39 Amazing Facts about EPCOT

Walt Disney’s unique idea for an Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow – a real, operating futuristic city – perished with him in 1966. Still, the Epcot that did ultimately surfaced was still something rather extraordinary – a blend of a theme park and a permanent World’s Fair that has delighted tens of millions of guests since its appearance in 1982. Disney is recognized for all of the little extras and secrets that they put into everything that they do.  This is at each level of mapping from the attractions, themes, plants, etc. Epcot unmistakably houses diverse interesting facts and secrets for guests to enjoy. Some of the structures and attractions in Epcot are mind-blowing in their measure and extent. The next time that you visit the park, remember these 39 fun facts to dazzle your companions and family with your familiarity!

Image: Flickr

1. Atop the Tunnels

One of the Magic Kingdom’s entertaining enigmas is that the park is truly on the second level of the park. Well, many fellows don’t realize that this is also the case for the Future World area at Epcot. The Future World area is also resting on top of tunnels. The tunnels provide for supplies and trash to be conveyed from within the stores and restaurants without being carted through the guest and performance areas and diverting from the theme and the magic in that area of the park.

Source: doaks.org

2. An 11 Country Walk

I suppose it could also be contemplated as a short walk, depending on how you look at it.  If you walk from Canada to Mexico in the World Showcase area of Epcot, it is a 1.25-mile walk without even accessing any shops or attractions in each of the countries. You progress through 11 countries on your tour, so some could say that 1.25 miles for 11 countries are a pretty expeditious stroll!

Source: orlandoinsidervacations.com

3. The Actual Length

If you have a glance at the American Adventure pavilion, the central building looks like it is only a couple stories tall, but the building is truly 5 stories tall in actual size. The windows are placed as such to make the building seem like it has far fewer stories. Why would they do this, you ask? That is because, the period that the building is thought to imitate, it wasn’t in the American architecture to have such a tall building. If they developed the building to be the original size, it would get lost among all the other buildings in the World Showcase and look too inadequate. The contrary happened in the main Canada building. The building is only a few stories tall, and supplementary windows were joined and sized proportionately to make the building look 5 stories tall. Disney Imagineers used forced panorama all the time to help rectify the visuals in the park.

Source: magicguides.com, Image: Flickr

4. Japan Statue

When the Magic Kingdom first began in 1971, Japan sent over a sculpture as a tribute to celebrate the opening. Once the World Showcase was uncovered at Epcot, the statue was moved to its lawful place at the Epcot pavilion. You can see the piece as you enter the pavilion. It is a 45-year-old statue and an astounding gift of friendship and respect between our two great countries. It is its own little piece of history.
Source: disneyparks.disney.go.com

5. Red Sidewalks

If you discern the areas in Epcot with red sidewalks, that was absolutely deliberate.  The red sidewalks were put in place to make the area and the plants look even greener.  It is a trick of the visualization considering green look even greener next to red color. Imagineers fancied to make the area look lush, bright and lively and the red sidewalks help to do just that.
Source: wdwinfo.com

6. Push All The Buttons

At the Mission: Space attraction if you attempt to push all of the switches at once during the experience, you will discover Gina Torres over the loudspeaker instructing you to quit doing that.  It supplements the verisimilitude of the entire experience. Actress Gina Torres has performed in many television series, including Hercules: The Legendary Journeys (as Nebula), Xena: Warrior Princess (as Cleopatra), the short-lived Cleopatra 2525, Alias (as Anna Espinosa), Firefly (as Zoe Washburne), Angel (as Jasmine), 24 (as Julia Miliken), Suits (as Jessica Pearson), The Shield (as Sadie Kavanaugh), and Westworld (as Lauren).
Source: parkeology.com

7. Hollow Mural

Over at the Germany pavilion, you will discern a wall at the rear end with a mural.  If you hit on the mural, it sounds hollow. That is because the mural was put in the place to cover the area where a boat ride was designed to be. The mural represents the Rhine River Cruise, which is what the boat ride was meant to be. We sure hope that they would leap forth with the addition of this boat ride after all of these years.  We’d adore one more attractive ride attraction out in the World Showcase!
Source: imagineeringdisney.com, Image: Flickr

8. All About the Tower of Terror

If you glance over toward the Morocco pavilion, you will discern that you can view the Tower of Terror in the framework. You will also notice that it appears to fit in nicely with the pavilion and harmonize the colors and design for the Morocco pavilion. When the Tower of Terror was being created, the Imagineers took this into evidence to ensure that the attraction didn’t look like a blemish for the guests in the World Showcase. It’s just a different way that every feature is supposed to protect the magic and the adventure.
Source: towersecrets.com, Image: Flickr

9. Abundance of Vegetation

How do you think all the food is made in Walt Disney World Restaurants? Well, all the fruits and vegetables are grown at The Land Pavilion in EPCOT.

Source: wdwnews.com, Image: Flickr

10. Spaceship Earth

Walking through the foremost gate guests will first confront the iconic Spaceship Earth. This thematic centerpiece of Epcot averages 165 feet in diameter and encompasses 2.2 million cubic feet of space. The exterior “skin” of Spaceship Earth is made up of 11,324 aluminum and plastic-alloy triangles. The 180-foot-tall Spaceship Earth weighs roughly around 16 million pounds.
Source: wdwnews.com, Image: Flickr

11. On a Rainy Vacation

Is there anything more saddening than rain on your vacation? If you’re traveling to Disney World and it is pouring in the prediction, visit Epcot that day. The Spaceship Earth has a drainage system that presents it as the absolute barrier from the rain. The ridges keep people standing beneath it from getting drenched while the structure accumulates rainwater and dumps it into the park’s lagoon. An innovative characteristic of the stunning geodesic sphere’s base is the exceptional drainage system devised to accumulate rainwater through the supports and funnel the run-off to the Parks lagoon. Well, it suggests that when it rains, guests standing underneath Spaceship Earth aren’t going to get soaked.
Source: dishboards.com, Image: Flickr

12. Sciency Facts

If you take the track to the right and lead from Innovations West towards the Land Pavilion, take the mark of the round shape on the ground enclosed by quotations from scientists. When standing in the center of the circle, you will discover yourself at the geographical core of Walt Disney World.
Source: forbes.com

13. Beautiful Mosaics

The beautiful mosaic girdling the entrance to The Land Pavilion traverses a whopping 3,000 square feet. Its organic design was set to elicit feelings of the earthen landscape and highlights 150,000 handset tiles made in 131 colors, which took 3 months to install.
Source: visionlist.org

14. Just Soarin’

Soarin’ Around The World is a favorite stop for Disney fans who appreciate the sensation of taking flight for an excursion throughout the globe. Not bad for an attraction that was founded on an erector set model. One million pounds of steel implements the ride structure for each of the theaters, with 37 tons being raised throughout each ride cycle.
Source: ohmy.disney.com

15. The Tomato Tree

Guests who relish a ride of Living With The Land will get to travel past one very prominent “tomato tree.” The extensive vine is the only one of its kind breeding in the United States and has produced a world-record yield of more than 32,000 tomatoes.
Source: disneyparks.disney.go.com, Image: Flickr

16. The Fastest Ride

Across Future World approximately a mile long and touching a top speed of 65 mph, Test Track is the most longspun and fastest ride at a Walt Disney World theme park.
Source: disneyparks.disney.go.com, Image: Flickr

17. Most Exclusive Gardens

Epcot’s gardens are amongst the most widespread at Walt Disney World Resort. More than 50 horticulture cast members meticulously sustain the Park’s themed sceneries year-round, and in each Spring they pull out all the halts for the Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival.
Source: disneyparks.disney.go.com, Image: Flickr

18. Heat Your Guinness

Entering World Showcase, the United Kingdom Pavilion’s Rose & Crown Pub has a uniquely devised ale warmer that can heat your Guinness to 55 degrees. This is the temperature preferred by Brits, though lately, the Guinness Company has been on a crusade to drink it cold.
Source: medium.com, Image: Flickr

19. Tea Caddy Shop

The design of the delightful cottage that entertains The Tea Caddy shop is really based on a cottage built-in 1463 in Stratford-upon-Avon. The cottage was the residence of Anne Hathaway and the spot where she was courted by her husband-to-be, William Shakespeare.
Source: shakespeare.org.uk, Image: Flickr

20. Disney Eiffel Tower

At the France Pavilion, Walt Disney World’s “Eiffel Tower” is a mere 1/10th of its Parisian equivalent. Amongst other natural impediments, it is coated with a specialized paint that helps keep birds from landing on it and defiling the ratio of stature.
Source: disneyparks.disney.go.com

21. Hollow Italian Statues

In the Italy Pavilion, those wonderful statues that look like marble are truly hollow. Because they are so lightweight, they are retained in place with rods moving through their midst into the bottom to prevent them from sweeping away during in-climate weather.
Source: disneyparks.disney.go.com

22. Japanese Symbolism

The beautiful pagoda in the Japan Pavilion has five stories. Each one of these symbolizes one of the five components in a rising order: earth, water, fire, wind, and sky. Buddhists consider that these five elements make up everything in the universe.
Source: disneyparks.disney.go.com

23. 360 Degree

When shooting for the Circle-Vision 360 film seen in the China Pavilion, the Disney crew carried a 300-pound camera up 4,500 steps of the Huangshan Mountain in the Anhui Province. Now, how’s that for dedication?
Source: disneyworldtoday.com, Image: Flickr

24. Epcot International Food & Wine Festival

Every Fall the annual Epcot International Food & Wine Festival, unseals more than 33,000 bottles of wine and champagne, 1.2 million hors d’oeuvre portions are served and 100,000 miniature desserts are dished up.
Source: tripsavvy.com

25. IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth

More than 26,000 feet of lights draw the World Showcase pavilions for the “IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth” nocturnal fireworks show. However, if you pay consideration, you may discern that the Morocco Pavilion stays dark, this is out of reverence for the country’s Muslim beliefs.
Source: theluxurychannel.com, Image: Flickr

26. Intelligence Behind the Mosaic

Hanns Scharff was a German Luftwaffe interrogator during World War II. He came to the United States to attest to a treachery trial and give speeches about investigation techniques. He ended up immigrating to the country and getting into the mosaic business accompanied by his daughter-in-law. Collectively, they created the Land Mosaic and the 15-foot wall mosaic in the Cinderella Castle. The Land Mosaic is 3,000 square feet and took three months to establish.
Source: warhistoryonline.com, Image: Flickr

27. How it Began

After Disney’s departure, the dispositions for Epcot changed drastically. Part of the team wanted to build a World’s Fair theme, while the other part was in an inclination of a futuristic park. So, they consolidated the two ideas and made two distinct parks to become Epcot.
Source: cinemablend.com

28. Sci-Fi Way

Renowned sci-fi writer, Bradbury, wrote the initial script and storyline for the ride at Spaceship Earth. He and Disney were great friends and Disney interviewed Bradbury when new Disney attractions were in the operation.
Source: countdowntomagic.com

29. Body Wars

Do you apprehend that Body Wars movie that you check out whenever you’re at the Wonders of Life is directed by Mr. Spock? Ere this movie, though, the Wonders of Life used to play a movie that consisted of Martin Short explaining where babies came from. Picture viewing that in your middle school sex-ed class.
Source: disneyparks.disney.go.com

30. The Darker Side

Disney Lists affirms that several of the buildings pictured on the Morocco pavilion hold theological importance, so for that reason, it lingers dark throughout the IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth firework show. Islamic beliefs concerning art are also why there are no illustrations of people in the mosaics that illuminate the pavilion — all of which were composed by Moroccan artists.
Source: disneyparks.disney.go.com, Image: Flickr

31. Quoted Well

At Mission: SPACE, 13 quotes by scientists and visionaries have been inscribed on the attraction’s wall of honor. The latest one is a quote by an astronaut, Barbara Morgan, who recently turned a teacher, stating, “Reach for your dreams . . . the sky is no limit.” The quote was added to the wall in September 2007.

Source: disneyworltoday.com

32. The Largest Projection Screen

American Adventure, the host country of World Showcase, highlights a multi-media theatrical journey through key historical moments employing audio-animatronic figures and a 28-feet-tall by 155-feet-wide projection screen—the greatest ever built.

Source: disneyworltoday.com

33. Sea Life

The Living Seas at Epcot debuted in 1986 highlighting a 5.7 million gallon aquarium that is a residence to over 2,000 sea creatures and 65 diverse aquatic species. Guests can talk straightway to one of them in “Turtle Talk with Crush,” an interactive live chat that debuted in 2004 emphasizing the little surfer fellow from Disney Pixar’s smash flick, Finding Nemo.

Source: disneyworltoday.com, Image: Flickr

34. Which to Choose?

As you access World Showcase, guests can venture into either the Mexico pavilion or the Canada pavilion first. Why are these the preferred countries you may ask? Like most things inside Disney, these country options were not casual and were picked because both Mexico and Canada are the adjoining countries to the United States.

Source: eater.com

35. A Lot of Room

When the World Showcase formerly opened, it starred nine countries with room for ten more. Since its opening, only two more countries have been attached, Morocco and Norway. With the novel extension of the Norway pavilion and the future enlargement of the France pavilion, two extra spots have been used. Even with all of these differences, Epcot’s World Showcase still has the room to fit six more countries!

Source: eater.com

36. Dirty Facts

54 million cubic feet of dirt was shoveled to create Epcot.
Source: forbes.com

37. Without Any Rides

When it first inaugurated, Epcot had no thrill rides at all.
Source: forbes.com

38. The Water at Nemo and Friends

If you spilled the water from The Seas with Nemo & Friends pavilion in Epcot into one-gallon milk jugs and placed them side by side, they would expand from here to New Orleans, Knoxville or Raleigh – 540 miles. Furthermore, the formula for the artificial seawater convened for 27 truckloads of sodium chloride, or common table salt.
Source: disney.fandom.com, Image: Flickr

39. Total Lights

The length of lights that illuminates the Epcot World Showcase Pavillions is long enough to encompass the Golden Gate Bridge more than 6 times. The length is more than 26,000 feet!

Source: wdwnews.com