December 18, 2017

EPCOT Center: Phase Two

Here's one of the last pages from the Open Day Booklet for EPCOT Center in 1982. As you can see, some futures expansion were realized (Horizons, The Living Seas, Morocco) and others are now just fan dreams or realized in different forms. Perhaps Spain is coming, but recent talk seems to favor an attractionless Brazil.

Lagoonside look at World Showcase.
Fresh, not fully grown- and beautiful!

Certainly the park has changed since opening day. Some changes for the worse (El Rio del Tiempo is character-infused, and so is Canada's film- Martin Short IS a character! World of Motion is gone and Journey Into Imagination has been wasted) and some for the better... still thinking, sorry! Still waiting as well!

Cover of the booklet.

The ambitious park in scale and scope is floundering as it tries to find its way. But those who experienced it years ago around opening day will never forget how bright and beautiful a non-character focused Disney park could be. It truly was magical!

(Art and photographs copyright The Walt Disney Company.)

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