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Movielover

Movielover

Well-Known Member
lazyboy97o said:
The WestCOT team agreed with you. Oh what could have been.
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Animaniac93-98 said:
I dunno, Adventure Thru Tortilla Making was the right call in the end I think. ;)
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Right? why have a larger even more epic version of Spaceship Earth when instead you can have a oversized hubcap that can't even reflect the sunlight as intended...

I know we all hate the current Epcot Imagineers but I really want to personally slap the face of Eisner for allowing DCA 1.0

and this coming from me, a person who does not hate Eisner!
 
Movielover

Movielover

Well-Known Member
lazyboy97o said:
Was this really the idea?
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Yes, it was suppose to look like the sun to form the center point of the "greeting card" entrance to the park. It was made to reflect the sunlight.

IMG_1372.jpg


However I guess the Imagineer behind it forgot that the sun rises in the east and sets in the west, and since the park faces north and south it didn't work. They then tried to put up mirrors to reflect the light onto the hubcap.

sunshine_reflectors2001ah.jpg


But all this accomplished was reflecting bright sunlight into people's eyes.

So the "Sunshine Plaza" as it was called ended up being in shadow most of the day.
 
FerretAfros

FerretAfros

Well-Known Member
Movielover said:
Yes, it was suppose to look like the sun to form the center point of the "greeting card" entrance to the park. It was made to reflect the sunlight.

IMG_1372.jpg


However I guess the Imagineer behind it forgot that the sun rises in the east and sets in the west, and since the park faces north and south it didn't work. They then tried to put up mirrors to reflect the light onto the hubcap.

sunshine_reflectors2001ah.jpg


But all this accomplished was reflecting bright sunlight into people's eyes.

So the "Sunshine Plaza" as it was called ended up being in shadow most of the day.
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Eh, sort of.

While you're right that the park's orientation was the core issue (due to sharing an entrance plaza with DL), the problem was that the Sun Icon faced directly to the north and would always be in the shade. While that's not a complete dealbreaker for a park centerpiece (TDL's castle faces mostly north), it wouldn't be a good look for something that's supposed to represent a bright, shining sun.

The heliostats were actually a pretty ingenious solution for a constrained centerpiece that was meant to celebrate the California sunshine. They were programed to track the sun's location throughout the day and changing seasons, and reflect it onto the Sun Icon. In addition to changing their angle, the flower-like design was also able to open and close slightly, allowing the light to focus more as needed.

The Sun Icon itself was never really meant to reflect the sun, only to be illuminated by the reflections from the heliostats.

Sure, they often had issues that left them stationary for months on end, but when they worked it was a pretty neat effect. It was a solid surface backlit by the real sun that seemed to have an inexplicable reflective glow about it, in a way that couldn't be recreated with artificial lights during daylight. And although the heliostats were visible, they were hidden in plain sight among the palm trees and didn't resemble anything recognizable, so there was no obvious source of the light to park guests.

sunshine_xgames2003tm.jpg


It was a simple yet complex solution, mixing modern technology with tricks that were thousands of years old in a way that uniquely celebrated the state's climate. For such a relatively-inexpensive centerpiece in a budget-conscious park, it was a clever way to add an atmosphere of reverence and grandeur, reminiscent of the glow designed for religious icons in historic cathedrals.

IMO, the most ironic part of the whole thing was all the early publicity about how the Sun Icon was created from cutting-edge metals that were specially designed to avoid corrosion for over 1,000 years. And yet, the whole thing was ripped out of the park less than 10 years after it opened, rendering their expensive materials moot.
 
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TrainsOfDisney

TrainsOfDisney

Well-Known Member
I only visited DCA once in its 1.0 but I don’t remember the sun at all. I remember the California sign, the golden gate bridge, and the streamliner Diesel Candy or ice cream shop at the entrance.
 
Movielover

Movielover

Well-Known Member
FerretAfros said:
Eh, sort of.

While you're right that the park's orientation was the core issue (due to sharing an entrance plaza with DL), the problem was that the Sun Icon faced directly to the north and would always be in the shade. While that's not a complete dealbreaker for a park centerpiece (TDL's castle faces mostly north), it wouldn't be a good look for something that's supposed to represent a bright, shining sun.

The heliostats were actually a pretty ingenious solution for a constrained centerpiece that was meant to celebrate the California sunshine. They were programed to track the sun's location throughout the day and changing seasons, and reflect it onto the Sun Icon. In addition to changing their angle, the flower-like design was also able to open and close slightly, allowing the light to focus more as needed.

The Sun Icon itself was never really meant to reflect the sun, only to be illuminated by the reflections from the heliostats.

Sure, they often had issues that left them stationary for months on end, but when they worked it was a pretty neat effect. It was a solid surface backlit by the real sun that seemed to have an inexplicable reflective glow about it, in a way that couldn't be recreated with artificial lights during daylight. And although the heliostats were visible, they were hidden in plain sight among the palm trees and didn't resemble anything recognizable, so there was no obvious source of the light to park guests.

sunshine_xgames2003tm.jpg


It was a simple yet complex solution, mixing modern technology with tricks that were thousands of years old in a way that uniquely celebrated the state's climate. For such a relatively-inexpensive centerpiece in a budget-conscious park, it was a clever way to add an atmosphere of reverence and grandeur, reminiscent of the glow designed for religious icons in historic cathedrals.

IMO, the most ironic part of the whole thing was all the early publicity about how the Sun Icon was created from cutting-edge metals that were specially designed to avoid corrosion for over 1,000 years. And yet, the whole thing was ripped out of the park less than 10 years after it opened, rendering their expensive materials moot.
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Still looked like a giant hubcap... Plus I love in your photo the top half is still in shadow haha!

I'd rather have the Sorcerer Hat over it.
 
The Empress Lilly

The Empress Lilly

Well-Known Member
mnelson3 said:
Wish they would bring back Dreamflight ☹️. Move buzz to TSL at DHS lol.
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TL could really use a slow moving ride that takes you places. If You Had Wings and Dreamflight were the right offerings at the right place.

The future, a retro-future, inner space, these would all be good destinations besides travel, which over the years has become more commonplace.
 
marni1971

marni1971

Park History nut
Premium Member
Original Poster
FerretAfros said:
Eh, sort of.

While you're right that the park's orientation was the core issue (due to sharing an entrance plaza with DL), the problem was that the Sun Icon faced directly to the north and would always be in the shade. While that's not a complete dealbreaker for a park centerpiece (TDL's castle faces mostly north),
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TDL is in the Southern Hemisphere, hence the orientation to face the sun. Not to belittle your explanation though. I’ve always found the various park orientations fascinating.
 

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