1 00:00:05,400 --> 00:00:09,600 Speaker 1: Hey there, it's Jonathan Strickland, and I'm here to introduce 2 00:00:09,760 --> 00:00:14,560 Speaker 1: a playlist of ten episodes of my podcast tech Stuff 3 00:00:15,040 --> 00:00:20,000 Speaker 1: that are all about entertainment and entertainment related fields, from 4 00:00:20,120 --> 00:00:25,720 Speaker 1: video games to television series, two films to internet videos 5 00:00:26,000 --> 00:00:30,440 Speaker 1: from yesteryear. So I hope you guys enjoy these episodes. 6 00:00:30,560 --> 00:00:34,440 Speaker 1: You can go to the tech Stuff podcast page and 7 00:00:34,479 --> 00:00:38,000 Speaker 1: subscribe to listen to all sorts of episodes about tech 8 00:00:38,080 --> 00:00:42,240 Speaker 1: from all realms, and hopefully this will provide a little 9 00:00:42,240 --> 00:00:46,040 Speaker 1: bit of entertainment, a little bit of education, and probably 10 00:00:46,080 --> 00:00:49,000 Speaker 1: more than a few puns, because that's kind of how 11 00:00:49,080 --> 00:01:06,240 Speaker 1: I roll. Enjoy this playlist. Welcome to tex Stuff, a 12 00:01:06,319 --> 00:01:14,399 Speaker 1: production from my Heart Radio. Hey there, and welcome to 13 00:01:14,720 --> 00:01:17,520 Speaker 1: tech Stuff. I'm your host, Jonathan Strickland. I'm an executive 14 00:01:17,520 --> 00:01:19,680 Speaker 1: producer with I Heart Radio, and I love all things tech, 15 00:01:19,720 --> 00:01:22,200 Speaker 1: and we are going to listen to another special episode 16 00:01:22,200 --> 00:01:25,760 Speaker 1: and this entertainment playlist. This is the Experimental Prototype Community 17 00:01:25,760 --> 00:01:30,960 Speaker 1: of Tomorrow, also known as EPCOT, which currently is closed. 18 00:01:31,040 --> 00:01:34,720 Speaker 1: But it's an interesting story to hear about the origins 19 00:01:34,800 --> 00:01:39,119 Speaker 1: of EPCOT and how it changed from its original concept 20 00:01:39,600 --> 00:01:43,440 Speaker 1: to its actual execution. So I hope you guys enjoy 21 00:01:43,560 --> 00:01:47,000 Speaker 1: this episode, and uh, let's take a listen. Back on 22 00:01:47,120 --> 00:01:53,200 Speaker 1: October one, two Walt Disney World opened its Phase two 23 00:01:53,520 --> 00:01:56,840 Speaker 1: theme park. The original park, the Magic Kingdom, was Phase 24 00:01:56,880 --> 00:01:59,920 Speaker 1: one that had opened on October one, nineteen seventy one, 25 00:02:01,360 --> 00:02:04,600 Speaker 1: and this episode is publishing in October one, two thousand eighteen. 26 00:02:04,840 --> 00:02:08,919 Speaker 1: So I figured I would do an episode specifically about 27 00:02:08,960 --> 00:02:13,600 Speaker 1: the concept behind the original Epcot and how that was 28 00:02:13,639 --> 00:02:17,160 Speaker 1: different from the theme park that would open thirty six 29 00:02:17,240 --> 00:02:20,880 Speaker 1: years from now, Like back back thirty six years ago, 30 00:02:20,960 --> 00:02:24,480 Speaker 1: back in time. Well, today's Epcot is presented as a 31 00:02:24,520 --> 00:02:29,680 Speaker 1: proper noun, So Epcot is just its name, big E, small, PC, 32 00:02:29,720 --> 00:02:34,440 Speaker 1: O T. But originally the name was actually an acronym. 33 00:02:34,480 --> 00:02:37,919 Speaker 1: Now there's a joke about what that acronym stands for. 34 00:02:38,000 --> 00:02:42,080 Speaker 1: The joke says that stands for every person comes out 35 00:02:42,320 --> 00:02:46,760 Speaker 1: tired because Epcot is an enormous theme park. It's twice 36 00:02:46,800 --> 00:02:49,240 Speaker 1: the size of the Magic Kingdom, three times the size 37 00:02:49,320 --> 00:02:53,280 Speaker 1: of Disneyland, and there's very little shade in the Florida 38 00:02:53,400 --> 00:02:56,639 Speaker 1: whether can be a bit unforgiving for much of the year, 39 00:02:56,880 --> 00:02:59,600 Speaker 1: for example, when I was there. But in fact, the 40 00:02:59,600 --> 00:03:05,680 Speaker 1: acron him really stood for experimental prototype community of tomorrow, 41 00:03:06,240 --> 00:03:10,120 Speaker 1: and it was one of Walt Disney's dream projects, a 42 00:03:10,280 --> 00:03:14,880 Speaker 1: truly ambitious goal that he had set now before nineteen 43 00:03:16,120 --> 00:03:19,800 Speaker 1: Epcot was a name only a relatively few number of 44 00:03:19,800 --> 00:03:25,240 Speaker 1: people had ever heard, uh it had not escaped the 45 00:03:25,280 --> 00:03:29,400 Speaker 1: company and a few small or a few partners potential partners. 46 00:03:29,840 --> 00:03:32,760 Speaker 1: So Walt Disney had been interested in creating a prototype 47 00:03:32,760 --> 00:03:38,560 Speaker 1: city that incorporated cutting edge technology. It would have sophisticated 48 00:03:38,720 --> 00:03:42,440 Speaker 1: urban planning from the get go, and this was an 49 00:03:42,480 --> 00:03:45,760 Speaker 1: idea he came up with not long after Disneyland was 50 00:03:46,000 --> 00:03:50,240 Speaker 1: established in the fifties. He had previously explored the possibility 51 00:03:50,240 --> 00:03:54,320 Speaker 1: of creating such a city. In nineteen fifty nine, he 52 00:03:54,440 --> 00:03:59,440 Speaker 1: got an opportunity with some developers outside of Palm Beach, 53 00:03:59,520 --> 00:04:02,400 Speaker 1: Florida up He had previously looked at New York as 54 00:04:02,440 --> 00:04:06,760 Speaker 1: a site, but determined that that was not a very 55 00:04:07,400 --> 00:04:10,960 Speaker 1: good site for an amusement park, largely because of whether 56 00:04:11,200 --> 00:04:14,960 Speaker 1: it would probably mean that the theme park would only 57 00:04:15,040 --> 00:04:17,160 Speaker 1: really be an operation for part of the year, and 58 00:04:17,240 --> 00:04:20,200 Speaker 1: he wand year long operations because it was the most 59 00:04:20,200 --> 00:04:23,720 Speaker 1: efficient use of the space. So he had looked around 60 00:04:23,720 --> 00:04:26,120 Speaker 1: the Eastern Seaboard. He looked at Palm Beach, Florida. It 61 00:04:26,120 --> 00:04:29,840 Speaker 1: would have been a joint effort between Disney's company, uh 62 00:04:30,000 --> 00:04:34,400 Speaker 1: NBC r c A and a billionaire named John D. MacArthur. 63 00:04:34,880 --> 00:04:37,200 Speaker 1: But the plan fell through. Our c A went through 64 00:04:37,240 --> 00:04:39,800 Speaker 1: some financial difficulties and kind of had to withdraw from it, 65 00:04:40,400 --> 00:04:43,479 Speaker 1: and there were disagreements between Roy Disney, who was sort 66 00:04:43,480 --> 00:04:47,320 Speaker 1: of the financial genius behind the Disney Company, and MacArthur, 67 00:04:47,720 --> 00:04:51,320 Speaker 1: so they didn't go any further than that. But Walt 68 00:04:51,400 --> 00:04:54,359 Speaker 1: Disney had really started to think about this idea of 69 00:04:54,440 --> 00:04:57,359 Speaker 1: creating a city, and he was resolved to give it 70 00:04:57,400 --> 00:05:00,920 Speaker 1: a shot if he had the chance. The first time 71 00:05:01,080 --> 00:05:04,520 Speaker 1: the public got to hear at least a hint about 72 00:05:04,520 --> 00:05:08,240 Speaker 1: Disney's dream of this community of tomorrow would be back 73 00:05:08,240 --> 00:05:11,960 Speaker 1: in November nineteen sixty five at a press conference. This 74 00:05:12,120 --> 00:05:15,599 Speaker 1: was a press conference where the company, the Disney Company, 75 00:05:15,640 --> 00:05:19,800 Speaker 1: revealed that had purchased nearly twenty eight thousand acres of 76 00:05:19,880 --> 00:05:24,279 Speaker 1: land in central Florida. Now, at that press conference, Walt 77 00:05:24,279 --> 00:05:28,719 Speaker 1: Disney announced that they had in mind something much more 78 00:05:28,800 --> 00:05:32,359 Speaker 1: than an entertainment offering like Disneyland. Now that's not to 79 00:05:32,440 --> 00:05:37,039 Speaker 1: disparage Disneyland. I truly love that theme park, but rather 80 00:05:37,120 --> 00:05:40,400 Speaker 1: to say that Walt Disney had a larger vision for 81 00:05:40,480 --> 00:05:45,440 Speaker 1: the Orlando deal. Initially, though he was rather coy with 82 00:05:45,520 --> 00:05:49,039 Speaker 1: sharing those ideas. They the details for what they were 83 00:05:49,040 --> 00:05:51,680 Speaker 1: planning were pretty sparse at that press conference, which, by 84 00:05:51,680 --> 00:05:54,560 Speaker 1: the way, you can watch that press conference is on YouTube. 85 00:05:54,560 --> 00:05:59,039 Speaker 1: You can pull up the November nineteen announcement of what 86 00:05:59,240 --> 00:06:01,599 Speaker 1: would become Walt Disney World. At this point it was 87 00:06:01,640 --> 00:06:06,640 Speaker 1: the Florida Project. Walt Disney didn't want to commit publicly 88 00:06:06,720 --> 00:06:10,040 Speaker 1: to any one plan that early in the process. He 89 00:06:10,080 --> 00:06:12,359 Speaker 1: did say that he had many ideas and he wanted 90 00:06:12,360 --> 00:06:15,520 Speaker 1: the project to at least be the equal of Disneyland, 91 00:06:15,560 --> 00:06:20,960 Speaker 1: if not superior to Disneyland. But following the conference, there 92 00:06:21,000 --> 00:06:23,520 Speaker 1: were news reports that said the site would become the 93 00:06:23,560 --> 00:06:27,719 Speaker 1: home of a city of yesterday, so presumably meaning a 94 00:06:27,760 --> 00:06:31,520 Speaker 1: community that harkened back to an idealistic vision of Americana, 95 00:06:31,720 --> 00:06:35,200 Speaker 1: kind of like the embodiment of Main Street USA at 96 00:06:35,240 --> 00:06:39,039 Speaker 1: the various Disney parks, and it would also be the 97 00:06:39,120 --> 00:06:42,400 Speaker 1: home of a city of tomorrow, and that it would 98 00:06:42,400 --> 00:06:45,600 Speaker 1: be at least three years before anything of consequence could 99 00:06:45,600 --> 00:06:48,800 Speaker 1: be built on the site of Florida because there'll be 100 00:06:48,839 --> 00:06:50,919 Speaker 1: a lot of preliminary work that would need to be 101 00:06:50,920 --> 00:06:56,440 Speaker 1: done before any foundation could be laid. Walt Disney died 102 00:06:56,960 --> 00:07:01,280 Speaker 1: on December fift nineteen sixty six, due to cancer. Just 103 00:07:01,480 --> 00:07:04,720 Speaker 1: a couple of months after his death, the Walt Disney 104 00:07:04,720 --> 00:07:07,520 Speaker 1: Company sent out press kits to the media, including The 105 00:07:07,520 --> 00:07:10,440 Speaker 1: New York Times, and those press kits included plans for 106 00:07:10,520 --> 00:07:13,880 Speaker 1: what was to become of all that land in Florida. 107 00:07:14,440 --> 00:07:18,200 Speaker 1: And at the heart of this plan was this new 108 00:07:18,280 --> 00:07:21,440 Speaker 1: type of city. It was a say that was designed 109 00:07:21,440 --> 00:07:24,280 Speaker 1: to take advantage of modern technologies from the ground up, 110 00:07:24,320 --> 00:07:27,760 Speaker 1: a city purposefully laid out and integrated so that the 111 00:07:27,800 --> 00:07:30,400 Speaker 1: people who lived and worked there could spend less time 112 00:07:30,440 --> 00:07:33,760 Speaker 1: dealing with day to day frustrations and more time being 113 00:07:33,760 --> 00:07:38,040 Speaker 1: productive and doing what most you know, Americans think of 114 00:07:38,080 --> 00:07:42,080 Speaker 1: as being the truly American activity, pursuing the heck out 115 00:07:42,120 --> 00:07:46,320 Speaker 1: of happiness. So in this press kett where concept images 116 00:07:46,480 --> 00:07:49,880 Speaker 1: of elements of this city. One of those concept images 117 00:07:49,880 --> 00:07:53,440 Speaker 1: showed a collection of buildings laid out around in a 118 00:07:53,560 --> 00:07:56,680 Speaker 1: hub and wheel pattern of what the company referred to 119 00:07:56,720 --> 00:08:00,240 Speaker 1: as the radial design that would be common to all 120 00:08:00,240 --> 00:08:03,800 Speaker 1: elements of this new city. You would see this same 121 00:08:03,880 --> 00:08:09,000 Speaker 1: sort of basic element of design repeated throughout the various incarnations. 122 00:08:09,040 --> 00:08:15,240 Speaker 1: Each building in this particular drawing for this industrial park 123 00:08:15,440 --> 00:08:18,280 Speaker 1: part of the city was shaped kind of like a 124 00:08:18,320 --> 00:08:21,440 Speaker 1: slice of high but you cut the pointy bit off, 125 00:08:21,480 --> 00:08:24,679 Speaker 1: so you've got a flat part towards this pointing towards 126 00:08:24,720 --> 00:08:28,040 Speaker 1: the center, the center being a circular sort of courtyard, 127 00:08:28,640 --> 00:08:32,080 Speaker 1: and each building is like a slightly separated piece of pie. 128 00:08:32,440 --> 00:08:36,880 Speaker 1: This industrial complex was supposed to be a place where 129 00:08:37,200 --> 00:08:41,480 Speaker 1: corporations would partner with Disney. They would have their locations 130 00:08:41,520 --> 00:08:44,840 Speaker 1: here to create a kind of a showcase of industry 131 00:08:44,880 --> 00:08:48,240 Speaker 1: at work. According to the breast kit, so it's supposed 132 00:08:48,240 --> 00:08:52,719 Speaker 1: to be kind of a a stage almost where American 133 00:08:52,760 --> 00:08:57,840 Speaker 1: industry could be shown off, not just for promotional purposes, 134 00:08:57,880 --> 00:09:01,480 Speaker 1: but also a way to interact with the public and 135 00:09:01,559 --> 00:09:05,360 Speaker 1: show off the newest of innovations. Uh Walt Disney was 136 00:09:05,360 --> 00:09:09,560 Speaker 1: a great believer in American ingenuity and innovation, and he 137 00:09:09,640 --> 00:09:14,319 Speaker 1: wanted this to be kind of a stage for those companies. 138 00:09:14,880 --> 00:09:18,440 Speaker 1: Another image included a cutaway concept of what the company 139 00:09:18,480 --> 00:09:22,240 Speaker 1: referred to as the Transportation Lobby. This would actually be 140 00:09:22,360 --> 00:09:28,640 Speaker 1: located beneath an enormous hotel, a thirty story hotel, so 141 00:09:28,720 --> 00:09:31,240 Speaker 1: you have a thirty story hotel. And then where you 142 00:09:31,240 --> 00:09:34,200 Speaker 1: would have the ground level, like where pedestrians will be 143 00:09:34,200 --> 00:09:38,440 Speaker 1: walking around outside, you had the transportation lobby. In this image, 144 00:09:38,440 --> 00:09:41,240 Speaker 1: you can see people walking around on that ground floor, 145 00:09:41,480 --> 00:09:45,720 Speaker 1: and that's the that's the domain of pedestrians. Beneath the 146 00:09:45,760 --> 00:09:51,760 Speaker 1: transportation lobby, you would see parking facilities and highways. The 147 00:09:52,200 --> 00:09:57,040 Speaker 1: road was actually beneath this prototype community of Tomorrow. It 148 00:09:57,040 --> 00:09:59,839 Speaker 1: didn't run through it, it ran under it. Not that 149 00:10:00,000 --> 00:10:02,680 Speaker 1: different from what Elon Musk has proposed with some of 150 00:10:02,679 --> 00:10:05,200 Speaker 1: his tunnel systems that he would like to build under 151 00:10:05,320 --> 00:10:08,720 Speaker 1: various cities. So you could argue that Elon Musk is 152 00:10:08,720 --> 00:10:11,199 Speaker 1: trying to bring to life at least part of this 153 00:10:11,360 --> 00:10:16,240 Speaker 1: vision of the community of Tomorrow. And these highways would 154 00:10:16,240 --> 00:10:21,000 Speaker 1: also include specific sections meant for specific types of vehicles. 155 00:10:21,160 --> 00:10:25,679 Speaker 1: At the bottommost layer would be the the level for 156 00:10:25,800 --> 00:10:31,000 Speaker 1: supply trucks, so trucks carrying important supplies for the community 157 00:10:31,120 --> 00:10:34,440 Speaker 1: would actually travel on the lowest level and they would 158 00:10:34,440 --> 00:10:37,680 Speaker 1: have direct access to things like freight elevators, and then 159 00:10:37,840 --> 00:10:42,040 Speaker 1: commuter traffic would be a level above that. But still 160 00:10:42,160 --> 00:10:45,240 Speaker 1: below ground, and then you would have the ground floor 161 00:10:45,320 --> 00:10:48,920 Speaker 1: where people could walk around. Above that would be elevated tracks, 162 00:10:49,640 --> 00:10:54,199 Speaker 1: and you would have a system that was essentially the 163 00:10:54,240 --> 00:10:57,480 Speaker 1: wed Way people Mover. Anyone who's been to Disneyland or 164 00:10:57,480 --> 00:11:00,760 Speaker 1: Walt Disney World is probably somewhat familiar of the people Mover, 165 00:11:02,040 --> 00:11:07,320 Speaker 1: and that would be sort of a short distance, slow 166 00:11:07,720 --> 00:11:12,240 Speaker 1: public transit offering, not not a fast travel. But then 167 00:11:12,280 --> 00:11:15,120 Speaker 1: across from that is an elevated monorail, and that was 168 00:11:15,200 --> 00:11:19,120 Speaker 1: meant to be for longer distances and faster travel. So, 169 00:11:19,160 --> 00:11:21,840 Speaker 1: according to the press kit, the Transportation Lobby will be 170 00:11:21,880 --> 00:11:25,600 Speaker 1: located at the very heart of Epcot, directly beneath the 171 00:11:25,720 --> 00:11:29,400 Speaker 1: thirty story theme hotel. This will be the central arrival 172 00:11:29,480 --> 00:11:32,840 Speaker 1: departure point for all passengers using the monorail or the 173 00:11:32,880 --> 00:11:36,920 Speaker 1: newly designed wed Way people Mover. Another drawing showed a 174 00:11:37,000 --> 00:11:41,240 Speaker 1: large indoor shopping district that was meant to hold imported merchandise, 175 00:11:41,440 --> 00:11:45,960 Speaker 1: foreign cuisine, dinner shows, and roving entertainers native to many lands. 176 00:11:46,360 --> 00:11:49,040 Speaker 1: So you start to hear a little elements that you 177 00:11:49,120 --> 00:11:52,280 Speaker 1: might recognize if you've been to the Upcot theme park, 178 00:11:52,640 --> 00:11:55,480 Speaker 1: but these were meant on a much grander scale. This 179 00:11:55,520 --> 00:11:57,000 Speaker 1: press kit, by the way, it was just a taste 180 00:11:57,000 --> 00:12:01,120 Speaker 1: of the concept. Walt Disney, back in nineteen sixty six, 181 00:12:01,160 --> 00:12:03,400 Speaker 1: just a couple of months before he passed away, had 182 00:12:03,440 --> 00:12:07,120 Speaker 1: actually shot a twenty four minute film about this concept. 183 00:12:07,600 --> 00:12:11,000 Speaker 1: The film would premiere in February ninety seven, so two 184 00:12:11,000 --> 00:12:15,200 Speaker 1: months after Disney had passed away. In that film, Disney 185 00:12:15,200 --> 00:12:18,880 Speaker 1: would mention that the details of what was going on 186 00:12:18,920 --> 00:12:22,880 Speaker 1: in Florida would be this experimental prototype community of tomorrow, 187 00:12:22,960 --> 00:12:25,120 Speaker 1: or at least a large part of it would be. 188 00:12:25,720 --> 00:12:31,120 Speaker 1: The underlying philosophy would be pretty rock solid, But Disney 189 00:12:31,200 --> 00:12:33,880 Speaker 1: did say that the drawings he was going to reveal 190 00:12:34,440 --> 00:12:37,680 Speaker 1: were concepts that could easily undergo a great deal of 191 00:12:37,760 --> 00:12:41,680 Speaker 1: change before they were ever made real. So his plan 192 00:12:41,800 --> 00:12:45,199 Speaker 1: was to build this community, but he wasn't entirely certain 193 00:12:45,640 --> 00:12:48,520 Speaker 1: that it was going to look exactly the way his 194 00:12:48,720 --> 00:12:52,160 Speaker 1: artists had designed it from the get go. He mentioned 195 00:12:52,160 --> 00:12:56,000 Speaker 1: that the Florida project, now called Disney World, would include 196 00:12:56,040 --> 00:12:59,359 Speaker 1: a theme park that would be similar to Disneyland in California, 197 00:12:59,400 --> 00:13:02,920 Speaker 1: but that would be one small component of the new project, 198 00:13:02,960 --> 00:13:06,560 Speaker 1: because again, the land in Florida was enormous. You would 199 00:13:06,559 --> 00:13:11,880 Speaker 1: also have hotels, motels, recreational facilities, and much more. For example, 200 00:13:12,400 --> 00:13:15,880 Speaker 1: the plans also included an airport of the future at 201 00:13:15,920 --> 00:13:19,280 Speaker 1: the southern end of the property, opposite where the theme 202 00:13:19,320 --> 00:13:21,240 Speaker 1: park was to be located. So the theme park was 203 00:13:21,280 --> 00:13:24,080 Speaker 1: to be at the north end, and this airport would 204 00:13:24,080 --> 00:13:26,280 Speaker 1: have been at the southern end. The airport would then 205 00:13:26,400 --> 00:13:30,880 Speaker 1: feed into what was labeled as an entrance complex was 206 00:13:30,880 --> 00:13:33,200 Speaker 1: a little bit further to the north, and that would 207 00:13:33,200 --> 00:13:35,920 Speaker 1: be the entry point for visitors to Disney World. They 208 00:13:35,920 --> 00:13:38,400 Speaker 1: would go through this kind of like main gates in 209 00:13:38,400 --> 00:13:43,119 Speaker 1: a way. But this itself was a pretty large complex. 210 00:13:43,160 --> 00:13:46,280 Speaker 1: In fact, on the map, the complex looks like it's 211 00:13:46,400 --> 00:13:50,319 Speaker 1: larger than what was the planned one thousand acre industrial 212 00:13:50,400 --> 00:13:53,240 Speaker 1: park I mentioned earlier that was actually next in line 213 00:13:53,280 --> 00:13:57,880 Speaker 1: to the north so airport. Then you get the entrance complex, 214 00:13:57,920 --> 00:14:01,880 Speaker 1: then you get the industrial park next to the north. 215 00:14:01,920 --> 00:14:05,920 Speaker 1: Beyond that was Epcot itself, the full city prototype design, 216 00:14:06,240 --> 00:14:07,880 Speaker 1: and then at the very tippy top on the north 217 00:14:07,960 --> 00:14:10,520 Speaker 1: end was the theme park in hotels. Connecting all of 218 00:14:10,520 --> 00:14:13,400 Speaker 1: those elements was the mono rail system. And to call 219 00:14:13,440 --> 00:14:17,440 Speaker 1: it ambitious would be a massive understatement. And Epcot was, 220 00:14:17,559 --> 00:14:20,080 Speaker 1: as Walt Disney himself put it in that nineteen sixty 221 00:14:20,120 --> 00:14:23,960 Speaker 1: six film that debuted in sixty seven, the heart of 222 00:14:24,000 --> 00:14:27,560 Speaker 1: the operation, it was what he was most excited about. 223 00:14:27,680 --> 00:14:32,520 Speaker 1: That's what the Florida project was really focused on. Was EPCOT. Now, 224 00:14:32,560 --> 00:14:35,640 Speaker 1: according to Disney, the city wouldn't just be a showcase 225 00:14:35,680 --> 00:14:38,640 Speaker 1: for the cutting edge technologies of the late nineteen sixties. 226 00:14:39,080 --> 00:14:42,280 Speaker 1: It would be a community that would evolve continuously as 227 00:14:42,320 --> 00:14:46,200 Speaker 1: technology advanced. It would never be complete, it would never 228 00:14:46,280 --> 00:14:49,360 Speaker 1: be finished. It would be a community that embraced change 229 00:14:49,400 --> 00:14:54,000 Speaker 1: and advances. So what was Disney proposing beyond these concept 230 00:14:54,120 --> 00:14:57,720 Speaker 1: drawings and these broad ideas. What was the driving force 231 00:14:57,760 --> 00:15:00,440 Speaker 1: behind his vision. I'll explain that in just a moment, 232 00:15:00,440 --> 00:15:03,440 Speaker 1: but first let's take a quick break to thank our sponsor. 233 00:15:11,200 --> 00:15:14,000 Speaker 1: In that nineteen sixty six film, Walt Disney said that 234 00:15:14,000 --> 00:15:17,240 Speaker 1: the primary factor that would drive the design principles for 235 00:15:17,280 --> 00:15:20,960 Speaker 1: EPCOT would be public need. That designing the city with 236 00:15:21,120 --> 00:15:24,040 Speaker 1: the public need and mind from the get go would 237 00:15:24,080 --> 00:15:27,080 Speaker 1: create the best chance of building a community that met 238 00:15:27,280 --> 00:15:30,520 Speaker 1: those needs from the start. So ideally, you would take 239 00:15:30,640 --> 00:15:34,640 Speaker 1: all the knowledge accumulated through decades of urban planning and 240 00:15:34,760 --> 00:15:36,960 Speaker 1: use it to lay out a city in a logical 241 00:15:37,360 --> 00:15:40,280 Speaker 1: intuitive way, so that the city is adapted to the 242 00:15:40,280 --> 00:15:43,200 Speaker 1: people living in it, rather than the citizens having to 243 00:15:43,280 --> 00:15:47,320 Speaker 1: adapt to the city. So how was it laid out? Well, 244 00:15:47,560 --> 00:15:50,280 Speaker 1: it goes back to that radial design. Imagine a wheel 245 00:15:50,480 --> 00:15:52,400 Speaker 1: like a bicycle wheel and has a hub in the 246 00:15:52,440 --> 00:15:55,560 Speaker 1: middle and their spokes from the hub leading out to 247 00:15:55,640 --> 00:16:00,600 Speaker 1: the outer edge. That's the basic design of the original Epcot. 248 00:16:01,400 --> 00:16:04,360 Speaker 1: Disney was attracted to this particular design for a few reasons. 249 00:16:04,360 --> 00:16:07,640 Speaker 1: For one, it was really efficient. Having controlled points of 250 00:16:07,800 --> 00:16:11,200 Speaker 1: entry and a radial design allowed for efficient circulation of traffic. 251 00:16:11,560 --> 00:16:14,280 Speaker 1: And for another, it also made it easy to navigate. 252 00:16:14,360 --> 00:16:17,800 Speaker 1: Orienting yourself in such a layout was relatively easy. You 253 00:16:17,840 --> 00:16:21,960 Speaker 1: had an identifiable central point and predictable layouts surrounding it, 254 00:16:22,320 --> 00:16:24,560 Speaker 1: so even if you got a little turned around, it 255 00:16:24,600 --> 00:16:26,360 Speaker 1: would be pretty easy to find your way back to 256 00:16:26,400 --> 00:16:29,480 Speaker 1: a familiar point and then figure out where you were 257 00:16:29,520 --> 00:16:33,600 Speaker 1: from there. So at the center, the hub part, the 258 00:16:33,640 --> 00:16:36,760 Speaker 1: middle of the circle would be the sort of the 259 00:16:36,800 --> 00:16:40,280 Speaker 1: downtown section of this community would be a sort of 260 00:16:40,280 --> 00:16:44,920 Speaker 1: a business complex. It's where you'd find office buildings, corporate jobs, 261 00:16:45,160 --> 00:16:47,480 Speaker 1: things like that. It's also where you would find major 262 00:16:47,560 --> 00:16:53,360 Speaker 1: cultural centers, museums, theaters, entertainment complexes, restaurants would be in 263 00:16:53,400 --> 00:16:56,640 Speaker 1: this section, nightlife locations, clubs, that kind of thing would 264 00:16:56,640 --> 00:16:59,520 Speaker 1: be there. It would incorporate all the elements we associate 265 00:16:59,560 --> 00:17:03,880 Speaker 1: with a ibrant downtown area of a major city. At 266 00:17:03,920 --> 00:17:06,600 Speaker 1: the very center of the sub would be that hotel 267 00:17:06,640 --> 00:17:10,840 Speaker 1: I mentioned, the thirty story tall hotel, and that hotel 268 00:17:10,840 --> 00:17:15,600 Speaker 1: would also have a deck measuring seven acres in size, 269 00:17:15,920 --> 00:17:19,360 Speaker 1: and that seven acre deck would also have recreational areas including, 270 00:17:19,440 --> 00:17:24,159 Speaker 1: according to the concept drawings, ponds, there be parks. The 271 00:17:24,160 --> 00:17:26,879 Speaker 1: deck would be several stories above the pedestrian level of 272 00:17:26,920 --> 00:17:29,399 Speaker 1: the city center, so you'd have to go into the 273 00:17:29,400 --> 00:17:32,080 Speaker 1: hotel and go up to the right floor to get 274 00:17:32,080 --> 00:17:35,920 Speaker 1: out on that deck. And incredibly, the entire section, this 275 00:17:36,119 --> 00:17:40,239 Speaker 1: whole downtown part of epp Cut was supposed to be 276 00:17:40,400 --> 00:17:45,679 Speaker 1: enclosed in a climate controlled dome. There's the center of 277 00:17:45,680 --> 00:17:48,720 Speaker 1: Epcut was a city in a bubble, which, if you've 278 00:17:48,760 --> 00:17:52,399 Speaker 1: experienced Florida heat and humidity, was likely a big selling 279 00:17:52,440 --> 00:17:55,600 Speaker 1: point to a lot of the people who were thinking 280 00:17:55,600 --> 00:17:59,280 Speaker 1: about this design because being able to stroll around a 281 00:17:59,359 --> 00:18:03,560 Speaker 1: shopping plaza or walk to work or just wandering downtown 282 00:18:03,640 --> 00:18:06,439 Speaker 1: without being subjected to the swamping mess that is a 283 00:18:06,480 --> 00:18:10,560 Speaker 1: Florida summer was a truly futuristic idea. Now, on the 284 00:18:10,600 --> 00:18:13,080 Speaker 1: ground level of the city, the only way to really 285 00:18:13,119 --> 00:18:15,840 Speaker 1: get around would be by foot. You might be able 286 00:18:15,840 --> 00:18:20,119 Speaker 1: to use something like an electric UH scooter or a 287 00:18:20,560 --> 00:18:24,760 Speaker 1: bicycle as well, although that was more intended for further 288 00:18:24,880 --> 00:18:28,320 Speaker 1: out from the center, but we'll get to that. So 289 00:18:28,680 --> 00:18:32,240 Speaker 1: you'd really be the pedestrian UH wandering around here because 290 00:18:32,280 --> 00:18:35,600 Speaker 1: all the car traffic would be below you. It would 291 00:18:35,600 --> 00:18:39,280 Speaker 1: be underground, and all the public transit would be above 292 00:18:39,320 --> 00:18:42,320 Speaker 1: you on elevated rails, either the people mover on its 293 00:18:42,320 --> 00:18:45,840 Speaker 1: own elevated track or the monorail on its elevated track, 294 00:18:46,680 --> 00:18:50,600 Speaker 1: And those last two the people move around the monorail 295 00:18:50,600 --> 00:18:54,119 Speaker 1: would also be electric powered vehicles, so at least in theory, 296 00:18:54,760 --> 00:18:58,280 Speaker 1: they would operate quietly and they would not generate pollution, 297 00:18:58,359 --> 00:19:01,520 Speaker 1: although I got to back that up a little bit 298 00:19:01,520 --> 00:19:04,880 Speaker 1: because you have to generate the electricity that runs the system. 299 00:19:05,080 --> 00:19:08,280 Speaker 1: So depending upon how you generated the electricity, you can 300 00:19:08,359 --> 00:19:10,520 Speaker 1: still be generating a lot of pollution. It's just to 301 00:19:10,600 --> 00:19:12,840 Speaker 1: be in a different part of the chain, right, a 302 00:19:12,840 --> 00:19:15,080 Speaker 1: different part of the ecosystem. It would be in the 303 00:19:15,280 --> 00:19:19,719 Speaker 1: electricity generation part, but not the direct operation of the vehicle. 304 00:19:20,640 --> 00:19:22,080 Speaker 1: But you still have to look at the big picture. 305 00:19:22,200 --> 00:19:24,680 Speaker 1: You can't just look at tiny sections and just say 306 00:19:24,760 --> 00:19:27,719 Speaker 1: this is automatically better. But it was an interesting idea. 307 00:19:27,960 --> 00:19:30,520 Speaker 1: The monorail would have a station under the hotel at 308 00:19:30,520 --> 00:19:34,200 Speaker 1: the transportation center, as I mentioned, so it would still 309 00:19:34,240 --> 00:19:37,159 Speaker 1: be located on kind of the ground floor of the 310 00:19:37,160 --> 00:19:40,919 Speaker 1: city itself. Right, the transportation center would be on the 311 00:19:41,560 --> 00:19:44,959 Speaker 1: pedestrian level of this city, and the hotel would be 312 00:19:45,280 --> 00:19:47,720 Speaker 1: essentially like the lobby of the hotel as I would imagine, 313 00:19:47,760 --> 00:19:51,240 Speaker 1: it would be floor too. Now on the outskirts of 314 00:19:51,240 --> 00:19:54,560 Speaker 1: this sector, the center, the hub of the city would 315 00:19:54,560 --> 00:19:58,880 Speaker 1: be high density apartment housing. So this would be for uh, 316 00:19:59,040 --> 00:20:02,679 Speaker 1: folks who are working right there in downtown. Might be 317 00:20:02,800 --> 00:20:05,919 Speaker 1: for single people who are working within that city. It 318 00:20:05,960 --> 00:20:08,720 Speaker 1: could be people who are working in the theme park 319 00:20:09,359 --> 00:20:12,359 Speaker 1: and who aren't you know, they don't they don't have 320 00:20:12,400 --> 00:20:15,200 Speaker 1: their own families, but they need a place to live. 321 00:20:15,560 --> 00:20:17,960 Speaker 1: But this would give them very quick access to that 322 00:20:18,040 --> 00:20:20,200 Speaker 1: theme park because again the theme park would be connected 323 00:20:20,200 --> 00:20:24,479 Speaker 1: by monorail to the north. So uh, this was not 324 00:20:24,640 --> 00:20:28,080 Speaker 1: the main part of housing. It was just one element 325 00:20:28,119 --> 00:20:33,679 Speaker 1: of it. The only a small percentage of Epcot's population 326 00:20:34,000 --> 00:20:38,080 Speaker 1: would be living in these high density apartments, according to 327 00:20:38,160 --> 00:20:42,399 Speaker 1: the promotional film. Now the next section out from the center, 328 00:20:42,640 --> 00:20:45,840 Speaker 1: so you've got downtown, you know, the high density apartments. 329 00:20:45,880 --> 00:20:51,440 Speaker 1: Immediately surrounding downtown. Around that was a green belt of parks. 330 00:20:51,760 --> 00:20:54,199 Speaker 1: So the next layer out, if you're thinking of it 331 00:20:54,240 --> 00:20:58,320 Speaker 1: like a target, the next ring outside of the bull's 332 00:20:58,320 --> 00:21:01,639 Speaker 1: eye was the screen elt. So you had parks, you 333 00:21:01,680 --> 00:21:06,360 Speaker 1: had golf courses, sporting fields, you know, football fields, baseball diamonds, 334 00:21:06,359 --> 00:21:09,160 Speaker 1: that kind of stuff. And this would be the section 335 00:21:09,200 --> 00:21:11,520 Speaker 1: of Epcot that would serve as the location also for 336 00:21:11,600 --> 00:21:14,399 Speaker 1: things like schools and churches, and it would be the 337 00:21:14,480 --> 00:21:16,879 Speaker 1: play space for the city where people could come and 338 00:21:16,920 --> 00:21:20,040 Speaker 1: spend time outside. So this is no longer in the bubble. 339 00:21:20,080 --> 00:21:23,680 Speaker 1: This is outside the bubble. And then outside of that 340 00:21:24,119 --> 00:21:27,639 Speaker 1: would be the low density housing, the suburbs of Epcot. 341 00:21:28,160 --> 00:21:32,000 Speaker 1: These would be for homes with uh for families, and 342 00:21:32,080 --> 00:21:34,800 Speaker 1: it would actually hold the majority of Epcot's residents. Most 343 00:21:34,800 --> 00:21:37,720 Speaker 1: people would be living out in these suburbs. Each residential 344 00:21:37,760 --> 00:21:41,480 Speaker 1: area would surround the end of one of those spokes 345 00:21:41,520 --> 00:21:44,520 Speaker 1: I talked about. So if you again imagine a bicycle 346 00:21:44,560 --> 00:21:46,840 Speaker 1: that has spokes leading out from the center wheel, or 347 00:21:46,840 --> 00:21:49,000 Speaker 1: maybe maybe we should say a wagon wheel because there 348 00:21:49,000 --> 00:21:54,800 Speaker 1: has fewer spokes. Uh, each spoke would be surrounded by 349 00:21:55,440 --> 00:22:00,200 Speaker 1: green space. Uh. The spoke itself would represent the act 350 00:22:00,240 --> 00:22:02,920 Speaker 1: for the people mover, So the people mover track would 351 00:22:02,960 --> 00:22:09,600 Speaker 1: go uh out and back from the hub along these spokes. 352 00:22:10,840 --> 00:22:15,080 Speaker 1: Surrounding that track would be this big green space kind 353 00:22:15,080 --> 00:22:20,919 Speaker 1: of like again more parks, golf courses, recreational facilities. And 354 00:22:21,040 --> 00:22:25,440 Speaker 1: on the outer edge of this would actually be the houses. 355 00:22:25,960 --> 00:22:28,800 Speaker 1: And then on the back side of the houses would 356 00:22:28,800 --> 00:22:32,800 Speaker 1: be a road where people could drive their cars before 357 00:22:32,840 --> 00:22:36,320 Speaker 1: going underneath to get to the downtown area if they 358 00:22:36,840 --> 00:22:39,440 Speaker 1: needed to drive their cars. Although Disney's plan was that 359 00:22:39,560 --> 00:22:42,520 Speaker 1: for day to day use, you would not even use 360 00:22:42,560 --> 00:22:45,240 Speaker 1: your car. You would use the people mover transit system 361 00:22:45,320 --> 00:22:48,240 Speaker 1: to get in and out of Epcot. You would only 362 00:22:48,320 --> 00:22:50,600 Speaker 1: use your car if you needed to go further or 363 00:22:50,640 --> 00:22:52,359 Speaker 1: you know, you just want to go take the family 364 00:22:52,400 --> 00:22:55,920 Speaker 1: for a drive. People would either work in the business 365 00:22:55,920 --> 00:22:58,760 Speaker 1: center or in the industrial complexes that were south of 366 00:22:58,760 --> 00:23:01,000 Speaker 1: the community, or in the theme parks that were north 367 00:23:01,040 --> 00:23:04,800 Speaker 1: of the community. In the concept, every citizen of Epcot 368 00:23:04,920 --> 00:23:07,639 Speaker 1: would be guaranteed a job, and the community would be 369 00:23:07,680 --> 00:23:11,439 Speaker 1: home to around twenty thousand people. The community would be 370 00:23:11,480 --> 00:23:15,040 Speaker 1: a model for a city unit, and future cities might 371 00:23:15,119 --> 00:23:19,320 Speaker 1: consist of several communities designed in this way, all linked 372 00:23:19,359 --> 00:23:25,560 Speaker 1: together by monorail lines. And this was an enormously ambitious idea. 373 00:23:25,760 --> 00:23:29,320 Speaker 1: Walt Disney himself admitted that the challenge was far too 374 00:23:29,320 --> 00:23:32,120 Speaker 1: big for any one company to take on by itself. 375 00:23:32,160 --> 00:23:35,680 Speaker 1: Epcot would have to be a joint effort between many 376 00:23:35,760 --> 00:23:38,560 Speaker 1: different companies to become a reality. These would have to 377 00:23:38,560 --> 00:23:41,000 Speaker 1: be companies that wanted to have a spot in that 378 00:23:41,359 --> 00:23:45,119 Speaker 1: industrial complex, for example, where they could experiment with different 379 00:23:45,119 --> 00:23:49,360 Speaker 1: approaches to prototyping and pioneering news systems and practices. The 380 00:23:49,359 --> 00:23:51,800 Speaker 1: theme park would help bring in money to help support 381 00:23:51,840 --> 00:23:54,879 Speaker 1: the infrastructure and would provide employment to many of the 382 00:23:54,920 --> 00:23:58,240 Speaker 1: residents of Epcot. And leading up to this, Disney and 383 00:23:58,280 --> 00:24:01,439 Speaker 1: his team had learned a lot. They learned lessons from 384 00:24:01,440 --> 00:24:04,720 Speaker 1: building out the company's movie studio buildings in Burbank, California. 385 00:24:05,160 --> 00:24:10,480 Speaker 1: They learned even more during the construction and launch of Disneyland. Disneyland, 386 00:24:10,920 --> 00:24:14,280 Speaker 1: you may know also employs the hub and spoke design, 387 00:24:14,359 --> 00:24:16,919 Speaker 1: that radial design. You've got the castle in the center 388 00:24:17,400 --> 00:24:21,200 Speaker 1: and the different lands like fantasy Land, tomorrow Land, frontier Land, 389 00:24:21,240 --> 00:24:26,199 Speaker 1: adventure Land on the outskirts. It follows that same idea 390 00:24:26,280 --> 00:24:29,600 Speaker 1: and it has that identifiable center with the castle that 391 00:24:29,920 --> 00:24:32,480 Speaker 1: lets you figure out where you are in relation to 392 00:24:32,480 --> 00:24:37,119 Speaker 1: everything else pretty quickly. Uh. Walt Disney learned he wanted 393 00:24:37,280 --> 00:24:41,880 Speaker 1: more control over the environment after he built Disneyland, because 394 00:24:42,520 --> 00:24:46,120 Speaker 1: when he built Disneyland, what followed were all these hotels 395 00:24:46,119 --> 00:24:50,280 Speaker 1: and motels popping up around from other, you know, business owners, 396 00:24:50,880 --> 00:24:54,280 Speaker 1: and it became kind of a tourist trappee area around Disneyland, 397 00:24:54,359 --> 00:24:56,200 Speaker 1: and Walt Disney didn't like that at all. He felt 398 00:24:56,200 --> 00:25:01,040 Speaker 1: it marred the appearance of disney Lands. So with Florida, 399 00:25:01,520 --> 00:25:04,240 Speaker 1: he wanted to exert a lot more control over the 400 00:25:04,359 --> 00:25:07,920 Speaker 1: environment so that people would experience it the way he 401 00:25:08,000 --> 00:25:11,760 Speaker 1: wanted them to and that they would not have their 402 00:25:11,880 --> 00:25:15,520 Speaker 1: view of whatever it was that he wanted to look at, 403 00:25:15,600 --> 00:25:18,080 Speaker 1: for example, the Magic Kingdom, they wouldn't. He didn't want 404 00:25:18,080 --> 00:25:24,000 Speaker 1: that marred by Tachi hotels or restaurants. And the company 405 00:25:24,000 --> 00:25:27,359 Speaker 1: had landed some pretty darn good deals with the state 406 00:25:27,400 --> 00:25:31,360 Speaker 1: of Florida. Before this announcement was made. There were lots 407 00:25:31,400 --> 00:25:34,639 Speaker 1: of tax incentives. There were agreements between city, county, and 408 00:25:34,720 --> 00:25:38,280 Speaker 1: state levels of government and the Disney Company. The groundwork 409 00:25:38,359 --> 00:25:42,000 Speaker 1: was laid from a political and administrative side, and the 410 00:25:42,040 --> 00:25:45,400 Speaker 1: stage was set and Disney's plan for a futuristic city, 411 00:25:45,560 --> 00:25:47,920 Speaker 1: one that would cater to pedestrians and serve as a 412 00:25:47,960 --> 00:25:51,040 Speaker 1: platform for American industry and ingenuity, which would then be 413 00:25:51,080 --> 00:25:55,440 Speaker 1: incorporated directly into the homes themselves. People would have the 414 00:25:55,560 --> 00:26:01,359 Speaker 1: latest appliances and they would get updated frequently. It was 415 00:26:01,359 --> 00:26:05,920 Speaker 1: gonna be an incredible city of the future. I'm gonna 416 00:26:05,920 --> 00:26:10,280 Speaker 1: have your workplace nearby, recreational facilities at at a just 417 00:26:10,359 --> 00:26:15,680 Speaker 1: a short walk away. It was a phenomenal, phenomenal goal. 418 00:26:16,359 --> 00:26:18,679 Speaker 1: Walt Disney was really gung ho on this and the 419 00:26:18,680 --> 00:26:22,240 Speaker 1: whole idea of the American dream, an American industry and engineering. 420 00:26:22,320 --> 00:26:28,040 Speaker 1: So what the heck happened? Why did this vision that 421 00:26:28,080 --> 00:26:32,840 Speaker 1: Walt Disney had, Why did this never materialize in this way? 422 00:26:32,880 --> 00:26:36,159 Speaker 1: How did we go from an experimental small city to 423 00:26:36,280 --> 00:26:38,680 Speaker 1: a much more modest in the grand scheme of things, 424 00:26:39,119 --> 00:26:43,320 Speaker 1: theme park that incorporates some but not all of these 425 00:26:43,359 --> 00:26:46,880 Speaker 1: grand visions. And what's going on with that Cot now, well, 426 00:26:46,920 --> 00:26:51,119 Speaker 1: I'll explain, but first let's take another quick break to 427 00:26:51,240 --> 00:27:04,359 Speaker 1: thank our sponsor. April nineteen sixty nine, Roy Disney held 428 00:27:04,480 --> 00:27:09,120 Speaker 1: a press conference. At that conference, he renamed the Florida project. 429 00:27:09,200 --> 00:27:13,040 Speaker 1: It had been called disney World. He renamed it Walt 430 00:27:13,320 --> 00:27:16,199 Speaker 1: Disney World in order for it to be a direct 431 00:27:18,160 --> 00:27:21,240 Speaker 1: reference to his brother. He wanted to honor his brother, 432 00:27:21,280 --> 00:27:25,000 Speaker 1: who had passed away in nineteen sixty six. He also 433 00:27:25,000 --> 00:27:28,200 Speaker 1: talked about the launch of what was called Phase one, 434 00:27:28,640 --> 00:27:31,840 Speaker 1: which would be this new theme park which we call 435 00:27:31,920 --> 00:27:36,440 Speaker 1: the Magic Kingdom today. So this was the Florida equivalent 436 00:27:36,640 --> 00:27:40,440 Speaker 1: to Disneyland. There was no real mention of Epcot at 437 00:27:40,440 --> 00:27:42,719 Speaker 1: this press conference. That was a project Walt Disney had 438 00:27:42,800 --> 00:27:45,840 Speaker 1: estimated would take probably about fifteen years to build out 439 00:27:46,119 --> 00:27:51,240 Speaker 1: for its entirety. But Walt's death also meant the EPCOT 440 00:27:51,320 --> 00:27:55,560 Speaker 1: project as it was intended, was doomed to die. Roy 441 00:27:55,600 --> 00:27:57,920 Speaker 1: Disney held a meeting with some of the head imagineers. 442 00:27:58,240 --> 00:28:01,960 Speaker 1: Those are what he refers to as their designers and 443 00:28:02,000 --> 00:28:07,320 Speaker 1: engineers are imagineers imagination and engineering together, and at this 444 00:28:07,400 --> 00:28:10,679 Speaker 1: meeting it became clear that without Walt Disney's energy and 445 00:28:10,840 --> 00:28:15,119 Speaker 1: leadership behind this project, Epcot really didn't have what it 446 00:28:15,160 --> 00:28:17,760 Speaker 1: was going to need to get through the numerous challenges 447 00:28:17,800 --> 00:28:19,679 Speaker 1: that the company was going to face in order to 448 00:28:19,680 --> 00:28:22,520 Speaker 1: actually build out the city. And it wasn't just that 449 00:28:22,680 --> 00:28:24,800 Speaker 1: Walt Disney had a lot of enthusiasm and a lot 450 00:28:24,840 --> 00:28:29,960 Speaker 1: of energy, but as also that he inspired confidence and 451 00:28:30,000 --> 00:28:34,800 Speaker 1: other people, confidence from companies that would need to partner 452 00:28:34,840 --> 00:28:37,719 Speaker 1: in order for this project have come to life. Walt 453 00:28:37,800 --> 00:28:42,320 Speaker 1: could convince people to buy in to his goals, but 454 00:28:42,440 --> 00:28:45,960 Speaker 1: with his death, landing those partnerships with companies, which would 455 00:28:46,000 --> 00:28:48,600 Speaker 1: be an absolute necessity to get the project of this 456 00:28:48,680 --> 00:28:52,760 Speaker 1: size moving, would be incredibly difficult, if not impossible. So 457 00:28:52,800 --> 00:28:57,280 Speaker 1: without Walt, there really wasn't a chance for Epcot as 458 00:28:57,360 --> 00:29:02,520 Speaker 1: the original vision had laid it out. Epcot Center, the 459 00:29:02,520 --> 00:29:06,080 Speaker 1: theme park, as the story goes, grew out of two 460 00:29:06,160 --> 00:29:10,880 Speaker 1: different park ideas proposed by imagineers John Hench and Marty Sklar. 461 00:29:11,600 --> 00:29:14,520 Speaker 1: One was a project called the World Showcase, which would 462 00:29:14,520 --> 00:29:18,040 Speaker 1: bring select nations of the world together into a theme park. 463 00:29:18,080 --> 00:29:21,400 Speaker 1: Each nation would have its own section or pavilion, and 464 00:29:21,440 --> 00:29:24,560 Speaker 1: each nation would employee people from those countries to work 465 00:29:24,600 --> 00:29:28,360 Speaker 1: in their respective countries pavilion. The other concept was one 466 00:29:28,400 --> 00:29:32,120 Speaker 1: called Future World, which would showcase cutting edge technology, and 467 00:29:32,200 --> 00:29:35,480 Speaker 1: combining them together would create sort of what they thought 468 00:29:35,480 --> 00:29:38,760 Speaker 1: of as a permanent World's Fair as an amusement park, 469 00:29:39,200 --> 00:29:42,640 Speaker 1: and that would become Epcot Center. So Epcot Center would 470 00:29:42,680 --> 00:29:45,880 Speaker 1: incorporate some of the principles that were in the original 471 00:29:45,920 --> 00:29:49,960 Speaker 1: Epcot concept, like that that shopping district Downtown was very 472 00:29:50,000 --> 00:29:53,200 Speaker 1: similar in some ways to what the World Showcase was 473 00:29:53,280 --> 00:29:55,800 Speaker 1: going to be, but this was going to be a 474 00:29:55,840 --> 00:29:58,680 Speaker 1: theme park, not an actual community where people would live. 475 00:29:59,200 --> 00:30:03,760 Speaker 1: So gone is the climate controlled Downtown Center, probably the 476 00:30:03,800 --> 00:30:06,280 Speaker 1: harshest blow of them all, if you asked me. Gone 477 00:30:06,280 --> 00:30:10,160 Speaker 1: were the houses, Gone were the apartments. The proposed transportation 478 00:30:10,200 --> 00:30:13,360 Speaker 1: systems were no longer really necessary, or at least there 479 00:30:13,440 --> 00:30:16,280 Speaker 1: was no easy way to incorporate them into the design 480 00:30:16,400 --> 00:30:19,040 Speaker 1: of the park, which is a shame because, as I 481 00:30:19,080 --> 00:30:21,440 Speaker 1: said earlier, it's twice the size of the Magic Kingdom, 482 00:30:21,560 --> 00:30:26,600 Speaker 1: three times the size of Disneyland. Walking around Epcot is tough. 483 00:30:27,000 --> 00:30:29,880 Speaker 1: If you walk around the entire park, it it'll it'll 484 00:30:29,920 --> 00:30:34,320 Speaker 1: hurt you. Tutsis in the original Epcot concept residents would 485 00:30:34,400 --> 00:30:37,280 Speaker 1: use bicycles or electric scooters to travel the last mile 486 00:30:37,360 --> 00:30:40,400 Speaker 1: between homes and public transit systems. Those would be right out, 487 00:30:40,880 --> 00:30:43,640 Speaker 1: although depending on the time of year, you can sometimes 488 00:30:43,680 --> 00:30:47,560 Speaker 1: find a an offer to take segue tours of parts 489 00:30:47,560 --> 00:30:50,000 Speaker 1: of the park. I didn't see it on my last trip, 490 00:30:50,040 --> 00:30:51,360 Speaker 1: so I don't know if they're still doing it, but 491 00:30:51,400 --> 00:30:54,720 Speaker 1: in the past they have. But in the theme park's 492 00:30:54,760 --> 00:30:59,560 Speaker 1: Future World section, there were originally nine pavilions, not not 493 00:30:59,640 --> 00:31:03,120 Speaker 1: on opening not all nine were available on opening day, 494 00:31:03,880 --> 00:31:07,480 Speaker 1: but there were nine pavilions that were meant to embody 495 00:31:07,680 --> 00:31:14,640 Speaker 1: certain fundamental aspects of industry and the future. So here 496 00:31:14,680 --> 00:31:17,560 Speaker 1: are the original nine pavilions of Future World. And I'm 497 00:31:17,560 --> 00:31:19,320 Speaker 1: not going to go into all the different countries of 498 00:31:19,360 --> 00:31:23,560 Speaker 1: World showcase. Uh. There are eleven of those currently and 499 00:31:23,600 --> 00:31:27,320 Speaker 1: there's plans of possibly opening up another one, maybe two 500 00:31:27,320 --> 00:31:30,280 Speaker 1: in the near future. Uh. The next one that's rumored 501 00:31:30,440 --> 00:31:34,800 Speaker 1: to be under consideration is India. But let's get to 502 00:31:34,880 --> 00:31:39,600 Speaker 1: Future World first. You have the iconic geodesic sphere structure 503 00:31:39,800 --> 00:31:43,000 Speaker 1: that everyone associates with e cut and that is Spaceship Earth. 504 00:31:43,200 --> 00:31:46,080 Speaker 1: It's still there, it's still a ride, it's still operating. 505 00:31:46,480 --> 00:31:49,560 Speaker 1: The theme of Spaceship Earth is communication and how the 506 00:31:49,600 --> 00:31:54,280 Speaker 1: development of communication tools has shaped human history, at least 507 00:31:54,280 --> 00:31:57,760 Speaker 1: in an idealistic vision. It is also about the capability 508 00:31:57,800 --> 00:32:01,680 Speaker 1: of communication to bring us closer together. Uh. I don't 509 00:32:01,720 --> 00:32:05,479 Speaker 1: necessarily think that communication has brought everybody closer together, but 510 00:32:05,640 --> 00:32:10,480 Speaker 1: it certainly has facilitated lots of flame wars. Next, we're 511 00:32:10,520 --> 00:32:14,640 Speaker 1: a pair of buildings behind Spaceship Earth that were originally 512 00:32:14,640 --> 00:32:19,240 Speaker 1: called Communicore, although they later became known as Interventions, and 513 00:32:19,280 --> 00:32:22,000 Speaker 1: even that got stripped down. So now you've got on 514 00:32:22,000 --> 00:32:25,400 Speaker 1: one side what used to be one part of Interventions 515 00:32:25,480 --> 00:32:29,160 Speaker 1: is a meeting great section for various Disney characters. There's 516 00:32:29,200 --> 00:32:33,520 Speaker 1: also a Starbucks over there, and uh a drink station. Uh. 517 00:32:33,560 --> 00:32:37,120 Speaker 1: The other side is still Interventions. But Communicore was meant 518 00:32:37,120 --> 00:32:40,120 Speaker 1: to be the home of cutting edge technologies, specifically with 519 00:32:40,160 --> 00:32:43,360 Speaker 1: a consumer focus, and I'm sure one reason it got 520 00:32:43,400 --> 00:32:47,080 Speaker 1: paired down is that technology changes really really quickly. So 521 00:32:47,680 --> 00:32:49,720 Speaker 1: you would install an exhibit and then it would go 522 00:32:49,760 --> 00:32:54,480 Speaker 1: obsolete not long after the installation, because real world technology 523 00:32:54,520 --> 00:32:57,880 Speaker 1: would catch up or pass whatever it was that was 524 00:32:57,880 --> 00:33:02,680 Speaker 1: on display. So very challenging to keep that going in fact, 525 00:33:02,720 --> 00:33:05,400 Speaker 1: you could argue that for pretty much all the future 526 00:33:05,440 --> 00:33:08,600 Speaker 1: world you call it future world, the future is always coming, 527 00:33:08,960 --> 00:33:12,800 Speaker 1: and if you don't keep upgrading your park and updating it, 528 00:33:13,320 --> 00:33:17,440 Speaker 1: then it quickly ends up becoming a relic. You could 529 00:33:17,520 --> 00:33:20,360 Speaker 1: argue that parts of Upcot kind of fall into that category. 530 00:33:20,840 --> 00:33:23,520 Speaker 1: Next was the Universe of Energy that was all about 531 00:33:23,880 --> 00:33:27,280 Speaker 1: our energy sources, things like fossil fuels and renewable energy. 532 00:33:27,680 --> 00:33:30,640 Speaker 1: The pavilion featured moving theaters. You would go and sit 533 00:33:30,720 --> 00:33:33,440 Speaker 1: down and the actual theater you were in would turn 534 00:33:33,480 --> 00:33:35,880 Speaker 1: into kind of a very slow moving ride and take 535 00:33:35,960 --> 00:33:39,800 Speaker 1: you two from scene to scene, and the pavilion would 536 00:33:39,880 --> 00:33:44,320 Speaker 1: change in nine to become Ellen's Energy Crisis and then 537 00:33:44,320 --> 00:33:48,960 Speaker 1: Ellen's Energy Adventure, and that version of the attraction was 538 00:33:49,040 --> 00:33:53,560 Speaker 1: hosted and narrated by Ellen Degenerous. This attraction is now closed. 539 00:33:53,920 --> 00:33:57,520 Speaker 1: In fact, it's being dismantled. It's being demolished to make 540 00:33:57,560 --> 00:34:01,280 Speaker 1: way for a new Guardians of the Galaxy ride. And 541 00:34:01,320 --> 00:34:03,640 Speaker 1: when I was at Upcut, they were busy disassembling the 542 00:34:03,640 --> 00:34:05,800 Speaker 1: old building. In fact, I actually went there on two 543 00:34:05,800 --> 00:34:09,280 Speaker 1: different days and the whole front facade of the building 544 00:34:09,440 --> 00:34:13,400 Speaker 1: was gone the second time I went. Then there was 545 00:34:13,480 --> 00:34:16,319 Speaker 1: the World of Motion, and as the name suggests, that 546 00:34:16,360 --> 00:34:19,000 Speaker 1: was all about the future of transportation. Had an omni 547 00:34:19,000 --> 00:34:22,600 Speaker 1: mover vehicle kind of like the systems that are in 548 00:34:22,719 --> 00:34:27,000 Speaker 1: things like the Haunted Mansion, and this omni mover vehicle 549 00:34:27,000 --> 00:34:29,320 Speaker 1: would take guests through a ride that was all about 550 00:34:29,520 --> 00:34:34,400 Speaker 1: the the importance of transportation systems and various vehicles. That 551 00:34:34,480 --> 00:34:38,120 Speaker 1: pavilion was shut down and replaced in nineteen by test track, 552 00:34:38,440 --> 00:34:42,640 Speaker 1: so it no longer exists. Next, we have the Land Pavilion, which, 553 00:34:43,120 --> 00:34:47,120 Speaker 1: like Spaceship Earth, still exists at upcut. Thank goodness, we've 554 00:34:47,160 --> 00:34:50,600 Speaker 1: we've actually landed on our second pavilion that's still around. 555 00:34:51,560 --> 00:34:54,399 Speaker 1: Not all the original attractions that opened with the Land 556 00:34:54,440 --> 00:34:57,399 Speaker 1: are still there. However, the Land is all about agriculture 557 00:34:57,400 --> 00:34:59,920 Speaker 1: and food technology, or at least it used to be. 558 00:35:00,360 --> 00:35:03,160 Speaker 1: It still has the Listen to the Land boat right 559 00:35:03,239 --> 00:35:05,560 Speaker 1: in it, although now it's called Living with the Land. 560 00:35:05,640 --> 00:35:08,040 Speaker 1: But it's the same essential thing where you look at 561 00:35:08,080 --> 00:35:12,520 Speaker 1: different ways of growing and cultivating food. But gone is 562 00:35:12,560 --> 00:35:15,719 Speaker 1: the film symbiosis that was there on opening day. It's 563 00:35:15,760 --> 00:35:21,319 Speaker 1: no longer there. Gone is Kitchen Cabaret, also known as 564 00:35:21,440 --> 00:35:26,239 Speaker 1: Food Rocks when it was overhauled. In place of that 565 00:35:26,320 --> 00:35:32,680 Speaker 1: attraction is now the ride Soaring. But Kitchen Cabaret was 566 00:35:32,760 --> 00:35:36,120 Speaker 1: a show that had animatronic food characters that would sing 567 00:35:36,239 --> 00:35:40,280 Speaker 1: various songs with hot tunes like Veggie, Veggie, Fruit Fruit. 568 00:35:41,360 --> 00:35:44,919 Speaker 1: I kind of loved that attraction, but to be fair, 569 00:35:44,960 --> 00:35:47,560 Speaker 1: I also went to Epcot when it was first opened 570 00:35:48,200 --> 00:35:50,359 Speaker 1: and I was very young. In addition, a few other 571 00:35:50,400 --> 00:35:54,160 Speaker 1: pavilions were built after the initial opening in nine eight 572 00:35:54,320 --> 00:35:58,080 Speaker 1: two That included Horizons that opened in nineteen three that 573 00:35:58,160 --> 00:36:01,400 Speaker 1: integrated the various concepts a future world into what it 574 00:36:01,440 --> 00:36:03,520 Speaker 1: would be like to live in a typical home in 575 00:36:03,560 --> 00:36:08,280 Speaker 1: America in the future. It was meant to show how transportation, communication, energy, 576 00:36:08,320 --> 00:36:10,520 Speaker 1: and all the rest would come together to make our 577 00:36:10,600 --> 00:36:13,440 Speaker 1: future is incredible. And the ride featured a user interface. 578 00:36:13,480 --> 00:36:17,080 Speaker 1: You could actually choose options in the ride, and the 579 00:36:17,200 --> 00:36:20,840 Speaker 1: ride would show you different things based upon your choices. 580 00:36:20,880 --> 00:36:23,480 Speaker 1: It was actually pretty nifty. It was sponsored by GE, 581 00:36:23,800 --> 00:36:28,200 Speaker 1: but GE pulled its sponsorship in The ride would be 582 00:36:28,239 --> 00:36:30,840 Speaker 1: opened and closed for the next few years, you know, 583 00:36:30,880 --> 00:36:35,200 Speaker 1: operating seasonally, but it closed permanently in nine The entire 584 00:36:35,239 --> 00:36:39,000 Speaker 1: building was demolished the following year and where that used 585 00:36:39,040 --> 00:36:42,680 Speaker 1: to be is now where Mission Space sits in Upcut. 586 00:36:43,040 --> 00:36:46,239 Speaker 1: The Imagination Pavilion also opened in nineteen eighty three. It's 587 00:36:46,280 --> 00:36:50,080 Speaker 1: still at Upcut. It was themed around creativity and imagination 588 00:36:50,160 --> 00:36:52,200 Speaker 1: had a ride in which you encountered a character called 589 00:36:52,280 --> 00:36:56,239 Speaker 1: dream Finder and his friendly little critter named Figment. The 590 00:36:56,400 --> 00:36:59,360 Speaker 1: ride has been revamped a couple of times. The section 591 00:36:59,400 --> 00:37:02,680 Speaker 1: called a Man and Works has been shut down, part 592 00:37:02,719 --> 00:37:04,600 Speaker 1: of it has been turned into a lounge for Disney 593 00:37:04,680 --> 00:37:07,920 Speaker 1: Vacation Club members, and the rest is unused. Although I 594 00:37:08,000 --> 00:37:11,400 Speaker 1: understand you can actually glimpse it at certain sections of 595 00:37:11,440 --> 00:37:14,400 Speaker 1: the Imagination Pavilion, you just can't go into it anymore, 596 00:37:14,680 --> 00:37:17,319 Speaker 1: which is kind of sad. The ride is typically only 597 00:37:17,360 --> 00:37:20,400 Speaker 1: operational during really busney busy days, so it's kind of seasonal. 598 00:37:21,680 --> 00:37:25,799 Speaker 1: The Living Seas opened in NINETI, so four years after 599 00:37:26,239 --> 00:37:29,400 Speaker 1: the park had opened. It was the world's largest aquarium 600 00:37:29,520 --> 00:37:32,759 Speaker 1: when it opened. Is no longer that it included a 601 00:37:32,840 --> 00:37:35,440 Speaker 1: ride that would involve visitors going into chambers that were 602 00:37:35,440 --> 00:37:38,520 Speaker 1: meant to look like special elevators. They were called hydro laders, 603 00:37:39,080 --> 00:37:43,160 Speaker 1: and they appeared to descend in a watery tunnel and actuality. 604 00:37:43,200 --> 00:37:46,000 Speaker 1: You weren't going anywhere. The floor would shake a bit, 605 00:37:46,239 --> 00:37:49,279 Speaker 1: the walls would shake a bit, and some bubbles through 606 00:37:49,320 --> 00:37:53,359 Speaker 1: the windows would create the the illusion that you were 607 00:37:53,400 --> 00:37:56,000 Speaker 1: descending in water. But then can we get on an 608 00:37:56,000 --> 00:37:59,279 Speaker 1: Omnimover style ride and you would ride past several aquarium 609 00:37:59,320 --> 00:38:02,200 Speaker 1: scenes before were getting to an open area where you 610 00:38:02,200 --> 00:38:04,840 Speaker 1: could look at different sea creatures. The ride got re 611 00:38:04,960 --> 00:38:09,200 Speaker 1: themed as Finding Nemo Ride in two thousand four. The 612 00:38:09,239 --> 00:38:13,440 Speaker 1: Wonders of Life Pavilion joined Future World in nine and 613 00:38:13,600 --> 00:38:16,799 Speaker 1: was themed around life and health. The Human Body had 614 00:38:16,800 --> 00:38:19,400 Speaker 1: a ride called Body Wars, which used the same technology 615 00:38:19,440 --> 00:38:23,120 Speaker 1: as the popular Star Tours rides would later on. There 616 00:38:23,120 --> 00:38:25,719 Speaker 1: were other attractions in that pavilion as well, like a 617 00:38:25,760 --> 00:38:29,200 Speaker 1: show called Cranium Command, which was absolutely brilliant and I 618 00:38:29,239 --> 00:38:32,560 Speaker 1: loved it. In two thousand four, the Wonders of Life 619 00:38:32,560 --> 00:38:36,000 Speaker 1: Pavilion would switch to seasonal operations. In two thousand seven, 620 00:38:36,000 --> 00:38:40,000 Speaker 1: it closed permanently and the entire thing was gutted. Disney 621 00:38:40,040 --> 00:38:43,799 Speaker 1: now uses the building for special functions. For example, on 622 00:38:43,880 --> 00:38:46,880 Speaker 1: my most recent visit, it served as the festival center 623 00:38:47,040 --> 00:38:50,839 Speaker 1: for the Food and Wine Festival. Today, Future World has 624 00:38:50,960 --> 00:38:56,240 Speaker 1: Spaceship Earth. About half of interventions UH Mission space test 625 00:38:56,280 --> 00:39:01,560 Speaker 1: track imagination sometimes, but Land and the Seas would Nemo 626 00:39:01,640 --> 00:39:05,520 Speaker 1: and Friends. Much of the theming has transitioned away from 627 00:39:05,520 --> 00:39:08,960 Speaker 1: what Walt Disney's original vision was all about, largely, I 628 00:39:08,960 --> 00:39:12,799 Speaker 1: think because a lot of those attractions depended heavily upon 629 00:39:12,920 --> 00:39:17,360 Speaker 1: sponsorships from other companies, and some of those companies don't 630 00:39:17,400 --> 00:39:20,960 Speaker 1: even exist anymore. They've gone out of business. Some of 631 00:39:21,000 --> 00:39:23,919 Speaker 1: them pulled their sponsorships. Maybe they felt they weren't getting 632 00:39:23,920 --> 00:39:26,200 Speaker 1: a really strong return on their investment, or they needed 633 00:39:26,200 --> 00:39:29,239 Speaker 1: the money for something else, but whatever the case. Right now, 634 00:39:29,320 --> 00:39:32,600 Speaker 1: to me, Epcot feels like a park that lacks a 635 00:39:32,640 --> 00:39:36,760 Speaker 1: real identity, and there's honestly not that much to do 636 00:39:37,160 --> 00:39:39,840 Speaker 1: from an attraction standpoint when you go to Epcot, Like, 637 00:39:40,280 --> 00:39:42,719 Speaker 1: you can walk around the whole park of Epcot and think, 638 00:39:43,120 --> 00:39:45,600 Speaker 1: I rode three rides and there might be one more 639 00:39:46,080 --> 00:39:49,120 Speaker 1: in the entire park that I haven't gone on. Uh. 640 00:39:49,200 --> 00:39:50,560 Speaker 1: There are a lot of shops you can go to, 641 00:39:51,160 --> 00:39:53,279 Speaker 1: and there are restaurants you can go to, and there 642 00:39:53,280 --> 00:39:54,960 Speaker 1: are a couple of films you can watch in the 643 00:39:54,960 --> 00:39:58,560 Speaker 1: World Showcase, but there's not a whole lot to do. 644 00:39:59,480 --> 00:40:03,000 Speaker 1: Just when you consider how big that park is, there 645 00:40:03,040 --> 00:40:05,600 Speaker 1: are some big plans for the future, including a potential 646 00:40:06,080 --> 00:40:08,400 Speaker 1: new countries in the World Showcase. Like I mentioned, the 647 00:40:08,400 --> 00:40:10,279 Speaker 1: Guardians of the Galaxy ride is going to be the 648 00:40:10,360 --> 00:40:13,000 Speaker 1: largest indoor roller coaster in the world as far as 649 00:40:13,000 --> 00:40:15,640 Speaker 1: I understand it, But it doesn't sound like it's going 650 00:40:15,680 --> 00:40:19,400 Speaker 1: to get closer to what Walt Disney's original vision was. 651 00:40:19,440 --> 00:40:22,240 Speaker 1: In fact, it sounds like it's moving even further away 652 00:40:22,280 --> 00:40:25,040 Speaker 1: from that. Now. There are other things I could talk 653 00:40:25,080 --> 00:40:28,240 Speaker 1: about in this episode. I could talk about Celebration, Florida. 654 00:40:28,480 --> 00:40:32,400 Speaker 1: That is an actual residential area on Disney World property, 655 00:40:32,640 --> 00:40:36,839 Speaker 1: but it's also a radically different realization of the suburbs 656 00:40:36,960 --> 00:40:39,560 Speaker 1: of Epcot that Walt Disney had in mind. For one thing, 657 00:40:40,040 --> 00:40:42,560 Speaker 1: the whole idea that people would use public transit and 658 00:40:42,600 --> 00:40:46,640 Speaker 1: that they would use bicycles for that last mile that 659 00:40:46,680 --> 00:40:49,040 Speaker 1: went right out the window over in Celebration, that is 660 00:40:49,080 --> 00:40:51,920 Speaker 1: a very that's very much a you need a car 661 00:40:52,040 --> 00:40:55,040 Speaker 1: to get around kind of place. So that was our 662 00:40:55,080 --> 00:40:57,440 Speaker 1: episode about Epcot. Hope you guys liked it. If you 663 00:40:57,480 --> 00:40:59,920 Speaker 1: have any suggestions for future episodes, reach out to me. 664 00:41:00,160 --> 00:41:02,200 Speaker 1: You can send me a message on Facebook or Twitter. 665 00:41:02,640 --> 00:41:05,640 Speaker 1: The handle is tech stuff h s W and I'll 666 00:41:05,680 --> 00:41:13,279 Speaker 1: talk to you again really soon. Y Text Stuff is 667 00:41:13,280 --> 00:41:16,480 Speaker 1: an I heart Radio production. For more podcasts from I 668 00:41:16,560 --> 00:41:20,160 Speaker 1: heart Radio, visit the i heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, 669 00:41:20,280 --> 00:41:22,280 Speaker 1: or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.