The 21st Century Began October 1, 1982
This week saw Epcot’s 25th anniversary celebrations in Walt Disney World. The chances are they passed many people by (even in Orlando itself), as it was not exactly the most widely publicised event. But, while it may have been only grudgingly acknowledged by Disney management, they did the park proud on October 1 with a day’s celebrations that proved immensely fulfilling.
With the fans coming together on the Internet like never before, Disney had appeared to do a major U-turn on their decision not to stage any kind of major event to mark the date, as stated back in February (although there is also a strong feeling that Epcot’s new vice-president, Jim McPhee, who took over five months ago, had a major say in changing this policy!).
But, whatever the reason for providing the stimulus for this celebration, Epcot’s Silver Anniversary ultimately was a joy to behold.
Susan and I were involved as co-sponsors of the Celebration 25 organisation, the online brainchild of Epcot fans Jenn Waitt and Adam Roth (the latter a 16-year-old local High School student with wonderful vision and inspiration), which had more than 1200 registered attendees.
More importantly, it received the official seal of approval from Disney, with Epcot boss McPhee meeting with the organisers several times and providing an unprecedented level of co-operation for the group to celebrate and enjoy the day.
And the combination of official organisation and fan enthusiasm made for a hugely successful event, with hundreds still in the park well after the official closing time, enjoying the retro music (all the Epcot themes and songs of the last 25 years were given a full airing) and convivial atmosphere.
The Anniversary banners weren’t overwhelming, and there certainly wasn’t massive publicity even within Walt Disney World itself for the event - one of our friends actually rang Guest Relations to ask about the special fireworks only to be told there weren’t any! But the celebratory ambience was noticeable as soon as you walked through the gates, with Cast Members handing out Epcot 25 badges and retro park maps. These latter will surely be a massive collectors’ item, as they featured the regular park map on one side and the full October 1982 map on the other. A brilliant touch of nostalgia. Surprisingly once again, there was also only a modest selection of Epcot 25 souvenirs, consisting of a T-shirt, Figment plush toy and a watch, with only a few thousand available in total. Needless to say we managed to grab one of each! The music was the other big factor in adding to the ambience, with so many memorable songs down through the years. There is also a new Epcot discovery centre especially for the 25th anniversary (in the exhibition hall behind the Fountain View ice-cream shop and Club Cool), which offers the full story of the park from its 1965 origins, the 1982 opening and everything that has happened there since. It includes a lot of memorabilia, posters, original artwork and some fascinating models. Truly an Epcot fan’s dream!
At 10.01am exactly, the central showcase stage (right behind the plaza fountains) came alive with the special Re-Dedication Ceremony, featuring Cast Members from all the Future World pavilions and each World Showcase country, plus the Walt Disney World ambassadors – and guest speaker Marty Sklar, one of Walt’s original Imagineers and the head of Walt Disney Imagineering for many years before his semi-retirement.
Now 73, Sklar remains a fascinating public speaker, one of the few remaining living ties to Walt himself, and he provided the perfect segue into a renewal of Epcot’s famous Water Ceremony, which accompanied the original park opening in 1982. With several thousand in attendance, Sklar, McPhee, the Disney ambassadors and the Cast Members set the perfect tone for the event, and for the day as a whole.
The Celebration 25 group (all 1,000-plus of them!) remained behind after the Ceremony for a big photo session, then dispersed to enjoy the park, meeting up at various points for pre-planned get-togethers (at Journey Into Imagination, the American Adventure and for an evening dessert party and IllumiNations viewing).
We also got the chance to quiz the six main organisers at a press conference upstairs in the Norway pavilion, and learn how the group came together as committed – and dynamic – fans to prepare this unique celebration (and I think it’s fair to say Disney may have earmarked them for future involvement, too).
Altogether, they are:
Jeff Pepper – of the www.2719hyperion.com website
John Corigliano – of www.mousetimes.com
Jason Diffendal – the dessert party specialist!
Jenn Waitt – the original creator of Celebration 25 and the excellent logo
Adam Roth – of the Dreamfinder Forever website and Celebration 25 spokesperson
Lou Mongello – author of the Walt Disney World Trivia books and the WDW Radio Show.
As a group, they also provided some keen insight into the values and attractions of the park, talking variously about the “idealistic sense of optimism” which Epcot provides; the “inspiration” of the Community element; the “revolutionary’ aspect of the park when it opened, with its engineering marvels; the “science and technology” aspect of Walt’s visions; the “optimistic look at possibilities of the future”; and the “use of imagination and education” in so many aspects of the park.
Adam’s enthusiasm and energy (backed by his whole family), plus his highly articulate and creative statements on the group’s intentions and ambitions served to underpin the while day while John also added a wealth of info and insight into Epcot (he conducted three ‘history tours’ the day before the 25th anniversary).
Together, they served up a wonderful fan-based event with the kind of awe and admiration for Walt’s ideals that is usually the preserve of the Imagineers themselves (in fact, the Celebration 25 crew almost out-Disneyed Disney in some respects!).
And there was more. Marty Sklar gave an hour’s lecture (in the Circle of Life Theater in The Land pavilion) into his recollections of working with Walt and the creation of Epcot (along with some priceless visuals, TV clips and archive photos) and earned a standing ovation from a packed audience. The American Adventure also showcased its new finale section (a montage of photographic images of the last 30 or so years of US history), while the new O Canada! film was another recent highlight.
The only drawback on the day (apart from the periodic downpours!) was the fact the iconic Spaceship Earth ride (now back to its original pristine form again, with the removal of the Mickey wand hand) wasn’t open, as it is undergoing its major Siemens-inspired rehab and it is not due to re-open until later in November.
Finally, there were the fireworks. Not just the traditional stunning spectacle of the normal IllumiNations: Reflections Of Earth Show, but an extra burst of 25th Anniversary splendour, We’ve Just Begun To Dream, which featured some more novel effects (including a kind of fire-burst strobe at lake level which punctuated the start) and a truly powerful, concussive finale which you felt as much as saw. Just staggering, and hugely emotive (look up Orlando Attractions Magazine – courtesy of Inside The Magic – for an amazing video of the occasion).
As the vast crowds melted away on a memorable day, the Epcot lasers signed the typical sponsorship messages over the Spaceship Earth exterior as a breathless ‘farewell,’ but also an unspoken message of hope for the next 25 years……
October 3rd, 2007 at 12:32 am
Nice report Simon, this sounds like the place I wanted to be. Maybe I should have planned my holiday around this celebration. I guess I’ll have to catch up a little later when I am there.