Epcot

Epcot: Spaceship Earth

Epcot, in full Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow, formerly called Epcot Center (1982–94), theme park in the Walt Disney World Resort, near Orlando, Fla., that features many attractions centred on the advancement of technology.

As Walt Disney initially imagined it, Epcot was to be a self-contained city that would incorporate the newest technologies. Following Disney’s death in 1966, however, plans for Epcot were scaled back considerably; it was built as a theme park instead, featuring futuristic rides and attractions. It opened in October 1982 and immediately became one of Disney World’s main attractions. Epcot’s cynosure is Spaceship Earth—a 180-foot- (55-metre-) tall geosphere with a distinctive facade of pyramid-shaped tiles—which encloses a ride that guides visitors through a presentation of the evolution of human communication. The park’s two main areas are Future World and World Showcase. By the turn of the 21st century, Epcot attracted more than 10 million visitors annually.