Hidden Mickey: History and Facts of EPCOT

EPCOT is one of Walt Disney World's four theme parks. Even though it opened to the public in 1982, Epcot's history starts long before then. Read on to discover some fun facts about this futuristic park. 

History
EPCOT stands for Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow. And that's what it was intended to be. Walt Disney wanted to build a city that utilized the technology of tomorrow. Walt said that the city would "never be completed, but will always be introducing, and testing, and demonstrating new materials and new systems."  The city was set up in a "wagon wheel" style, just like Disneyland and Magic Kingdom. The center of the city would feature businesses, schools and community centers. A transportation system would spoke outwards to neighborhoods along the perimeter. 

Original Plans for EPCOT

The driving force of the city would be it's advanced transportation system. The People Mover would transport people around neighborhoods, while the Monorail would drive into the city's heart. Now you can ride the People Mover in Tomorrowland. It will drive past a scale display of what Walt intended EPCOT to look like. And the Monorail will transport you to EPOCT.

So why didn't EPCOT become what it was supposed to be? After Walt's death, the company had a difficult time obtaining funding for this idea. After its opening, Magic Kingdom quickly became a very popular park and drew huge crowds. Imagineers thought it would be a good idea to add a second park in order to disperse guests. This way, one park wouldn't be too crowded. Disney may not have been able to obtain funding for a city, but a theme park? No problem.

Since imagineers could not create a city, thy wanted to stick to Walt's core idea of futuristic technology. And so the beginning stages of Future World in EPCOT began. Around the same time, there was an idea for a World's Fair style theme park. Different countries could purchase plots in the park and fund a representation of their country. Eventually, these two ideas were pushed into one to create what we now know as EPCOT - with a Future World and World Showcase.

World Showcase Park

The addition to a second park at Walt Disney World is what inspired the addition of a second park at Disneyland. Imagineers planned to build a replica of EPCOT in California called Westcot. It's park icon would be similar to Spaceship Earth, except it would be bigger and gold instead of silver. However, plans changed and now the second park is known as California Adventure.

Building in Florida is difficult because the swampland has a lot of sinkholes. There was a sinkhole that construction workers could not fill. So instead, they turned it into a pond.

Spaceship Earth's exterior is occasionally cleaned. How does this happen? Cast Members can go through passage ways and up ladders to get to the very top of Spaceship Earth. They are harnessed to it and off they go!

I've heard guests joke about what would happen if Spaceship Earth were to ever somehow become detached from its supporters and start rolling around EPCOT. I guess the imagineers thought about this, too, because they made sure that there is no way that would ever happen. The supporters and legs of Spaceship Earth actually extend 160 feet into the ground below.

One of the biggest complaints from guests when EPCOT first opened was that it didn't feel like "Disney". They wanted to see Disney characters. So, Mickey and friends characters were put on a bus that travelled around the World Showcase. Guests liked this. They liked it so much that they would chase the bus around the World Showcase. This proved to be a safety hazard, so they added a permanent meet and greet spot for Mickey in space gear. As the years went on, more characters were added to the park.

Character Bus

Future World
The aquarium in the Seas Pavilion used to be the biggest in the world.

If you have ever ridden Living with the Land, you would know that Disney grows much of its own produce.

Wanting to go from Future World to the World Showcase or vice versa? Take the often less-crowded path by the Odyssey Center.  If you look closely on the path, you will find a Mickey survey marker!

Lots of people love Figment from Journey into the Imagination. But at one point, Disney took Figment out of the ride! Guests were upset, and voiced their opinions. A few months later, Figment was placed back in his ride. That shows how much Disney listens to their guests concerns!

World Showcase
Walt Disney World has an International Program. People from all over the world visit to become Cast Members for a period of time. A lot of them are placed in their respective country pavilions in the World Showcase. So the next time you buy something from the UK, the CM ringing you up might actually be from the UK.

The pyramid in Mexico holds a marketplace. When you enter, go to the left, towards the boat ride. There is an animatronic parrot in a cage!

There is a miniature village and train set in Germany. This was originally placed temporarily for a Flower and Garden Festival many years ago. But guests loved it so much, that Disney keeps it out year-round.

When walking around the World Lagoon, look down. You'll see cool theming touches, such as boats and bikes!

There is a butterfly garden in the UK, near where Alice meets guest daily. 

There is room in the World Showcase for more pavilions, but they have not been filled. Some that were planned were Spain, Israel and Africa. 

Morocco is the only pavilion that was funded by its home country. The government of Morocco saw EPCOT as a way to educate Americans on the culture of Morocco. Professional architects and designers were shipped over to make sure everything in the pavilion was authentic, including the hand-made mosaics.

Backstage EPCOT
Most people know about the tunnels under the Magic Kingdom. But there are also tunnels under EPCOT. However, it is not as big or elaborate as the Magic Kingdom tunnels. It is only under Future World

If you ever wonder what EPCOT's backstage looks like, hop on Test Track. The part of the ride that tests speed actually takes you backstage! Most guests are too distracted by the thrill of the ride to notice. The next time you ride Test Track, look around and down below the track in order to catch a glimpse of backstage.

Backstage EPCOT is huge. There are a few busses running backstage that will transport Cast Members around backstage.