Disneyland Meets EPCOT Center
Fritz I love when a the worlds of Disneyland and Epcot come together in one form or another. I once collected issues of the Disneyland Line and this one is extra special for that reason.
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Check out the date on that. September 30, 1982. What were Disneylanders thinking about the first non-Magic Kingdom Disney park ever created... just one day before its grand opening? I don't really know, but this is what they were reading.
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Did any of you go on this trip??
If so, write to us about your experience. There might be a little souvenir coming your way. What did Disneyland cast members think about EPCOT Center? Was there criticism, jealousy, both? Were any of you working at Disneyland when EPCOT opened? Stories?
How cool is that... They showed opening day ceremonies at Disneyland's "Lincoln Theater" starting at 7:00 a.m. California time. Something like that today would draw a crowd of AT LEAST 12 or 13 cast members. Back then it must have been a full house.
And "videotape monitors throughout the park" for the first 21 days of October showed pavilion dedications? Whoa. Are we talking about monitors on-stage for guests to view as well? Or just back-stage? And where were these "videotape" monitors? Either way, that is swell!
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Little did Disneyland employees know at the time, their lovely parking lot would one day house not only a controversial Disney theme park but a piece of EPCOT Center. This guy from World of Motion can now be found at California Adventure in the Hollywood Backlot area. (photo credit dfan09).
Other pieces of EPCOT Center (also from World of Motion) have found their way to Disneyland's Pirates of the Caribbean. In the 1997 rehab, a number of WOM animatronic figures became pirates. Like the guy with the fruit basket with the horse stealing the apple... Is that guy still ever around? He hasn't been there the last few times I've ridden.
Any other original pieces from one park now living in the other (Epcot to Disneyland or in reverse)?
Related posts:
EPCOT Construction from the Air
HORIZONS MURAL, "The Prologue and the Promise" [ High Res ]
HORIZONS the way you wish you knew it
Daredevil Circus Spectaculars at Epcot Are Just Not What They Used To Be
Disneyland, Epcot, World of Motion
Reader Comments (8)
No, I didn't go on that trip. But similar Disneyland Cast Member trips today cost a whole lot more than $396.
I wish I could go back to opening day of Epcot. I feel we will never experience such a thing ever again. I went to the rest of the state-side Disney parks (after Epcot) when they first opened, and as fun as those experiences were, they don't hold a candle to first seeing Epcot in '82 or '83.
The pirate with the bowl of apples was removed for good when Captain Jack came on board. The barn, horse, goat are gone and that area totally changed. I'll post a pic if on FB if I can take one the next time I go to the park. Hopefully I'll ride that ride on Thursday.
I remember it was fun to watch that pirate and the pirates that sing yo ho with the dog and donkey. We would go and see what was changed. Sometimes the horse had a hat. sometimes the horse was gone and the goat there. Then the goat would be gone and the hrose was back.. Sometimes, but not often the pirate would be gone and the animals there. The singing pirates are funny too becuase the dog and donkey often take turns going away. At least once a year each pirate is gone as well.
A number of the original animation cabinets (the ones with the rotating 78 rpm records used as cams) from Pirates of the Caribbean at Disneyland were reused as retro tech props at EuroDisneyland's StarTours.
very cool post! where exactly is that WOM monster in DCA? I don't recall ever seeing him!
Daniel- It's near that stage by the Monsters Inc. ride. It's mixed in with a number of old props. Here is a map: http://www.imagineeringdisney.com/storage/DCA-WOM-SEA-MONSTER.jpg
Dreamfinder is the Mayor of Thunder Mesa in Disneyland Paris! Also, several of the ghost town inhabitants there used to be a part of WOM.
http://disneyandmore.blogspot.com/2008/04/you-will-never-believe-real-origin-of_17.html
thanks for the info! very cool stuff!!
Dear Disney Epcot,
Thank you for a wonderful vacation. Here is a link for some pictures of our trip.
http://songskatesang.typepad.com/songs_kate_sang/2013/07/disney-world-day-one-epcot.html
JKT