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The American Adventure
Epcot |
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EPCOT
Attraction Seating AT
A GLANCE... FUTURE
WORLD WORLD
SHOWCASE ENTERTAINMENT SPECIAL
EVENTS HOLIDAYS TOURS SPECIAL
REPORTS ARCHIVES OTHER
THEME PARKS
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All Ears Feature Article on the American Adventure As you enter World Showcase from Future World, The American Adventure is directly across the Lagoon. It is the center-most pavilion in the World Showcase and is flanked by Italy on the east and Japan on the west. It is actually the southernmost point of Epcot. The pavilion
includes an Audio-Animatronic stage show (also called American
Adventure), an outdoor stage and amphitheater (America
Gardens Theater), a gallery exhibit called National Treasures
featuring Americana from Jackie Robinson, Abe Lincoln, and many more (American
Heritage Gallery) a fast-food eatery (Liberty Inn),
and a small shop (Heritage Manor Gifts), all set among
landscaped walkways and gardens. The architecture of the building is done in classic English Georgian style. Elements in the Disney building were inspired by Independence Hall, Boston's Old State House, Monticello, and Colonial Williamsburg. The structure's 110,000 bricks are handmade from Georgian clay, which were then colored and aged to make them look authentic. The roof is made of slate, and the floor of marble and copper. Paintings and quotations line the walls of the Main Hall, the West Hall, and the Upper Lobby of the attraction's building. The quotes are from Walt Disney, Samuel Walter Foss, Althea Gibson, Charles A. Lindbergh, Archibald MacLeish, George Magar Markikian, Herman Melville, Ayn Rand, Wendell Lewis Willkie, and Thomas Wolfe. As you leave
the main lobby and proceed into the theater, you must ride escalators
or hike a set of stairs through the Hall of Flags . Above you is hung
a collection of the flags that have flown over the United States in all
of its forms. It includes Revolutionary War flags, Colonial flags, and
foreign flags that once had claim to the land. There are 44 flags in all. The American Adventure Once it is time for you to move into the theater, you will be directed from the main hall to escalators and a stairway. Upstairs, just follow everyone into the theater. You sit for the entire show. All seats are good seats. The screen is 72 feet wide!
The presentation is a showcase for Disney attractions featuring Audio-Animatronic figures, filmed images, moving sets, and sound and lighting effects. The 30 minute show highlights notable events and great personalities in American History. It is in no way complete. Benjamin Franklin and Mark Twain are your hosts for the journey through The American Adventure. Scenes include: the Pilgrims and the Mayflower; the Boston Tea Party; the writing of the Declaration of Independence; Valley Forge and the Revolutionary War; slavery and the Civil War; the suffering of Native Americans; the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition; the founding of Yosemite National Park; World Wars I and II; and a series of images depicting the people and events of recent history. The "Golden Dreams" film montage near the end of the presentation was last updated (about 45 seconds near the end) June 2007.
The America Gardens Theater
Click here for the America Gardens Theater Schedule.
Liberty Inn
- This is a counter service restaurant that features cheeseburgers,
chicken sandwiches, hot dogs, chicken strips and french fries. There is
a large air-conditioned seating area inside and there is also seating
area outside, with some umbrellas at the tables. This is basic fast food
fare with a couple of lighter Funnel Cakes - For those seeking a fried dough treat don't miss the Funnel Cake kiosk to the right of the American Adventure Pavilion. Epcot
Restaurants At A Glance
The Voices of Liberty (below on left), an a cappella group, sing American patriotic songs. Check your Times Guide for times. Voices of Liberty sings in the rotunda of the American Adventure Pavilion (usually about 15 minutes prior to the next showing of the American Adventure). You can purchase their CDs in the gift shop.
The Spirit of America Fife and Drum Corps (above on right) also perform patriotic songs and songs of the colonial era periodically throughout most days. For more information on Epcot Live Entertainment, visit Steve Soares WDW Entertainment Website. ****************************** Take a nice 15 minute break, sit on the cool floor just inside the main doors and enjoy the Voices of Liberty! They sing at specific times throughout the day. Take a look at the Clock Face. You will see a numeral IIII, instead of the IV. This was done to prevent confusion when viewing the clock from a distance. Hidden Mickey Sighting: Lobby—painting of wagon train heading west—above the front leg of the foremost oxen Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival Highlights - An incredible bed of bright yellow sunflowers highlight the festivals exhibits at the American Adventure. There are American Floral Flags accompanied by some Disney characters. In addition, the topiaries feature Mickey and Minnie and Pocahontas. Holidays from Around the World features storytellers in each country. During Kwanzaa and Hanukkah there are special related exhibits in the American Adventure Rotunda, in addition to the storytelling Santa Claus for Christmas.
Wheelchair guests should check with the Cast Member upon entering the main hall. There is an elevator that will take you and your party up to the level where the theater is located. Seating is conventional theater seating. Wheelchair areas in the back of the theater.
Ears to the World, show translators that are available for guests with limited English fluency, may be used at this attraction. Guests may choose from one of the five Walt Disney World Resort key languages: French, German, Japanese, Portuguese and Spanish. Ask a Cast Member about availability. Reflective Captioning Available for the American Adventure ****************************** Each
of the World Showcase countries has
a special "KIDCOT" area that provides an opportunity for your
child to interact with a native of the country you are visiting. Epcot
Characters At A Glance ****************************** Heritage Manor Gifts - Handcrafted goods, Americana items, and Coke items. Voices of Liberty CDs are sold here! Kodak Kiosk - Accessories and drop-off for two-hour film processing. Pick up prints at Camera Center. Pin Cart - If the pin trading craze has gotten you, here's another place in Epcot where you can see a wide variety of pins for purchase. (Excerpt from Shopping Around the World) The group converged on Heritage Manor Gifts. The most popular item with nearly everyone was the Gemini Specs ($2.50). These specs are similar to ones that used to be given out at the Osborne Spectacle of Lights, but are for watching Epcot's nighttime show, IllumiNations. With the specs on, you'll see the letters "USA" sparkle around whatever you view -- hmmm, maybe you had to be there to appreciate these...
****************************** When the decision was made to turn Walt Disney's city of Epcot into the theme park of Epcot Center, World Showcase was to have been the main park component. Plans for the showcase had all pavilions located within one semicircular building. When the plans changed to the present World Showcase Lagoon design, Imagineers did not even place the United States with the other pavilions. It was to be a two-story structure on stilts, between World Showcase and Future World. The attraction would be housed in the second story, and the first story would be used as a sort of tunneled gateway to World Showcase. Finally, it was decided to move the United States pavilion not only into the Showcase, but also into the center-most position across the lagoon, so that The American Adventure would play host to all the countries that surround it. As the Host Nation and the centerpiece of World Showcase, The American Adventure is built at a slightly higher elevation than the surrounding pavilions. The landscaping here is the most structured of all the countries represented. The symmetrical planting and all-American plant material give it a feeling of Philadelphia formality. Original plans for the attraction called for three hosts, one representing each century during which the United States has existed. Franklin was chosen as representative of the 18th century, and Twain for the 19th century. After suggesting possible figures, such as Will Rogers and Walter Cronkite, it was decided that guests were too familiar with the 20th century to easily be represented by one person. It was decided to execute the show with only two hosts. Thirty-five figures are used during the show. They are (in order of appearance): Ben Franklin (3 figures); Mark Twain (3 figures); Thomas Jefferson; George Washington; Washington's horse; two soldiers in Valley Forge; Frederick Douglas; a Civil War-era family consisting of a father, mother, baby, daughter, and two brothers; Mr. Brady (a Civil War-era photographer); Chief Joseph; Alexander Graham Bell; Andrew Carnegie; Susan B. Anthony; Theodore Roosevelt; John Muir; four men and a dog in a 1929 gas station scene; Franklin D. Roosevelt; Will Rogers; Rosie the Riveter; and two battleship crew members (one male and one female). 
People ask if Benjamin Franklin really walks up the stairs into Thomas Jefferson's study. The Audio-Animatronic figure is actually incrementally lifted into place one step at a time. Placed next to stairway railings, this gives the illusion of a man walking up a flight of stairs. There are so many figures and changes in the show that Disney uses something called "the war wagon," a movable device under the theater, measuring 65-by-35-by-14 feet and weighing 175 tons. Ten different sets are stored on the device, and then moved forward or backward when needed. It is all computer-controlled. Here are some of the songs heard during the presentation:
To date, only "Golden Dream" has been released on album, tape or CD. The American Adventure has been renovated twice. Once in 1993, several changes, including the use of new audio-animatronic figures of Franklin and Twain and an update to the film montage were installed.
The attraction was updated once again in June 2007, when the last 45 seconds of the film montaqe was updated. |
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American
Heritage Gallery - The National Treasures opened late
September 2007 and features over 40 special artifacts on loan to Epcot.
From Abe Lincoln's stovepipe hat to items representing the lives of Rosa
Parks, Jackie Robinson, Senator Daniel Inouye, Astronaut Gus Grissom and
much more.
SHOPPING
