Yeah, maybe a mod can make it a sticky in an appropriate forum. History? Something like that?
I’m not sure exactly where this belongs, but I have plenty to keep posting, and I hope people keep sharing their own retro pics like @Tobes58 did above!
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WDW Tour c. 1990 — Updated to Imagination
- Thread starter tirian
- Start date
I’m not sure exactly where this belongs, but I have plenty to keep posting, and I hope people keep sharing their own retro pics like @Tobes58 did above!
EPCOT Center — Future World
The Land
Presented by Kraft
“Occupying 6 acres, this enormous sky lighted pavilion examines the nature of one of everybody’s favorite topics — food ...
“Count on spending a total of 2 hours at the Land, linger of plans include eating here.”
Listen to the Land
“This 13-1/2-minute boat ride ventures into 3 ecological communities (rain forest, desert, and prairie) that covered much of the world before man arrived on the scene. It then cruises through a turn-of-the-century American farm and finally, moves among growing areas full of live plants for a mind-expanding sample of innovative agricultural techniques.”
Kitchen Kabaret
“Bonnie Appetit is the star of this zany show about good nutrition. Each of the 4 acts focuses on one of the main food groups ... but that is almost peripheral to the entertainment.”
Harvest Tour
Guided tours.
Symbiosis
“Presented in the Harvest Theater ... this 17-minute 70mm motion picture examines the delicate balance between technology’s progress and environmental integrity...
“Don’t let the ominous-sounding name of the film put you off: this is a highlight of any Epcot Center visit.”
Broccoli & Co.
A store near Kitchen Kabaret.
Farmers Market
“One of the most interesting of the Epcot Center eateries ... this handful of very special counter service stands is located on the lower level of the Land pavilion. Each of these stands boasts a unique menu.”
The guide continues to detail the soup-and-salad area, the Bakery, the barbecue stand, a cheese shop, picnic fare, sandwiches, a stuffed baked potato stand, an ice cream counter, and a beverage house with specialty juices such as papaya and peach nectar.
In 2019, the Land still boasts one of the best counter-service locations in WDW, but the options used to be even more varied with tastier options.
The Land Grille Room
“Sleek wood-trimmed booths, upholstered in garnet-red velvet and illuminated with handsome brass lamps, make this an exceptionally attractive restaurant.”
In 1990, the revolving restaurant in the second floor had a larger menu that covered regional specialties across the United States.
The Land
Presented by Kraft
“Occupying 6 acres, this enormous sky lighted pavilion examines the nature of one of everybody’s favorite topics — food ...
“Count on spending a total of 2 hours at the Land, linger of plans include eating here.”
Listen to the Land
“This 13-1/2-minute boat ride ventures into 3 ecological communities (rain forest, desert, and prairie) that covered much of the world before man arrived on the scene. It then cruises through a turn-of-the-century American farm and finally, moves among growing areas full of live plants for a mind-expanding sample of innovative agricultural techniques.”
Kitchen Kabaret
“Bonnie Appetit is the star of this zany show about good nutrition. Each of the 4 acts focuses on one of the main food groups ... but that is almost peripheral to the entertainment.”
Harvest Tour
Guided tours.
Symbiosis
“Presented in the Harvest Theater ... this 17-minute 70mm motion picture examines the delicate balance between technology’s progress and environmental integrity...
“Don’t let the ominous-sounding name of the film put you off: this is a highlight of any Epcot Center visit.”
Broccoli & Co.
A store near Kitchen Kabaret.
Farmers Market
“One of the most interesting of the Epcot Center eateries ... this handful of very special counter service stands is located on the lower level of the Land pavilion. Each of these stands boasts a unique menu.”
The guide continues to detail the soup-and-salad area, the Bakery, the barbecue stand, a cheese shop, picnic fare, sandwiches, a stuffed baked potato stand, an ice cream counter, and a beverage house with specialty juices such as papaya and peach nectar.
In 2019, the Land still boasts one of the best counter-service locations in WDW, but the options used to be even more varied with tastier options.
The Land Grille Room
“Sleek wood-trimmed booths, upholstered in garnet-red velvet and illuminated with handsome brass lamps, make this an exceptionally attractive restaurant.”
In 1990, the revolving restaurant in the second floor had a larger menu that covered regional specialties across the United States.
Some of these pics show the renamed “Sunshine Season” Farmers Market and “Living with the Land” boat ride, and the “Food Rocks” show that replaced “Kitchen Kabaret.” But even though the original pavilion interior had a large cloud mural and yellow umbrellas, by 1990, it looked like this.
In addition to the water fountain, the food court’s hot-air balloons moved up and down on silent motors.
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Lots of Kitchen Kabaret pics from the official Disney Parks blog:
Epcot Photo Flashback: Kitchen Kabaret Cooks!
Kitchen Kabaret was housed in The Land Pavilion and starred a cast of quirky characters who sang, danced, and told jokes to prove that good nutrition was also fun. Hosted by Bonnie Appetit, the kitchen came alive with singing cereal boxes, a crooning
disneyparks.disney.go.com
Tom Morrow
Well-Known Member
Stuff like this reaffirms that WDW was a very different and more special place in the 90's, and it wasn't just because I was a kid.
That’s one of the primary reasons I started this thread. I hope it can be a one-stop source for WDWMagic fans to point out the golden age of old-school WDW.
Disneyland-centric forums have retro threads like this, and I thought it was time we had one.
Disstevefan1
Well-Known Member
Where was Duckberg? Was it in Disneyland?
Nope, that was at WDW. Those façades lined areas within the original Mickey’s Birthdayland, which became Mickey’s Starland, which became Mickey’s Toontown Fair.
The internet allows any — ahem — person to type whatever pops into their head. And unfortunately, seeing something in writing makes any idiotic statement seem legitimate, or any opinion seem equally valid regardless of facts and knowledge.
Disstevefan1
Well-Known Member
I totally missed Duckberg! I think by the time of my first visit it was either Mickey’s Birthdayland or Mickey’s Toontown, I remember Mickey’s Toontown.
By today’s construction standards, Duckburg was certainly temporary and quaint, but it was a cute little area!
It led to proper, full-size Toontowns in DL and TDL.
pic from Theme Park Tourist, and I assume it’s actually a Disney image
EPCOT Center — Future World
Journey into Imagination
Presented by Kodak
All emphases are mine. Birnbaum considered the pavilion to be the park’s best experience, and I’ve emphasized those parts of his description.
The book’s description covers two full pages of text, most of which details the various sections of the original Image Works when it encompasses the pavilion’s entire second floor. Here are highlights.
“The oddly shaped glass pyramids that house Journey into Imagination ... are striking, but they pale by comparison with the experiences inside — which may be the most exciting of all at Epcot Center. Dreamfinder, a jolly, red-headed, professional figure who sports a carrot-colored beard and is accompanied by a purple baby dragon called Figment, is only one of the pavilion’s delights. He appears in person outside and again when he escorts guests through the Imagination world during a 14-minute ride inside.
“There’s also a dazzling 3-D movie, starring Michael Jackson, called Captain EO. Not to mention the electronic fun house known as the Image Works. Or the quirky fountains outside — the Jellyfish Fountains that spurt streams of water that spread out on top, look like their namesake sea creature for an instant, and then fall back to earth; or the Serpentine Fountains, which send out smooth streams of water that arc from one garden plot to another in the most astonishing fashion ...
“...Count on spending an hour and 15 minutes at the very least ... 2 hours wouldn’t be too long at all.”
Journey into Imagination Ride
“First-timers might not realize that the 14-minute ride doesn’t present a random assortment of scenes that are handsome and scary by turns, but rather an organized exploration of how imagination works and the areas of life in which it functions ...
“...It’s interesting to note that the iridescent painting-in-progress on the wall in the visual arts scene — a so-called ‘pollage’ produced by refracting light through polarized filters — is the largest of its kind anywhere.”
The Image Works
“It’s a rare Image Works visitor who doesn’t experience at least some the emotion [shown by] one 4-year-old girl who cried every time her parents tried to take her home. That’s not surprising, because the Image Works is literally crammed with activities that give every visitor a chance to use his or her imagination.
“For instance, at Dreamfinder’s School of Drama ... visitors have the chance to be in a TV film.” (This used Chroma Key green screens to place guests in the Wild West, outer space, or a fairy-take castle.)
“Not far ... is the Sensor, a sort of electronic maze whose various elements react to a visitor’s presence by producing lights and sounds.” (This included the Rainbow Corridor, Image Warp, Lumia, and Stepping Tones.)
“Outside the the Sensor maze, the Image Works offers the Lightwriter, which involves drawing geometric patterns with laser beams, and the Magic Palette, where a special stylus and a touch-sensitive control surface can be used to create all kinds of images...” (The area also included enormous kaleidoscopes and the illuminated pin screens.)
“The Electronic Philharmonic, one of the most amusing sections of the Image Works, allows guests to take turns conducting an orchestra.” (The attraction used light and motion sensors to play the instruments, and the results projected Pepper’s Ghost effects over a blacklit orchestra.)
Captain EO
In 1990, Michael Jackson’s 3-D film was playing in the Magic Eye Theater, and probably seemed less hokey in its late ‘80s/early ‘90s MTV era.
Cameras and Film
“A good selection of film [and camera equipment] is for sale here ... some souvenir items are also available.”
It’s also interesting to note the film dropped off at Epcot’s Camera Center beneath SSE was developed at a lab within the Imagination pavilion.