Epcot, stylized in all uppercase as EPCOT, is a theme park at the Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida. It is owned and operated by The Walt Disney Company through its Disney Experiences division. The park opened on October 1, 1982, as EPCOT Center, the second of four theme parks built at the resort. Often referred to as a "permanent world's fair", Epcot is dedicated to the celebration of human achievement, particularly technological innovation and international culture and is known for its iconic landmark Spaceship Earth, a geodesic sphere.
Soarin', also known as Soarin' Over California, Soarin' Around the World, Soaring Over the Horizon and Soaring: Fantastic Flight, is a flight motion simulator attraction at Disney California Adventure, Epcot, Shanghai Disneyland, and Tokyo DisneySea. It employs a mechanical lift system, a projected presentation on an 80 ft (24 m) concave 180-degree dome screen, and artificial scents and wind to simulate a hang gliding flight over locations in six of the world's continents. Many consider it the first flying theater.
Spaceship Earth is a dark ride attraction at the EPCOT theme park at the Walt Disney World in Bay Lake, Florida. The geodesic sphere in which the attraction is housed has served as the symbolic structure of EPCOT since the park opened in 1982.
The Happiest Homecoming on Earth or the Happiest Celebration on Earth was the eighteen-month-long celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Disneyland theme park, which opened on July 17, 1955. It commemorated fifty years of Disney theme parks and celebrated Disneyland's milestone throughout Disney parks all over the globe. The "Homecoming" name was only used for Disneyland Resort; all the other Disney Parks resorts used the "Celebration" name.
Disney Live Entertainment is the theatrical live entertainment production division of Walt Disney Imagineering, the design and development arm of Disney Experiences, a division and business segment of The Walt Disney Company.
IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth was a nighttime show performed nightly at Epcot at the Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida. The show utilized fireworks, pyrotechnics, water fountains, fire effects, lasers, searchlights, and a large rotating globe with curved LED screens to create a visual production on the park's World Showcase Lagoon.
WestCOT was a planned second theme park for the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California. It was essentially a replica of EPCOT Center at the Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, and was dedicated to the celebration of human achievement, namely technological innovation and international culture. The park was represented by SpaceStation Earth, a larger version of the geodesic sphere Spaceship Earth featured at EPCOT Center.
Ronald Logan was an American businessman who served as executive vice president of Walt Disney Entertainment. After retiring from the company in 2001, he was formally a professor at the University of Central Florida Rosen College of Hospitality Management in Orlando, Florida, United States.
The Walt Disney World Millennium Celebration was an event at the Walt Disney World Resort as part of millennium celebrations held around the world. Running from October 1, 1999, to January 1, 2001, the celebration was primarily based at Epcot, with its emphasis on human potential and the possibilities of the future.
IllumiNations was a series of nightly fireworks shows at Epcot before IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth was created in 1999 for the Walt Disney World Millennium Celebration.
HalloWishes was a fireworks show that took place during "Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party" at Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom theme park from 2005 to 2018. It was loosely based on the popular Haunted Mansion attraction and includes vocal appearances by Disney Villains. It was replaced by Disney's Not So Spooky Spectacular!.
The Tapestry of Nations was a parade at the Epcot theme park in Walt Disney World, Florida, United States, that ran around the World Showcase Lagoon from 1999 to 2001, after which it was rethemed as Tapestry of Dreams. The parade had a unity and world peace theme and featured a variety of large puppets and massive rotating drum units with drummers dressed like kings. The puppets were designed by Michael Curry who also designed the puppets for The Lion King on Broadway and a variety of Disney theme park shows. The leader of the parade was the Sage of Time, who was represented as a stilt walker in an elaborate costume featuring alchemy symbols, gold trim on a white robe, a staff, and a headpiece resembling a sun with a face.
Disneyland Forever was a nighttime spectacular at Disneyland that premiered alongside the Paint the Night parade and World of Color—Celebrate! on May 21, 2015 as part of the park's 60th anniversary celebration. The show was produced by Disney Live Entertainment, under direction of Steve Davison. Disneyland Forever incorporates fireworks, projection mapping, fire, lasers, and searchlights to depict scenes from Disney films. The show's original run ended on September 5, 2016, upon conclusion of the Diamond Celebration. The shows exit song, "A Kiss Goodnight", would be later be released on CD with a book bearing the song's name.
Harmonious was a multimedia, fireworks-based nighttime spectacular at EPCOT at Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida. Intended as the long-term replacement for IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth, Harmonious showcased and celebrated the cultures and stories of the world that have inspired various Disney films and music, and how it can unite us all, overcoming any language or border. The show utilized pyrotechnics, choreographed water fountains, water curtains, lasers, searchlights, and LED screens to present a 360° audio-visual experience on the park's World Showcase Lagoon. The primary show equipment was notably housed on a collective of floating barges that were permanently moored at the center of the lagoon. Before its retirement, Harmonious was described as the largest nighttime spectacular ever created by Disney Live Entertainment.
Disney Enchantment is a fireworks and projection mapping show that debuted at the Magic Kingdom on September 30, 2021, as part of Walt Disney World's 50th anniversary celebration. Similar to its predecessor, Happily Ever After, the show features fireworks, projection mapping, lasers, and searchlights set to Disney music that extend from Cinderella Castle down to Main Street, U.S.A. The music also includes a new original song "You Are the Magic" performed by Phillip Lawrence and Kayla Alvarez.
The Super Bowl XXXIV halftime show occurred on January 30, 2000, at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Georgia as part of Super Bowl XXXIV. It was sponsored by E-Trade and produced by The Walt Disney Company. The show was named after and imitates the Tapestry of Nations, a parade at Epcot, a theme park in Florida, and was directed by Gary Paben who directed the original parade. The show was narrated by Mexican-American actor Edward James Olmos and featured performances by singers Christina Aguilera, Enrique Iglesias, Phil Collins, and Toni Braxton, with additional numbers performed by a choir and a full symphony orchestra conducted by Steven Byess.
Luminous: The Symphony of Us is a fireworks-based nighttime spectacular at EPCOT at Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida. A successor to both IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth and Harmonious, Luminous showcases and celebrates the passage of life, cultures, and customs shared across global communities. The show features synchronized pyrotechnics, choreographed water fountains, lasers, searchlights, and fire torches to present a 360° audio-visual experience on the park's World Showcase Lagoon.
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