Home > Pavilion > Cast Members > Costumes With employees as "Cast Members" who are truly part of a "show," Walt Disney felt that it was important that they also look the part. Their uniforms would actually be stylized costumes, themed to an area or attraction. Like the many other details that help transport guests into the "show," the costumes do their part to add to the realism of the guest experience. But at the same time, they also help the Cast Member to feel more "in character," reminding them that they're not just doing a job, but they're playing a role. With the opening of EPCOT Center in 1982, Disney created a whole new type of theme park experience. However, the belief in show and the attention to detail was just as important as it was in the Magic Kingdom parks. Here they weren't transporting guests to the old West, to the South Seas, or to a world of storybook characters and fantasy. Guests were being transported to a bold new place: the future. As citizens of that future, it was vital that Cast Members had to look the part. It was a look based on clean lines, vibrant colors, and little details that carried design forward at least a few decades. Despite the bold designs, some people felt that the extensive use of polyester was more a throwback to the past, specifically the late 1970's when EPCOT Center was being designed. Among Cast Members, EPCOT was sometimes referred to as meaning "Experimental Polyester Costumes of Tomorrow," a joke sometimes shared with guests. The costumes, made of 100% polyester fabric, didn't "breathe" as natural fibers do and were sheer misery for the cast to wear. They were sweltering-hot and scratchy in the summer, and freezing cold in the winter. Still, Costuming stuck with the material for its durability through repeated washings, as well as its ability to stay sharp and pressed. In some instances, they even went as far as trying to convince Cast Members that, for example, farmers of the future (as in The Land pavilion) really would be wearing powder-blue polyester jump suits! The Universe of Energy costumes, while considerably more dignified than those of "Listen to the Land," still made at least one Cast Member remark that they looked "like a [gas station] attendant." In response to changing fashions and perhaps even to Cast Members' complaints of discomfort, the styles of costumes began to change over the years as well. The Living Seas was the first Future World attraction to see a costume made from natural fibers (though one of them was wool, which also is hardly wearer-friendly in the heat of the Florida summer). Energy later followed in 1991 with a more casual design, and received yet another costume design in 1996, to coincide with the introduction of Ellen's Energy Adventure. Let's take a quick look back at the costumes worn by Universe of Energy Cast Members over the years... First Generation (1982-1990) The first generation Energy costume was introduced at the attraction's opening in 1982. It carried the clean lines of all the early Future World costumes. Spare on details, it consisted of slacks in a deep rust color and matching shirt in the same rust color, accented with a wide vertical stripe, which flared toward the top and across the shoulders. The shirt's simple lines extended to its crew neck, with a zipper that extended a few inches down the front. A small Exxon logo was embroidered in white on the left side of the shirt just above the nametag. A matching jacket, in the same solid rust color, was somewhat more detailed, with flaps for four non-functional pockets across the front (two high, on each side) and another embroidered Exxon logo in the same position as on the shirt. Like nearly all Disney costumes of the time, the costume was worn with black Oxford shoes. The inspiration for the costume's colors and design aren't readily apparent. Unlike other Future World costumes, which took cues from the attraction's colors or designs, the color of the costume wasn't evident anywhere in the pavilion. The interior was mostly in shades of purple, and the closest exterior colors were the oranges and reds--but not rust--in the radiating color bands on the sides of the building. The few details had no apparent connection to the attraction. We're hard-pressed to even see the "gas station attendant" connection posed by one Cast Member. Second Generation (1991-1996) By the early 1990s, the costumes were beginning to look outdated, and needed a new, fresh look. This time the rationale behind the design was slightly more apparent, at least to a careful observer. Though it still didn't carry any of the colors of the pavilion, it did reflect the colors of the pavilions sponsor's logo, Exxon. Both the costume slacks and shirt were primarily a dark royal blue color. The shirt was of a more contemporary design than the original, with a collar and button-down front. It featured two wide vertical stripes, white with red piping, on the front and back. It somewhat resembled the costumes worn by the Magic Kingdom's Grand Prix Raceway crew. The Universe of Energy Cast undoubtedly breathed a collective sigh of relief to discover that the trend started with costumes for The Living Seas had extended to Universe of Energy: the polyester shirt had been replaced with one made from a more breathable and comfortable 100% cotton. The slacks remained in 100% polyester, and were accented with a black leather belt. A lightweight zip-up polyester jacket was issued with this costume. It was primarily white, with two vertical stripes, red with blue piping, which echoed those of the shirt. As still the requirement at the time, the costume was worn with black Oxford shoes. Third Generation (1996-Present) In 1996, new costumes were introduced to coincide with the new show, "Ellen's Energy Adventure", which was replacing the original show. The costume, still in use today, consists of a shirt and slacks primarily in a putty-grey color. The shirt, which features a dark blue mandarin collar, has a flap that extends across the center line of the chest, and swoops down gracefully from the neckline. From behind this flap and against a dark blue background, four stripes radiate, ranging from deep red to yellow. The design clearly was inspired by the pavilion's original radiating bands of color. Ironically, what would have been the closest match yet between a Universe of Energy costume and the pavilion, was spoiled when the pavilion's exterior color scheme was changed during the rehab. The right sleeve of the shirt is orange and sports a small circular patch. Originally, the patch read "UNIVERSE OF ENERGY: PRESENTED BY EXXON" and featured a sunburst pattern in the background similar to the one on the left side of the shirt. With the merger of Exxon and Mobil, and the subsequent changes to pavilion's signage in August 2001, the patch was replaced as well. The new patch reads "UNIVERSE OF ENERGY: PRESENTED BY EXXONMOBIL" atop a design reflecting the spire marquee found in the pavilion's front reflecting pool. The lighter-weight fabric of the second-generation costumes gave way to a heavy cotton-polyester blend in the new costumes. Though more breathable than the original 100% polyester costumes, the short sigh of relief was stifled by the much hotter and more uncomfortable costumes. The shoe requirements at least had been relaxed, allowing Cast Members to wear black sneakers, which are much easier on their feet when standing and walking. As with the second-generation costume, the slacks are worn with a black leather belt. A button-up jacket is issued with this costume and is identical to the shirt in style, design, and material. The unique thing about this costume is that unlike all other Disney costumes, the nametag is affixed to the right side of the shirt as opposed to the left. This was done most likely for aesthetic reasons so that the nametag could be on the less-busy gray side of the shirt. Another unique feature of this costume is the fact that the shirt buttons are situated on the left instead of the right. This makes the costume shirt particularly awkward to button up for the men, whose shirt buttons are traditionally on the right. The Next Generation The future of Universe of Energy's costumes is presently in limbo. The costumes are usually funded by the pavilion's sponsor. With ExxonMobil dropping its sponsorship of Universe of Energy in March of 2004, it is unlikely that we'll see a fourth-generation costume until a new sponsor is secured. In the meantime, the only change is likely to be the removal or replacement of the patches bearing the ExxonMobil name. In recent years, Disney has moved progressively towards putting comfort before style in the design of newer costumes (such as allowing sneakers to be worn instead of Oxfords, and creating a summer version of some costumes with shorts instead of slacks). Cast Members had been lobbying ExxonMobil for quite some time to follow suit, and allow shorts to be worn in the sweltering summer months. ExxonMobil had always felt (and we must reluctantly agree) that shorts did not look professional, and thus would not allow them to be worn as part of the costume. With ExxonMobil's departure, Disney may relent and allow shorts to be worn. Another trend in costuming has seen the more stylized and highly themed costumes being replaced with a more generic style. Many of the newer costumes consist only of plain khaki slacks or shorts (most likely "off the rack") and a lightly-themed shirt. However, the newest Imagination costumes buck this trend slightly, by adding detail in the form a white lab coat, and the costumes for the new Mission: Space are as stylized as any seen in Future World's history. Which of these diverging trends will emerge in Universe of Energy's next costume design? It's anyone's guess. But for the sake of show, for giving the Cast Members a strong sense of playing their "role", and for the overall thematic cohesion of the attraction, we certainly hope that the long tradition of stylized costumes prevails. Related Pages Costumes Gallery The Costume gallery features the images above in larger sizes, as well as additional Universe of Energy costume photos. Cast Memories Gary7 models his "Experimental Polyester Costume of Tomorrow", and other costume-related stories. Wish List We're looking for better photos of the "second generation" costume. If you have any photos of Cast Members wearing this costume (with or without the jacket), please contact us. Costume drawings are ©2004 NRG_Guy & Gary7