EPCOT Center Media

Just a reminder…

Epcot Center is always open for submissions and questions!

Pavillion Sponsorship: What should happen to the Imagination pavilion?

Losing a sponsor is generally not a good sign for the Disney corporation, but it could go either way for the sub-par Imagination pavilion specifically by looking at Epcot’s history.

• Wonders of Life had difficulty finding sponsorship to begin with. It entered seasonal-only status in 2004 after loosing MetLife as a sponsor in 2001. It’s essentially been shuttered since 2007.
• Horizons lost GE as a sponsor in the early 90s. This loss of funds was the pink slip for the attraction, making way for the Compaq/HP sponsored Mission: Space.
• The space that was originally the World of Motion pavilion has always had GM as a sponsor. However, during a GM business slump in the early 90s, they decided to renew sponsorship on a yearly basis. The pavilion was pressured to maintain high attendance, which it lacked as an older slow ride, and thus the thrill ride Test Track was born.
• The Universe of Energy was sponsored by Exxon when it originally opened, through its changes to feature Ellen and Bill Nye. Merely a year after the Exxon/Mobil merger, the company dropped sponsorship of the attraction. However, it still remains open and operational today.
• The Living Seas was sponsored by United Technologies until 2001. As a result, the Seacabs portion of the attraction closed. In 2003, Disney began the re-themeing of the pavilion to “Finding Nemo”.
• Germany was one of the only country pavilions originally sponsored by a company rather than the nation itself (as the real Germany was separated into East and West at the time of Epcot’s development). Werther’s has recently taken over as sponsor from Goebel-hummel.
• The Land has undergone the most positive changes, in my opinion, with the loss of a sponsor. Sponsored by Kraft and Nestle at different points in time, The Land has seen a non-movie or other Disney-product related makeover aesthetically and in attractions. Yes, Soarin’ is from Disneyland, the awful Circle of Life film is still there and Living with the Land no longer has live narration; however, compared to the fates of other unsponsored pavilions, The Land has come out on top.

There are more changes in sponsorship or added sponsorship to research, but these point cover the various routes the Imagination pavilion could take in the context of other Retrocot pavilions.

A Special Good Luck…

…to all those waiting to hear back from the Disney College Program!

Even if it doesn’t work out (or you didn’t apply), there are tons of Disney internships around the country.

I never applied for the DCP (and I wish I had), but I interned at Radio Disney for a year.