Epcot Center concept 1978 part two: A crowded World Showcase

As we have seen in the first part of this series Epcot Center as it was envisioned in 1978 by Imagineering - the Walt Disney Company division that is responsible for planning and building the Disney theme parks and attractions - looks somehow familiar to the finally built park. But there were also vast differences, like for example the number of country pavilions that where planned to be part of World Showcase. When Epcot Center opened on October 1st 1982 just 9 country pavilions were to be discoverd in World Showcase: Mexico, Germany, China, Italy, Japan, France, United Kingdom, Canada and the host pavilion The American Adventure (later on Morocco and Norway were added).



That was a far cry from the many pavilions that seem to crowd the shores of the lagoon in this 1978 modell that you already know.



But which countries where to be part of World Showcase and what did they look like?

Not being Jim Hill and not knowing any Imagineer personally that I could ask for some information or inside stories I just take what I find - in books, magazines, on the web -, combine it and see to what conclusions I come.

So in this case. In Karal Ann Marling's book "Designing Disney's theme parks" there's this interesting plan of World Showcase, also from 1978.



If you compare it to the modell you'll recognize some similarities and some differences. There laid supposedly some weeks or month of plan changing and improvement between the creation of them. But more or less it shows the same planning stage: a world showcase with lots of pavilions, 20 pavilions, to be exact.

At the place where the American Adventure pavilion stands today is this large empty spot where Imagineering wanted to build an elaborate fountain. The American pavilion itself would have been built at the entrance to World Showcase in the form of this large round futuristic looking building on stilts. Beginning from there the visitors would have walked around the lagoon, discovering all these different country pavilions, separated in four equal blocks.

And which countries where planned? Walking clockwise around the lagoon the visitors first would have encountered the pavilions of Morocco, Costa Rica, Taiwan, Australia/New Zealand and Switzerland. Then after crossing a bridge over a waterway they would have come to the pavilions of Holland, West Germany, Brazil, Japan and Poland. Now the visitors would have stand at the far end of the lagoon near that fountain. After that the pavilions of Italy, Great Britain, Safari Africa, France and Mexico would have followed and after another bridge Scandinavia, Israel, South Korea, Canada and finally Saudi Arabia.

But what's interesting is that every country pavilion that was there on opening day in 1982 already had been included in this concept from 1978, except the Chinese pavilion: Mexico, (West) Germany, Italy, Japan, France, Great Britain (United Kingdom) and Canada. Morocco was added in 1984, Norway (most probably a spin-off from the Scandinavia pavilion I suppose) in 1989.

And looking at the pavilions of West Germany, Japan, Mexico and Canada you'll notice that they look in some parts very similar to the built ones. The plan of Canada even seems to just have been mirrored except for some minor changes.



That's no surprise as there probably was little more than a year between the time when this plan was drawn and when the construction started on the field. I suppose Imagineering was in a big hurry at the time!

In the next installment we'll have a more detailed look at some of the other World Showcase pavilions in this 1978 plan and their attractions.