Disney's Epcot Becoming: Inside the Transformation (Full Episode) | National Geographic

Key Concepts

• EPCOT Transformation: A multi-year project to reimagine EPCOT, updating its attractions and overall experience.
• World Showcase: A celebration of global culture, music, art, and history, featuring pavilions representing different countries.
• Future World (Reimagined): Transformed into three new neighborhoods: World Discovery (technology and ingenuity), World Nature (wonders of our planet), and World Celebration (community).
• Luminous: The Symphony of Us: A new nighttime spectacular show at the World Showcase Lagoon, focusing on human connection through music, lasers, fireworks, and water effects.
• Spaceship Earth Lighting: A new lighting design for the iconic structure, using points of light at the intersection of the panels.
• Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind: EPCOT's first rollercoaster, a reverse launch coaster with rotating ride vehicles (OmniCoaster system).
• Journey of Water, Inspired by Moana: An interactive water play area in World Nature, teaching about water conservation.
• Walt the Dreamer Statue: A new statue of Walt Disney at Dreamer's Point in World Celebration, depicting him during the planning of EPCOT.
• OmniCoaster: A ride system that allows ride vehicles to rotate in any direction at any point along the track.
• Yaw: A technical term that describes the rotation motion about the Z axis.

EPCOT's Transformation: A Multi-Year Project

• Overall Goal: To reinvigorate the existing World Showcase and reimagine Future World, creating three new neighborhoods: World Discovery, World Nature, and World Celebration.
• Scale: The transformation is described as the largest in EPCOT's history.
• Challenges: Reinventing a working theme park while it remains open to the public.
• Walt Disney's Vision: EPCOT was always intended to be "in a state of becoming," constantly evolving and adapting.
• Tom Fitzgerald's Perspective: EPCOT is a park about the real world and the wonders of the real world.

Spaceship Earth Lighting

• Original Design: The lighting design had remained unchanged since EPCOT's opening in 1982.
• New Approach: The goal was to create a new expression that appeared as if it had always been part of the structure, without impacting its daytime appearance.
• Technical Details:
  • Lights are installed at the intersection between the panels.
  • Each light fixture is connected to electronic components via cables.
  • There are over 60 miles of cable in total.

Luminous: The Symphony of Us - A New Nighttime Spectacular

• Theme: The show focuses on the human connection, emphasizing shared experiences that unite people across the globe.
• Elements: Music, lasers, fireworks, and moving fountains are used to tell the story.
• Music:
  • The score is composed by Pinar Toprak and includes a new EPCOT anthem.
  • The anthem is intended to be the soundtrack that defines the EPCOT experience.
  • The music incorporates familiar Disney themes, re-imagined by Pinar Toprak.
  • The recording involves musicians and vocalists from around the world, including an 85-piece orchestra in Glasgow and Sheléa Melody McDonald in New York City.
• Fireworks:
  • Over 1,400 pieces of pyro product are used in the show, with over 1,300 cues.
  • The team uses virtual software (VPE - Virtual Programming Environment) to simulate the show and refine the effects.
• Inspiration: Walt Disney used to refer to the firework shows at Disneyland as the "Kiss Goodnight".
• Challenges: Balancing the sound across a mile of speakers around the lagoon, accounting for water and building reflections.

World Celebration

• Goal: To make the entrance more inviting, bring back nature, open up outdoor gathering spaces, and revitalize existing architecture.
• Connections Eatery: Replacing walls with glass to blur the line between interior and exterior space.
• Walt the Dreamer Statue:
  • Depicts Walt Disney at around 60 years old, during the planning of EPCOT.
  • Sculpted slightly larger than life (six foot one, six foot two) to appear more imposing.
  • Intended to inspire guests to dream and imagine.
  • Installed at Dreamer's Point in time for Walt's birthday on December 5th.

World Discovery: Guardians of the Galaxy - Cosmic Rewind

• Concept: EPCOT's first rollercoaster, designed to be the anchor of the World Discovery neighborhood.
• Ride System: A reverse launch coaster with rotating ride vehicles (OmniCoaster system).
• Technical Details:
  • The ride cars rotate using a "yaw" system, allowing them to be directed towards the action.
  • The rotation is deliberate, not just random spinning.
  • The ride features scenes that stretch out over 13 seconds, which is unusual for a rollercoaster.
• Construction:
  • Required a massive concrete foundation to support the 5.5 million-pound rollercoaster.
  • Over 200 anchor bolt cages had to be cast into the concrete with a tolerance of 5 millimeters.
• Testing: A test track was built at the ride manufacturer's facility to evaluate the ride experience and identify any issues with vibrations.
• Installation: Repurposed two coaches from the test track and used them as a mule of sorts to load in a new track, kind of railroad style.

World Nature: Journey of Water, Inspired by Moana

• Concept: An interactive water play area that teaches about water conservation.
• Inspiration: The film Moana, which has a strong connection to water.
• Technology: A system that senses motion to trigger the water's reaction.
• Challenges:
  • Making the water feel alive and responsive.
  • Ensuring that the system works for people of all heights and with different waving styles.
• Te Fiti: A large-scale representation of the goddess Te Fiti, made of urethane and stainless steel.

Conclusion

The EPCOT transformation is a massive undertaking, driven by Walt Disney's original vision of a park that is constantly evolving. The project involves reimagining existing attractions, creating new experiences, and incorporating cutting-edge technology. From the new lighting on Spaceship Earth to the immersive storytelling of Luminous and the innovative ride systems of Cosmic Rewind, the transformation aims to create a more engaging and inspiring experience for guests, while staying true to EPCOT's core values of celebrating global culture, technological innovation, and the wonders of the natural world. The dedication and collaborative spirit of the Imagineers and other creators are evident throughout the process, as they work to bring Walt's dream to life for a new generation.