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Debuting Norway, 1988

In the summer of 1988, EPCOT was celebrating the arrival of Norway – World Showcase’s 11th pavilion. The pavilion had soft-opened that May, with a grand opening celebration following in June. So by the time of Walt Disney World’s 4th of July parade, it was time to give people a glimpse of the pavilion and […]

The Disney-MGM Studios and “Hollywood East”, 1989

When the Disney-MGM Studios opened in 1989, there was a great deal of hoopla about how the city of Orlando was now “Hollywood East”. With Universal Studios Orlando opening soundstages a few miles up I-4 from Walt Disney World, there was suddenly an arms race for soundstage space in town, and with plenty of plans […]

Opening The Disney-MGM Studios With PM Magazine, 1989

Back in the 1970s and 80s, there was a syndicated television show called PM Magazine. The evening entertainment and lifestyle show aired in markets across the country, packaging syndicated features with wraparound segments featuring local hosts.

In 1989, the nation’s media descended on Orlando to cover the opening of the Disney-MGM Studios. Lest we […]

Those Were The Days, My Friends…

Is there really anything I could say? I mean… sigh.

The best part of the commercial? It doesn’t pander. There are no characters, aside from Figment and Mickey, no distortions of the truth – just images of EPCOT. It shows you how exciting EPCOT is, rather than telling you. There’s no cheesy footage of canned […]

Regis And The Daredevil Circus Spectacular, 1987

Michael Eisner didn’t get EPCOT.

He didn’t understand it, he didn’t like it. He wanted to make it more “exciting.”

And so, when he arrived at Walt Disney Productions in 1984, those grand expansion plans for the park were all put away, never to be seen again. Instead, EPCOT would begin to see a series […]