Circles of Life: Twenty-Five Years of Epcot Center
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Horizons would open on schedule on the park�s first birthday but The Living Seas debut was not until January 1986. In Richard Beard�s 1982 Walt Disney�s EPCOT Center: Creating The New World of Tomorrow the pavilion is shown as presented by Walt Disney Productions and not a corporate sponsor. This situation was eventually resolved through a meeting in Hawaii between Card Walker and United Technologies boss Harry Gray. �Their concern was a technological one because no-one had ever done an ozone water system of that magnitude [the main tank holds 6 million gallons],� Marty conveys. �We had quite a few lengthy meetings about the various options available and finally agreed on the ozone system - and it turned out to be unique at the time.�
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ONLY two countries have been added to the realized World Showcase line-up in the twenty-five years since 1982 (Morocco and Norway). Pre-opening literature and advertising markers in the park at opening featured upcoming country pavilions Spain, Israel and Equatorial Africa (whilst the large scale �fun� map for Epcot Center identified only Equatorial Africa and Morocco as future inclusions). �I really liked the Africa pavilion,� Marty enthuses. �Herb Ryman�s drawings were so beautiful and Ken Anderson worked on it too with the Roots author Alex Haley writing the show.� There is a notion within Imagineering that every concept will find its time and its place, whether realized at the inception of the idea or many years into the future. Time would serve the �Africa� idea well with the inception of Disney�s Animal Kingdom and its� inclusion there.
�We have come very close to getting some additional countries but again we couldn�t deal directly with the governments because of the BIE agreements,� Marty reveals. �So the Morocco pavilion [which opened in 1984] came about because the King of Morocco was interested in participating. His Royal Architect worked with our people and gave us access to everything.� Yet for every Morocco there may be ten that never got past the drawing board and when Marty addresses issues bringing in new countries it becomes clear that sometimes timing simply wasn�t on their side.
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Look for part two on Monday, March 3rd.
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-- Posted February 29, 2008