EPCOT | Recentered — Final Trailer

The Next Phase of Our Evolution Begins Summer 2020

UPDATE

Although the October 1st date has past work continues on the completion of "EPCOT | Recentered", the biggest hurdle to overcome is financial. This extraordinary complex, highly-experimental and largely altruistic message has brought me to the brink of bankruptcy. Just to upload the final film will cost more than $200 dollars (of which I do not have).  If you can, please contribute to the completion of this endeavor, either by purchasing one of my products in Centorium, or becoming a VIP Member.     

The Universe of Ethics

The E82 Project exists to pay tribute to Epcot’s past and explore the near limitless potential for its future. As such, it has been a long-standing policy not to get involved with current events nor address rumors regarding the park’s redevelopment. However, when rumors are this persistent and the implications this far-reaching it becomes necessary to break with policy and illuminate the larger issues involved. . . 

The Spirit of EPCOT Center

As difficult as it is to comprehend, try your best to imagine the current Walt Disney Company spending 37 Billion Dollars on a single project. Yes,... THRITY-SEVEN BILLION Dollars! What could possibly be worth such a staggering amount of investment? How on Earth could one begin to justify such financially risky endeavor!? And what bank would even entertain such a proposal longer than a single millisecond?

By now, you should be getting (at least) a small idea about as to the gravitas EPCOT Center held for Walt Disney Productions in 1982. For the “theme park” cost was roughly 50% of the net worth of the Company in 1982. By comparison, the (very conservatively estimated) $6.5M Shanghai Disneyland, is less than 9% of the company today.

So why did, Card Walker approve of such an ambitious project?  Although not explicitly stated, the following video does give some sense as to the enormiously altruistic aspirations everyone involved with EPCOT Center was striving for. 

“The Spirit of EPCOT Center”
February 1983
Featuring (in order of appearance) 

Donn Tatum, Tony Baxter, Ken Anderson, Marty Sklar,
John Hench, Randy Bright, Dr. Alan Yarnell, Ray Bradbury,
Dr. Carl Hodges, Bob McCarthy, Ward Kimball, Card Walker & Walt Disney     

NOTE:
Clicking on the Vimeo icon will take you to a special description with clickable “chapters” for the individual interviews in the presentation.                                    

The Futurism of Walt Disney

It has often been said that if you interview 20 people who knew Walt, you’d get 20 different Walt Disneys.
But what version of Walt is the most important: the Movie Mogul, the Artist, the Storyteller, the Benevolent Dictator, etc.? All are certainly fine candidates, but the most unique, the most impactful, and the most cohesive version of the man, is Walt Disney the Visionary Innovator. For all of his greatest achievements, as if plotted on a scatter chart, can be traced through his singular focus on innovation.  

Many a documentarian, with vast facilities & large production staff has tried to capture the “true” Walt Disney, with varying degrees of success (Walt: Man behind the Myth) or abject failure (The American Experience). And None of them — Not One — has managed to put on film exactly why 50 years after his death many of us are continually fascinated with or (in many cases) obsessed by this man.

UNTIL NOW.

Christian M Moran, has almost singlehandedly created The Greatest Documentary Ever Produced about Walt Disney.

As a Disney Historian myself with nearly 25 years of intensive study of both the Man and his Legacy, this is not a statement I make lightly. Furthermore, it is one that I’m more than willing (and mightily prepared) to defend.

But the film more than speaks for itself, and on a deeply personal level, Christian has, more than anything, captured MY Version of Walt Disney: the Dreamer and (most importantly) the Doer.

Christian,
I seriously cannot thank you enough for this.
 
Most Sincerely & Heartfelt,
—Joshua L Harris

The Revelation

On May 21st 2015 something extraordinary occurred in the most unlike of places that has literally changed the course of events for both my life and the trajectory of E82. To paraphrase, Arthur C Clarke’s instructions on appreciating 2001,

1. See TOMORROWLAND
2. Read the following article
3. Repeat the dose as often as necessary…