EPCOT (Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow) is a theme park at Walt Disney World in Florida. Its Future World and World Showcase highlight innovation and technology around the world. The park is home to many attractions, shops and restaurants, all on more than 300 acres. EPCOT today, however, does not resemble the original plans Walt Disney had for it.
Walt Disney came up with the idea for EPCOT in the 1960s when he was creating Walt Disney World. The original plan was to have an actual city with 20,000 residents, all with the newest technology to make their lives easier.
When Walt Disney passed away, the Disney Board of Directors refused to enact the plan that called for the construction of a city. The idea would not be looked at for 10 years.
In the late 1970s, Disney decided to revisit the idea of EPCOT Center but radically changed its original concept. The new EPCOT Center would focus on technology without the city element. Ground was broken on October 1, 1979, and EPCOT opened on October 2, 1982.
When Michael Eisner became CEO of Disney in 1984, he made sweeping changes to EPCOT Center, such as overseeing a massive expansion and including Disney-costumed characters. In the 1990s, the park began pairing its attractions with celebrities and Disney characters. The park name became simply "Epcot" in 1996.
Epcot seems to be the most confused of the Disney parks. Originally a park dedicated to the improvement of humanity through globalism and technology, it has been become a vehicle to promote Disney films and characters.
