Future World Then and Then and Now, Part 2
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Last week, I ran part 1 of a 2-part article comparing photos of Future World from the early 2000s, 2008, and 2015. Here’s the conclusion.
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, Curator of Yesterland, January 15, 2016
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![Future World of the Recent Past](images-epcot/past_directions2002.jpg) Direction sign near the base of Spaceship Earth, 2002
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![Future World of the Recent Past](images-epcot/past_directions2008.jpg) Direction sign near the base of Spaceship Earth, 2008
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![Future World of the Recent Past](images-epcot/past_directions2015ww.jpg) No longer a sign near the base of Spaceship Earth, 2015
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In the first two photos of the trio above, the multi-panel sign is largely unchanged, except for the top and bottom panels.
The Living Seas became The Seas with Nemo & Friends.
It was no longer possible to “Leave A Legacy”—to have your postage stamp-sized face(s) etched on a metal tile and mounted on one of the massive polished granite slabs at the entrance to Epcot. Instead, the bottom panel answered guests’ most common question—“Where are the bathrooms?”
The direction sign is now gone entirely. And the paint scheme on the legs of Spaceship Earth no longer uses the “Leave A Legacy” colors.
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![Future World of the Recent Past](images-epcot/past_wand22003.jpg) Spaceship Earth and Innoventions East building, 2003
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![Future World of the Recent Past](images-epcot/past_wand22008.jpg) Spaceship Earth and Innoventions East building, 2008
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![Future World of the Recent Past](images-epcot/past_wand22015ww.jpg) Spaceship Earth and Innoventions East building, 2015
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In the first photo of this trio, the cartoony Mickey Glove and Wand Icon Tower still looms above Spaceship Earth. In the second photo, Spaceship Earth has been restored. The third photo shows the weird paint scheme currently on Innoventions.
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![Future World of the Recent Past](images-epcot/past_landsign2004.jpg) Sign at the entrance to The Land, 2004
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![Future World of the Recent Past](images-epcot/past_landsign2008.jpg) Sign at the entrance to The Land, 2008
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![Future World of the Recent Past](images-epcot/past_landsign2015ww.jpg) Sign at the entrance to The Land, 2015
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When The Land opened in 1982 as one of the original pavilions of Future World, its sponsor was Kraft Foods. After Kraft bowed out in 1993, Nestlé took over until 2009.
Now, The Land pavilion has no sponsor, although one of its attractions, Living with the Land, is presented by Chiquita Banana, and its table service restaurant is now presented by Smucker’s.
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![Future World of the Recent Past](images-epcot/past_landexterior2002.jpg) The Land pavilion, 2002
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![Future World of the Recent Past](images-epcot/past_landexterior2008.jpg) The Land pavilion, 2008
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![Future World of the Recent Past](images-epcot/past_landexterior2015ww.jpg) The Land pavilion, 2015
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Backing up a bit from the other trio of The Land sign photos reveals that the pavilion is the same, but the landscaping in front keeps changing.
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![Future World of the Recent Past](images-epcot/past_landinterior2003.jpg) Interior of The Land pavilion, 2003
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![Future World of the Recent Past](images-epcot/past_landinterior2008.jpg) Interior of The Land pavilion, 2008
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![Future World of the Recent Past](images-epcot/past_landinterior2015ww.jpg) Interior of The Land pavilion, 2015
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Soarin’, which officially opened May 5, 2005, wasn’t the only change made to The Land between 2003 and 2008.
Disney addressed the chronic lack of seating at the Sunshine Seasons food court by removing the fountain. And the interior received an updated color scheme.
The interior was still essentially the same in 2015 as in 2008.
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![Future World of the Recent Past](images-epcot/past_gardengrill2004.jpg) Garden Grill restaurant in The Land pavilion, 2004
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![Future World of the Recent Past](images-epcot/past_gardengrill2008.jpg) Garden Grill restaurant in The Land pavilion, 2008
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![Future World of the Recent Past](images-epcot/past_gardengrill2015ww.jpg) Garden Grill restaurant in The Land pavilion, 2015
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As part of the 2005 update to The Land pavilion,
the Garden Grill restaurant received a more contemporary, less “country” sign and check-in counter.
In the 2015 photo, the Garden Grill restaurant sign has a Smucker’s logo below it.
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![Future World of the Recent Past](images-epcot/past_seasexterior2002.jpg) Exterior of The Living Seas pavilion, 2002
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![Future World of the Recent Past](images-epcot/past_seasexterior2008.jpg) Exterior of The Seas with Nemo & Friends pavilion, 2008
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![Future World of the Recent Past](images-epcot/past_seasexterior2015ww.jpg) Exterior of The Seas with Nemo & Friends pavilion, 2015
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The sign for The Living Seas in the 2002 photo still uses the classic font from the early years of EPCOT Center.
The 2008 photo shows that when the pavilion was transformed into The Seas with Nemo & Friends, its exterior gained colorful sealife graphics and a new sign based on the logo of the 2003 Pixar movie Finding Nemo.
The best change was the addition of the delightful seagulls that squawk, “Mine! Mine! Mine!”
The plants seem to be taking over in the 2015 photo.
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![Future World of the Recent Past](images-epcot/past_seasinterior2002.jpg) Interior of The Living Seas pavilion, 2002
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![Future World of the Recent Past](images-epcot/past_seasinterior2008.jpg) Interior of The Seas with Nemo & Friends pavilion, 2008
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![Future World of the Recent Past](images-epcot/past_seasinterior2015ww.jpg) Interior of The Seas with Nemo & Friends pavilion, 2015
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The 2002 photo of the The Living Seas interior shows a time when guests would still exit by way of the “Seabase Exit” and “return to surface via Hydrolators.”
The 2008 and 2015 photos show that there’s now simply an “exit to Future World” through a gift shop.
Most of the changes in this 2-part series are details that guests would be unlikely to notice.
For example, who really remembers that The Land had a different sign and isolated palms instead of a dense forest as landscaping?
If you missed Part 1, click on the link below.
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© 2008-2016 Werner Weiss — Disclaimers, Copyright, and Trademarks
Updated January 15, 2016.
Photos of Future World: Werner Weiss (year shown under each photo).
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