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Tomorrow will be better as long as America keeps alive the ideals of freedom and a better life.

— Walt Disney

Celebrating the Birth of Our Nation is, to me, one of the most important holidays of the year and second ONLY to honoring the Birth and Resurrection of Jesus Christ. For in the course of human events, nothing has affected the progress of life on this Earth more than that life and this republic.

To spite its constant presence in our daily lives, the mere existence of an entire country founded solely on ideas becomes more miraculous with each passing year. A land based on potential rather than parentage is a remarkably forward-thinking concept that empowers its citizens to create their futures instead of confining them to their past.

It is in this spirit that America has revolutionized most of our planet, for which every innovation of the last 200+ years is due to the principles brought forth by our founding fathers. From the Industrial Revolution to the Digital Frontier, all of our collective progress originates from, what Abraham Lincoln called: “our experiment in popular government” for which the entire world has looked to for inspiration.

It is quite clear and irrefutable that without our nation’s embedded innovative spirit we would have never seen the likes of Franklin, Edison, Einstein, Lamarr, Disney, Lucas, or Jobs (just to name a few). And it is because of this that I feel truly blessed and most grateful to live in a time and place were I can humbly stand on the shoulders of many giants and endeavor, always, to live up to the ideals, the dreams and the hard facts that have created this land — and to inspire others, as best I can, to restore faith in our ability to shape a world that offers hope to people everywhere.

Among the many quotes encircling the Great Hall of The American Adventure, the most centrally located is by a woman who taught me the most about what it means to be an American individualist. Directly across the Rotunda and embossed in gold letters it reads…

“Throughout the Centuries
There Were Men
Who Took First Steps
Down New Roads
Armed with Nothing
But Their Own Vision.”

— Ayn Rand

Spirits of America

Inspired by the Grand Finale of the American Adventure, the Spirits of America incorporates the statues that line the walls of the Liberty Theater into the dramatic sunrise as depicted in the show’s climatic Statue of Liberty sequence.

Designer’s Notes: In order to compose the final image, this piece required an intense amount of “rotoscoping” for each element performed entirely by hand (including all 12 statues)  – no automatic isolation was used in the creation of this piece! Additionally, the Torch and stain-glass Flame although part of the same set piece were actually composited from two completely separate images.

ID4 @ E82

For those of you new to E82, we pause our regularly scheduled projects and posts to celebrate only two holidays - or more accurately birthdays. The Birth of Jesus, whose life is a testament to the concepts of Peace, Love, Compassion, Understanding and Freedom and the Birth of our “Host Nation”, which was founded on the additional principles of unity, diversity, and democracy. Both of these events make a place like Epcot possible! In tribute to US Independence Day, E82 News Page is now fully decorated for The 4th for the first time. If you’ll like join the digital festivities might I suggest this abstraction of The Stars and Stripes with a certain Georgian Manor house in the foreground ;) . . .

Additionally, I’m working on a concept that should take Golden Dreams to a whole new level. So expect a Highly “Spirited” new Background in the near future!  

American Vistas

When you work for a 365 Company and practically all of your holidays are on a time clock, after a decade or so you start thinking some really weird things. Things like: “I really don’t see myself celebrating Independence Day this year”. But, then I think about all the things that America has given me, and how thankful I am to be born in a country were Dreamers and Doers are celebrated equally. The biggest of all these was Walt Disney, “an American Original” who believe that a technology-driven Unified World of Tomorrow was “just a dream away.” So to celebrate the same spirit that created the Legacy of EPCOT, I’d like to present our first VISTA from across the lagoon.

Designers Note: Usually I can’t tell how long I work on these, but considering I Started the whole process last minute at less than 48 hours ago I can say it took 18 hours to work on this one. (12 hours alone just to Vectorize the Pavilion!) And Yes, there are exactly 50 stars in the widescreen version.

To All People of All Nations
Happy Independence Day!

"TOMORROW will be better for as long as America keeps alive the ideals of freedom and a better life… What I will say now is just what most of us are probably thinking every day. I thank GOD and AMERICA for the right to live and raise my family under the flag of Tolerance, Democracy and Freedom."

-Walt Disney

America!
Spread your golden wings
Sail on freedom's wind, across the sky!

The 234th Anniversary of Golden Dreams

"TOMORROW will be better for as long as America keeps alive the ideals of freedom and a better life… What I will say now is just what most of us are probably thinking every day. I thank GOD and AMERICA for the right to live and raise my family under the flag of Tolerance, Democracy and Freedom."-Walt Disney

“America, spread your golden wings
Sail on freedom's wind, across the sky.”

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY