Saturday October 5, 2002
The alarm was set this morning, not quite as early as yesterday. Today’s big event was the Undiscovered Future World tour in Epcot. We had never done any of the behind the scenes tours and looked at each. This one seemed to work well. Some of the others are 7 hours and cost a bunch. We had read about this one on Deb Willis’ (www.wdwig.com) and some of the other trip reports.
We met at 10:15am in the Epcot Guest Relations. Darren was our guide. He had been working at WDW for 7 years, even spending some time in Disneyland Paris. There were 14 of us total. We started just outside Spaceship Earth. Darren provided some facts about it. The inspiration came from the 1964-65 World’s Fair. For that Worlds’ Fair, there was a globe out front and a body of water with countries around back. Spaceship Earth is the tallest structure on Disney Property as 220 feet. It has warning lights for aircraft that are designed into the structure of the Mickey hand and Epcot sign. This was the first time that Disney built a structure taller than 200 feet (TOT is 199 so that it didn’t need warning lights). There was much talk amongst the Imagineers about what to do with the 2000 after the Millennium Celebration was complete. They considered changing it yearly, and even every five years. In the end it was decided to change it to Epcot and leave it that way. Darren passed around the material that Spaceship Earth is made from (can’t remember name) as well as a sample of the eye catchers that are on the Epcot sign. He then told us to imagine what an orange is like when you hold it under the faucet. All of the water drains to the bottom. This would also happen to the guests under Spaceship Earth in this Florida afternoon downpours. So it is designed with each of the triangular structures making up the sphere and part of an elaborate gutter system that carries the rain away. After riding Spaceship Earth for countless times, I could never picture exactly where the cars took you once inside I asked what part of the attraction was inside he sphere. Darren looked at me kinda funny and said "All of it". Wow, all of that is inside.
We left Spaceship Earth and headed for Innoventions East. He stopped us just outside and noted the different color road signs for "The Road to Tomorrow", green for east and blue for west. When you are entering the park, green is on your left and blue on the right and these will correspond to the sides of the brain. Left brain is more creative, right is more logical. This theme actually carries through to the rest of the Future World. The lines, walkways, and structures of the east half of Future World (Ellen’s, Wonders, Test Track) are very straight and the walkways are all angled at right angles. On the west side of Future World (Seas, Land, Imagination) you will see curving lines, not too many straight lines.
He also told us about the deal that Disney had to test out the Segway people movers. There was actually a demonstration going on while we talked. Once inside he took us to the far walls of Innoventions East and told us about the home of the future built in Disneyland made completely of plastic and how it was indestructible by wrecking ball. They actually had to remove it with chain saws and carry it our piece by piece.
We then headed over to the fountain. Presently there are 6 different water ballets choreographed to music. It takes about 6 weeks to program the system. There are over 35 miles of electrical wiring below the fountain to control the lights and water. The most powerful can shoot 35 gallons of water 50 feet into the air.
Next stop was the Heritage Hallway. This is the area that you get to by passing through he doors to the left of Fountainview Café and then continuing to the left. Here there are several photos of Walt in various stages of his life and the company's development. Darren told us about some of the trials and tribulations that Walt faced in his life including going bankrupt in Kansas City in the later 20’s/early 30s. He described Oswald the Rabbit and how Walt and Roy began those movies but was then pushed out of the company. As the story goes, Walt began thinking of his next work and began drawing a mouse while traveling on the train from New York to California. He originally called it Mortimer but Lillian didn’t like the name and suggest Mickey. Well, the rest is history. Darren described some of the stages in building Disneyland including raising the funds. Originally Walt said it would take $1million but on opening day, the price tag was $17million. As a result, a lot of the attractions in Tomorrowland had "Coming Soon". Sleeping Beauty’s castle was the centerpiece of the park when it opened in 1955. Sleeping Beauty wasn’t even released in the theaters until 1959. Walt needed a center piece for the park and choose the castle from Sleeping Beauty that had been in production at the time.
We next went to the famous photo of Walt describing the "Florida Project" and how much land there was available. The agreement with the state of Florida was to leave 1/3 of the land undeveloped for wetlands. That wasn’t too hard to agree to since part of Walt’s purpose in buying so much land was to create a buffer zone around the parks and to avoid the situation that had happened in Anaheim. Presently, only 1/3 of the land is developed. Darren also mentioned that during the taping of this presentation, Walt would have to stop every two minutes or so because of his coughing. This was within 6 or so months prior to of his death when his health was failing. Darren also told us of how Roy went to visit Walt in the hospital the night before Walt died. Walt was imagining how Disneyworld was going to be, planning where things would go. Roy felt confident that Walt would pull through. Sadly, Walt never awoke the next morning. Roy then came out of retirement to finish the "Florida Project" and decided to change the name to Walt Disney World to reflect and honor the dreams of Walt. He said everyone knows Ford cars but not many Henry Ford and he wanted his brother’s legacy to continue.
After Heritage Hallway we continued to the Living Seas. Here Darren took us to the VIP Lounge. He mentioned that United Technologies was no longer sponsoring Living Seas so that the VIP Lounge was in control of Disney. He also mentioned that the Pavilions and Countries of Epcot all have a VIP area. Whether it be for the Disney executives to use for their sponsors or for the sponsors to use for their employees/managers while visiting Epcot, it was up to them. The Living Seas was being set up for a wedding Reception for that evening. It was a beautiful room with a great view of the aquarium. Darren also told us that there are occasional Disney Team building exercise and other corporate meetings held there as well as the ‘Green Room’ for the Nsync concert by the fountain. He then went on to describe a little about the attraction. It is considered by some to be the 6th ocean due to its size. It is also the largest inland aquarium. Spaceship Earth would fit (not be covered by water though) inside. In 1995 it was drained of its water for rehab. The windows in the VIP lounge are sealed against water leaks but are held in place by the water pressure. When the draining took place, the windows began moving and flooded the lounge. They immediately stopped and secured the other windows, especially in Coral Reef.
We left Living Seas and headed to the Land. Darren described the murals outside and how they depict the land. He mentioned how the artists were a husband and wife team. During the work, the wife was pregnant and gave birth to their son. They put a signature tile (different than surrounding ones) on the mural just to the left of the "Land" sign on the right side when you are approaching the attraction. Once inside he explained that the five balloons represent the earth (center one) and the other four are the four seasons- yellow- spring, green- summer, blue- winter and orange- fall. The Land is large enough so that all of Fantasyland could fit inside. When Epcot was redesigned, it was made more kid friendly. One of the changes was the movie here at the Land with Pumba and Timon from Lion King. Back at the Living Seas, cars on tracks take you to the main aquarium area. Here at the Land, the main attraction is a boat ride. But this is the land, right? Well, that was done on purpose to show the connection between the land and the sea. Can’t have one without the other. We then broke for lunch.
After our lunch break we met Lori, one of the Interns at the Land. She was originally from Indiana and was part of the Agriculture internship. She came from a farm so was no stranger to plants. She showed us some of her work and what she had just planted. She described aeroponics and hydroponics. She showed us how to build your own home hydroponics garden. She also told us of who Epcot was closed for only the third time in its history a few months back. It was due to a complete loss of electric power. She joked that everyone else at Epcot got the day off and got to go home. But, at the Land, everyone had to work to keep the plants alive because of the automatic watering systems were shut down when the electricity went out. She said there were hoses everywhere. The temperature in the green houses reach 115 degrees. It was a real fun experience, believe it or not, she said.
Next we left The Land by the back way and entered through the 'Cast Members Only' entrance to Journey into Imagination. Darren told us of how originally this was supposed to be the Land pavilion. That is why there are pyramids. Kodak came along and wanted to sponsor something. They then took over the pavilion. The pyramids were darkened so that your interest was piqued and you could ‘imagine’ what was inside. At night, however, there is reverse lighting from within the pyramids. He described the 3-D shows from Magic Journeys to Captain EO to the present HISTA as well as the design of how Figment was brought back after the "Journey into Your Imagination" had left him out. He told us of how figment originally came about. One of the Imagineers was home with the flu and was watching Magnum PI. During the episode Magnum had some goats that ate Higgins prize roses. Higgins confronted Magnum who denied it. Magnum said it was a "figment of your imagination" and that’s how Figment was born.
We left Imagination and headed all the way over to Ellen’s. Here we got a real treat and went back stage. We entered the theater just as the six cars were entering Dino-Land. After they went through we got to walk out on the track where the cars go. We got to see the dinosaurs up close. Darren described fight scene (as you go through on the right) and how it was incorporated from the 1964 World’s Fair. He also told us of how the area is available for parties. Tables and chairs can be set up. The lights can be totally on, totally off, the dinosaurs can even move for the guests.
Next stop was the Wonders of Life. Science and biology can be boring topics for some so the Imagineers decided to create a carnival atmosphere in Wonders. There are tents, banners and such set up all over. He pointed out a Hidden Mickey on the wall- on the left side of the pavilion just to the left of the Body Wars sign. While we were in the cool air conditioning of Wonders he talked a little about Mission: Space. The projected opening date is Summer 2003 but it didn’t’ seem likely. This is a joint venture between Disney, NASA and Compaq. The whole idea here is to show the public what it takes to become an astronaut. One of the challenges of the attraction is the centrifuge which the astronauts are put in to test their reaction to increasing g-forces. However, guests in the 90 degree heat, having just eaten greasy fries react very differently than the astronauts would. Since they don’t want to have the ride down frequently for cleaning, they are trying to work out how to tone down the attraction but still give the effects.
We left Wonders and headed over to Test Track. Here we went right back stage and under the track. We even got to pick up a souvenir piece of TT car tire. Darren took us into the area where guests with disabilities can practice getting in and out of the cars. Since load time is very low (35 seconds), if a guest takes a bit longer, they have to stop/slow the ride. He also described an emergency stop where the cars just pretty quickly. Most guests think the cars are on fire from the smoke from the tires and braking system. Darren also pointed out the center part of the teardrop portion of Test Track (out back). That is a parking lot, actually had been but is considered "On stage". It was for some employees but since it is ‘on stage’ it now houses the GM vehicles that are on display inside the pavilion.
Now that we were back stage, we could get a good luck at the back sides of the buildings. It was quite amazing to see just how close Mexico and Test Track were, back stage. They were only about 100 feet apart. But, as Darren mentioned, there is no need to create on stage effects and themeing necessary.
We then made our way to the Cast Operations building behind Norway. This was a huge building that the cast in Epcot uses for costumes and such. Darren took us down pride hall where the different departments each got a section of the wall to paint a mural for the Millennium Celebration. Darren showed us the Guest Relations with the plaid and the pin they wear.
Next we went to the International Student trailer (used to be Millennium Village). Daphne, a student from Holland, greeted us. She told us a bit of her country as well as her experience with Disney and how she became an International Ambassador. During our stop here, Darren offered us water or juice for a refreshing break.
We left the trailer and walked towards the back of China. Here Darren told us about the marina where the Friendship boats are kept at night as well as the barges that house the fireworks for Illuminations. The globe that appears during Illuminations was built in the workshops behind the Magic Kingdom and the brought to Epcot via flatbed trailer. There was quite a traffic stir as the trailer couldn’t move faster than 5-10 mph, like the shuttle traveling out to the launch pad. Now if any work needs to be done to it, the tools are brought to it.
Darren told us about Tapestry of Dreams and how it was broken into three parts. When originally debuted, it made its way from France to the UK. Darren told us that on a windy day, some of the performers ‘took flight’. Afterwards there were many at the First Aid station with pulled back muscles. On really windy days, the parade was canceled. During the slower seasons the parade is kept to one or two sections (from Germany to Morocco).
We then went inside of China and Darren gave us our Undiscovered Future World pins, a re-entry ticket to Test Track and told us our names would be put on the list of those allowed to view Illuminations from the Italy pavilion. We decided to change our time to Sunday night and told Darren. All in all, a very good tour. Darren obviously knew his Disney.
We stumbled back to the car. It was a cloudless day and very hot. We had just walked four and a half-hours almost non-stop and we were pooped! Back at OKW we rejuvenated at the pool. After dinner at home we drove over to the Marketplace. What a busy place on a Saturday. We drove around for a good 10 minutes before finding a spot. We parked behind the World of Disney. This was our first stop. We had seen a bunch of things during the week that we wanted to buy and saved them all up so that we could get our Disney Club discount and then ship them home. We made our selections including the new monorail piece and some gifts for the cat sitters and had them sent home. After the World, our next stop was the Christmas store where we did the same thing. Last stop at the Marketplace was Ghirardellis for a sundae. We returned to OKW for a relaxing Jacuzzi soak and sleep.