Walt Disney World Provides a Glimpse of the Future With New Epcot Experience

Image: New Entrance at Epcot (Photo via Walt Disney World News)
Image: New Entrance at Epcot (Photo via Walt Disney World News)
Mia Taylor
by Mia Taylor
Last updated: 6:02 PM ET, Tue October 1, 2019

As Epcot continues its historic transformation including the development of new attractions, landscapes, and entertainment, Walt Disney World is inviting guests to take a glimpse of the theme park's future.

That exciting sneak-peak will be provided via the just-announced Walt Disney Imagineering presents the Epcot Experience, an immersive new showcase of the changes on the way for Epcot.

The company said in a statement that the Epcot Experience provides the first in-depth look at the park's transformation, blending cutting-edge technology and fun with personal moments to create an environment that honors everything guests love about Epcot.

The showcase will be located inside the Odyssey Events Pavilion, between Test Track and the Mexico pavilion, according to the statement, and will offer guests a multi-faceted celebration of the past, present, and future of the park. Highlights include:

A 360-Degree Film Presentation

-Guests enter a large, circular, darkened room where they are surrounded by a seamless, 360-degree, floor-to-ceiling screen showing a continuous 12-minute film celebrating the past, present, and future of Epcot.

-The immersive presentation displays archival footage going back well before Epcot opened in 1982, taking guests on a journey to the present day and beyond. It showcases new pavilion icons that will integrate into the park, and previews experiences in development with vignettes featuring The PLAY! Pavilion; a new vision for Spaceship Earth; sensational new attractions based on popular films and the park's forthcoming nighttime spectacular, "HarmonioUS."

-In the center of the room, a three-dimensional artfully designed model of Epcot appears to continuously change in time with the film, as projection-mapping technology highlights different areas of the park in special ways.

-Altogether, the space uses 30 projectors to bring the experience to life and take guests along on the journey of this ambitious next chapter in Epcot's legacy.

Photo Opportunities

Guests can have their pictures taken inside four-dimensional photo locations specially designed for the Epcot Experience. The images will be ideal for sharing on social media, Disney said in its statement.

"These photo ops make it seem as if guests are standing atop the iconic Spaceship Earth geosphere or shrunk to the size of Remy from Disney and Pixar's "Ratatouille," among others," said the statement.

Displays of Special Items

Throughout the Epcot Experience, display cases feature artifacts, memorabilia and other fascinating items showcasing the past, present, and future of Epcot. Pieces include:

-An Epcot park map and medallion from opening day, Oct. 1, 1982, plus a commemorative opening day park ticket

-Epcot pin sets from 1982 and present day

-Models and concept art for future Epcot experiences

The Epcot Experience also features attraction posters from throughout the park's history, as well as experiences still on the horizon.


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Mia Taylor

Mia Taylor

Senior Editor

Mia Taylor is an award-winning journalist who has two decades of experience. Most recently she worked as a staff writer for America's largest digital publisher DotdashMeredith, where she contributed stories on a daily basis to four of the company's most iconic brands - Parents,Real Simple, Better Homes & Gardens, and Health. Her work has also appeared in Travel + Leisure, The Boston Globe, The San Diego UnionTribune, Westways Magazine, Fortune, and more.

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