Thanks so much for posting - extremely interesting.
- 1 Billion? Everest cost half that! Course it was 70's $$$.
- Had no idea Disney got that type of Sponsor Money up-front! While the article does not quote a final figure, I would guess that 30 to 40% of the entire cost was paid by sponsors.
Have always felt Epcot was / is an Enigma. All of this was done in the "What Would Walt Do?" era. Thrill rides were only in their infancy.
Certainly nobody is going to build a Replica of Epcot. Despite that - there is a certain charm to the entire place that I find irresistible.