Epcot's Rib

In a listing of Future World superlatives, one could easily say Horizons was the most inspiring, Imagination the most timeless, and Spaceship Earth the most impressive. To this list, one could add "Inside Entertainment" as the most prolific and certainly most impactful as the concept for the never built performing arts pavilion featuring Great Moments at the Movies, Disney Animation and a look into TV production was so expansive that no one building could possibly house all the possibilities of putting people into the movies. 

Enter the Disney•MGM Studios

It might sound like somewhat of a stretch to incorporate a seemingly superficial studio into something as substantive as The Epcot Legacy on a historically tangential technicality, but the original aspirations of the park are very much in-line with Epcot's over-arching theme of Humanity — who we are (World Showcase) and what we can do (Future World). In fact, the original Studios bridges these two concepts by exhibiting some of our Great-est cultural achievements and the technical abilities needed to achieve them. 

Classic cinema speaks to our nature, our inherent humanity — both our shortcomings and successes. Furthermore, exposure to the historical heights of cinematic perfection not only reveals answers to our past but keys to our future. Most importantly, it provides a challenge to meet and surpass the achievements of yesterday ushering in a brighter tomorrow.

Like the MGM Studios itself, the greatness of the Florida studios has reached the slow Fade-Out. But that need not be the case. For on this 30th anniversary of its opening, the meaning and memories of the Disney • MGM Studios lives on through movies & music, sights & sounds.

E82 — The Epcot Legacy

Welcomes the 
Disney • MGM Studios 

  

The World you have entered 

was created by The Walt Disney Company 

and is dedicated to Hollywood—

not a place on a map, but a state of mind 

that exists wherever people dream and wonder 

and imagine, a place where illusion and 

reality are fused by technological magic. We 

welcome you to a Hollywood that never was—

and always will be.

May 1, 1989          — Michael D Eisner

Futureprobe I

"From colonies beyond the stars to cities beneath the sea, Horizons brings us to one important realization: if we can dream it, we can do it. And continues in the tradition of the unforgettable Carousel of Progress, presented by GE at the Walt Disney World Magic Kingdom. Take the trip of a lifetime. At Horizons. You'll go a lot farther than you've ever dreamed." — General Electric, promotional ad 

By (extremely) popular demand, a not-so-recent collaboration with Jason Bartel of Deep Water Studios has been retrofitted to become our latest background. Inspired by the famous 1983 (Close Encounters-esque) Ad for the (then) new attraction, this composition features Jason superior 3D Pavilion recreation with an enhanced lighting scheme and less than subtle depiction of the Centauri series of spacestations from attraction.             

Inside Entertainment

A Future World Christmas

A precious few things have remained unchanged in the ever-changing realm that is Future World. One of these is the holiday atmosphere that has been looping every Christmas season since 1983. But what if this seasonal soundscape was to be transformed into a forward-thinking compilation befitting Future World?…

 

Click on the album cover to hear more.

E82 Needs You!

If You Enjoy this and other Custom Created Content Please Show Your Support for The E82 Project by Making a Donation to Ensure this Endeavor Reaches its Maximum Potential. 

The Dawn of Simulations

From room-temperature lava to laser animation and advanced fiber optic displays, among EPCOT Center's many notable accomplishments was the development of close to 100 special effects (over 30% for Journey Into Imagination alone). Many of these were entirely new high-tech creations, while others were avant-garde reinterpretations of centuries-old illusions. 

Welcome to The Future World Simulation Series

 
In this series, we'll be exploring the many evocative special effects of EPCOT Center beginning, appropriately enough, at the dawn of time, with a recreation Spaceship Earth's hypnotic Lumia Effect... 

Originally developed by Thomas Wildred in the 1920's, this technique of projecting refracted light was initially put into small custom-built cabinets for home use. And is now achieved largely thru laser projection. However, Spaceship Earth continues to achieve the effect through classical means and has done so for over 35 years - making it the longest-running special effect in the park.