six million miles tall.
7. Just how big is the aquarium in The Living Seas pavilion? If Spaceship Earth could be dropped into the aquarium, it would surely rend the glass walls, right?
Not so! Spaceship Earth is 165 feet in diameter, while the circular aquarium measures 203 feet across. That means Spaceship Earth could be fully immersed into the tank without ever touching its walls! The aquarium, the largest saltwater tank in the world, holds 5.7 million gallons all of which is filtered in just 2 hours and 40 minutes. The fresh water used to fill the tank was converted into real seawater by adding 27 truckloads of non-iodized salt, 400 tons of magnesium chloride and 300 tons of magnesium sulfate, plus other materials.
8. Watch out for the rock formations on the shores of the Canada pavilion during IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth.
For the fireworks show, one of these boulders "breaks open," rising up into the air, a contoured piece of rock topping a pole equipped with lights and speakers for the show. Once IllumiNations ends, the pole silently retracts back into the boulder, its rocky top preserving the appearance of the Canada shoreline.
It's all part of Disney's attempt to preserve show elements--outside of showtime, you'd never know it wasn't a real rock. A similar pole rises out of the rocks at the Japan pavilion, and two light poles are cleverly concealed in the Italy pavilion.
9. If you think water fountains are the only inanimate objects in Epcot that talk to you, think again.
Try tossing trash in the garbage can alongside the condiments station inside the Electric Umbrella restaurant. Each time you push in the swiveling lid, the can generates comical expressions and sound effects in the same vein as the water fountains. You might hear a cacophony of voices arguing over who gets the trash you just tossed in ("It's mine!" "It's mine!" "It's mine!"), or a sarcastic teen remarking "Hey dude, like your trash is totally awesome! Not!"
10. Sometimes, plans just don't go as planned.
Take that huge building alongside World Showcase that's been sitting empty ever since Epcot opened in 1982. The stone "castle" building, located in the Germany pavilion alongside the Biergarten Restaurant, was to have been the home of a Rhine River cruise attraction taking guests on a boat ride through the German countryside. But the attraction was never built. The main entrance to the ride would have been located at the back of the Sommerfest Outdoor Cafe
Copyright © 2003, Chicago Tribune
I get so happy about the little things!