The Disney Frontier Blog

From the China Pavilion in Epcot. via Robert Payne.

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EPCOT Central has a great post reflecting on the issues that surround EPCOT, its themes, and its direction especially as it relates to EPCOT Central’s coverage. Read it here:

EPCOT Central: Every Post Critical Or Trenchant?

What I really appreciate about this post is who EPCOT Central places the blame on for what they perceive as mistakes – the upper management. The core ideal around EPCOT was that it would be constantly evolving – you could say that is a core ideal for all the parks and I would agree with you. EPCOT was to be a playground of change around a single theme, Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow.

But as management’s job is to make money – and not just revenue, but profit – they have gotten scared to take risks. It’s far easier to slap a Nemo themed ride into EPCOT then it is to think about what might make up the community of tomorrow. Nemo has had success. People will pay to see Nemo. Blah, Blah, Blah.

I have no issue with making money. However, as with all business, taking risks is critical to moving forward and avoiding stagnating and complacency. 

I don’t want my blog to be a blog that criticizes Disney. There are plenty of other blogs that do that well. I appreciate them and when appropriate, want to highlight them. 

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I have a friend, Robert, that I have worked along side with at Twelve Horses for a few years. We’ve become pretty close friends despite our differing interests. He has never understood my fascination with all things Disney and I have very little no interest in taking vacations to remote and jungle like destinations.

He’s dumbfounded when I share my latest trip report. He just doesn’t see the appeal of gathering with all of man kind for a few days experiencing make-believe and riding roller coasters. Robert doesn’t have kids yet, which may have something to do with this – although I was indoctrinated well before I had kids.

On the flip side, it’s not that I don’t like the outdoors. Growing up, my parents took me camping almost every weekend. I’ve spent time backpacking, rock climbing, Jeeping and moutain biking. However, like most of my readers here, when I think of vacation spots, I think of Disney resorts. Having two little ones and a wife who is into the Disney culture as much as me, makes this a no brainer.

OK, now I can get to the point of this post. Robert recently moved from Reno, NV to Tampa Bay, FL. Tampa is about 2 hours from the Magic Kingdom, so I immediately started to pressure him to make a trip to the parks. I also recently moved from Reno, NV to Phoenix, AZ. Robert also began to pressure me to hike in the Sonoran Desert. We made an agreement that if one of us buckled to the peer pressure, the other would likewise.

So I invite you to read Robert’s trip report to Epcot. He’s only visited one of the parks so far, but it sounds like he’s open to trying the others. I think he was pleasantly surprised by the experience and he picked a good park to start with. I’ve shared that he should probably try Animal Kingdom next and avoid doing the Magic Kingdom until last. The is the walk before you run plan.

And once I get to the desert, which will be soon – before it gets too hot, I will write about it here.

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Keane has created two videos that are worth a watch. The first is Illuminations (50 MB) and the second is the Osbourne Dancing Lights (13.5 MB). The IllumiNations is the collection of three different shows over three different years.

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GM has opened an area dedicated to alternative fuel in Epcot just outside of the Test Track. The “Fuel For Thought” exhibit is comprised of games, graphics and messages and sounds a lot like Innoventions at Disneyland. Here is the press release from GM:

DETROIT – General Motors will bring the wonder of fuel cell technology, hybrid vehicles and ethanol-powered cars and trucks to life with the newly opened “Fuel For Thought” display at Walt Disney World Resort’s Epcot theme park near Orlando, Florida. The exhibit features unique, interactive components to provide edutainment for visitors of all ages about advanced automotive technology and the road to a greener future.

“Epcot is an amazing imaginative theme park,” said Betsy Lazar, executive director of advertising and media operations for General Motors. “With the addition of ‘Fuel For Thought,’ visitors will now have an opportunity to explore innovative aspects and applications of automotive technology through a fun-filled experience.”

“Fuel For Thought” is comprised of interactive kiosks and games, a special floor projection, plasma wall elements, bright graphics and messaging, vehicle displays with information conveyed through lighting and video, and live narrated presentations.

The walk through “Fuel For Thought” begins down a livegreengoyellow.com pathway designed with brilliant graphics and a plasma wall with an expansive photo of a cornfield. As visitors pass by, they will see the cornstalks parting in a wavelike fashion. The opposite wall is dotted with porthole-like windows that provide an introduction to different GM environmental activities throughout the world.

The yellow pathway leads up to the exhibit’s open bi-level space filled with a variety of activities to enjoy.

Five touch-screen games are stationed in the backside of the porthole-like windows, including a trivia game about hybrid technology, a Stalk Car racing game, and a memory game where one matches the photos from a fuel cell marathon.

Three free-standing kiosks have numerous buttons, dials, video screens, lighting effects, factoids and more for interactive learning about fuel cells, hybrids and E85. The kiosks provide learnings such as how a hydrogen atom is used ultimately in a fuel cell stack to create energy and eventually exhaust made of water.

The main exhibit space floor is highlighted by a giant projected circular graphic controlled by motion sensors. At one point the circle appears to hold corn kernels and as someone walks across it, the kernels pop into popcorn while E85 messages traverse the area. The themed graphic also presents an electricity show while emphasizing hybrid technology and a pool of water is at the forefront when fuel cell messages are shared.

An actual FlexFuel E85 compatible vehicle is housed on the main floor for visitors to climb in and out of, while one wall houses a Chevy Tahoe chassis that demonstrates through vibrant lighting effects how a two-mode hybrid works.

Upon exiting “Fuel For Thought,” the future of the automotive industry is expanded upon with a display featuring the AUTOnomy. The AUTOnomy, first introduced at the North American International Auto Show in January 2002, marked a bold push from GM to reinvent the automobile. The world’s first vehicle designed from the ground up around a fuel cell propulsion system is viewable in a display surrounded by extensive graphics and looping video to watch, and features a live presentation narrator four times per hour.

“Epcot is a place of endless possibilities for adults and children, and ‘Fuel For Thought’ provides a fun, interactive experience that shows the endless creativity of the General Motors team,” said Brad Rex, vice president of Epcot. “We share GM’s passion for preserving our environment and are thrilled with this wonderful addition to Epcot.”

The “Fuel For Thought” exhibit is easily accessed upon exiting the thrill ride “Test Track presented by General Motors” in the park’s “Future World” section. Theme park admission is required to experience “Fuel For Thought.”

General Motors has been an active partner at Epcot?Ç¬Æ (Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow) since the theme park opened its doors October 1, 1982. Epcot was the second theme park built at the Walt Disney World Resort.

The first thrill attraction at Epcot “Test Track presented by General Motors” was added on March 17, 1999. Test Track takes riders through the hair-raising world of auto testing on one of the longest, fastest attractions in Disney history. The ride races up a bumpy terrain, roars around hair-pin turns, travels through freezing cold chambers, and rushes onto 50-degree banked curves at 60 miles an hour. “Fuel For Thought” is the most extensive interactive exhibit attached to “Test Track presented by General Motors” to date.

General Motors Corp. (NYSE: GM), the world’s largest automaker, has been the global industry sales leader for 75 years. Founded in 1908, GM today employs about 318,000 people around the world. With global headquarters in Detroit, GM manufactures its cars and trucks in 33 countries. In 2005, 9.17 million GM cars and trucks were sold globally under the following brands: Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, GM Daewoo, Holden, HUMMER, Opel, Pontiac, Saab, Saturn and Vauxhall. GM’s OnStar subsidiary is the industry leader in vehicle safety, security and information services. More information on GM can be found at www.gm.com.

Walt Disney World Resort is a contiguous 40-square-mile, world-class entertainment and recreation center featuring four theme parks (Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Disney-MGM Studios and Disney’s Animal Kingdom); two water adventure parks (Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon); 32 resort hotels (22 owned and operated by Walt Disney World); 99 holes of golf on six courses; two full-service spas; Disney’s Wedding Pavilion; Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex; and Downtown Disney, an entertainment-shopping-dining complex encompassing the Marketplace, Pleasure Island and West Side. Located at Lake Buena Vista, Fla., 20 miles southwest of Orlando, Walt Disney World Resort opened Oct. 1, 1971. Open daily, year-round.

[via AutoBlogGreen]

Tags: GM, Alternate Energy, Disney

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If you have an extra $315 and are looking for a Mickey to cuddle, Disney is offering a Steiff mohair and velvet Mickey Mouse holding a minature mohair “Disney bear.” There are only 1500 available so either call guest services or visit the Toy Shop in Germany inside Epcot.

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The video is just over 14 minutes long. It’s good quality with little background talk. The ride itself is 5 minutes and 38 seconds long and takes travelers all the way to Mars. I think it’s cool that Gary Sinise does the narration and the training video as he was in the movies Mission to Mars and Apollo 13.

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Courtesy of Inside the Magic

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MiceAge.com has a review of the new Epcot ride, The Seas with Nemo and Friends.

It sounds pretty favorable:

And yet the result is charming, immersive, interesting… almost a match for the Haunted Mansion, and that’s not a comparison I make lightly.

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Inside the Magic found two new pages on the Disney world website:

• The Seas with Nemo & Friends – Opening Late October
• Finding Nemo – The Musical – Opening Late November

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Explorethemagic.com has a scan of ticket #81504 from Epcot’s opening day. Its very attractive and definately would have been a keeper (still is I guess).

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I create a new page that links to each Disney Map from each Disney Park at each Disney Resort. I hope you find these as useful as I do. It will become the third regular link on the right along with the Disney Links page and the Recommend Stuff page.

I found it interesting that each Disney Destination site was different in design and in functionality. If you cruise some of these maps, you will find that very few resorts present them in the same fashion. In fact, the best maps I could find of the Disneyland Resort in California were actually PDFs. Besides for these three maps, all the rest link to pages on the particular resort’s site.

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This 24 minute film was recorded just before Walt’s death. It was presented to the media and government officials in February of 1967. It highlights thier “Florida Project” a Disney World in Florida.

These plans include a theme park, industrial center, transportation center and “the heart of everything” the Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow – EPCOT. You will see the original plans for a true, planned city.

Waltopia: Walt’s Last Film

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Scroll to the bottom of this page on Intercot.com and you will find ride audio, video and photos from Spaceship Earth in Epcot.  The audio and video is in Real Media format which is not my particular favorite but they are worth the view.  From INTERCOT:

“Spiral 18 stories through a dramatic history of communication. A fascinating ride not to be missed. At the top of the Geosphere, you get a view of the universe projected on the ceiling. At this point your car reverses and you ride backwards towards your starting point and the Global Neighborhood activity center. “

tags: Epcot, Spaceship Earth, Disney World, Disney, Video, Audio, Photos

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I think its only fair to start this review by saying I have not been to Disney World (Yet!). I say this because this lack of experience causes me to be more euphoric about this video then someone who, say, grew up in Orlando and has an annual pass.

The DVD checks in at one hour and 19 minutes. Its a behind the scene documentary of Walt Disney World Resort originally airing on The History Channel. The story starts by showcasing Walt Disney and the creation of Disneyland in California. It then progresses to the early planning stages of Disney World including secretly buying land for dollars an acre. Once the people of Orlando figured out it was Disney buying the land, prices shot up to hundreds per acre.

Many old school and new school imagineers are interviewed in this documentary including Marty Sklar and Joe Rhode. They tell neat stories about building the park and attractions. The DVD goes back stage and underground as well as show cases certain attractions and ends discussing Expedition Everest which at the time was not yet completed.

My whole family enjoyed the DVD and we have watched it twice. I highly recommend at least renting it once even if you are ultra familiar with Disney World. There are great vintage video clips and interesting stories that you won’t find anywhere else.

Disney | Disney World | Disney DVD | Epcot

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