Epcot Archives - Page 7 of 8

May 27, 2020May 28, 2020

16 Walt Disney World Exclusives That Should Make Disneyland Fans Jealous

We know, we know – comparing Disneyland and Walt Disney World is like comparing apples and oranges. But when we can find concrete, objective ways to analyze Disney’s two U.S. resorts in new ways, we jump at the chance! For example, our Ride Count Countdown already ranked Disney’s parks by the number of actual rides they offer (with some surprising results) and we even tackled the impossible task by looking at the number of “E-Ticket” headliners each park offers.

And then, of course, there’s the big one: our list of 16 Disneyland Exclusives that Should Make Disney World Fans Jealous. In that popular feature, we intentionally avoided sweeping generalizations or emotional appeals (“Walt stepped here!” “It’s cozy!”) and instead offered a concrete look at enviable exclusive lands, attractions, and experiences at the California resort. But the story doesn’t end there!

Today, we’ll analyze the 16 things that even Disneyland loyalists will admit make Disney World worth a visit; the concrete attractions and experiences that Disneyland fans should be jealous of that Disney World offers that their Californian parks don’t… or can’t.

Stories in the Extra Features and Special Features collections of Park Lore are all about connections – they’re the threads that interlace between the Lost Legends, Declassified Disasters, Modern Marvels, and Possibilitylands you’ll find in our Main Collections. In other words, these features are for people who really want to dig deep.

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May 27, 2020May 10, 2023

Living Legends – The Surprising Number of “Opening Day Originals” Left at Each Disney Park

Here at Park Lore, we’re always looking to see our favorite theme parks in new ways. That’s why we reported (and continuously update) a number of sometimes-surprising features that just may have you seeing Disney and Universal parks differently…

For Imagineering afficianados, we’ve broken down Disney and Universal parks by the numbers in two must-read features that are downright surprising: we ranked Disneyland, Disney World, and Universal Orlando’s parks by the number of certifiable “E-Ticket” anchor attractions each park offers (which do you think has the most? The least?) and, even more shockingly, broke it down to the sheer number of rides at each park… with some unexpected results…!

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May 27, 2020December 3, 2024

By The Numbers: The Surprising Number of E-Ticket Attractions at Each Disney Park

They are the Holy Grail of theme park attractions – astounding, breathtaking, spectacular rides both classic and modern. When you imagine the most amazing experiences at Disney and Universal parks, it’s probably E-Ticket attractions you picture: the coveted, beloved, fan-favorite, larger-than-life masterpiece rides that command spectacular crowds and engage generations.

Here at Park Lore, we took a global tour of Disney and Universal parks in our Ride Count Countdown to explore the number of rides each park – and ultimately, resort – offered (with some major surprises along the way). We’ve also explored the parks “By the Numbers” with specific counts of how many dark rides and Opening Day Originals each park offers! But how would our rankings change if we instead looked only at the so-called “E-Ticket” headliners?

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May 27, 2020July 23, 2023

16 ‘Easter Eggs’ of Closed Classics Hidden in the Rides that Replaced Them

As long-time Disney and Universal fans know all too well, even the most beloved rides don’t last forever. In fact, Imagineering aficionados may have already scoured our collection of Lost Legends – the definitive, full stories of forgotten fan favorites and closed classics from around the globe – or taken a look at our Then & Now collection of hand-drawn, before-and-after layouts as rides are swapped out.

Those stories are evidence that, time and time again, sometimes attractions simply disappear. … Or do they? Over their decades of experience removing rides that guests have come to know and love, designers have gotten pretty good at leaving behind hints.

Today, we’ll take a look at some of our favorite hidden “Easter egg” hints of forgotten rides scattered around Disney and Universal Parks inside the rides that replaced them… These clever remnants are like mini-memorials to the beloved rides of yesteryear… if you know where to look.

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May 27, 2020August 31, 2021

Rewind Awards: The One, Single, Best Theme Park Attraction From Each Decade (So Far)

The best theme park attraction of all time. What would it take to earn the title?

In its more-than-six-decade history dating to Disneyland’s 1955 opening, the modern art of Imagineering has developed in fits and starts, yielding hundreds and hundreds of noteworthy and nostalgic rides across modern theme parks. For that reason, we won’t even dare attempt to pit Walt’s golden age classics against today’s multimedia E-Tickets, or to foolishly compare incomparable experiences.

But it did get us to thinking… In those eras of growth and transformation in the industry, which ride is the best representative of every decade from the 1950s to the 2020s? For each, what’s the single most iconic, memorable, and beloved attraction that also definitively speaks to the state of themed design? Today, we’ll walk down the timeline from the 1950s through today. For each decade, we’ll list our own personal nominees before bestowing the decade’s “best attraction” award.

Agree? Disagree? What’d we miss? Let us know in the comments below if you think we got these Rewind Awards right on or not… And as you’ll see, many contenders for each decade happen to link to full, in-depth entries across our Lost Legends and Modern Marvels collections, so fall down the “rabbit hole” and explore these classic rides!

Do you love armchair Imagineering, in-depth storytelling, and seeing the theme parks we love differently? Park Lore is an ad-free, quality-over-quantity, one-person project centered on building a world-class collection of the interconnected stories of theme park attractions, design projects, and industry explorations.

This feature is one that’s usually locked in our Member Vault, where Park Lore patrons can find hand-drawn art, armchair Imagineering walkthroughs, and other in-depth Special Features, as well as quick-read, just-for-fun Extra Features. Thanks to supporting Members, this feature is temporarily unlocked as a preview!

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May 26, 2020May 23, 2023

THE LIVING SEAS: The Nautical Tale of EPCOT’s Undersea Pavilion from Concept to Clown Fish

“Hydrolator number 2, descending to SeaBase Alpha. Docking port cleared. SeaBase Alpha, Hydrolator on approach…”

At Epcot, the only thing that seems to stay the same is change. That’s why we’re back at Walt Disney World’s infamous second gate for yet another entry in our ever-growing Lost Legends collection to capture a fan-favorite closed classic for a new generation of Disney Parks guests. And of course, we’ve taken our heartbreaking tour of Future World in in-depth features before, from Journey into Imagination to Universe of Energy; World of Motion to Body Wars; even the original Test Track, Soarin’, and so many more. But today, our tour of a lost EPCOT Center classic takes us to the deepest trenches of the ocean.

The Living Seas embodied everything that EPCOT Center was about – it was a gargantuan, spectacular, larger-than-life attraction rooted in reality that was meant to inform, inspire, educate, and leave guests caring just a little more about the real-life wonders of the world around them.

But you may be surprised what EPCOT’s aquatic pavilion was supposed to look like. Today, we’ll dive deep into the sunken story of The Living Seas to see how Poseidon – then, King Triton – was earmarked to star in this Future World show, and how a little lost clownfish beat them both… The history of the Living Seas may go deeper than you ever imagined. Step on board and let’s set foot in this pavilion as it existed years ago…

And before we head off, remember that you can unlock rare concept art and audio streams in this story, access over 100 Extra Features, and recieve an annual Membership card and postcard art set in the mail by supporting this clickbait-free, in-depth, ad-free theme park storytelling site for as little as $2 / month! Become a Park Lore Member to join the story! Until then, let’s start at the beginning…

“Hydrolator number 2 in lock-out chamber, pressurized, and prepared for guest arrival.”

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May 26, 2020February 21, 2023

Kitchen Kabaret: All The “Nutrition Facts” on EPCOT Center’s Animatronic “Dinner Shows” of Yesteryear

“Oh dear… It’s time for another meal…”

If you’ve ever felt the meal time blues, then you may have been one of the generation of Disney World fans whose view of the kitchen was forever changed by Kitchen Kabaret, an EPCOT Center original. Prepared by Kraft Foods and served up by Disney Imagineers, this incomparable animatronic “dinner” show gave visitors a musical lesson on the “four basic food groups” and how to chase those meal time blues away!

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May 24, 2020November 28, 2022

PARKSTROLOGY 101: A Park Lore Primer on Disney Parks, the Zodiac, and the “Magic in the Stars”

Is there magic in the stars?

Whether or not you lend any credence to astrology – the practice of divining information about human matters from the patterns and movements of celestial objects – there’s one compelling connection none of us can deny: Twelve Disney Parks. Twelve signs of the Zodiac. With that idea in mind, I reached out to my longtime friend (and personal Dr. Facilier) with a penchant for the supernatural. A self-described mystic, craft artist, and witch, Desdemona Lotte also happens to be a lifelong friend and personal Dr. Facilier.

If you’ve been around Park Lore long, you know that my goal is to see theme parks differently. Through unexpected views of what a park’s pathways tells us about its history and personality, the first cohesive collection of hand-drawn ride layouts, unexpected diagrams of Disney Parks offerings, and other theme park-y creations, I’ve tried to come up with some unusual lenses for seeing the parks we love with brand new eyes.

So it made sense for me to sit down with Desi for a really-for-real lesson on Astrology 101, determined to rise above “What kind of noodle are you based on your Zodiac sign” Buzzfeed quizzes to decide which Disney theme park best complements each of the twelve signs.

Much to our surprise, pairing parks with the stars worked out pretty effortlessly! Somehow, each Disney Park’s “personality” seemed to slot intuitively into a corresponding sign… (Keep in mind, direct from Ethan, that the signs we typically associate with ourselves are our “sun signs” – technically, they show us not who we are, but who we are on the way to becoming…)

Is this clear complementary relationship a product of divine intervention? We’ll let you decide… But trust us when we say that – whether you “believe” or not – looking at the parks through this lens may change the way you see their personalities, quirks, and relationships to one another…

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May 22, 2020October 1, 2023

HORIZONS: A Look Back at EPCOT’s Imagineering Masterpiece and its Glimpse into the 21st Century

UNDER REFURBISHMENT! You know I love to keep things fresh around here, and as a result, this feature is currently under construction! As I finish up edits over the next few days, you may encounter outdated information, repeated or disjointed sections, or “past perspectives” that refer to current events in the future tense. If you don’t mind sifting through some rough edges, I think you’ll still enjoy it… and check back soon for a fully refurbished story!

Horizons 1 is now departing. Our final destination today: the twenty-first century.

For Walt Disney Imagineering, it was a destination a long time coming: the future. Since the cast of designers who would create Disney’s theme parks was formed in 1952, great effort has been spent imagining (and then re-imagining) what tomorrow could bring… And more often than not, Imagineering’s visions of tomorrow have been surprisingly prescient!

But all glimpses into the future conjured by Disney’s designers paled in comparison to the ride that – for many fans of classic Imagineering – reset the standard and the timeline. For fans of the original EPCOT Center and the heady, intellectual, reflective, and progressive values it stood for, time is measured before and after HORIZONS.

Today, we’ll glimpse the future as envisioned by EPCOT Center on a round-trip, time-traveling journey that starts in the past. Even today – long gone from park maps – it ranks among the pantheon of Disney Parks’ most ambitious, elaborate, and massively-scaled E-Tickets ever created.

But even more, Horizons was a grand, ambitious landmark of what EPCOT could be and what Imagineering could do; a project reflecting the greatest intuitions and impressions of a graduating class of designers passing their skills on to the 21st century. And in the minds of many thematic design aficionados, it was as close to a masterpiece as Disney’s ever been, standing alongside Pirates of the Caribbean, Haunted Mansion, Indiana Jones Adventure, and Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance.

What made Horizons a ride that’s transcended into the upper echelons of Imagineering’s most beloved projects? To glimpse the future as envisioned by EPCOT Center on a round-trip, time-traveling journey, we’ve got to start in the past…

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May 19, 2020February 21, 2023

Captain EO: Inside the $17 Million Michael Jackson Music Video that Changed Disney World Forever

Legend. That’s not a title to be thrown around lightly. In our time, true legends are few and far between. Legends defy expectations; they reshape pop culture; they become immortal icons remembered forever, their stories passed down through time. And that’s exactly what we’re here for.

As you know, Park Lore exists to chronicle the stories of industry legends, from Test Track to Adventure Thru Inner Space; Maelstrom to JAWS; Snow White’s Scary Adventures to If You Had Wings. These are the stories that define eras of Imagineering. But even still, it’s rare for an Imagineering legend and a pop culture legend to collide… Today, our series heads to the stars for one of our most spectacular entries yet.

Captain EO was “here to change the world…” and he changed Disney World along with it. Michael Jackson’s biggest music video ever was unprecedented; an unimaginable collaboration of stars created specifically to reinvigorate Disney Parks when all hope seemed lost. In so doing, EO set the stage for a revolution, redefining Disney’s relationship with pop culture, film, and celebrity. Today, we’ll look behind-the-scenes of this industry-altering film and see exactly how – and why – it came to be.

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