This Sunday, Epcot will celebrate its 35th anniversary , and in trying to build up the excitement, Disney has released the original ’70s preview video for its second park. Originally called Epcot Center, the park was meant to show guests the future and how life was going to be in the land of tomorrow. Now, we can all look back at “The Dream Called EPCOT” to see exactly how Walt Disney envisioned things leading up to Oct. 1, 1982.
When Walt Disney World was created, the man himself always said that in Florida, he had the “blessing of size.” He was able to make things bigger than he did at Disneyland in California, and he was also able to create more as well.
Even though he didn’t live long enough to see the opening of Magic Kingdom, old videos and interviews always make it seem as if Epcot Center was Walt Disney’s baby. The future was something he was quite passionate about and you could just tell in the way he talked about the new park that would open in Orlando.
The Disney Parks Blog released a video on Thursday that was first released in the ’70s and it was shown at the Epcot Preview Center located in Magic Kingdom.
The video is called “The Dream Called EPCOT” and it ran on a loop for all guests who entered Magic Kingdom each day. It had one sole purpose and it was to introduce everyone to the ideas that Walt Disney put into the new park and what would be coming their way in Future World and World Showcase.
Some of the “brand new” attractions that are featured in the video are:
- Horizons which is now Mission: Space
- World of Motion which is now Test Track
- CommuniCore which is now Innoventions
- The Living Seas which is now The Seas with Nemo and Friends
- Spaceship Earth
Old-school Disney fans will love hearing classic songs such as “Listen to the Land,” “It’s Fun to Be Free,” and “Universe of Energy.” Those are some of the best songs that ever came out of any Disney park, and it’s great to hear them again and know that they were new to everyone who watched his video.
Walt Disney World will be ever-changing and that is not surprising as new technology arrives, tastes change, and guests long for something new. Walt Disney always knew that moving forward meant that change was inevitable, and that is especially true for a place like Epcot which focuses on the future. This new-old video titled “The Dream Called EPCOT” has been released just in time for the 35th anniversary, but it will live on forever.
[Featured Image by Danny Cox]