Walt Disney's Epcot

[wed050499]

Hello Everyone,

I know I'm the new kid on the block, but I've been following these forums for almost 2 years now, just never posted much before until I re-registered. In that time, I don't think I heard much about this. As always, someone can correct me if I'm wrong.

My question to all of you is this:

Do you believe that at this day in age we have the capability to build Epcot the way Walt Disney wanted it? As a community of tomorrow that will never be completed, but always growing?

Another connecting question:

Some have called Walt Disney a nut for even designing Epcot with the intent of being built. Do you believe this to be true?

The catch to these questions is that the answers have to be rather specific if you please. I mean, anyone can write in under an uninformed opinion and say "yes we can" or "no we can't" and just leave it at that. I would like to see some evidence to either argument.

If you're unsure of the specifics of Walt's Epcot of the 1960's, take a look at www.waltopia.com. It even has the original video Walt made (sadly his last TV special) about Epcot.

Thanks everyone and let the debate begin.
Brian

 

[DisJosh]

I think it would be very posible today. The hard part is finding someone to go through with a project of that sort that has the right intentions. Most with the money to do something like that today are money hungry CEO's. You would have to find someone with the big bucks but that has the intentions of bettering the way we live together. That would be hard IMO.

 

[CDS Disney]

I dont think it could happen in WDW its something that would hapen on a sall scale. But if and when people want it realy bad the'll come together to create.

 

[DisJosh]

CDS, I couldn't help notice you're from RI.

And you're a student? Where do you go?

Sorry for the drift guys...

if you'd rather CDS just PM me or IM me on MSN. I'm rcdude_44@msn.com

 

[stingrock23]

I think it would be really tough to create a park like that today. Walt never had the bottom line taken into consideration as much as it is today. If he were alive today, I believe the park could be built, and in my opinion, the only way it should ever have been/will be materialized is if he could do it, and that's impossible now. I don't know that you could find someone with enough ideas and a big enough pocketbook to create such a place. maybe "Microsoft/Walt Disney's Epcot"?

It's just tough in today's environment to build such a place.

 

[isnet396]

Apparantly you don't know what the original design was. There was NO park at all intended. In fact, what is now EPCOT today is just a mere subsection of the original plan. There would be a "Company Showroom" (or something like that) where different pavilions would show off the newest products of various companies, and a large group of pavilions dedicated to other countries. The rest was all residential, and a bit commercial and industrial.


Check popkid's FTP server. Its all on a video there.


Ian

 

[JLW11Hi]

Oh boy, a very hard question...

I have seen the video, (a great video, btw!), and I guess it is hard to say just how it would have turned out. There were some very interesting ideas brought out by the plan, such as WED Way, the different "layers" of the central hub, and of course, the monorail. Would these ideas have worked? Hard to say.

People probably wouldnt have wanted to be watched night and day by visitors for their whole life. Would security measures have been taken place, in order to keep outsiders from entering teh residential area, conjesting up the WED Ways, and bothering residents? I think they would have only let residents or hotel guests use the main WED Way.

My favorite idea of EPCOT was the way the roads were simplified, and how every home was connected to a large park in their back yard. The climate controlled dome would have been cool, but would it be possible?

WED Way and the monorail were good ideas, IMO, but would they be as efficient for the residents as they hoped? They might have made it take longer for residents to get to their jobs at MK or the buisiness center. But it would have allowed them to not worry about driving, and the whoel idea, I think, for WED Way was to avoid the dangers of driving, and have a system to move people to their destination, without them worring abtou driving or anyhting. THink about it, workers could grab a donut and a newspaer before they leave, and read while tehy are taked to work.

 

[mickeyfanatics]

The big joke around central Florida began when they built Celebration.....Look everyone, Disney has finally build EPCOT.


I think in today's world where money is the root of all evil in this country, it would be very difficult, especiall with all the money hungy people. Oh, do not forget the morons who design today's roads and parking lots.

 

[Merlin]

Funny, I was just talking to a friend about the movie "Minority Report" and how they all get around using these cars that run on magnetic tracks all throughout the city. We were talking how great that would be but that it would be nearly impossible to build in any existing city because the infrastructure is already so in place. Then we got on the subject of Epcot and how that was essentially what Walt wanted to do, create a completely new infrastructure from the ground up. So in short, yes I believe Walt's Epcot could be built today. The techology is certainly there, but it would have to be in an undeveloped portion of land.

 

[JLW11Hi]

Originally posted by Merlin
Funny, I was just talking to a friend about the movie "Minority Report" and how they all get around using these cars that run on magnetic tracks all throughout the city. We were talking how great that would be but that it would be nearly impossible to build in any existing city because the infrastructure is already so in place. Then we got on the subject of Epcot and how that was essentially what Walt wanted to do, create a completely new infrastructure from the ground up. So in short, yes I believe Walt's Epcot could be built today. The techology is certainly there, but it would have to be in an undeveloped portion of land.

That is one of the best ideas, I think, they had for EPCOT. SO many large cities nowadays are built SO confusing, large, and complicated. Buildings pop up where ever they please, large amounts of traffic trying to manuver in tiny roads. Minneapolis is a good example of this...

Epcot was designed to allow for future expansion. Most cities do not think about the far future when building roads and things, a very unwise thing to do. The "spokes of a wheel" idea for the layout of the place was great, using the same effectiveness the layout of the Disneyland theme park has.

"I don't believe there's a challenge anywhere in the world that's more important to people everywhere than finding solutions to the problems of our cities. But where do we begin? How do we start answering this great challenge? Well, we're convinced we must start with the public need, and the need is not just for curing the old ills of old cities. We think the need is for starting from sctratch on virgin land, and building a special kind of new community. So that is what Epcot is. An Experimental Prototype Community that will always be in a state of becomming."
~Walt Disney

 

[isnet396]

Originally posted by Merlin
Funny, I was just talking to a friend about the movie "Minority Report" and how they all get around using these cars that run on magnetic tracks all throughout the city. We were talking how great that would be but that it would be nearly impossible to build in any existing city because the infrastructure is already so in place. Then we got on the subject of Epcot and how that was essentially what Walt wanted to do, create a completely new infrastructure from the ground up. So in short, yes I believe Walt's Epcot could be built today. The techology is certainly there, but it would have to be in an undeveloped portion of land.

Funny enough, my friend almost won the Intel Science Competition for creating a model mag-lev system. Just thought yeh might liek to know...

Ian

 

[mickey04]

I believe that Walt Disney was a man who could create anything that he set his mind. I believe he would have built his EPCOT, had he had the chance. However, without Walt's guidance, i don't think it could be built today- especially by the current Disney Co. They only worry about profit. (or lack there of) Walt built Disneyland not just to make money- that was not guaranteed- but as a work of love. This EPCOT would have to be built the same way, otherwise it would fail. I've always loved WDW, but can't help but wonder what Walt's EPCOT would have been like. Sadly, I don't think we'll ever see it.

On a side note, thanks for posting that link. I've never seen the infamous EPCOT program, but have heard about it a lot. I look forward to reading it.

 

[Merlin]

Originally posted by isnet396



Funny enough, my friend almost won the Intel Science Competition for creating a model mag-lev system. Just thought yeh might liek to know...

Ian

Very interesting! That is a technology that just hasn't been fully exploited. In Walt's Epcot, I have no doubt it would have.

 

[Merlin]

Originally posted by mickey04
I believe that Walt Disney was a man who could create anything that he set his mind. I believe he would have built his EPCOT, had he had the chance. However, without Walt's guidance, i don't think it could be built today- especially by the current Disney Co. They only worry about profit. (or lack there of) Walt built Disneyland not just to make money- that was not guaranteed- but as a work of love. This EPCOT would have to be built the same way, otherwise it would fail. I've always loved WDW, but can't help but wonder what Walt's EPCOT would have been like. Sadly, I don't think we'll ever see it.

On a side note, thanks for posting that link. I've never seen the infamous EPCOT program, but have heard about it a lot. I look forward to reading it.

You hit the nail on the head. We're assuming in this discussion that we'd be talking about DISNEY building Epcot today and I agree with you...If it were built today, it wouldn't have been by the Disney Co.

Unlike Walt, whose approach was basically, "Hey let's do something cutting edge that has never been done before and that people will come from all parts of the world to see because it will be so unique and innovative!", Eisner's approach is something more like, "Hey let's turn Disneyland's parking lot into a dinky little park that costs us next to nothing to build and we'll charge the same admission to get in as we do for Disneyland 'cause people are stupid!"

 

[CAPTAIN HOOK]

EPCOT could never be built as a "Tomorrow land". At the rate at which technology is growing anything would be so out of date by the time it was half built.
I think EPCOT should remain as it is.

 

[wed050499]

Hey everyone,

I like all the comments that I'm hearing. Coming from the north, I always thought it would be a great thing for up here. While many things would have probably had to change to account for northern climate, ground conditions, etc., there is no doubt in my mind that it could be built. I have done a little designing of an enclosed theme park also during my quest for a northern entertainment/tourist destination. Had I the money now, I would have liked to do some experimenting, but until that point, I just keep designing and studying.

Walt's Epcot has always amazed me. An entire city standing on top of two layers of roads and parking areas with a transportation system unlike anything the world had ever seen before. Enough room to live, work, and play all under the protection from the elements by a large dome. My question as a historian is why had noone ever thought of this before Walt? My question as an ambitious senior in college is how can I make Walt's dream come true someday?

I don't know the answers to each, but I'm working on them both. That's only one of the purposes of the SET. The SET is the company I'm establishing to entertain, educate, and enlighten people of all ages. It's very much in it's infancy now, much like Walt was with the establishment of the Disney Brother's Studios, but we are producing our first animated short as we speak. Hopefully this is just a start for us to bigger and better things to come for us and everyone we encounter.

Thanks everyone,
Brian

 

[JLW11Hi]

Originally posted by wed050499
Walt's Epcot has always amazed me. An entire city standing on top of two layers of roads and parking areas with a transportation system unlike anything the world had ever seen before. Enough room to live, work, and play all under the protection from the elements by a large dome. My question as a historian is why had noone ever thought of this before Walt? My question as an ambitious senior in college is how can I make Walt's dream come true someday?

I don't know the answers to each, but I'm working on them both. That's only one of the purposes of the SET. The SET is the company I'm establishing to entertain, educate, and enlighten people of all ages. It's very much in it's infancy now, much like Walt was with the establishment of the Disney Brother's Studios, but we are producing our first animated short as we speak. Hopefully this is just a start for us to bigger and better things to come for us and everyone we encounter.

Thanks everyone,
Brian

I am sure that the ideas for Epcot had been thought of before, but a project of that caliber woudl take a pretty big business with a lot of money to make it a reality, plus it would be a VERY risky project. Disney had the money, but the riskiness got in the way. If it didnt work out, or if it would take a lot of money they didnt have to keep it going, they might end up loosing a heck of a lot in the end.

 

[Small_Worldboy]

Originally posted by DisJosh
I think it would be very posible today. The hard part is finding someone to go through with a project of that sort that has the right intentions. Most with the money to do something like that today are money hungry CEO's. You would have to find someone with the big bucks but that has the intentions of bettering the way we live together. That would be hard IMO.

What about Bill Gates? Doesn't he always want to "help the future-thing"(u know)