Home > Pavilion > Ride/Show Technology > Show Doors We've all encountered "show doors" in various Disney attractions. They are used to visually separate show scenes and at times create suspense. Think for example of how the buggies in Mr. Toad's Wild Ride used to "crash" through various doors in the ride. There the Imagineers wanted us to be aware of the show doors; they not only separated the show scenes, they offered a sense of impending "danger", opening just in time to allow our buggy to ride through. The Universe of Energy boasts the largest show doors ever built for a Disney attraction, yet unlike those in many other rides, guests are largely unaware of these truly massive and impressive show elements. Energy's show doors allow the Traveling Theater to glide effortlessly through the building, while maintaining visual and acoustic separation of the theaters and diorama. When closed, the show doors form the lower part of several walls. At a height of 12 feet, widths of up to 92 feet, and approximately a 12 inches thick, these doors truly are more "movable walls" than conventional show doors. They blend so seamlessly into the remainder of the wall, that it's only upon close inspection that you can tell the walls are not actually a single contiguous element. Most of the time, these doors are hidden from guests' view: behind the curtains of Theater I and the screens in Theater II. In the original show, guests witnessed these marvels as part of the finale--where they formed part of Theater I's two mirrored walls. Many guests were undoubtedly so captivated by the finale, that they didn't give thought to the fact that the then-solid wall had just allowed the entire Traveling Theater to pass through! With the elimination of the mirrored-wall finale went their most glorious and effective use--but while almost entirely hidden from view now, they still serve a very effective purpose of acoustic isolation. The sounds in theaters and diorama are louder than ever (especially with the "Big Bang" sequence in Theater 1), so with two shows running simultaneously, this soundproofing is very important. Mechanics A total of four show doors can be found in the Universe of Energy, one separating Theater I from the diorama (known as "Door A"), one separating Theater II from the diorama (known as "Door D") and two separating Theater I from Theater II (known as "Door C" and "Door B"). See the diagram below. These amazing doors open by sinking swiftly and silently into a slot in the floor on hydraulic lifts. The hydraulics are so powerful as to not only make moving these massive wall-like doors look effortless, they can even raise with two fully-loaded Traveling Theater vehicles straddling a door! Of course, that's not supposed to happen, but the doors have been accidentally raised with (unloaded) vehicles on them during manual operation. Metal plates atop the doors (visible in the photo below) provide a smooth and stable surface for the Traveling Theater vehicles to drive across the tops of the doors. The most impressive views are those standing right next to the opening or closing door. There you can really get a sense of how massive, powerful, and potentially dangerous these doors are. Unfortunately, this is a view that few guests will ever see, but you can still get a glimpse of the doors in action. If you can tear yourself away from the show for a moment, look behind you after passing from one area of the building to another: after entering the diorama (the door closes a moment after all the vehicles have settled into the holding area); after entering Theater II from the diorama (during the turntable's rotation); and upon returning to Theater I for the finale (again, during the turntable's rotation). For the best view, it helps tremendously to be in the very back rows of the Traveling Theater. The Big Picture Another amazing, if somewhat surreal view is one that few guests will ever see. At closing (and sometimes during a downtime), all of the show doors are lowered completely into their respective slots in the floor. From certain vantage points--particularly at the Theater I console--you can actually see more than two-thirds of the ride! The only portion not visible from this perspective is the middle portion of the diorama. The Wedge As you can see from the drawing above, a "wedge" shape is formed where Theater II and Theater I meet. Though they pass right through it, most guests are largely oblivious to it, as they're looking forward into Theater I. With show doors "B" and "C" closed, the "wedge" area is pitch-dark and soundproof. It's not the place to be if you're claustrophobic, as at least one unfortunate Cast Member discovered the hard way!