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Walt Disney World 1983, 2011, and 2025 Former Future World at EPCOT, Part 1 
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“The 21st century begins October 1, 1982.” In 1982, that’s how Walt Disney Productions promoted the impending opening of EPCOT Center. Back then, I lived in Pasadena, California, and had never been to Florida — but I wanted to visit “The newest Wonder of the World.” It didn’t take too long. A friend and I made it to EPCOT Center in January 1983. We took color slides of the new park’s landmarks. I recreated some of those photos 28 years later, in February 2011. EPCOT Center had become Epcot. Future World was still Future World. It’s now February 2024. Another 14 years have passed. Epcot is branded as EPCOT. Future World has been split into three parts — World Celebration, World Discovery, and World Nature. Much has changed, especially in World Celebration. Once again, I recreated the photos, as well as I could. Here’s Part 1 with photos of the same places in 1983, 2011, and 2025.
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Photo by Werner Weiss or Dennis Derr, 1983 1983: Spaceship Earth at night |
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Photo by Werner Weiss, 2011 2011: Spaceship Earth at night |
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Photo by Werner Weiss, 2025 2025: Spaceship Earth at night |
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Spaceship Earth, the huge geodesic sphere that contains the Spaceship Earth ride, is the magnificent icon for the Disney theme park that keeps changing its name — EPCOT Center, Epcot ’94, Epcot ’95, Epcot, and now EPCOT. In the 2011 photo, the angled “tombstones” at ground level are from the Leave A Legacy program, which began late 1999. The entrance plaza was restored in 2019 and 2020, when the “tombstones” were moved to a new location. The three-pronged plexiglass sculpture in front of Spaceship Earth, missing in the 2011 photo, was also restored. The biggest change to the exterior of Spaceship Earth came in 2021 with the installation of a programmable LED lighting system. After dark, a series of “Beacons of Light” shows synchronize colorful light patterns with music. It’s impressive and beautiful. |
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Photo by Werner Weiss or Dennis Derr, 1983 1983: Spaceship Earth, Presented by the Bell System |
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Photo by Werner Weiss, 2011 2011: Spaceship Earth, Presented by Siemens |
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Photo by Werner Weiss, 2025 2025: Spaceship Earth, without a sponsor |
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Spaceship Earth was originally sponsored by the Bell System, AT&T’s collection of regional Bell phone companies, long distance, Western Electric telephone manufacturing, and Bell Labs. A U.S. Department of Justice antitrust lawsuit led to a Federal court decision to break up the Bell System. When the break-up became effective January 1, 1984, AT&T remained the sponsor of Spaceship Earth, but the Bell System name went away. In 2005, German multinational technology company Siemens AG became the sponsor. Although the major show scenes were largely unchanged, the ride’s focus changed from communication to innovation. In 2017, Siemens AG walked away from its sponsorship. The signage, narration, and post-ride interactive exhibits were scraped of references to Siemens, but that’s about all that changed. |
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Photo by Werner Weiss or Dennis Derr, 1983 1983: Reflecting pond in Communicore Plaza |
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Photo by Werner Weiss, 2011 2011: A completely reimagined plaza with more concrete |
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Photo by Werner Weiss, 2025 2025: Plaza reimagined as World Celebration Gardens |
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EPCOT Center originally had reflecting pools adjacent to the Communicore East and Communicore West buildings. In 1994, Communicore became Innoventions. In 1999, Epcot added embellishments to the plaza. Angled metal poles supported a network of cables suspending fabric “shade” panels. For World Celebration, a multi-year renovation transformed the plaza into a series of gardens. They officially debuted on December 5, 2023, the 122nd anniversary of Walt Disney’s birth. With seating and trees, the gardens are a great place to hang out with friends or family. The term Communicore came back from retirement in the form of the newly constructed Communicore Hall and Plaza in 2024. |
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Photo by Werner Weiss or Dennis Derr, 1983 1983: World of Motion, presented by General Motors |
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Photo by Werner Weiss, 2011 2011: Original Test Track, presented by General Motors |
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Photo by Werner Weiss, 2025 2025: Being renovated as the third version of Test Track, presented by Chevrolet |
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World of Motion, an opening day attraction at EPCOT Center, was a humorous look at the history of transportation. That’s the line for the ride in the 1983 photo. The original ride ran until January 2, 1996. After being closed around three years, the building reopened as the first of three versions Test Track. The original Test Track showcased General Motors’ rigorous testing procedures. In a thrilling finale, the sleek six-passenger ride vehicles emerged from the building on a high-speed outdoor track. The third version of Test Track is supposed to draw inspiration from World of Motion, while retaining the thrills of the first and second version. The pavilion itself will look more as it did when it first opened. The newest Test Track is supposed to open late summer 2025. |
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Photo by Werner Weiss or Dennis Derr, 1983 1983: Future World directional sign |
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Photo by Werner Weiss, 2011 2011: Future World directional sign |
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Photo by Werner Weiss, 2025 2025: World Celebration directional sign |
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The three signs above are not in the same location, but they show how the graphic style of the signs has changed. |
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Photo by Werner Weiss or Dennis Derr, 1983 1983: Fountain of Nations in its original glory |
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Photo by Werner Weiss, 2011 2011: Fountain of Nations with a stage partially blocking the view |
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Photo by Werner Weiss, 2025 2025: More of World Celebration Gardens |
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There was a grand fountain at the south end of Communicore Plaza when EPCOT Center opened. Its official name was usually Fountain of Nations — but, over the years, it was also called Fountain of World Friendship, Communicore Fountain, and Innoventions Fountain. The already wonderful fountain was enhanced in 1993 with the installation of new nozzles and water “shooters” that could propel water up to 150 feet in the air. Guests who took the time to admire one of the frequent water shows were treated one of the best fountain experiences in the United States. Keeping the fountain was not part of the plan for World Celebration. The fountain was turned off September 8, 2019. The next step was its demolition behind construction walls. The site of the fountain is now part of World Celebration Gardens. |
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Photo by Werner Weiss or Dennis Derr, 1983 1983: Fountain of Nations at night |
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Photo by Werner Weiss, 2011 2011: Fountain of Nations at night |
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Photo by Werner Weiss, 2025 2025: World Celebration Gardens at night |
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Fountain of Nations looked great by day, but even better at night during its 37-year run. There’s also much to like about World Celebration Gardens at night. The musical light shows on Spaceship Earth somewhat make up for the loss of the musical fountain shows. Continue to Walt Disney World 1983, 2011, and 2024: Former Future World at EPCOT, Part 2. |
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© 2025 Werner Weiss — Disclaimers, Copyright, and Trademarks Updated March 7, 2025 |
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, Curator of Yesterland, February 28, 2025
