Home > Pavilion > Ride/Show Technology > Behind the Magic After Walt Disney's death, those whom Walt had entrusted with carrying out his greatest dreams--particularly EPCOT-- struggled with just how to do it. It's debatable whether or not the original plans for EPCOT--which called for a "city of the future", or "Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow"--could be carried out without Walt's guidance. In the end, a compromise was made: to do what the Company knew best, to build a theme park. But this was to be no ordinary theme park. It would embody at least one of the ideas that was central to Walt's vision. It would be a showcase of industry and technology, to demonstrate how through creativity and cooperation, we could meet the challenges of our world. EPCOT's mandate led to something never before seen in a theme park. EPCOT itself would be built on cutting-edge technology and it would peel back the curtain to show some of that technology to its guests. Universe of Energy showed guests how they're "riding on sunshine," and that the revolutionary Traveling Theater was guided along a buried wire "just an eighth of an inch thick." Backstage Magic showed guests some of the machinery behind the magic, with a peek into EPCOT's Central computer facility, and a multimedia presentation on how all the technology comes together to present the EPCOT experience. If a guest wanted to learn still more, a visit to EPCOT Outreach could yield a wealth of information on the subjects presented in EPCOT, and on EPCOT's own technologies and workings. The Day the Future Died The past ten years have seen dramatic changes in EPCOT, and a steady move away from its original vision. Future World is steadily becoming less about the future and about educating and inspiring guests while entertaining. There's no mention in Ellen's Energy Adventure of how the amazing Traveling Theater works. EPCOT Outreach and Backstage Magic were shuttered years ago. The innovative and just plain fun World Key Information System kiosks quietly disappeared. New attractions like Test Track, while enjoyable, have nothing whatsoever to do with the future. Perhaps the biggest blow, "the day the future died", was in 1999 when Horizons closed permanently (and was later demolished). While Future World became decidedly less futuristic from the guest perspective, dramatic changes were taking place in EPCOT's infrastructure as well. Some of the changes reflect advances in technology, while others sadly seem to reflect only economics, and a step backward in technology. Peeling Back the Curtain With the shift away from education and showcasing technology, the amazing story of what made (and continues to make) possible the magic of the EPCOT experience, might well be lost. But we feel it's a compelling story, one worth telling. And so we invite you to once again peel back the curtain and take a look behind the magic.