Epcot: Future World

Lake Buena Vista, Florida: The spirit of innovation and technology is alive and well within the Future World pavilion of Epcot. Through rides and attractions, guest will see how the world evolved from technological standpoint, from the days of the dinosaurs to what lies ahead in the future, it can all be witnessed within Future World.

The pavilions revolve around Spaceship Earth in the front half of the park. Clockwise from the entrance you will experience Spaceship Earth, Innoventions, Universe of Energy, Wonders of Life, Mission Space, Test Track, Imagination, The Land and The Seas with Nemo and Friends.

The icon of the park, Spaceship Earth, is the centerpiece of Future World. Opened with the park in 1982 and later renovated in 2007, guest enter the 180 foot geodesic dome to embark on a journey through the history of communications. Riders board a omni mover train and take an almost 15 minute ride though various milestones in communications history. You will witness caveman wall writings, Egyptian hieroglyphics, Greek scrolls, biblical writings, the invention of the telegraph, telephones, television, computers and much more on this interesting look of where we have been and where we are going in the world of communications. Once the ride is over, you will enter the Project Tomorrow: Inventing the Wonders of the Future. Here you will get to interact with digital games using the latest in technology.

On either side of Spaceship Earth is the Innoventions pavilion. Innoventions is separated into an East and West pavilion with either side being the gateway to the other pavilions of Future World. Added to the park in 1994, the pavilion offers a look at technical advances in everyday life. The current exhibits look at the advancement in fire fighting safety, recycling, segways, video games, building construction and more. Almost all of the exhibits have some element of interaction, making it a great place for the kids to play.

As you pass through the east pavilion of Innovations, you first come across the Universe of Energy pavilion. Join Ellen DeGeneres and Bill Nye the Science Guy on a 45 minute ride that looks at the history of energy. When Ellen struggles on Jeopardy with the Energy category, Bill Nye steps in to help Ellen learn a little more on the subject. The journey begins with the formation of fossil fuels and takes riders through today’s energy sources while also taking a look at future sources of Energy. The pavilion was one of the parks original pavilions when the park opened. The current ride in the pavilion, Ellen’s Energy Adventure opened in 1996.

The Wonders of Life pavilion offers a look into advancements in health and the human body. The pavilion features several attractions that take a look at the human body. It is also home to the parks first thrill ride, Body Wars. Here you board a motion simulator on a trip inside the human body to remove a splinter, on they way you encounter a loss of power requiring the use of the human body to get out. The other major attraction here is Cranium Command. The seventeen minute show follows a typical day inside the human brain and how the brain helps regulate bodily functions. The pavilion also features a movie about the miracle of birth called The Making of Me as well as many other attractions geared towards the body. The pavilion switched to seasonal operation in 2004 and closed in 2007. While the original pavilion remains, much of the rides have been removed and the future of the pavilion is unknown.

Mission Space is the newest pavilion in Epcot. The pavilion was built over the former Horizons pavilion which was closed in 1999. The Mission Space pavilion was opened to the public in 2003 and takes a look into the space program. Here riders can embark on a trip to Mars on a realistic simulator. The simulator is so realistic that barf bags were actually installed on the ride vehicles and later a non-centrifuge option was added for those with medical problems or suffer from motion sickness. On the ride, you are split into groups of four with each person having a mission specific task on the ride. If you are brave enough to chose the centrifuge option of the ride, you will experience more then 2.5 G’s during the five and a half minute ride. Once the ride is over, you can experience the Advanced Training Lab with plenty of hands on attraction to enhance the space experience. Also, if you are traveling with young children or just do not wish to take the flight, the Advanced Training Lab is accessible without riding the ride through the gift shop.

Test Track is also a newer attraction to the park. Opened in 1998, the ride takes guests on a ride through the testing grounds for new vehicles. The experience actually beings in the ride queue where you can witness some of the tests that vehicles go through before actually hitting the streets. Once you make it through the line, you board a prototype test vehicle to embark on a test run. Test the suspension, handling, stopping and eventually make it to the speed testing where you will reach speeds in excess of 65 miles per hour, making it one of the fastest rides in the Disney franchise. When the ride is complete, you can take a look at some of the prototype vehicles that have been created by General Motors.

Once you leave Test Track you can cross the lagoon and enter into World Showcase or snake back towards the Innoventions pavilion and begin touring the west side of Future World.

For the purpose of this article, we will continue our clockwise tour of Future World and the next pavilion is the Imagination pavilion. Enter the fictional Imagination Institute and take a trip into the world of imagination. While the pavilion was one of the original pavilions, it has seen a series of changes throughout the years. Currently the pavilion boasts three attractions, with Journey into Imagination with Figment being the main attraction. Join Figment on an adventure that travels through the five senses. The ride mixes comedy and education into a six minute ride that leaves everyone laughing at the end. The pavilion also features a 4-D film called Captain EO as well as a series of interactive exhibits called ImageWorks.

The Land pavilion is an entire pavilion dedicated to ecology and seeing the benefits of the land and also how to prevent destroying it. The main attraction of the pavilion is the 15 minute boat ride called Living with the Land. The ride features a look at the different biomes found on Earth and then concludes with a tour through a greenhouse facility that shows the different techniques used to bring the fresh produce and foods to your table each day. Soarin, the other major attraction in the pavilion was added to the park in 2005. Here riders take a five minute hang glider tour of California. Riders board a suspended seat and then are lifted in front of an 80 foot screen to give the real appearance of flying. During the ride special effects such as wind and smell are used to help make you feel like you are really there. Soarin was modeled after a similar ride at Disneyland in California that opened in 2001. The Land pavilion is also home to the Circle of Life movie feature the cast from the Lion King as well as numerous restaurants.

The final pavilion of Future World is The Seas with Nemo and Friends pavilion. Originally opened in 1986 as the Living Seas pavilion, it too has been rebranded throughout the years. While the ride has changed, the concept of marine conservation has remained the same. The original ride took guests on a journey to Sea Base Alpha, an underwater research facility with sea cabs for transportation. Following the success of Finding Nemo, the pavilion was changed to The Seas with Nemo and Friends. Now guests board clam mobiles as they follow the story of Nemo through scenes computer enhanced over the actual aquarium windows. Once the ride is over, you can head to the Sea Base for a look at the marine animals that live in the 5.7 million gallon aquarium. You can also visit Turtle Talk with Crush, an interactive attraction featuring that famous turtle from the movie, where kids can ask questions and talk to Crush. The pavilion also features a bunch of behind the scenes tour options to help get closer to the animals. For an extra fee you can swim with dolphins or scuba dive in the tanks.

Future World at Epcot is constantly changing to keep up with the current demands. Just as some attractions have closed, new have come to take their place. These changes are necessary to help keep Future World moving forward.

For photos of Future World and the rest of the park, visit my Future World photo gallery.