Epcot Attractions
Before describing the attractions in Epcot, I think it's
necessary to point out some issues regarding small children and the attractions
in this park. Although most people realize that the studios is oriented
more towards teens and adults than young children, it's worth a reminder
than young children may be restricted from some attractions due to height
and age requirements and that some of the park's attractions are very
intense. The Universe of Energy (realistic dinosaurs) and Maelstrom
(severe storm and trolls) are examples of attractions that have content
that may be startling for children. Beware!
There's a lot more information on this issue in the section
entitled "Special
Considerations for Park Touring" earlier in the planning guide,
including a complete list of the height
requirements and "fear
factors" that you will want to be aware of for the various attractions.
There's also a description of the "baby
swap" policy that will be helpful for families with smaller children.
If you have kids under the age of thirteen that will be going on your
trip, I encourage you to read through that information in detail before
leaving for Florida. For disabled guests, there's a brief amount
of information that you may find helpful on the page titled, "Touring
the Parks with Disabled Guests."
Spaceship Earth
Spaceship Earth, the ride that is located inside the geosphere
that is Epcot's icon, is an audio-animatronic journey through the history
of communications. Included in the scenery and narration are cave paintings,
the development of written language, the Phoenician merchants,
the Roman highway system, the great libraries in the Muslim lands that
maintained so much knowledge during Europe's dark ages, Guttenberg's
printing press...and on and on to today's digital communications networks
spanning the globe. In 1994 or so, Jeremy Irons was recruited to produce
a new narration that replaced the original one done by Walter Cronkrite.
I guess that's the Disney "continuous improvement" at work.
Also, the end of the ride (which used to be quite anti-climatic) has
been re-worked a bit. The scenery is much improved, but the music is
foreboding, and dreary. Whoever chose the music must have had lead ears.
Other than that small criticism, this is a wonderful attraction. It's
educational and fun at the same time.
Sometimes you can catch this ride first thing in the morning
with virtually no line. Likewise, you can often catch it on the way
out without a wait. Bottom line...if there's a queue, plan to come back
later -- the crowds will likely dissipate. By the way, once you're inside
the building there isn't much longer to go. There just wasn't room inside
for a large queue area, so it's all outside the entrance.
Innoventions
Innoventions has been completely re-modeled for the Millennium
Celebration in 1999 and 2000. It's a good thing, because the old
displays had been around for several years and were really beginning
to get old. The new approach here is similar to the Innoventions
at Disneyland. Instead of a free flowing "buffet" style
attraction where you could look at whatever interested you, there is
now a formal pre-show along with a more controlled experience as you
move through the attraction.
If you're into video games, the internet, and new technology,
you'll be able to spend hours here. There is a lot of new (some
not yet released) gizmos from various manufacturers for the home, transportation,
and electronics.
Ellen's Energy Adventure (Universe of Energy)
This attraction features Ellen Degeneres, the former
star of a now-defunct Disney TV sitcom, who is in the midst of a personal
energy crisis. Ellen dreams that she is on the game show Jeopardy, competing
against an old college rival (played by Jamie Lee Curtis) and Albert
Einstein (played by himself, ostensibly). In short, she's being wasted
by her old rival (Al seems to be lost in thought and doesn't really
play much into the final outcome of the match). Fortunately, Bill Nye
the science guy, another Disney character creation, comes to the rescue
and gives Ellen some personal tutoring just in the nick of time. Along
the way, the theatre itself turns into a Jurassic Park.
Since this attraction in a theatre show, it has a very
large capacity. Except in the busiest seasons of the year, when
the lines are astronomical, everyone that is waiting will get into the
next show.
The Wonders of Life
Body Wars
Move over, Mr. Toad, now this is a wild ride. If you
remember the old sci-fi flick, "Fantastic Voyage," you'll
get the idea. In the interest of science, your entire group is miniaturized
and injected into a body to observe how the body repairs itself against
a small splinter. The ride gets pretty wild when a scientist making
an extra-vehicular reconnaissance (she's outside of the vehicle checking
out the splinter) gets pulled into the heart. Not only do you get
small (my apologies to Steve Martin) on this ride, you also get to
take a ride through the heart, lungs, and brain of the unassuming
splinter victim. You'd think a dose of Bactine and some tweezers would
have covered it, but I guess this was a government idea of some kind.
DARPA maybe, or NASA.
Unlike Star Tours, this ride has a tendency to swish
to and fro as the blood pumps through the vessels so this attraction
rivals the Mad Tea Party for nausea potential...beware!
Cranium Command
Cranium Command is a classic. It's an audio-animatronic
tale of a Cranium Commando, a "brain driver", that is assigned
to guide a 12-year-old boy through a typical day. Different actors
report to the Cranium Commando representing the stomach, heart, and
several different brain functions. Along the way, the kid ends up
sleeping in, falls for a girl, blows up the chemistry lab, starts
a food fight in the cafeteria, and ends up in the principal's office.
The Cranium Commando is supposed to guide the kid without stress...yeah,
right. This is definitely an entertaining and fun show. Don't miss
it.
Test Track
Test Track is a behind-the-scenes look at vehicle testing
at a proving ground. The queue area displays information on component
and durability testing of GM's vehicles. This is interesting for me,
since I'm a supervisor in an automotive engineering lab.
(I worked for GM for almost 18 years before my part of the company spun
off into a separate corporate entity.)
If you consider this a technology attraction, one that
is in Epcot to teach you more about the science and engineering of developing
and validating cars, you'll enjoy yourself very much (and you'll learn
more than you realize as you go). However, the ride itself is
a bit less exciting than it could be, so if you're looking for a thrill
ride, you might be disappointed.
Journey into Imagination
Journey into Your Imagination
Journey is fresh off a 1999 rehabilitation. The
hallmark music that we've enjoyed in this attraction has been dropped
(perhaps it will return in some future incarnation). Dreamfinder is
also passé, as the new attraction is based on the Imagination Institute
(the organization that presents the "Scientist of the Year Award"
in "Honey, I Shrunk the Audience." Oddly enough, Figment
still appears, even if Dreamfinder and the Sherman Brother's music
didn't make the cut.
The gist of story is that
the "Imaginator," the newest project of the Imagination
Institute, is ready for routine testing. Special effects and
optical illusions combine to make the eight minute "test"
an interesting one.
The negative reviews that
this attraction has been given are directly on target. There
is very little positive to say about "Journey into Your Imagination"
other than that the line was short. On the other hand, that
might be a telling fact, too.
Honey, I Shrunk the Audience
This attraction begins as the formal presentation of
the Scientist of the Year award to the guy that "shrunk the kids"
and "blew up the kid". After demonstrating some of this
other work, his shrinking machine gets turned on the audience. The
effects are excellent. Be aware that there are some frightening snake
and lion 3-D effects that you might want to warn your children about
in advance. Also, since this is a full-sensory attraction, you'll
experience more than just 3-D visuals.
The Land
Living With the Land
Living with the Land takes you on a quick boat tour
of the ecosystems of the world from rainforest, to desert, to the
farmlands of the North American plains. After describing each of these
in turn, the problems of poor land management and over population
are reviewed -- and some of the technology and techniques that are
being developed to improve those situations are introduced. Towards
the middle of the ride, problem and theory give way to practical solutions
as the boat tours a huge agricultural development lab. Multiple crops,
vertical growing, hydroponics, sea farming (in which fish and eels
are "cultivated") and other techniques (including several
NASA experiments) are displayed and explained. Much of the salad greens
that are served at the various Epcot restaurants is actually grown
in the Land pavilion. This is truly an educational attraction, while
being interesting and entertaining at the same time.
"Behind the Seeds" (Greenhouse Tour)
If you're at all interested in gardening technology,
this short walking tour gives you a much more detailed look at the
Land pavilion's inner-workings. The tour only takes thirty minutes,
but if you get a tour guide that you can understand (a 50/50 chance
according to my luck) it's fun. You also get to see the squirming
eels up close and personal and feed the carp. Cost is $6 for adults
and $4 for children.
Food Rocks
Food Rocks is an audio-animatronic look at the four
basic food groups. Chubby Cheddar, Elvis Parsley, and others host
this show that describes the benefits of a balanced diet. If you like
classic rock, you'll like it. It's tongue-in-cheek, but fun.
The Circle of Life
Timon and Pumbaa are developing a massive resort complex
on the African savanna. They are clueless about the possible long
term environmental effects of their construction, though, until Simba
explains things to them. This is certainly an educational film, but
the environmental -- men are ruining everything -- message is pretty
clear. If you're a lumberjack, you might want to boycott this attraction...If
you're a spotted owl, don't miss it!
The Living Seas
Caribbean Coral Reef Ride / Sea Base Alpha
My opinion of this attraction, prior to 1995, was that
it was disappointing and boring...boy, was I wrong! If you take the
time to look things over in Sea Base Alpha, I'm sure you'll find that
this is a lot of fun, and very interesting. I'd just never took the
time before. There's the aquarium, some manatees, a lot of ecological
information, and a small shop. One of my favorite displays is the
aquatic life with natural camouflage...just trying to find some of
these creatures is a challenge.
World Showcase
In World Showcase, several "nations" have only
shopping and restaurants. They are: The United Kingdom, Morocco, Japan,
Italy, and Germany. Each of these are very much worthwhile to visit, shop,
and have a meal, but they contain no "attractions" other than
dining, shopping, and displays.
O Canada
This is a Circle-Vision film showing the beauty of our
northern neighbor. During the course of your tour, you'll see everything
from seaside scenery in the maritime provinces to the Rocky Mountains
and the shores of the Pacific Northwest. One of my favorite scenes,
the opening, as I recall, shows a large group of Canadian Mounted
Police on their steeds. It's quite a lovely film, and the music is
pretty too. Well worth the time to see it.
Click here
to take a photo tour of World Showcase's North American Pavilions.
The United Kingdom pavilion does not have a ride or
show, like some of the other World Showcase pavilions. Instead,
it has lovely gardens, shops, and a great restaurant and pub.
Click here
to take a photo tour of this little taste of "the old country."
This is among my favorites of all films at WDW. The
score is based on French Classical music by Debussy, Saint Saens,
and others. The scenery is gorgeous. During this film you'll see Paris,
the small towns of the countryside, the wine country of Burgundy,
St. Mont Michel, Notre Dame, and many other familiar landmarks. I
particularly enjoy the view of the pastries in the patisserie window.
It makes me hungry every time! I'm fiercely proud of my mostly British
heritage, but this film makes me realize that the French have reason
to be proud, too.
Click here to take
a photo tour of the France Pavilion.
The Morocco pavilion does not have a ride or show. However,
it does have some great shopping opportunities as well as a great
full-service restaurant (Marrakesh) and a mediocre counter-service
restaurant (Tangierine Cafe).
Click here to take
a photo tour of the Morocco Pavilion.
The Japan pavilion doesn't have an attraction (i.e.
a ride, presentation, or film), but it does have some great shopping
and eating opportunities. There's also a display of Japanese
art and technology in the very back of the pavilion, if you're interested
in seeing it.
Click here to take
a photo tour of World Showcase's Japan pavilion.
The American Adventure
One of the most stirring audio-animatronic presentations,
for a United States citizen, anyway, at WDW. Hosts Ben Franklin and
Samuel Clemens trace the history of American accomplishment from the
Revolutionary War, the founding of the nation , on through the strife
of the Civil War and the years of industrialization, expansion, and
ingenuity. The film and still montage is particularly moving, and
the music is marvelous. Don't miss it!
Click here
to take a photo tour of World Showcase's North American Pavilions.
The German pavilion doesn't have an attraction (i.e.
a ride, presentation, or film), but it does have a bunch of great
shops and a couple of fun places to get a bite if you're hungry.
Click here to take
a photo tour of World Showcase's Germany pavilion.
Wonders of China: Land of Beauty, Land of Time
Another Circle-Vision production, this one is similarly
beautiful. Some of the Chinese landscape is so unusual, and the natural
beauty so stunning that this film is a must.
Maelstrom
On this ride, you board a Norse longboat for a journey
through an ancient Viking village, through a mythical troll-infested
landscape, through a North Sea storm (skirting an oil rig), and finally
to a quiet, quaint fishing village. The film that follows is typical
Disney - very pretty. The ride itself doesn't live up to the billing
of most of it's fans, though, at least in my opinion.
El Rio Del Tiempo: The River of Time
El Rio Del Tiempo is a combination of a Mexican history
trip and travelogue and It's a Small World Latin-style. This attraction
really isn't one of Disney's best efforts, but it's still worth seeing.
One of the best features of this ride is that there is rarely a big
line, although it might get a bit more attention after it's recent
refresh.
Click here
to take a photo tour of World Showcase's North American Pavilions.
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Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide
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