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Selling EPCOT – Germany and Hummel

Sponsors were critical to the creation of Epcot Center, and some of the very first corporations to sign on for the park were German companies. One of the earliest was Goebel, who sponsored the Glas und Porzellan shop in the Germany pavilion. It remained an Epcot presence until 2010, when the shop closed to make […]

A Very Special Disney Fever Dream, 1995

There is no way I could adequately prepare you, so just watch.

Why? Seriously, why?

This video was distributed at General Motors dealerships in 1995, to people who came in to test-drive cars. G.M. was, at the time, sponsoring World of Motion at Epcot Center, which was preparing to give way to Test Track. Where […]

The 21st Century – Now Featuring HILARITY!

For a wide swath of Disney fans, Epcot Center of the early 1980s would be the first destination on any time-traveling itinerary. The list of fondly-remembered classics is legendary: Horizons, World of Motion, Journey into Imagination, Mr. Intelligence…

Wait, what?

Calllll the poliiiiiiccceeeee…

From Walt Disney World Eyes & Ears, February 2nd, 1984:

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Rainbows In The Attic

One of the greatest and most inexplicable mistakes in the annals of Disney management and Imagineering was the truly terrible, late-90s refurbishment of EPCOT’s Journey into Imagination pavilion. This wonderful attraction, full of artistry and atmosphere, was stripped down and repurposed into what became one of Disney’s all-time least popular attractions.

One result of the […]

Energy – A Few Of Its Faces

One of the first attractions to begin construction at EPCOT Center was the Universe of Energy. Exxon had been one of the first sponsors to sign on for Future World, and so the design of the pavilion had been locked fairly quickly. Renderings from 1977 show a concept fairly similar to the building’s final appearance […]