Psychology of Epcot, Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kingdom

[britterbell]

heres an epcot one for you...

the eiffel tower in france is actually one-fifth (or one sixth i dont remember i read it a while ago) the size of the actual eiffel tower. they used the exact same plans as the real eiffel tower but one fifth/sixth the size. so to make it appear the size of the real one, they used forced perspective by placing the tower behind the buildings and so you dont have to see the legs and when you look at it, it looks higher than it actually is. a little confusing but make sense

 

[Queila]

Epcot- I read somewhere that the concrete of the ground at the Future World is painted pink to reflect the light better when guests take pictures.

I had never noticed it was pink before.

 

[jason10mm]

Epcot:2. in the world showcase there is actually room for 11 more countries!

Not to get too off topic, but WOW, I wish more countries would come over! Off the top of my head I can think of several I wish would be there.

1. Russia, if only for a vodka bar

2. Brazil, if only to admire the ladies they bring in to staff it

3. Cambodia, just imagine an Angkor Wat styled pavillion! Yeah, sorta done at AK, but still....

4. Egypt, pyramids, sphinx, 'nuff said! History needs to be taught! Greece for the same reason, but of course there is no way they could afford it

5. Not really a country, but I would LOVE for an "Old West" pavillion to show up. Maybe call it Australia?

6. That Israeli one would have been cool, but no way it would happen now

Not really park specific but definitely part of the psychology of Disney is all the pre-trip stuff you can do, from the custom maps to all the anticipatory e-mails. They really know how to hype up the experience!

There is a book called "If Disney ran your Hospital" that dives deep into the Disney "theater" management style and how they empower the CMs to ensure that each and every customer leaves happy. Half the magic is the people and that book certainly shows how they do it.

I just assume all the CMs are hopped up on euphoric amphetamine though

 

[MrIncrediDad]

Epcot:

Animal Kingdom:

4. in the parking lot you might notice an extremely tall tree (not the tree of life lol), this is apparently some sort of telephone pole or something of that nature made to blend in with the design

This is a great thread! I can back you up on #4. A Disney Bus driver said it was a cell phone tower.

 

[MyMagicKingdom]

EPCOT
In the top of spaceship earth you can find a trap door which was used for a comercial for epcot in which mickey mouse stands on top.

I loved that commercial!

Powdered coffee creamer is highly flammable

it was on an episode of mythbusters http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yRw4ZRqmxOc&feature=related

This is nuts, and I remember that episode and can totally respect someone that backs up a claim with Mythbusters evidence!

 

[aurorae]

2. in the world showcase there is actually room for 11 more countries!

Really? I had read that it was about 4, and they used one of those when they put in the International gateway.

I suppose one is the former African Outpost, which kind of got shut down when AK opened.

Not sure where the other two are, but one is probably the pavillion they use for special events.

 

[Goldilocks07]

At Hollywood Studios, the same amount of paint used for Mickey's Sorcerer's Hat could cover 500 cadillacs!

The big dinosaur in Echo Lake has a name: Gertie

At EPCOT:
The color-shifting paint used on the Mars sphere on the exterior of Mission: Space cost $800 a gallon!

Journey Into Imagination: the letterman's jacket with the "M" hanging in the computer lab is a reference to Medfield College, found in the Disney film "The Absent Minded Professor. The tennis shoes on the floor refer to the film "The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes".

Norway: the grass on the roof of the Bakeri Kafe is real, and the landscapers trim it with clippers.

EPCOT's Eiffel Tower was constructed using Gustave Eiffel's ORIGINAL blueprints, creating an exact replica.

 

[Toluca Legs TurkeyCo]

Epcot:


2. you will occasionally notice some mythical creatures like a unicorn for example, in the parking lot one section is the unicorn, this is because disney originally had planned for a sort of "lost kingdom" with mythical creatures but decided to switch to dinosaurs.

They didn't switch to dinosaurs, they built camp minnie mickey where beastly kingdom belongs as a temporary placeholder due to budget constraints. The original AK logo contains a dragon front and center. Does anyone know if Beastly Kingdom will ever be built?

 

[aurorae]

They didn't switch to dinosaurs, they built camp minnie mickey where beastly kingdom belongs as a temporary placeholder due to budget constraints. The original AK logo contains a dragon front and center. Does anyone know if Beastly Kingdom will ever be built?

I wish they would, having that one extra land would reduce crowding in the rest of the park as well as make AK a full day park as it was intended to be.

I also wish that they would have finished putting the extra countries in WS, and put in some more attractions (there was supposed to have been a boat ride in Italy, for example).

I'm sure the answer is money. Disney can make a lot more money from building DVC resorts (for example) than from building more attractions in existing theme parks. At least up until the point that people reduce their time in the resorts because the parks are too crowded. If that would ever happen.

 

[jmclester]

If you stand at just the right spot between FW and WS in EPCOT the ToT at HS appears to be part of the skyline of Morroco. The buildings are the same color!

 

[PAcpl]

only one of the animal carvings on the tree of life was given a name, that was by JANE GOODALL who was invited to consult during the construction of animal kingdom, she noticed there wasn't a chimp on the tree and got them to add a chimp, who she named David Greybeard. there is also a plaque next to the carving to honor her.

Very cool thread. It looks like David Greybeard was a chimp and the first nonhuman to manufacture a tool.

It was within weeks before Jane made another important discovery. David Greybeard was digging in a termite mound. He was using a thick grass blade as a tool, which is pretty amazing, but had not been documented before in nonhumans. What made the history books was what David did with the grass blade before he started digging. He had chosen a select sliver and peeled it to shape the blade to his liking. This was the first recorded occurrence of tool manufacturing in nonhumans (Nichols 1995, Goodall 1971).

http://www.webster.edu/~woolflm/janegoodall.html

 

[Operator]

What a cool thread,

 

[courtneylauren]

bump

 

[OB1]

If you stand at just the right spot between FW and WS in EPCOT the ToT at HS appears to be part of the skyline of Morroco. The buildings are the same color!

That right spot is near the boat dock that goes to Germany. You are nearing Mexico. When you look across the lake at Morroco, you will see the TOT in the skyline, and the colors do blend.

 

[OB1]

The parking lot at AK is very barren. Once you cross the barren lot, the color & texture of the paving becomes more natural. You enter a lush jungle environment in the Oasis - Animal Kingdom's main street.

There are 2 exits from the Oasis - similar to MK with 2 entrances under the train station. Once you cross under, you see the icon of the park (AK - Tree of Life, MK - castle).

Check out the animals on the walls in shops/restaurants

• Creature Comforts feature animals/bugs with spots or stripes
• Island Mercantile feature animals that migrate
• Beastly Bazaar feature animals that live or spend most of their time in the water
• Disney Outfitters feature animals that travel in herds
• Flame Tree BBQ feature predator & prey on the lamps & tables
• Each room in Pizzafari feature a different category of animals. The room behind you when you order has animals that hang upside down

 

[courtneylauren]

Check out the animals on the walls in shops/restaurants

• Creature Comforts feature animals/bugs with spots or stripes
• Island Mercantile feature animals that migrate
• Beastly Bazaar feature animals that live or spend most of their time in the water
• Disney Outfitters feature animals that travel in herds
• Flame Tree BBQ feature predator & prey on the lamps & tables
• Each room in Pizzafari feature a different category of animals. The room behind you when you order has animals that hang upside down

Very cool

 

[DisCopper]

Really? I had read that it was about 4, and they used one of those when they put in the International gateway.

I suppose one is the former African Outpost, which kind of got shut down when AK opened.

Not sure where the other two are, but one is probably the pavillion they use for special events.

I'm always amazed at people who say there's no space for more countries in WS. Take a close look at GoogleEarth, and use some imagination.

Going clockwise:
1. You could rip out the old Odyssey restaurant and put somethere there (Yes, I realize they do use the space for some special events, and I know it's technically not part of WS, but it could easily be added if necessary).
2. There is a lot of space between Mexico and Norway. There are some backstage buildings in there, but they could obviously be relocated (look at what they're doing with the new Fantasyland).
3. If you rip out the Outpost, there is space for probably two countries. They wouldn't necessarily have a lot of "waterfront property," but there is a ton of space in the back.
4. One new country between Germany and Italy.
5. Possibly a small (narrow) country between Japan and Morocco.
6. Definitely a large country between Morocco and France.
7. If they were frantic for space, they could even totally redesign the International Gateway, and put a country there. Maybe reroute the entrance so that it comes up through the WS Events Pavillion between the UK and Canada.

So, if they're pushing it, that's 8 additional countries.

 

[MadgeatMU]

To add to the whole left/right thing in EPCOT, all of the benches/walkways on the left side are angled, representing the scientific/logical side. In contrast, all of the benches/walkways on the right side are curved and don't have those sharp angles, representing the more creative side of the brain.

 

[PixieDustandEeyore]

Notice as you are walking these parks how they each have different attractions. These are designed to make people want to attend the park and stay on property longer. Not many people know this.

You are so astute!

 

[disneybound31]

great stuff