Epcot expands 25th anniversary plans

[crazy4wdw]

From WDW Guest Relations:

While the Year of a Million Dreams celebration continues across all of Walt Disney World, Guests who are visiting Epcot on October 1 will know they are a part of a special day as the park commemorates its anniversary in a number of ways:

As part of the celebration, Guests will be invited to take a stroll down memory lane with a Disney legend, Marty Sklar. A Disney employee since 1955 and dubbed the official Imagineering Ambassador, Marty has been putting smiles on the faces of children and parents alike for nearly 50 years. Guests can hear his captivating stories of Disney history and enjoy his unique perspective on the magical future of Walt Disney World Resort.

Guests visiting the park on October 1 will also be able to attend the rededication of the park.

In addition, Guests will have the opportunity to visit the Epcot 25th Anniversary Gallery to explore the fascinating journey that brought Epcot from dream to reality. This exclusive exhibit showcases concept art, models and memorabilia from the early days of Epcot.

 

[crazy4wdw]

Epcot expands 25th anniversary plans

Disney reconsiders its plans on how to celebrate the milestone.

Disney plans a public rededication ceremony for the park Oct. 1.

Scott Powers | Sentinel Staff Writer

Pressed by fans, Walt Disney World is expanding its observance of Epcot's 25th anniversary by providing company-sponsored public events to go along with private celebrations already set for Oct.1.

Disney is now planning a public "rededication ceremony" inside Epcot that day that will echo much of the original 1982 dedication. It also will have an exhibit hall dedicated to the park's first 25 years; a special "IlluminNations" light show at the close of the day; and retro guide maps, restaurant menus and other souvenirs.

Still, the observances are far less involved than those Disney has already organized for Epcot employees -- less even than some of the private events organized by Disney fans.

Disney said this year that there would be no company-sponsored public observances of Epcot's silver anniversary. Instead, they said commemorations would focus on the theme park's employees.

Many Epcot fans used various Internet forums to criticize Disney for not planning a public marking of the Epcot milestone. The fans also used the Internet to organize private celebrations. As their private arrangements picked up steam this summer, Disney apparently reconsidered its plans.

Epcot's new vice president, Jim MacPhee, announced in June that some sort of public celebration would take place. He also disclosed that Disney would take down the wand-and-arm structure that had towered over Epcot's signature attraction, Spaceship Earth, since 1999.

Now Disney is providing details of the public observances that will be available to paying visitors to the park on Oct. 1.

MacPhee, one of Epcot's original employees from 1982, said the anniversary is still focused on employees, particularly the 300 who both opened the park and still work there. That effort began earlier this month, with various commemorative decorations, giveaways and employee recognitions.

"We've always planned to celebrate the 25th anniversary for our cast. It began to evolve very quickly as we focused on what a great milestone it is," MacPhee said. "It's great. I love the fact that people have such huge passion about what we're doing."

The resort's change of heart may be partly attributed to the emerging success of various private Epcot parties -- including "Celebration 25," which is being spearheaded by Adam Roth, a 16-year-old Dr. Phillips High School junior.

Celebration 25, which will feature Epcot history tours, get-togethers and parties Sept. 30 and Oct. 1, started as an Internet-networked get-together of Epcot fans. Initially, it was expected to draw 100 or so participants, but the latest count tops 1,100 registrants.

Another private celebration, "The Epcot Thing," sponsored by the unofficial Disney-fan Web site ********************, also involves various parties and get-togethers Sept. 30 and Oct. 1. And the annual Florida convention of the National Fantasy Fan Club will take place at Disney World that weekend.

Disney officials have noticed the private preparations, and have called organizers to help coordinate the official and unofficial events.

Roth does not think the private celebrations goaded Disney into creating a public Epcot celebration. But he thinks they may have inspired Disney to do more than was originally intended.

"All our efforts combined -- I think it does show we do have a presence out there of fans," he said. "I think it was a polite reminder that it does mean something to us."

Scott Powers can be reached at spowers@orlandosentinel.com or 407-420-5441.

 

[rocketriter]

The Re-Imagineering website, a blog by Imagineers, credits this change to the departure of Mike Mendenhall, who led marketing for the Disney brands and resorts. Their article claims that Mendenhall vetoed a 25th celebration, but with Lasseter's arrival and Mendenhall's departure some last-minute activities are being pulled together.

 

[ChrisFL]

The Re-Imagineering website, a blog by Imagineers, credits this change to the departure of Mike Mendenhall, who led marketing for the Disney brands and resorts. Their article claims that Mendenhall vetoed a 25th celebration, but with Lasseter's arrival and Mendenhall's departure some last-minute activities are being pulled together.

from what I've read , Jim MacPhee who is now in charge of EPCOT also decided he wanted more things happening for the 25th

 

[jedimaster1227]

from what I've read , Jim MacPhee who is now in charge of EPCOT also decided he wanted more things happening for the 25th

That is right. Jim started work on the project first thing when he took his new position. The plans have been there for months, they just weren't public.

Oh, and I am Adam Roth from the above story...

 

[Another Voice]

Plans?

It's a speech and some paintings dragged out of a back office somewhere. There's no "celebration" here at all - it's a corporate embarassment.

 

[jedimaster1227]

Plans?

It's a speech and some paintings dragged out of a back office somewhere. There's no "celebration" here at all - it's a corporate embarassment.

There is a rededication, an official exhibit (and I saw the exhibit space this weekend and it is huge-the largest available for use in Innoventions West), Marty Sklar's seminar, an extended version of Illuminations including anniversary projections on Spaceship Earth and a familiar tune (for Epcot fans) at the end. There is plenty going on, just not as much as anyone could have hoped a few years ago. Mind you, what we have been given is much better than nothing at all. I look at it as the glass half full, rather than half empty...

 

[raidermatt]

My hat goes off to you, Mr. Roth, for organizing the unofficial celebration.

While what is going on officially is still pretty underwhelming, at least somebody upped it from what had been planned (nothing).

To me, what is or isn't being done on October 1 is not the problem in and of itself. The fact that they felt that doing nothing was appropriate is just another example of what the company's overall attitude is towards the history of the company, and specifically in this case, the original vision of E.P.C.O.T. I know, EPCOT Center was not the true original vision, but it was an attempt to capture it, if on a lesser scale.

Now, there is not even an attempt to fulfill even the spirit of that vision, and frankly, there seems to be contempt for it. Many fans have even taken up that call, saying that EPCOT's original vision was boring, and didn't connect with the public. Disney is about characters and pixie dust, they say. If there aren't princesses and characters there, how can it be Disney?

Don't get me wrong, I still enjoy Epcot. Mostly for what it once represented, but some of the new things are fun. It's just sad to think about what it COULD be, and to realize that there's really no good reason it left that path.

 

[Another Voice]

Sorry - it's just that I was there 25 years ago and the attitude throughout the whole company was a lot different then. Today it really comes off that Disney just couldn't give a fig about the place - the company's more invested in giving away free churros than any serious attempt at an anniversary event.

Playing a song is nice, but re-opening the 'Wonders of Life' pavilion and the Imageworks section of 'Imagination' would be more in the spirit of things.


Actually - a nice news conference announcing three more world showcase pavilions would be great as well.

 

[DisOrBust]

What I don't get is they plan a campaign/celebration when someone passes gas. Why they just let this slide by? People are nostalgic look at DL 50th.

 

[GrumpyFan]

What I don't get is they plan a campaign/celebration when someone passes gas. Why they just let this slide by? People are nostalgic look at DL 50th.

I think part of the reason why they initially didn't plan anything BIG, was due in part to how many other celebrations they've had in the past few years. There was Mickey's 75th, Walt's 100th and Disneylands' 50th all with promotions to go along with them. I think there might have been some concern that it was starting to get just a bit confusing to some people and they didn't want to add another. We shouldn't get bent over it though, look at what they did for MKs 35th last year, there was a button and I think some hats for that day, but nothing major announced or promoted.

 

[YoHo]

35th anniversary isn't as important as 25th though.

 

[MJMcBride]

Here's more comments from that Sentinel peice
http://www.mouseextra.com/2007/09/18/orlando-sentinel-reports-on-epcots-25th/#respond

I wish they would decide to either fish or completely cut bait with WoL. Frankly, I for re-themeing the area, but having a void is worse