Universe of Energy
In the early 1980s when Epcot Center opened to the public , the Universe of Energy was one of, if not the most popular attraction in the park. Lines were out the door on opening day to witness the amazing visual effects and groundbreaking displays along with a narration that spoke to the climate of the age.
With the addition of Ellen and Bill Nye the Science Guy in 1994, the pavilion veered away from its original core message about making a better tomorrow and learning about the expansiveness of energy. With 25+ years re-running the same attraction loop, WDI has decided to bridge the gap between the past and the future to re-design the Universe of Energy in a way that re-invigorates the pavilion with the magic of the past, while speaking to the current day audience.
Pre-Show
When guests enter they are provided with a 10 minute show on large projection screens that tell the story of new innovations that have shaped the science of the 21st century in regards to energy. Newer, cleaner energy as a source for all mankind from difference areas around the globe and in space itself. The moral of the show is that we have the power, the energy, to keep this world going forward.
Attraction Ride-Through
Narrated by Theoretical Physicist - Michio Kaku
You board your vehicles and await the attraction's beginning....a large bang is heard and the screens in front of you lift to project the Big Bang explosion.
"The Universe. Vast in scale, ever expanding with time. At its core, a constant stream of energy flows throughout the stars, penetrating anything and everything in its path, providing the world we live in today. Today we will travel back in time to discover how energy plays a vital role in our past, as an understanding of its foundation could lead to a promising tomorrow.
The Big Bang. Astronomers believe this phenomenon created the universe we live in. From the collision of tiny particles gave birth to trillions upon trillions of star systems throughout the cosmos. The single most energy impacting event in our history. But what caused this to happen? A question for the ages as scientists all of the world have been trying to solve it for decades, with the hope that it might shed light for a new dawn of scientific discovery.
Page Title
The world is made up of several kinds of energy.
Chemical Energy - the bonds between atoms and molecular within living things. Operating in conjunction with kinetic and potential energy, the chemical nature of our world's energy brings about many opportunities to understand our universe and how it operates.
Electrical Energy - when electrons emit negative charges, fueling the impulses of creations such as lightning (lightning strikes on screen and a storm brews)
Gravitational Energy - the forces of gravity acting on you right now in physical space. 9.8 m/s2 - the gravitational constant of our world.
Mechanical Energy - forces that emit work on objects, carrying the positive energy through in a kinetic motion.
But before our discoveries in the last few centuries, when the earth was created it was formed with various energetic elements, called fossil fuels...buried in the Earth itself. In order to understand our energy concerns today, let's travel back before the dawn of man and witness a pre-historic landscape....
The Dinosaur scene is updated to re-install the curtain effect when the vehicles turn towards the Dinosaur display. Better moonlight lighting on the brontosaurs family is also installed to give them a more prominent presence. The AAs in this scene, when it opened in 1982, were the largest and most advanced AAs around. To re-vitalize the attraction, the new Dinosaurs move and sway with even more fluidity and in a grander scale, as all of the AAs have been replaced and refurbished for this grand re-opening of the Universe of Energy.
The final film scene explores how solar energy is the bridge to tomorrow, and the narration continues...
When you look back at the turn of the 20th century, and if you had the opportunity to meet your grandparents, great-grandparents, of the age, what would they view you as. Most early 20th century families were isolated, little communication, humble life-spans. When they look at you, only 100+ years later, you're the essence of science-fiction.
So it's not implausible that in another 100 years, the energy solution could be out of science-fiction. We're seeing an evolution in technology and innovation that is creating a world of vast energy, and if we can harness that energy for the good of tomorrow. We need to be the difference. We are the future and dreaming big is an option. Solar energy and harnesses more renewable sources of energy is just the beginning of the process and if we continue our search, we'll make the world go 'round for thousands of generations to come.
On behalf of Future World and Epcot, thank you for visiting the Universe of Energy.