Top 10 EPCOT Tunes

Welcome to Stratoblog’s first August post. We all love to sing, dance and hear music. And the best place to hear the best tunes has to be EPCOT. Don’t agree with me? Well, I got some folks over at Mousebits to join me on this one. How? Well, they voted their Top 10 EPCOT tunes. On each tube, I’ll talk a little about it, then I’ll add some of the comments from the folks at Mousebits. Simppe, clear and fun. So hang on tight and lets discover the Top 10 EPCOT Tunes! Oh, and perhaps you can listen to them while reading?

WARNING: After number 9 I started to notice that some of the top 10 lists we’re written starting with 10 and ending with 1 and some starting with 1 and ending with 10. So constantly I found myself thinking I was looking at number 8, but was looking at number 2. So I went back and decided to choose everything by “number of mentions”. Also, I didn’t consider some of the impossible-to-find-unless-you-are-a-man-called-TyphoonLagoon-on-Mousebits, and I placed every single “Feel the Flow – Version One Thousand/That Song that Plays in the Middle of Illuminations/Journey into Imagination Bathroom loop” into just “Universe of Energy/Illuminations”. I would like to also say sorry if you think I did it wrong.

10. Canada ( You’re a Lifetime Journey )

This song came from the old “O Canada” show on the Canada pavillion. I would like to take this moment to add a few words from Mousebits user Cxrbrett:

A great song and really stirs up some emotions. Very beautiful. New version is just not as powerful to me.

Well, I would also love to add my own words.

I’ll enter in the Fantasia part of my brain and think. And when I think while listening to this music, I imagine seeing Canada’s landmarks and nature all around one solo singer, with the female voice being the voice of the wind. Its so soft, yet, so powerful. Like that video I just posted right above these words. This post will be a lot like this: audio>words>video>words. To end this really short review, I want to say one thing about the lyrics: they’re smart. There’s a thousand dawns and sunsets I could see, and still not know you well~ That’s… fantastic.

9. Standing in Motion

Sometimes music can do the job of the words. And sometimes visuals can do that too. Except for this tune in particular. I don’t have much to say about it, but man, this is one of these songs that makes you want to dance. This tune comes from the Fountain of Nations, and its just… Well, watch for yourself. After that, I’ll add a few of my own words on it:

What I was talking about when I mentioned “visuals can do that too – except for this tune” is that I cannot imagine this, for example, with animation (again entering the Fantasia side of things), only with water- and water visuals is something that got re-done in a much bigger concept: first Fantasmic and now World of Color. And thats a prime example of water visuals. Also, some songs don’t really need lyrics, but if this song had lyrics, it would be something along the lines of… I don’t know… Raining along, figthing the storm, standing in motion. Something like that.

8. Universe of Energy (both versions)

This one actually surprised myself. I personally incline more towards Ellen’s Energy Adventure score, considering its made by Bruce Broughton, my favorite Disney composer and, second, it was not taken from Adventure Through Inner Space. Although I have to consider that the original Universe of Energy did have a huge resemblance to Adventure Through Inner Space, I just did not fully enjoy the soundtrack.

But what the original soundtrack really wanted to send to everyone was its more scientific, more heavy theming. It starts with the relaxed “Energy, You Make the World Go Round”, which is more like an Ode to Energy. Then we are taken to the primeval world, where the mood is more dark, more historical, and the soundtrack changes to reflect that. Instead of the 80′s cheesy music we got at the start, we got the ATIS music, which more sounds like the BGM to “You Studying Chemistry”. And then, the Ellen’s Energy Adventure score is more… silly, more adventurous (is that how you spell it?) and more out-of-this-world. Its also stronger than the original version, but, anyway, thats my opnion.

7. Soarin’

I can’t say I’m surprised- I was really counting on this tune to be here. Heck, this was the number 5 on my original-pre-Mousebits list. Soarin’ is Soarin’. Made by the late great Jerry Goldsmith (who also composed Mulan’s soundtrack), this is another song that I can compare to Standing in Motion. Here’s why:

Soarin’ is, how to put this, Soarin’. I don’t know a song that compares to the majesty that is Soarin’. The music, together with the visuals, make for one of the most amazing experiences you can have at the parks. “Legend” tells that Goldsmith came out of the ride crying and saying that Disney should let him score that ride. And by Godfrey, good thing they did. This song really reflects on what it is showing you, which is the majesty of the state of California. Beautiful countryside, forests, rivers, mountains, cities, and, of course, Disneyland!

6. One Little Spark/Magic Journeys

This one didn’t surprise me either. At least a bit- I was surprised to see that one of the Mousebits users voted for the current version of One Little Spark. Y’know, the one sang by Eric Idle and David Goelz. I can’t say I like it because I don’t- I still prefer the original and I am going to talk about the original. So, in this user’s homage, you can listen to the current version of One Little Spark.

One Little Spark and Magic Journeys were two songs written especially for the Imagination pavillion. They were written and “made” by the Sherman Brothers, the creators of such classics as Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow, It’s a Small World, Miracles for Molecules, and others (the only EPCOT Pavillion that had that honor was Horizons with its original theme song, “Reach for New Horizons”, but then it changed to the George Wilkins score). And it was one of the few songs that were really out-of-mind. The first song is all about imagination itself (one little spark, of inspiration) while the second song is about a child’s imagination (all at once you’re on your way, to a place that cannot be, no one knows what holds the key). They are just so relaxing… Except for One Little Salsa, the current version of One Little Spark.

5. Horizons/World of Motion Score

I mean the entire score.

THE ENTIRE SCORE.

FROM ENTERING THE BUILDING TO EXITING IT.

Why did I put the word ENTIRE SCORE in bold? Because its fantastic. Why is it fantastic? I don’t know.

World of Motion’s focus was more sillier, more fun, so its no wonder that it followed the good ol’ “it’s a small world” premise, where the song is repeated in different variations on different rooms. You would hear “it’s fun to be free” every single time on World of Motion. You can say Journey into Imagination was the same, but those were variations of One Little Spark with different lyrics.

And Horizons was a more futuristic, more majestical focus. As you exit the building and you hear this different version of the New Horizons theme song, its just inspires you, and it makes you look forward to the future. Horizons was a different type of score, an ambiental score, where this score can transmit a message in every ambient. You’re in the 50′s scene, you hear classical jazz music, you think fun, dance, music! And thats what the narrators talk about too. See what I mean?

4. Tapestry of Nations/Dreams

I have to admit right now that I -NEVER- have listened/seen the Tapestry of Nations/Dreams parade. So I’m going to put a Tapestry of Nations music and a Tapestry of Dreams theme.

Since I have never listened to these tunes until now, I have to put this here: unknown language chorus just makes everything way more awesome. And Tapestry of Nations was unique: it was a parade… on EPCOT. It could be considered the theme for World Showcase, with everyone united making 0ne-big Tapestry of Nations. Its just incredible to hear the power this music has when you consider it talks about all the countries in World Showcase acting together.

3. Innoventions Exterior Loop

This song just screams “new” for me. I don’t know why, but it does. Or else…

Or else this song screams “the new creation”. The new creation it is! Innoventions is all about them, and when you can capture the future feel that Innoventions transmits (the new creation, the new invention, the inovation). This song screams new! It screams innovative! It screams we have the future here, in marvelous innoventions! I don’t know why isn’t this feel replicated on Disneyland’s Innoventions, but I think this is what makes EPCOT’s Innoventions unique. Its the new. Its the future. The word this song transmits is the word new.

Or else “the future of the 90′s”?

2. Spaceship Earth

- “But Strat”, you say, “what version?”

- I’m sorry, reader, let me fix myself.

2. Spaceship Earth (1986 – 2007)

Spaceship Earth is EPCOT’s weenie. And thats a lot. I mean, Magic Kingdom has land weenies. But Spaceship Earth is the weenie to a whole park. And if you’re the weenie to a whole park. And you have to be awesome. In every term of the word. Story, scenes, narration, ride vehicle… But, especially in music:

Music plays an important part on attractions, as we have seen in this post, but Spaceship Earth holds EPCOT’s message, and the music has to transmit this to the audience. Starting with Tomorrow’s Child, we had a very abstract song, with some of the best  lyrics ever (holding the spark, as we embark, on a great journey) which was all about the journey of the future and how today’s child will shape tomorrow. Then we move on to the more historical, more deep 1994 score. With the incredible finale, you could hear that every instrument was a line, a line that started on the past and went to the future, creating a new one. Each line meant a new form of communication- the music was transmitting the history of the ride to us. Soft violins with musical choruses made this one of the best Spaceship Earth scores ever. But then we move on to the 2007 score, my favorite. Bruce Broughton took the famous “sense of adventure” from his compositions at Ellen’s Energy Adventure and Honey I Shrunk the Audience and placed it on Spaceship Earth. The soft sounds represent stars twinkling on the sky, a sky thats full of possibilities for the future.

1. Illuminations: Reflections of Earth

Evening in EPCOT, World Showcase awakes

To the Reflections of Earth

The fireworks pops, the countries illuminate

To the Reflections of Earth

To the big sounds as loud as a thunder

To the little sounds soft as a psalm

And some say the soul of the lake’s

The Reflections

The Reflections of Earth

Listen, they’re beautiful, no? Reflections of Earth has actually a scene list. And it tells the story of humanity, from the loud bang of our beginnings to the end with the incredible song “We Go On”. Reflections of Earth is an incredible show. You can listen to the music of the show and feel amazed. You can see the show and be amazed. Everything in that show is amazing alone, but it becomes a majestic festival of colours, sounds and feelings when everything is together. The message of Illuminations is the same message that We Go On transmits (we go on, through the joy and the tears, we go on, to discover new frontiers). We should all act together, in peace, towards a bright future. And together we shall light as one nation, together as Illuminations. There is something about this show that just hits me in the heart, and I’ll tell you all what it is. When you are listening to We Go On, you can clearly hear a kid singing with everyone, saying “moving on”. I don’t know, that just brings a tear to my eye. If Future World can have its message transmited in Spaceship Earth, EPCOT as a whole can transmit its message on Reflections of Earth. Its a composition that makes you think. It makes you feel. And in the end, it always brings a smile to your eye. Especially when you are watching with the New Year’s Eve tag.

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

- Living Seas Score (relaxing, under-the-sea music for you to ignore the outside world and submerge and this delightful place)

- Land (incredible compositions using instruments as banjos made this one of the best places to hear music)

- Honey I Shrunk the Audience (Bruce Broughton once again brings the sillyness to the music with a great theme song and score)

- Journey into YOUR Imagination/With Figment (funky, “scientific” tunes with the sillyness and impending adventure sense)

- Wonders of Life (soft and simple: one of the best scores to hear on the bed on a rainy day)

- All World Showcase loops (each country has its own mood, its own instruments, but when we put it all together, we have Reflections of Earth)

CONCLUSION:

I would like to put here a few words from one Mousebits user that contributed to this list. That will be my “conclusion”, thanks for bearing with us through Stratoblog’s longest post ever.

I don’t have time to talk about each track in greater depth but will say that in general I much prefer the music of EPCOT circa 1982-1996. There seemed to be a greater sense of dynamics, mystery, and emotional range in most of that music. There’s sort of a duality in songs like “Magic Journeys” or “Fun to Be Free” — on one level they’re very whimsical, very mellow and innocuous, yet, as crxbrett pointed out about “Magic Journeys,” there’s also an element of melancholy, bittersweetness, and reflection that I find to be very resonant. Moreover, there was a wide variety of styles and genres throughout the park during that time — you had very melodic pop/tin pan alley stuff (i.e. World of Motion, The Land, “Making Memories”) but also music that was ambient and somewhat free-form (i.e. parts of El Rio del Tiempo, Horizons, The Living Seas). And then there was stuff like Journey Into Imagination or the original EPCOT entrance loop that represented a mediation; very melodic yet also full of tangents and sections where the melody wanders off into some other musical realm.

On the contrary, most of the recent music (specifically Test Track, JII with Figment, Mission: SPACE) don’t do anything for me. I don’t know what it is exactly. Maybe they sound too rigid and derivative of contemporary Hollywood scores.

Have a magical day, and remember:

We go on.

This post would have never happened without the folks at Mousebits. Thanks for sharing such great Disney tunes and your opnions on the Top 10 EPCOT tunes.

All the songs here may be removed after complaint.

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True to vision

I’m sitting on a bench, wondering about something one of my readers said on a recent comment. He said, and I quote: “I preferr Burton’s version because its more true to the vision Dahl had.” That made me think abou two things. First, he has a point, and two, the phrase “true to vision”. Lots of people say that some of Disney’s decisions are true to Walt’s vision, but think, there is one major thing that didn’t exactly follow Walt’s vision, and that something is called Epcot. And I’m here to prove that. Or not. We’ll see.

We all know Walt’s original plans for EPCOT. He wanted it to be a city, a living community, a place where people would live, work and have fun. Yeah, that never happened. Or maybe… it did? Well, I don’t know if you know, but Walt Disney World is on two cities created and maintained by Disney- yep, WDW is not on Orlando. But going back to Walt’s vision of EPCOT, one of the things that he wanted EPCOT to be was a living blueprint of the future. Now, that is EPCOT’s main theme- a living blueprint of the future. That’s why one of its two lands is called Future World. Sure, things may have changed, the information on Universe of Energy may be outadted… And perhaps in the future we won’t have animated fish swimming on the seas… But EPCOT is all about the future.

So, lets think for a moment. Sure, the EPCOT we got is not the EPCOT that Walt envisioned, but that doesn’t mean its not true to his vision.  Walt wanted a place where the future could be seen, touched and felt, where the future would be your neighbor next door, where you could dream it, and then do it. Sure, EPCOT is not a city, like he envisioned, but it is, like he wanted, a living blueprint of the future.

What is trully “true to a vision”, after all?

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INSIDE DISNEY: The Magic Eye Theater

Celebrating the re-opening of Captain EO, at EPCOT, I’ve decided to do a special Inside Disney today. One, because it is one of the most famous series of my blog. Two, because 2 weeks ago, you guys made the blog post “Top 10 Disney Villains” the most visited of Stratoblog’s existence, until now. And third, because this is the 2nd part on the 3 part Inside Disney series on the Imagination pavillion. We started with the Imagination Institute, we are now taking a break on the Magic Eye Theater and after that, we’ll travel back to the original Journey into Imagination. So let’s begin with this edition of Inside Disney- all about the Magic Eye Theater!

Magic Eye Building

The Magic Eye Theater building is located next to the Imagination pavillion. Lets be detailed, right. If you look at it from an helicopter, it kinda resembles the look of the Universe of Energy pavillion- large on one side and constantly minimizing until it reaches the other side, with a half of the other side’s size. It was created as the place for the return of 3D movies to Disney- since 1956, Walt and his Imagineers were developing the first theme park 3D movies, such as “The Mousekeeter 3D Jamboree”. But then, it would stop, until 25 years later, EPCOT came, and so did the Magic Eye Theater. But do you know taht the Magic Eye Theater is not exclusive to EPCOT? Let’s flashforward a little, to 1986. There was a big stage called the Space Stage at Tomorrowland, where Magic Journeys would usually be exhibited- but Imagineering decided they could do more, so that whole area became a new Magic Eye Theater. And embarking on the copy express, they imported the famous Captain EO movie that had just premiered. After 1987, every other Disney park with a Tomorrowland had it’s own Magic Eye Theater.

Magic Eye Journeys

Do not be deceived by that poster. It wasn’t a bit after 1986 when Magic Journeys came to Fantasyland, but let’s talk about that later. Magic Journeys was the first film exhibited in EPCOT’s Magic Eye Theater and on Disneyland’s Space Stage. Way before we talk about the movie, let’s talk about the deadline problems the pavillion was facing.

As we all know, Imagination was the last pavillion to start construction (even though Kodak was one of the firsts to sign up for sponsorship), and meanwhile, the director and its crew were also having deadline problems. So they decided to have a small preview so Imagination guests would have something to see (if this would actually happen, only ImageWorks would be open at opening day). Before the preview, there was a small short with Ron Schneider’s first performance as Dreamfinder, and Billy Barty voicing Figment (thanks to dreemfinder for pointing that out!) . In the short, Dreamfinder ran through Imagineering, seeing lots of models and things from other attractions. But, as we all know, the movie was ready in time.

But we are not ready to move to the show, because we still have the preshow. As you got your 3D glasses and waited, a picture-only preshow would play, with a Sherman Brothers song, Makin’ Memories. It was all about shooting pictures and making memories- which is what the pavillion’s sponsor, Kodak, did. The pictures would change from old, black and white pictures to newer ones, this time already colored. A group that sounded like a barbershop quarter and an woman sang the lyrics. “And when we’re making memories, happy days can re-appear.”

Then we finally move on to the real show. Magic Journeys was a trip through a child’s imagination, fitting for an Imagination pavillion. However, some of the images on the movie are still to this very day consdiered… trippy. If Alice in Wonderland has got your fingers wishing to stop this madness, then Magic Journeys definitely wasn’t for you. Besides, the score and the Makin’ Memories song were made by the Sherman Brothers, so thats a plus.

But lets set Magic Journeys aside…

Magic Eye Captain

In 1986, audiences were pleading for a new 3D movie. So Magic Journeys ended its 4 year long run on EPCOT and moved over to Magic Kingdom, to make way for a new 3D show featuring Michael Jackson and a cast of inter-stellar creatures as they journey to bring the gift of life and music to countless worlds of despair. A ragtag band led by the infamous Captain EO. Aaaah, see what I did there?

However, Captain EO was more than a 3D show. Rusty Lemorande, producer of the film, suggested to George Lucas, the film’s executive producer, who wrote the script together with Francis Ford Coppola (and Lemorande too), that the film should have a new type of technology, a sensory power, that would expand from the screen to the theater itself. The new technology is still to this day called 4-D, and Lemorande is considered the Father of 4-D, since Captain EO is considered by many the first 4-D show, using lasers, lightning, smoke, and much, much more, all to put the character inside EO’s world. The score of the show was made by James Horner.

Captain EO made full use of its 3-D effects. The action on the screen extended into the audience, including lasers, laser impacts, smoke effects, and starfields that filled the theater. These effects resulted in the seventeen-minute film costing an estimated $30 million to produce.At the time, it was the most expensive film ever produced on a per-minute basis, averaging out at $1.76 million per minute.

A new paint job to the theater and voila, EO is ready to be shown. But did you know that there was a preshow to Captain EO, although no one remembers it? The thing is, the song was pratically unknown back then, and if there is only an excerpt of the Makin’ Memories preshow, for With a Smile, EO’s preshow, there is no audio or video recording of it. Thats why no one remembers it.

As you entered the theater, you are introduced to EO and his team, who are trying to find a landing beacon in order to deliver a gift to an Evil Queen, played by Angelica Houston. Through the power of dance and music, EO and his team transform the planet, the goons into dancing actors, and the queen into a beautiful woman. EO, of course, is the greek name for dawn, and his gift symbolises the dawn of a new era in that ex-sad little planet.

Captain EO holds the record for being one of the only attractions that returned to its original place, replacing its sucessor, with no changes to the main film. But, before we go talk about EO returning to the theater, we have to send him away. And to do that, we’ll have to shrink him.

Magic Eye Audience

The year is 1994 and Michael Jackson’s image is not the same. Not counting, though, that EO is not that popular anymore. It was time for a new show. But before we talk about that show, I want to shift your attention to a little matter we have at our hands. Magic Journeys stayed from 1982 to 1986. Thats 4 years. Captain EO stayed from 1986 to 1994. Thats 8 years, double the time that Magic Journeys stayed. So the new show would stay double the time EO stayed. Therefore, if it started on 1994, it would end 16 years later… in 2010. Can you, my present friend, confirm this? I’ll confirm it a little later.

So Disney decided it was time for a major overhaul on the theater. Based on its newest movie hit, Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, the Magic Eye Theater would become the Imagination Institute. Disney wanted this show to be heavily focused on comic, so one of the new characters created only for this show, Imagination Institute’s chairman, Doctor Nigel Channing, would be played by Eric Idle, a british comedian of Monty Python fame. All the cast from the movie would return, and this new show would be named Honey, I Shrunk the Audience. The music would be scored by Bruce Broughton, who worked on Honey, I Blew Up the Baby.

New paint job and new signs were put on the Magic Eye Theater- I mean, the Imagination Institute’s Theater. New signs were put on the waiting area, with famous people who created things- better, imagined things for the greater good. The preshow was consisted of two parts. The first part would be an interview with the chairman, Nigel Channing, about what the Institute does (and a clear hint at how things can- and will- go wrong over there, with things blowing up and going wrong during the interview). The second part would be the True Colors preshow, another preshow with photos featuring the True Colors song, by Cindy Lauper. And here’s where things get funky.

Somewhere in the middle of HISTA’s run, the preshow was changed. Instead of the heartwarming and inspiring True Colors song, what was put in place was a new video preshow called Every Picture. Basically, it was a narrator saying “With imagination, every picture *insert an action here*”, and it was what Kodak wanted, an living ad for them. Mix that with a safety and informational video featuring Nigel Channing, and bam, True Colors is gone with the wind! Here’s the deal: what happens is that Wayne Szalinski is receiving an award for his amazing shrinking machine. You know, the one that shrunk his kid and blew up his baby. Anyway, he is receiving the award, and things are sure to go wrong. Go into the theater- this is a 4D show with a WHOLE NEW LOT of effects. And I mean a LOT. Let me detail them part by part.

The show begins, and things are already going wrong: Szalinski is shrunk and flying around the Institute. The show starts, more Szalinski problems and its time to demonstrate his Dimensional Duplicator. However, Adam drops his rat on the case, and he is duplicated- to stop the duplication, they cut the power, however, the rats are already loose, and squirm towards the theater, into the audience. And you feel them. Next, more 3D madness, until Szalinski is blowed up (I mean, enlarged), and demonstrates the Shrinking Machine, shrinking you, the audience and Nick, his son, into the size of mice. Thats where more 4D madness happens. You get lifted by Adam, and the whole audience is on platform that lifts too. Then, Nick’s snake appears and you feel a whip of wind. You are finally enlarged, and Szalinski is receiving his prize- however, the dog has been enlarged too. And before you can leave, he sneezes on you. 4D madness.

HISTA also made Imagination change to Imagination Institute on 1998. And HISTA went on for 16 years… with no change.

Magic Eye Returns

Until today. The Magic Eye Theater name returns together with Captain EO, who kicks HISTA out of its place to return back since MJ’s death. What does it means for the theater’s future? I don’t know. I just know that this is Captain EO with the HISTA 4D effects.

So thats the Magic Eye Theater history. Its really a Magic Eye story… This was Stratofarius, and I’m saying goodbye, and have a pleasant tomorrow.

IMAGINEER THAT: Wonders of Life

From epcotblog.com

I dunno if you remember, but in a long long time ago, in the far away time of 2006 there was something called Wonders of Life… Oh wait, you remember this? OH WAIT, you went on this? Oh ho ho ho silly me… WHAT? You liked this? Them why did it got removed?

Wonders of Life was an very awesome pavillion. And today, on Imagineer That, I present 3 reasons why this pavillion got closed… And 3 ways they could fix that:

• It was very 80′s: The thing was so 80′s… The technology… The “advancements”… And the “stars” featured on Cranium Commando were only famous in the 80′s. And that’s why maybe it was closed: things began to get a LITTLE outdated. And perhaps there’s a fix for that: two words, Disney, major refurbishment. Sure, it’ll cost some money and creativity, but the attractions will be updated for the newer crowds and TA-DA! Problem fixed!

• 

  Does the Universe of Energy holds the cure to Wonders of Life?

• There was no sponsor: I mean, come on. Do you really want me to answer that? Look, right BESIDES Wonders of Life there is the Universe of Energy- and that has been running for a lot of time without any sponsors. No sponsor is not a good excuse for closing things. Do you remember what happened to Horizons?

• People don’t have interest for health anymore:I don’t know what you think, but I am 100% sure that health is one of the most important things that America needs right now.

Anyway, these are my 3 problems/solutions. What do you think?

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IMAGINEER THAT: The return of Captain EO

Boo-ya!

I guess I kinda surprised ya since it’s been 2 MONTHS since I made a post over here. Yeah, life’s on the way, I have school and a project to make on my game design school (which I haven’t even started, oh boy…) but thanks to the newest Betamouse podcast, I have decided to re-start my Disney blog (and maybe even change hosts, but we’ll talk about that later). So I’ll come back with an new Imagineer That, the section where I talk about something that’s going on the Disney world.

Let’s begin.

Picture from Gobstopper

So HISTA is finally gone from all the theme parks (but Disney PR is trying to make us think that its coming back, nah uh, Disney, you are not that dumb- besides, Bob Iger, your CEO, pratically changed World of Color because it was too old. Wait, isn’t HISTA too old too? Oh yes it is- 16 years! ) and Captain EO is coming back. So from it, I got two points that could pretty much change the face of an pavillion and all the parks.

• There is a public for old attractions:

Sure, go ahead, disagree me, it just got public thanks to MJ’s death, BUT- most of these folks that visited the attraction were nostalgic fans, who told their kids how good it was. And since the chance to watch it has appeared, can you imagine how excited the parents (who loved the attraction back at its time) and the kids (who always heard how fantastic it was) to watch it again? Disney, THERE IS A PUBLIC TO OLD ATTRACTIONS! You don’t need the newest Pixar character or the best 4-D technology- these attractions have such an emotional feeling to these people that when you bring them back, you are sure to have huge crowds- and its May, already 3 months since opening and there still are long lines on Captain EO at Disneyland. Disney, can you remember of any attractions with huge connections with your guests?

Can you? (picture from Flickr)

• Imagination really needs to change

Ok. We already knew that. We still can’t explain how in the world can HISTA still get crowds at Orlando but at Disneyland it deeply fails- but Imagination really needs to change, but, hey, you don’t need to remove the Imagination Institute theme! I mean… Just remove it, so we can’t have an certain 3D show coming back. And for the love of god lets bring a certain bearded man back. But why Captain EO showed how Imagination needs to change? First of all, if HISTA wasn’t really satisfying the Imagineers, why would they replace it? And wasn’t it obvious that the Magic Eye Theater hasn’t been touched in a LONG LONG TIME. It NEEDS this update. And thats why Imagination needs to change? The theater NEEDS to be updated, to be refurbished. Once again, it needs to change.

He is still famous- he appeared on South Park!

And thats all for today’s Imagineer That.

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INSIDE DISNEY: Ellen’s Energy Adventure

Oh, Ellen. Ellen DeGeneres. What do we don’t have talk about her.

TV Show host, future American Idol judge, voice of Dory on Finding Nemo, host of an Oscar, but most importantly, the host of the Universe of Energy at EPCOT. That’s right, folks. Before we get back to our regular schedule, I would like to have an Inside Disney on Ellen’s Energy Adventure, the current attraction at the Energy pavillion at EPCOT. So let’s get started, shall we?

Our history begins in 1996, when people were complaining that the Universe of Energy, while a good attractions, was too dry and academic. Some people went on it just to see the dinosaurs. Ellen DeGeneres, host of the Ellen Show, was then contacted to be the star of the new attraction. The script would base on Ellen going back in time to discover the origins of energy with Bill Nye the Science Guy so she can win a Jeopardy game against her roomate on high school, Judy, who has a PhD on Energy. There would be only one exterior change: the heat meter colors on the building would change to the colors of a palette. However, that later changed back to the original painting.

The pavillion closed in 1996. When the inside was being refurbished and the 1 million Ellen animatronic was being installed, it was discovered that dinosaurs were actually multi-colored. The Imagineers decided to re-paint the dinosaurs to match this discovery. Once again, that was dropped with the exterior painting in a much needed refurbishment. There was going to be new film with Ellen, Bill Nye, Alex Trebek and Jamie Lee Curtis playing Judy. They re-created the Jeopardy set since the original couldn’t be used, and one of the biggest parts of this refurb was, as mentioned before, the 1 million Ellen animatronic, which was going to fight a dinosaur that was trying to eat her.

However, not everything was handy dandy and just fine. Soon after the pavillion closed, Horizons went seasonal and World of Motion entered its lenghty refurb to become Test Track. This would leave only Wonders of Life in this side of the park. It was then decided that the old films would play in the theater while the rest of the film was being shot. The Ellen animatronic was covered and every old movie got back. This was odd, because the old pre-show used the Kinetic Mosaic. According to MouseWiki:

The original pre-show featured a unique eight minute film presentation known as the “Kinetic Mosaic,” which was invented by Czech film director Emil Radok. The mosaic screen consisted of 100 rotating prism-shaped flip screens (reminiscent of those on the classic game show Concentration), arranged in a twenty five wide by four high array. These flip screens rotated under computer control and were synchronized to a live-action motion picture that was projected onto their surface. Each flip screen contained three sides with white projection surfaces on two sides and a matte black surface on the third. The combination of the film and the screens’ rotation created undulating, sometimes three-dimensional-appearing images. During the conclusion of the pre-show, the song “Energy (You Make The World Go ‘Round)” was played.

But on Ellen’s Energy Adventure, there wasn’t going to be a Kinetic Mosaic pre-show. So the Kinetic Mosaic movies played on a normal screen. The results weren’t the best but it worked. On the diorama: there was a dinosaur fighting with… a rock? Actually, it was the Ellen animatronic! Now onto the last theater: guests stayed a long time in the dark, since the scenery for the old Theater Two (called the EPCOT Energy Information Center) was removed.

So you now have Horizons back on seasonal scheme, all the film has been shot, World of Motion is still becoming Test Track. WDI then thought “I think this is a good time to change the films”. The pavillion closed and in 14 days all the film had been changed. The name started as Ellen’s Energy Crisis, but was quickly renamed to Ellen’s Energy Adventure. The new film now told the story of Ellen, who sleeped watching Jeopardy and thinking that she doesn’t needs Energy after a visit from Bill Nye the Science Guy. She has a nightmare where she is in an energy only version of Jeopardy against Judy and Albert Einstein. Judy gets all the questions right, and as the first round ends, Ellen says: “It’s this a nightmare, or what?”, gaining her first points, since that is correct. Ellen then freezes time and Bill Nye appears once again, but this time, he wants to help Ellen win the show. They then embark on an Energy Adventure which takes them through the origin of fossil fuel on the Dinosaur age and the origin of other energy sources. Ellen then comes back and defeats Judy in almost all the questions. The last question is: What kind of energy source will never run out? The guests are then taken to the theater where they began their journey (but it looks like a different theater. Here Alex makes a reference to the old pre-show). Ellen gets the question right by answering brain power, winning the Jeopardy show. She then ends saying LOOK OUT A DINOSAUR! Nah, just kidding. Bye now! And as she ends the show, a dinosaur could be heard.

Do you note that there’s something that Ellen’s Energy Adventure, The Timekeeper and Honey I Shrunk the Audience have in common? Maybe that’s because these attractions scores were composed by Bruce Broughton, who also composed soundtracks for lots of other Disney attractions. He, together with Michael Giacchino, John Debney, Gregory Smith, Bruce Healey, Russel Brower, and more, are the main composers for Disney Parks attractions all over the world after the 90′s. We’ll talk about that when we get to Disney Fifty Five: The 90′s. Talking about scores, one of the things that made long-time guests sad when Ellen’s Energy Adventure opened was that the Feel the Flow and Energy You Make the World Go Round songs were missing. However, they have not disappeared from the world! Just go to mousebits.com, one of my favorite sites, and you can get most of these audio tracks for free. Enjoy the tip!

So we got to the last part of Inside Disney, where we analyse what the future has on store for the attraction we discussed on the post. Ellen’s future? The problem with Ellen’s Energy Adventure is that its script was based off lots of pop references and tv culture. That tend to gets old with time and soon the script of the ride was outdated. However, rumors have surfaced that a 4th version of the pavillion might be coming and the only thing thats going to be kept are Ellen, and the building. And the theaters. And the diorama. If you are interested on a more inside look on the “Ellen’s script is outdated and needs to change” matter, wait for an Imagineer That for this attractions. Imagineer That is our segment where we discuss the problems on attractions and how they can be fixed.

Thanks for reading everyone. I would like to give a major thanks to Martin Smith and the Mousebits community for the audio portion of my knowledge. Once again, there may be some errors on the Ellen’s Energy Crisis portion of the article but thats because it is one of the least known “attractions” on the entire Walt Disney World resort. And for all of you, keep “feeling the flow”, and have a tomorrow full of energy.

IMAGINEER THAT: Honey I Shrunk the Audience

Honey I Shrunk the Audience is going to be kicked off Disneyland to make way for Captain EO. Who didn’t expect that?

But let’s stop the HISTA bashing and lets go back in time and actually see who is the culprit behind HISTA. Lets look at the available options and why HISTA might be leaving not only Disneyland but also EPCOT and Tokyo Disneyland and, well… every single park. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the first edition of Imagineer That, where we analyse the current situation of attractions and what could be their future.

The history starts back at 1994 with HISTA being the replacement for Captain EO at the Magic Eye Theater. In 1998, HISTA moves over to Disneyland since its popularity is incredible at EPCOT. A refurbishment based on HISTA is planned for the Imagination pavillion. Soon, HISTA kicks Captain EO out of every single Disney Park and becomes the single 3D movie after Captain EO to be featured in every park. But in 2002, together with Figment being brought pack to the pavillion, Disney management begins to note something: While HISTA is very famous and always packs a full house at EPCOT, in the other parks it hardly has a mildly filled theater. Disney was late in noticing that HISTA wasn’t made to be a long-lasting attraction. They were late, very late, and they wanted to forget that HISTA had an encounter with being outdated.

In 2009, popstar Michael Jackson dies. Soon, a movie made of his rehearsals for the This is It show is released. The movie makes millions. And someone on Disney was certainly looking at that. And soon, rumors began to float that Captain EO was going to do the unexpectable: kick the shrinking butt of HISTA out of the Magic Eye Theater and make a limited engagement. Nothing like that was done on Disney Parks history. In D23, rumors were killed. But they were strong rumors, cause they soon got back to action, and in December, it was announced that in February 2010, Captain EO would make limited engagement. But the most important thing was this thing: HISTA was getting kicked off Disneyland’s Magic Eye Theater. And people were sure, it wasn’t coming back.

However, HISTA might be having a short life in the other Disney Parks. According to some researches, Kodak will be one of the marks that will disappear in 2010. If Kodak goes off, the Imagination pavillion gets un-sponsored. And unless Disney wants another Wonders of the Ghost Town, Disney will surely do something with the pavillion. And do you really wanna know the reason that some of the things that are on the Imagination pavillion still are there until this very day? Cause Kodak wants. No Kodak, no restrictions. HISTA may soon be entering the Extinct Attractions Club.

But what will happen to the Imagination pavillion? Bring back Dreamfinder? The original version? Keep the Imagination Institute? The answers lie on the future. And since we are no time travelers, we’ll leave them there… for now.

INSIDE DISNEY: Spaceship Earth

Like a grand and miraculous spaceship, our planet has sailed through the universe of time. And for a brief moment, we have been amongst its passengers.

And its with those inspiring words that I begin the second edition of Inside Disney, still on EPCOT and now looking at one of my favorite attractions. Be noted: this post WILL be larger than life. Wanna know why? Cause I’m going to cover all of the versions of this loved attractions. So let us rejoice and move on, as we continue our journey on today’s Inside Disney, covering an all time favorite: our Spaceship Earth.

Early Concepts:

This is one of the original artworks for Spaceship Earth. Notices how it looks more brown than white? And the environment around it was different- well, the environement around it had 3 phases: Concept-1982-1999. As well as the Post-Show/Earth Station: 1982-1994-2007. We’ll talk about that later, though, lets focus on the ride. It was supposed to tell people about communications and how they grew larger and larger- a theme that Spaceship Earth would share with its cousin, CommuniCore. The ride inside was just about the same thing as the ride we had on 1982- with one small difference: there was a scene that was supposed to take place in the Dinosaur age. Apparently this scene has been removed.

1982:

The park opens, and together with it, here comes Spaceship Earth! This version was narrated by… well… no one really knows. Here’s the situation as Walt Dated World describes it:

There has been some discussion about who was the first narrator of Spaceship Earth.  Most fans seem to believe that the voice of the original Spaceship Earth narrator was Vic Perrin, an actor who did many voiceovers and was the “Control Voice” on The Outer Limits television show.  However, Disney Imagineer Marty Sklar did an interview saying that he didn’t understand why everyone said the narrator was Vic Perrin; it was actually another actor named Larry Dobkin.  To make things more confusing there are conflicting reports that there was another narrator after the first one but before the ride was rehabbed in May of 1986 with narration by Walter Cronkite.

As you can see, people still don’t know who was the narrator. The attraction was a guest favorite, but the script was considered too academic (not as academic as the Universe of Energy, though). The reference list went to 120 pages! Also, there was no theme song for the attraction, as all the other pavillions had. This version ran from 1982 to 1986 and was sponsored by Bell Systems, who later transformed into AT&T.

EARTH STATION: When you exited Spaceship Earth, you were sent to Earth Station. It was the… uhm… Guest Relations of EPCOT Center. You could contact live attendants to reserve dinners at the most famous restaurants of World Showcase and see preview videos of all the pavillions of the park.

1986:

In 1986, decision was made to do something regarding the complaints about the script. So, in May 29, Spaceship Earth re-opened with several new changes. Almost all the scenes were updated, and there was, of course, a new narrator: Walter Cronkite, most famous from his CBJ’s transmissions. There was also a new script, more “light” and a new theme song had been made for the Descent (when the cars turned backwards and went down to the unload area). The Descent had a new theme, too, it was how the kids of today will create the world of tomorrow. There was also now a dummy message when the cars turned backwards. This version ran from 1986 to 1994. Here is a quote from the attraction:

For eons, our planet has drifted as a spaceship through the universe.  And for a brief moment, we have been its passengers.  Yet in that time, we’ve made tremendous progress in our ability to record and share knowledge.  So let’s journey back 40,000 years to the dawn of recorded history.  We’ll trace the path of communications from its earliest beginnings to the promise of the future.

Let us learn from our past and meet the challenges of the future, let us go forth and fulfill our destiny on Spaceship Earth.

For some people, this was the best version of the entire ride. Maybe it was because of Tomorrow’s Child, the touching song that ended the ride? It still plays in EPCOT’s Entrance.

POST SHOW: AT&T wanted a post-show, right? And they had it. Right over at CommuniCore West. It was called FutureCom. But that wasn’t enough, not for AT&T. Soon, they would want a new refurbishment. And with it, some new ideas would come.

1994:

The year was 1994. CommuniCore was going to receive a new name and new theme: Innoventions. Thats because the Computer was slowly getting in people’s houses, and soon things that people saw in CommuniCore became old and boring. And if Commu- I mean, Inoventions was going in, maybe it was time for Walter and Spaceship Earth ’86 to go out too. Sorry, Walter, it had to happen.

Now, this here was a MAJOR rehab. A total NEW soundtrack was made for the ENTIRE ride. Animatronics were update. New voices. New script. And a new narrator, of course, fresh from the Lion King: Jeremy Irons. The theme now had to change: it was about how the communications made our world shrink and shrink. New scenes were added too. This is the best version, in my humble opnion. And wanna know the best thing it had? The soundtrack. It was wonderful. And you can get it from www.mousebits.com – register and download it as a torrent. I guarantee that it will work. Here’s a quote from the attraction:

Since the dawn of recorded time, communication has revolutionized our lives and changed our world.  We now have the ability and the responsibility to build new bridges of acceptance and co-operation between us; to create a better world for ourselves and our children as we continue our amazing journey aboard Spaceship Earth.

This was the perfect chance for AT&T to do what they always wanted to do: to have a true post-show, right on the pavillion’s exit. And with that, Earth Station disappeared (but not the World Key centers, but you’ll have to wait until an INSIDE DISNEY: CommuniCore). And on its place, came the New Global Neighboorhod, an interactive post-show full of educative games about communications and with AT&T’s signs slapped all over it. This version ran from 1994 to 2007, the longest running one. And wanna know why? Cause soon, AT&T said goodbye to their sponsorship. The way was open for Siemens. And in 2007, that happened.

But before 2007 came, something happened. Something bad.

And that something involved Mickey.

Mickey Wand and Hand:

You know it, you hate it, speak up, Disney fan! (Didn’t I say this before?) The Mickey Hand and Wand. Oh god… What to say about it? It was added in 1999 with the sign saying “2000″ to celebrate the new Millenium (did I tell you that the entire park changed its theme just because of the new millenium? Talk about change.) And they said to us that it would be removed after the Millenium Celebration.

Well, it wasn’t.

Together with Leave a Legacy (a program that engraved an image of your face in metal structures that standed where beautiful gardens once standed), the Wand and Hand stayed. The sign simply changed to EPCOT and it stayed there.

You guys know how I feel about Disney characters on EPCOT. I think their place isn’t there. And the Mickey Hand and Wand completely ruined Spaceship Earth. But Siemens didn’t like that. Oh no, they didn’t.

2007:

For 13 years, Jeremy Irons guided us on the journey through time. AT&T dropped sponsorship by 2004. May I interrupt this article to tell you readers something. 2004. And this version was about how the communications made our world smaller. 2004. Don’t you get the connection? By 2004, Person 2 Person download was already a hit. Jeremy Irons (the version, not the person) became old and outdated. And Disney didn’t change it.

Until Siemens appeared.

Siemens ran the Jeremy Irons version until 2007. That’s when they came to Disney saying that they wanted to rehab the entire pavillion. Interior, exterior, EVERYTHING. They wanted Spaceship Earth back to it’s old state. And to start this rehab, they wanted the Mickey Hand and Wand had to be removed before EPCOT’s 25th anniversary, when the attraction was supposed to be open. Well, that didn’t happen, but lots of things happened. New soundtrack. New script. New narrator, Dame Judi Dench. New exterior (new gardens), and the newest thing: screens on the ride vehicles. Why is that? Well, when the ride started, you had to touch the screen and choose some options. Then, they would take a picture of your face. When the ride was ending, you w0uld have to choose more options and they would create an animated short that was supposed to be your future. The picture of your face would also be used on the new post-show, Project Tomorrow.  Here are the full renovations made in 2007:

With the new Siemens AG sponsorship, changes have been made to the ride and post show area. The ride’s updates include new scenes, modifications to existing scenes; some new costumes, lighting, and props; a new musical score by Bruce Broughton, new narration by Judi Dench; and a new interactive ending featuring a touch screen. New scenes show a Greek classroom, mainframe computers and the creation of the personal computer

The “time machine” vehicles now have an interactive screen where riders can choose their vision of the future.This resembles a similar idea on the now-defunct attraction Horizons. At the beginning of the ride, a camera takes riders’ pictures (using facial recognition technology) which are used at the end of the ride to conduct an interactive experience about the future of technology, featuring the riders’ faces on animated characters. Visitors are now also asked where in our Spaceship Earth they live; this is used in the post-show area where a map of the world is displayed with the riders’ faces on where they live.

And that is the story of Spaceship Earth, the greatest attraction on EPCOT. And may this attraction never ever change. May we always be able to ride with our guides to the future. And may we fullfil our destiny in our Spaceship Earth.

It isn’t that bad.

After talking with some people, I have to change my opnion about Spaceship Earth 2007 and The Seas with Nemo and Friends. Lets take a quick look at the past, shall we?

2001 – United Technologies stops sponsoring The Living Seas. All references to it are removed. Soon, the seacabs disappear and one of the pre-show theaters becomes a “straight to Hydrolator” corridor.

2003 – Nemo starts to enter the pavillion. Attendance on it starts to grow.

2004  – AT&T stops sponsoring Spaceship Earth

2005 – Siemens take over sponsorhip of Spaceship Earth

2007 - Living Seas become Seas with Nemo and Friends. Attendance on it blows up.

2008 – Spaceship Earth 2007 debuts. Attendance on it blows up.

Don’t get it? Let me explain- these updates saved the pavillions from becoming ghost towns like Wonders of Life. But I still stand correct. Spaceship Earth 2007 isn’t too bad, just the finale. The Seas with Nemo may have saved the pavillion, but EPCOT is the last place that Nemo should be.

After all, it isn’t thaaaaaat bad, but it is bad. A bit.

12 Days of EPCOT

On the 1th day of Christmas,

EPCOT gave to me,

Figment on an imagination tree.

On the 2th day of Christmas,

EPCOT gave to me,

Two worlds of motion, and Figment on an imagination tree.

On the 3th day of Christmas,

EPCOT gave to me,

Three “ride on sunshine”, two worlds of motion and Figment on an imagination tree.

On the 4th day of Christmas,

EPCOT gave to me,

Four cranium commandos, three “rides on sunshine”, two worlds of motion and Figment on an imagination tree.

On the 5th day of Christmas,

EPCOT gave to me,

FIVE GOLDEN DREAMS, four cranium commandos, three “rides on sunshine”, two worlds of motion and Figment on an imagination tree.

On the 6th day of Christmas,

EPCOT gave to me,

Six swimming fishes, FIVE GOLDEN DREAMS, four cranium commandos, three “rides on sunshine”, two worlds of motion and Figment on an imagination tree.

On the 7th day of Christmas,

EPCOT gave to me,

Seven friendly Mexico’s, six swimming fishes, FIVE GOLDEN DREAMS, four cranium commandos, three “rides on sunshine”, two worlds of motion and Figment on an imagination tree.

On the 8th day of Christmas,

EPCOT gave to me,

Eight lands listening, seven friendly Mexico’s, six swimming fishes, FIVE GOLDEN DREAMS, four cranium commandos, three “rides on sunshine”, two worlds of motion and Figment on an imagination tree.

On the 9th day of Christmas,

EPCOT gave to me,

Nine horizons departing, eight lands listening, seven friendly Mexico’s, six swimming fishes, FIVE GOLDEN DREAMS, four cranium commandos, three “rides on sunshine”, two worlds of motion and Figment on an imagination tree.

On the 10th day of Christmas,

EPCOT gave to me,

Ten fountains splashing, nine horizons departing, eight lands listening, seven friendly Mexico’s, six swimming fishes, FIVE GOLDEN DREAMS, four cranium commandos, three “rides on sunshine”, two worlds of motion and Figment on an imagination tree.

On the 11th day of Christmas,

EPCOT gave to me,

Eleven illuminations, ten fountains splashing, nine horizons departing, eight lands listening, seven friendly Mexico’s, six swimming fishes, FIVE GOLDEN DREAMS, four cranium commandos, three “rides on sunshine”, two worlds of motion and Figment on an imagination tree.

On the 12th day of Christmas,

EPCOT gave to me,

Twelve beginnings to dream, ten fountains splashing, nine horizons departing, eight lands listening, seven friendly Mexico’s, six swimming fishes, FIVE GOLDEN DREAMS, four cranium commandos, three “rides on sunshine”, two worlds of motion and Figment on an imagination tree.