The Genesis of EPCOT Center

While the inception of Walt's unrealized radial city has been chronicled profusely over the decades, what is least known and even lesser discussed are the origins of the park that bears its name. A commonly-held misconception is that EPCOT Center was conceived only after the impracticalities of a vast corporately-controlled city were discovered and therefore the Center was created, not as the culmination of Walt's dream but as compensation for it. In fact, the origins of EPCOT Center not only run concurrently to the community of tomorrow but could also be argued vastly precedes it.

The Genesis of EPCOT Center begins over 40 years before it's opening with the creation of FANTASIA which could easily be described as an experimental film exploring the possibilities of "seeing music and hearing pictures". In many ways, FANTASIA was Walt's first forté beyond mere entertainment to providing a platform to broaden the public's horizons by intentionally exposing them to higher forms of Art and even Science. The Rite of Spring ballet of ritualistic dances was radically changed to depict the academically sound origins of life, beginning with the violent formation of our planet through to the evolution and extinction of dinosaurs.

FANTASIA was followed several years later by several wartime productions such as Reason and Emotion as well as Victory through Air Power that not only sought to educate but also succeeded in providing positive outcomes for people everywhere.

Fast-forward a few more years and with Walt's Tomorrowland series of "Science-Factual" presentations, we not only learned all about the then speculative science of space exploration but also, with the expertise of several external advisors, expounded upon ways of actually getting there. Then, there is what I consider to be the Embryo of EPCOT Center better known as Donald in Mathmagic Land which should need no explanation. And there are still many, many more examples that plot the progression of Disney's more enlightenment-centric endeavors that lead directly to Epcot Center's aspirational initiatives.      

However, when one searches for the aesthetic ancestors of Epcot's attractions it's essential to seek out external sources. One of the greatest and most influential of these actually predates the creation of The EPCOT Film itself.

John Huston's THE BIBLE... In The Beginning premiered on September 28, 1966, and even at that late date it still managed to become the highest-grossing film of the year. An extravagantly produced motion picture that recounts the first 35 chapters of Genesis in vibrant De Luxe color and 70mm.

My first viewing of the film, not-so-ironically on The Disney Channel during its Golden Era (1983-1997), was long forgotten until I saw it for the "first" time (again) last year on TCM. The first several minutes of which were a revelation. There it was — the aesthetic origins of EPCOT Center, all there In The Beginning...

From the formless opening resembling the Lumia Effect of Spaceship Earth to the volcanoes and cascading waterfalls echoing Paul Gerber's "The Sea" presentation in The Living Seas, nearly every shot in those first ten minutes seemingly inspired several of the introductory scenes found in classic EPCOT Center attractions. Even the narration, by John Huston, sounds eerily similar to Vic Perrin's performance for The Energy Creation Story.

But what's the direct connection?

Theory: Claudio Mazzoli

Claudio was one of the first artists brought on to the (then) EPCOT Theme Center project. In the famous photo of Card Walker, Ray Bradbury & John Hench discussing the project nearly every piece of artwork surrounding them are Claudio Mazzoli's masterpieces. Most famous for his Spaceship Earth entrance mural, Claudio was born in Mantua, Italy and moved to Milan in 1960 where he spent the next 15 years working in the Italian motion picture industry. Who else was producing films exclusively in Italy during this time?...

Dino de Laurentiis.