This past weekend, EPCOT at Walt Disney World celebrated its 40th anniversary.
Opened on the 1st of October 1982, EPCOT Center (as it was originally called), was the most revolutionary theme park of all time, and has evolved more than any other Disney theme park, and with so much changed from when it first opened, there is so many of us who look back with nostalgia and fondness for the EPCOT that was.
And now we can look forward to looking back at the history of the park some more, as it's been announced that EPCOT is going to be the focus of the Legends Panel at this year’s International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA) Expo in the Orange County Convention Center here in Orlando on November 16.
Most excitingly, the panel will look at the past, present, and future of the park. Who knows, we might get some opening dates for upcoming attractions, and maybe we’ll learn about new projects that could be coming to the park too!
Could we discover if the long rumoured but never announced addition of Brazil to World Showcase will ever happen? In past plans for the park the new country should have been opening this year!!
Also. could we get a glimmer of hope that the already announced Cherry Tree Land neighborhood that is coming to the UK pavilion with a Mary Poppins attraction may actually be moving forward after being put on hold?
More realistic, we could possibly get an opening date for the currently under construction Journey of Water, Inspired by Moana attraction, or more details on dreamers Point, which is due to open next year.
The panel, will be hosted by the legendary Bob Rogers, founder and chairman of BRC Imagination Arts, and who has long been involved with EPCOT, having wrote and produced the original Impressions de France at the park’s France pavilion.
He will be joined by four exciting guests, who have all been involved with the park and its development at one time or another.
The panelists are Bob Weis, Global Ambassador for Walt Disney Imagineering; Jodi McLaughlin, Executive Portfolio Producer, Walt Disney Imagineering; Kartika Rodriquez, vice president of EPCOT; and Rick Rothschild, founder and chief creative officer of Far Out! Creative Direction.
The IAAPA Expo returns to the Orange County Convention Center on Nov. 14, with the conference running through Nov. 17 and the trade show running through Nov. 18.
Get details here on the IAAPA website.
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