A new video posted on TikTok compares how EPCOT looked from the Monorail loop in 2000 to 2o26.
Wow! A lot can change at a park like EPCOT in 26 years!
The old loop still shows the Universe of Energy, an open Wonders of Life Pavilion, Horizons mid-demolition, and The Living Seas before it was The Seas with Nemo and Friends. Food Rocks was still being shown before it became Soarin’ back in 2000!
(Not going to lie, seeing Horizons half gone hurts my heart. I still miss it.)
There also seemed to be a lot more trees.
The comparison video was posted on TikTok by Disney Daddy.
@glasslipperguy_♬ original sound – Disney Daddy
Disney Daddy seems to have put his own script on the video but done with an AI to sound close to an original EPCOT voice narration.
What has changed since this video
It seemed to be a lot more colorful back then.
–Starting out, The Universe of Energy has been closed since August 2017 and has been replaced with the Guardians of the Galaxy Cosmic Rewind since May 2022.
-The Wonders of Life Pavilion has been shut down since 2007, after going to seasonal operation in 2004. It was used from time to time for festivals, and Imagineering. I wish they would turn it into something new. Perhaps after the Galactic Starcruiser is fully converted to Imagineering, this could be repurposed into a new show building.
Disney had plans to turn it into a Play! Pavillion, opening in 2021 for the 50th, but those plans were scrapped after COVID.
-Horizons is up next, but it’s half gone in the 2000 video after shutting down in January 1999. In 2003 Mission Space replaced it, but I wish they had just kept Horizons.
–Also in this area is the new Space 220 restaurant that opened in September 2021. Frankly, the experience is neat, but I would not recommend the food. It is a one-and-done for a lot of guests.
–Next up is Test Track, which was opened in 1999 and appears in both videos.
–From there we see the Odyssey which was closed as a restaurant in 1994, but was used for festivals and events for years since it’s closure.
–The camera pans over the World Showcase and we can see just how many trees have been removed over the years. No wonder it seems hotter now than it used to be.
-Journey Into Imagination comes up next and in 2000 it would have featured the very unpopular “Journey Into Your Imagination” version which only lasted for two years until it was changed to the current version “Journey Into Imagination With Figment” in 2022.
–The Land Pavilion is next and back in 2000 it was home to “Food Rocks” from 1994 until 2004 when it was replaced with Soarin’. The “Living With The Land” boat ride was running and has been running since the park opened, though the name was changed from “Listen to the Land” in 1993.
–Moving furter around we see The Living Seas back in 2000 before it became “The Seas With Nemo and Friends” in 2005. In 2001 the seacabs were shut down and walled off behind the aquariums (still visible to guests) until it was rethemed to the current ride, new exterior look, and name we have today.
That brings us to the end of the video.
What do you think? Do you enjoy the changes Disney has made in the last 26 years?
Comment and let us know!
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