Ken Kerr, Joyce Kerr Labrinos
When the USS Enterprise was reimagined with a motion-picture budget during the making of the first Star Trek film, the production’s artists...
Here it is at last, the grand tribute to Horizons that i've promised to you four months ago ! And this one is going to be a really big tribute to this Epcot beloved attraction, one of my favorite. Lot of pictures, for the first time in big size, plenty of artwork, and great video of the whole ride at the end of the article, with the links to the previous Epcot original attractions artwork articles. Horizons, designed by imagineer George Mc Ginnis and Collin Campbell opened on October 1, 1983 and was about the future!...and more specifically, Horizons was dedicated to "humanity's future" with this principle "If we can dream it, we can do it!". Not only the building was huge, but the 14.45 minutes ride was one of the longest one ever created by Walt Disney Imagineering. Lot of audio-animatronics - 54, exactly , and 770 props all along the ride, not to mention the 12 film projectors, the two Omnisphere screenshow, and a huge capacity of 2784 guests per hour.Everything was great: the story line, the theming, the music, everything! During 10 years - from 1983 to 1993 - the attraction sponsor was General Electric, as we can see on this picture of the entrance. Right after the entrance, the Futureport announced the "destinations" It's time to board in one of the Horizons vehicles First, we had a look back to some of the great visionaries like Jules Verne, then to how the future was dreamed in the 30's. Here is a picture of the model of that scene. And here are pictures of the real thing. The next scene was a vision of the future from the 50's. After these opening scenes the Horizons vehicle moved to the Omnimax film sequence with images of the DNA chain, or the space shuttle lift off. The next scene was the 21st century Habitat sequence , also called the Nova City living room. A huge backdrop painting was done for that scene, here is three close shots of this artwork. The next scene brings the guests at Mesa Verde, a desert farm of the future... And then to a submarine habitat... But also inside a space colony and the "crystal lab"... The Holographic "happy bithday" party line was the next scene, and the special effects were at that time really impressive. The guests had then the possibility to "choose their tomorrow" with a choice of three destinations: Space , Desert, and Undersea. A screen came in front of the vehicle and a short movie was played. A good idea, but the image definition was not as good as it would be today. Before we arrive to the videos below, i have more rare pictures for you. First, a model of the building. Then some artwork for the "Main Shuttle port" Here is a fantastic painting showing a city of the future. But one of the biggest backdrop painting was the "Looking back at tomorrow". Here are some very rare photos showing the painter at work - Robert McCall, a famous artist who worked mostly for NASA - and details of the painting. And now it's time for you to board inside a Horizon vehicle and enjoy this fantastic ride, thanks to this two part youtube video from black562 i thank a lot, and congratulate for the high quality of the filming. Just like everybody who did the ride at Epcot, you will love Horizons instantly, it was Imagineering at its best! And don't forget: If we can dream it, we can do it! You can know more about Horizons, read the original script and listen the great music theme on the excellent Horizons web site HERE I remember you that you can find the previous articles about Epcot's original attractions artwork: for Spaceship Earth HERE, for The Living Seas HERE, for Communicore HERE , for The Land HERE, and for Journey into Imagination HERE. More coming next week about Universe of Energy! Thanks to leave a comment or discuss this article on D&M english forum on Mice Chat Photos and artwork: copyright Disney Enterprises Inc Youtube videos: many thanks to black562 !
Since opening day on October 1, 1982, EPCOT Center had walk-around meet & greet characters. The most famous of these were Figment & Dreamfinder, who are still sorely missed by Epcot fans (for more photos
This is an extremely unique jar of actual dirt taken from the groundbreaking of the EPCOT Center at Walt Disney World on October 1, 1979. This dirt is stored in a small jar with an EPCOT label on the lid. The jar measures 2" x 2" and 1.75" tall and is in good condition with some wear around the edges.
In these rare photographs, you can see the filmmakers and Walt setting up for production of the “EPCOT Film.”
Anyone have pics of the old carpet? Google "communicore carpet" and you can find a bunch - that was the last quadrant to be replaced
I LOVE the retro EPCOT symbols, but I'm not that sure as to what they all stand for! Can someone more in-the-know than I am elaborate? I'm...
Here is some conceptual art pertaining to Disney's EPCOT Center:
Sponsors: Exxon (1982-1996), ExxonMobil (1996-2004) Located in Future World East, The Universe of Energy was an opening day attraction at Epcot. ...
No EPCOT Center extinct attraction is as loved and lamented as Horizons. An optimistic look at the future that shared bloodlines with Walt Disney's Carousel of Progress, many consider Horizons to be the greatest Walt
Fun educational resources for Epcot's China Pavilion. Books, crafts, and activities that you and your child can do together at home.
CommuniCore (short for Community Core) was a pavilion dedicated to technological advance located at Epcot in Walt Disney World, Florida. It occupied two semi-circular buildings behind Spaceship Earth at the center of Future World. The two buildings were known as CommuniCore East and West and housed rotating exhibits. Closed and redesigned in 1994, the former Communicore buildings are now the home of Innoventions. ~ Wiki
EPCOT Center was stunning back in the early 80s. This was before bulky outdoor vending carts and DVC Kiosks littered the grounds of the park. All pictures in this post
The World That Never Was: EPCOT Part II
In tribute to Epcot 25th celebration, here is the part two of a series of articles about the original artwork. In this part two we will have a closer look to the original renderings for Epcot Living Seas pavillion, the very first version, not the one with Nemo. As you will see, the artwork is beautiful. I don't know the name of the WDI artist who did this artwork, but most of them looks really like the Tim Delaney style. If anyone knows the name of the artist who did this artwork, thanks to let me know! Also, i will try to present the renderings in the "chronological order" of the scenes, but i may do some mistake, so, sorry if it's the case! As always, click on each picture to see them in big size. Okay, there is 27 different renderings for the living seas, and here we go! The first one above show the whole pavillion And the next one show the entrance Here is a first concept for the attraction which looks great! And here is another one preliminary concept , just as great! This is the artwork for the preshow queue decor And for some pre-show decor painting This one show the inside of the famous "Hydrolator" Here is a great one showing the sea cabs This scene show the guests riding in the sea cabs Guests are now unloading the sea cabs ...And arrive to Sea Base Alpha ! Here is a view from "outside" . I don't think the divers ever dress as futuristic as they look here - not to mention the submarine vehicle... Here is another version of that scene And a close shot on the diver Let's come back in Sea Base Alpha ...and his hydrolators ...as well as the divers show This one show the Pacific coastal ecosystem area And this one the robot Jason Here is one involving sharks This is the artwotk for the "scuba tube" scene And a close shot on the "diver" Here is a different version for that scene It seems that a "show" was envisioned with king Neptune A close shot on Neptune's face Let's not forget the great coral reef restaurant And the final one will take you in the VIP lounge! More Epcot original artwork coming soon in the next article! All artwork: copyright Disney Enterprises
The March 5, 1961 Chicago Tribune ran this Closer Than We Think! strip, showcasing the golf cart of the future. Hey, it can't all be starving children and future shock. To save steps for the par-shooter of the future, a Tokyo firm has designed a remote-control golf cart, based on the same principles that permit a television viewer to change channels without leaving his chair. Once our golfer arrived at the edge of a green or bad rough, he would walk to the ball, take his shot, and then summon his cart by voice or button as he moved along toward the nineteenth hole. Still another advance, lacking in the Japanese concept, lies ahead. It's the "ground effect machine" principle, through which the cart could float on a cushion of air instead of riding on the turf. No more fairway flattening in the future! See also: Closer Than We Think! (1958-1963) Sport in Space Colonies (1977) Olympic Games on the Moon in 2020 (1979) Future Without Football (Daily Review, 1976) Lunar High Jump (1979)
