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EPCOT's Short Evolution.

A great concept usually precedes a genius idea. Today one of the most

emblematic theme parks globally, EPCOT, can offer us a perspective of some regions

of the planet, combining it with the Disney world's fantasy.

In the early 1960s, Walt Disney began to obsess over the future and the quality

of life that his grandchildren would live. The excessive and unplanned growth, the

disappearance of towns and green spaces, pollution derived from noise and smog, and

other contemporary rising issues led Uncle Walt Disney to study the possibility of

urbanization and cities' design, especially with the use and development of science and

new technologies.

This reality would lead Disney, under almost absolute secrecy, to develop the

construction of a theme park where the leading role would be held by the construction of

the Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow (EPCOT). As we can see in the

images of the first proposals in the 1960s, EPCOT would be the heart of a colossal

radial complex that would center the novel community. The complex will have an

industrial park, an airport, a revolutionary road transport system, an area shopping, a

convention center, a very modern hotel, green areas, residential areas, and a theme

park.

Regarding the physical layout, the commercial area and the convention center

would be in the middle of the design and covered by a vast transparent vault. Besides,

Disney thought of the existence of several transparent domes or semi-spheres in which

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separate pavilions could be visited and represent the different climates, according to the

country or region it represented.

The concept of the "World Showcase" and the amusement park made more

sense than the initial prototype of constructing an inhabiting community after Uncle's

Walt death, to the point where they became the main centers of attraction and

construction of the new park.

In the second brochure of the Mid-1970s in which one of the final proposals is

presented before the opening of the park (3 years later), we can observe a superb and

colorful concept of art already in its final stages, and that allows us a better visualization

of the elements that would make up the theme. The brochure is presented as a public

appetizer whose intention is to generate interest in the reader to visit this new theme

park, which will provide fun with its attractions and allow the audience to directly interact

with the technology and culture of different parts of the world. In my opinion, this

brochure created by Walt Disney Productions is nothing more than an advertisement for

the everyday American family and whose appeal is its similarity to world fairs previously

held in the country.

By the 1980s, the concept of EPCOT and its world showcase evolved

dramatically compared to the park's prototypes in the 1960s designed by Walt Disney.

For the park's opening, we can find a designer's edition of the EPCOT brochure in

which the writers decide to include a Mockup structure in a Disney writing style. The

artistic concept is much more colorful and attractive than in the previous documents,

and the intention of mockup the reader for that time is brilliant.
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The brochure is divided according to the different sections of the park. We can

appreciate the great American companies that would be part of the attractions or events

and that in the past proposals, we had no idea that they will be involved. The brochure

is intended to show all the fun and learning beyond imagination that you can get by

visiting the park. As I said before, in this format, many fantastic elements from the world

of Disney are combined, which makes the message more attractive and turns it from a

boring museum tour to an entirely unforgettable and unique experience. The developers

introduced the idea of learning and discovering while having fun. The countries that

would be part of the world's showcase would occupy a specific area of the park in which

a bit of the culture that represents it would be seen on a significantly reduced scale, or

rather, the American prototype that describes them.

Today, EPCOT is just a theme park, and its attractions feature technological

innovations and pavilions referencing some of the world's cultures. However, Walt

Disney's original idea was part of a much more ambitious project that only remained in

paper designs and in the imagination of a man who dreamed of becoming unimaginable

places into reality.

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References

Walt Disney Productions. 1966 EPCOT Concept Art Photos. 1966. Web

accessed Feb 2021. https://f256fc9c-d373-4e2e-9787-

51a226ebbb2b.filesusr.com/ugd/5db718_9c7b08256f5a4feab6c3f733001ea0b5.pdf

Walt Disney Productions. World Showcase at EPCOT. 1976. Web accessed Feb

2021. https://f256fc9c-d373-4e2e-9787-

51a226ebbb2b.filesusr.com/ugd/5db718_c8317cee146a453fb81189c77a27204d.pdf

Walt Disney Productions. EPCOT Brochure / Designer's Mockup. 1980's. Web

accessed Feb 2021. https://f256fc9c-d373-4e2e-9787-

51a226ebbb2b.filesusr.com/ugd/5db718_6aab6871d6b14836a9d4a3f2fb32a824.pdf