Wonders of life?

[DisneyRoss]

Hello,
Have only found out that there is a pavilion in epcot which is no longer used this september will be our second trip, im so suprized how i did not know about this pavilion i have heard of the atractions which once stoodwithin.
Does anyone have any pics of what it looks like now and before? I though it would be intresting to find out about. Many Thanks Ross

 

[UnrealFire]

Hey Ross,

Check out Martin's video to see what Wonders of Life was like: http://www.martinsvids.net/?p=126

Today, it's pretty much just an empty pavilion. It's a rare opportunity to get inside it now so I'm not sure if you'll find any pictures.

 

[Captain Hank]

The Wonders of Life was a really great pavilion back when it opened back in 1989. However, its design aesthetic of "late 80s shopping mall" didn't age very well, and the pavilion as a whole became dated very quickly. The headliner attraction was Body Wars, a rougher cousin of Star Tours. The ride vehicle was miniaturized and sent on a trip through the human body to remove a splinter.

Another show in the pavilion was Cranium Command, which was one of the best shows at Epcot. An audio-animatronic character, Buzzy, was on a mission to pilot the brain of a pre-teen boy. Guests were seated inside a theater shaped like a giant head and various screens showed different body parts and systems (played by late 80s celebrities) interacting with each other. Lots of fun, and still kinda educational.

There was also the Fitness Fairgrounds and Sensory Funhouse, reminiscent of a number of science center exhibits, showcasing how the body worked, how to improve sports techniques and optical illusions. There were also the Wonder Cycles, which had TVs attached to stationary bikes and provided videos (including a tour of Disneyland) paced based on how fast the Guest was pedaling.

Finally, there was the Making of Me, an odd little film about human reproduction starring Martin Short. It was well-done, though rather a strange fit for a theme park. During the pavilion's heyday, there were additional entertainment options as well, such as the AniComical players, but these were lost over the years. The pavilion is now used for special events, such as the Flower and Garden and Food and Wine Festivals. All of the attractions have either been removed, significantly altered, or closed off.

 

[Little Princess]

My first trip to WDW (when I was about 6) was when the Wonders of Life was very popular. I remember crowds inside that pavillion and pretty long lines for Body Wars (which Disney made a video game out of and was always available at the babysitting centers in the resorts). I was afraid of it, but many adults enjoyed it. I believe around '02 and possibly sooner the "Cycle" things were added. (I dont remember them on my first trip). These were bikes attatched to little tvs that would zoom through destinations such as the great wall, I think a beach, and other things. Not a very popular thing to do as they were never filled (EPCOT= Every Person Comes Out Tired).

 

[timeman]

Last weekend when they were having a problem with one of the Disney Cruise ships, guests that were waiting for it were allowed to go into the Wonders of Life pavilion. There were pictures posted on Orlando Park News of the inside. Here is a link to the pictures: http://orlandoparksnews.blogspot.com/2010/02/epcot-update-with-dcl-guests.html

 

[joe80x86]

Also it is normally used during the Flower & Garden Festival so do a search for photos from that.

 

[EpcotFanForever]

Rumor has it that it's being reopened as a retro tribute to 1980's shopping malls, sponsored by Kay-Be Toys and Orange Julius.

 

[UrbanDonovan]

I believe around '02 and possibly sooner the "Cycle" things were added. (I dont remember them on my first trip).

The cycles were there when the pavilion opened.

 

[JeffH]

New Life for the Wonders of Life

I always felt that the signature attraction at the Wonders of Life was, well, sickening (literally and figuratively) and boring and only slightly interesting...
Considering how exciting and wonderful (and crowded) Soarin' is, I've always felt that if they simply updated the attractions to reflect the Wonders of Life where our little "warp shuttle" visits various wonderous locations in the Universe (including a few of the wonders of the world, and perhaps a flyby of the space-station and the moon). Traveling between each wondrous location would involved an exciting warp/wormhole trip...the trip could be climaxed with an accident (if Stitched wasn't so overused...) where the pilot spills his Coke onto the control panel sending the shuttle into an uncontrolled warp leaving the ship stuck in the middle of the Galaxy being sucked into a wormhole or in a fight with aliens until the pilot figures out how to reverse the trip.
Cranium Command was and would continue to be considered one of the best attractions at Epcot.
That's all it really needed, instead once a guest rode Body Wars a few times, so what, it was not worth going to the pavilion again, while attractions like Star Tours, Soarin' and Mission Space (we love playing with all the switches) keep you coming back again and again.

 

[Little Princess]

The cycles were there when the pavilion opened.

Haha yea, after I posted that I remembered how old the tv's looked. Like I said, I went there when I was around 6 so I dont remember the details. :shrug:

 

[DarthGrady]

Rumor has it that it's being reopened as a retro tribute to 1980's shopping malls, sponsored by Kay-Be Toys and Orange Julius.

:ROFLOL:

....and The United Colors of Benetton could decorate it. :animwink:

 

[CThaddeus]

I guess it all depends on your point of view. I never considered the pavilion dated, nor did I see it like some kind of '80s mall. In fact, I always spent a good two to three hours in there, going through everything, including the smaller attractions like the Sensory Funhouse and Goofy About Health. I loved Cranium Command and The Making of Me, and found Body Wars enjoyable - not at all sickening - too. I think the only thing I didn't care much for was The Anicomical Players. I'm a big fan of improv, but the two times I watched it, I just wasn't impressed.
I always felt the real problem with Wonders of Life was the way they placed the building so far back and then hid it behind a line of trees. My guess was that people saw it, but thought it was an off-limits area for CMs. Perhaps if they had redone the entrance for it with a less circuitous path - something more along the lines of the straight walkway up to The Land pavilion - it might have attracted more visitors.
Then again, maybe most people just can't handle the idea of attractions that actually cover such "taboo" subjects as s-e-x and physical fitness ("Don't you go telling me I'm fat!").
It will always be a high and low point for Disney, as far as I'm concerned. It was a wonderful pavilion, but Disney didn't have the guts to stand behind it when the sponsor backed out. Rather than help it evolve with the times, they turned it into a lame event facility. Maybe if they had added a new attraction within it on the right side of the building or maybe if they had updated Body Wars...who knows? But they abandoned it, just as they abandoned Horizons, World of Motion, and the original Journey Into Imagination. EPCOT Center was killed for the cheesy "thrills" of Test Track, the amazingly unimaginative Journey Into Your Imagination/Journey Into Imagination with Figment, the truly boring Seas with Nemo and Friends, and the inexplicably popular Soarin'. What was once my favorite Disney Park is now relegated to number three, well below Disneyland (which had been number one until my first trip to Disney World) and The Magic Kingdom.
Here's hoping Disney gets wise and decides reboot Wonders of Life and Buzzy soon.

 

[muteki]

I must admit, Wonders of Life as a pavilion never really appealed to me, mostly due to its appearance. I could see them taking a completely different direction and me being totally engrossed in it, but the "carnival" theme, (if indeed that was what it was, it was hard to describe) never did it for me.

I always liked body wars, but always dreaded my parents dragging me to see the Making of Me as a sort of impromptu birds and bees talk (and they did try it one trip! :ROFLOL.

I wish I would have seen cranium command, that one seems interesting just from the audio I listened to. Other than that, the pavilion wasn't very "EPCOT-ey" to me, and being that it was one of the last additions I always considered it the beginning of the downfall that continued for the next two decades.

 

[CThaddeus]

Other than that, the pavilion wasn't very "EPCOT-ey" to me, and being that it was one of the last additions I always considered it the beginning of the downfall that continued for the next two decades.

Again, I guess it depends on your point of view. Here's the dedication plaque:

To all who come to this place of Joy, Hope, and Friendship WELCOME.
Epcot is inspired by Walt Disney's creative vision. Here Human achievements are celebrated through imagination, wonders of enterprise and concepts of the future that promises new and exciting benefits for all.

May EPCOT center entertain, inform, and inspire, and above all may it instill a new sense of belief and pride in man's ability to shape a world that offers hope to people everywhere.

I think Wonders of Life pretty well covers all of the criteria for the Park - it had futuristic - if fanciful - ideas (Body Wars, Cranium Command), it entertained (me, anyway), informed, and inspired (again, at least me). I don't get this from most of the attractions that followed the opening of this pavilion. Perhaps the only exception is Mission: Space, though it still doesn't take the place of Horizons.

ed. On further consideration, I wouldn't place the downfall of EPCOT Center right after Wonders of Life opened. I think the replacements of Symbiosis and the original Universe of Energy with Circle of Life and Ellen's Energy Adventure were well deserved. The originals were like sitting through dull science lectures in high school, without the benefit of a diploma afterward. The two current attractions still have the education, but they also have something the originals lacked - entertainment. I'd say the downfall all began with the death of World of Motion and Horizons, though the additions of Tapestry of Nations, Millenium Village, and Illuminations: Reflections of Earth helped negate some of the awfulness of the Wand, the Tombstones, Test Track, and Journey Into Your Imagination.

 

[WDWMountaineer]

Rumor has it that it's being reopened as a retro tribute to 1980's shopping malls, sponsored by Kay-Be Toys and Orange Julius.

Ha its true I forgot how much it looked like a mall till I watched the tribute video posted. It seams like now would be a good time to redo Wonders of Life, healthy eating and exercise is such an important topic right now. Goofy about health is also still so relevent.:lol:

 

[dshimel]

I thought Body Wars sucked, but Cranium Command was a lot of fun... to do one time.

We're going to... pump you up...

 

[muteki]

Again, I guess it depends on your point of view. Here's the dedication plaque:

To all who come to this place of Joy, Hope, and Friendship WELCOME.
Epcot is inspired by Walt Disney's creative vision. Here Human achievements are celebrated through imagination, wonders of enterprise and concepts of the future that promises new and exciting benefits for all.

May EPCOT center entertain, inform, and inspire, and above all may it instill a new sense of belief and pride in man's ability to shape a world that offers hope to people everywhere.

I think Wonders of Life pretty well covers all of the criteria for the Park - it had futuristic - if fanciful - ideas (Body Wars, Cranium Command), it entertained (me, anyway), informed, and inspired (again, at least me). I don't get this from most of the attractions that followed the opening of this pavilion. Perhaps the only exception is Mission: Space, though it still doesn't take the place of Horizons.

ed. On further consideration, I wouldn't place the downfall of EPCOT Center right after Wonders of Life opened. I think the replacements of Symbiosis and the original Universe of Energy with Circle of Life and Ellen's Energy Adventure were well deserved. The originals were like sitting through dull science lectures in high school, without the benefit of a diploma afterward. The two current attractions still have the education, but they also have something the originals lacked - entertainment. I'd say the downfall all began with the death of World of Motion and Horizons, though the additions of Tapestry of Nations, Millenium Village, and Illuminations: Reflections of Earth helped negate some of the awfulness of the Wand, the Tombstones, Test Track, and Journey Into Your Imagination.

Yeah, I mean it is kind of a subjective thing. I guess I (really all of us) have this image in their head of what EPCOT was and what it meant, as far as purpose, aesthetics, and content is concerned. So it will depend on the person as to what is "EPCOT-ey" and what isn't. WoL just stands out to me as deviating so much from everything that came before it.

And you are right, there are plenty of high notes that have come after it (SSE '94, RoE) so I don't consider it a hard barrier. I suppose if I were to say the downfall started with one thing being removed, I guess it would be WoM closure, Radok screen removal, or GE sponsorship drop, whichever happened first.

 

[WondersOfLife]

WOL geek here! :king:


I loved the wonders of life, best part of Epcot in MY opinion. Some people hate this, don't care for it, or love it. Some people just plain like it as much as they do to the Land pavillion but sadly things must come to an end :shrug:


Let's face it, sensory funhouse was completely demolished. The televisions for goofy about health were disposed of. And i am quite sure Making Of Me isn't coming back (just not disney talking about- yea... :veryconfu )

Disney cruise people got to go in, but it's just as good as when it's open as the "festival center". body wars and cranium command weren't open. All though at least body wars had some motion a little bit for testing star tours II! Sadly Cranium Command just sits there getting dusty. (hopefully their pollishing buzzy every month! )

For those of you horizons fans who think it's all disney's fault for getting rid of horizons, it actually WASN'T! Wikipedia research man! :drevil:

they HAD to close it, for one the roof was having majour leakings. Now you say, "big deal! replace the roof!" The HUGE problem was.... it was on top of a sink hole! - DRAMATIC MUSIC - so that isn't ENTIRELY disney's fault! If you would like to buy a horizons ride vehicle you can go to www.mousesurplus.com

 

[SirGoofy]

What an inane, nonsensical post...:lol:

it was on top of a sink hole!

No, it wasn't.

 

[THEMEPARKPIONEER]

If they were to refurbish it it wouldn't be that great. It is better off to take Wonders of Life out of its misery like they did with horizons. Look what happened to The Living Seas and Imagination.

Dreamfinder... come back and take us on another great journey, Nemo and friends... be gone, go to Magic Kingdom.