4 Wildly Fake Rumors About EPCOT

Don’t believe everything you read.

Urban legends about Disney have been spreading for decades, even before Disneyland was built. These include a ton of mistruths and rumors about EPCOT. These are some of the wildest myths about Disney World’s second gate that people actually believe.

There’s Not a Roller Coaster in the “Golf Ball” (Though There Almost Was)

Spaceship Earth (which incidentally is not designed to look like a golf ball) is recognized as the symbol of EPCOT by almost everyone who’s ever heard of the park, let alone been there. However, there are many who are unaware of what’s actually inside the icon.

As any Disney fan knows, the interior of Spaceship Earth houses one of Disney’s most iconic, animatronic-filled dark rides. However, many believe that there’s actually a thrill ride or roller coaster inside the ball. That’s a crazy rumor, right? Well…

While there is obviously no truth to the idea that there’s a thrill ride inside Spaceship Earth, that almost wasn’t the case. During the early 2000s – – as part of the planned park-wide renovation codenamed Project Gemini – – there was a plan to gut Spaceship Earth and replace the dark ride with Time Racers, a coaster that would be themed to “traveling through space and time,” and feature projections of eras of human history before sending guests to the future.

A New Country is Not Opening in World Showcase Anytime Soon

When EPCOT first opened in 1982, there were plans – – and even announcements – – that new countries, including Spain, Israel, and Equatorial Africa were coming to World Showcase. However, that didn’t prove to be the case. In the 40+ years since EPCOT opened, only two countries have been added to World Showcase – – Morocco in 1984 and Norway in 1988. However, that hasn’t stopped the constant spread of rumors claiming that countries ranging from Australia to Greece to Argentina to Brazil are being added. Suffice to say, thanks to the cannibalization of expansion pads combined with Disney’s commitment to near-exclusively develop IP-based attractions and lands, the odds seem slim that a new country is ever coming to EPCOT.

Walt Disney is Not Cryogenically Frozen Underneath EPCOT

Despite LONG-running rumors, Walt Disney was NOT cryogenically frozen before or after his death from cancer in 1966. As his daughter Diane blunts expressed in the early 1970s, “There is absolutely no truth that my father, Walt Disney, wished to be frozen. I doubt that my father had ever heard of cryonics.”

However, that hasn’t stopped many from speculating that Walt’s remains – – either frozen or not – – are interred at ECPOT, given that the Experimental Prototype Community Of Tomorrow was his final passion project in life. There’s zero truth to this, however. Walt’s very much not-frozen remains are interred in a mausoleum in the Forrest Lawn Cemetery of Glendale, California.

No One Ever Sued Disney for an “Injury” on Seas’ Hydrolator

The Seas With Nemo & Friends – – originally known as The Living Seas – – has long been themed to be the underwater Sea Base Alpha, which guests would access by “riding” the elevator-like Hydrolater that traveled to the bottom of the sea. In actuality, the Hydrolator was a stationary room that used moving walls and other effects to appear like it was descending.

According to a popular urban legend, a guest sued Disney for damages  due to injuries suffered during the Hydrolator’s “descent.” As the story goes, Disney lawyers brought the judge and jury to the pavilion and showed them that the room didn’t actually move, leading to the lawsuit being thrown out.

It’s a great story and amusing anecdote, but it seems to have no record in fact. There’s no evidence of the lawsuit ever actually happening (and even if it did, the “field trip” element is completely contrary to how legal proceedings work). The genesis of the story seems to come form a remark made by Imagineering Legend Marty Sklar during a 1987 magazine interview. At the time, Sklar was quoted as saying “It’s probably apocryphal… but there’s a story going around that somebody was going to sue Disney for damage to his eardrums because of the change in pressure when he went ‘down’ in the Hydrolator. I can’t wait for that one.”

These are just some of the wild urban legends and rumors that circle EPCOT. Stay tuned to AllEars for more dived into Disney World’s real… and apocryphal history.

Disney World Got Rid of Horizons Over 20 Years Ago; and the Replacement Is FULL of Problems

Did you believe any of these urban legends? Let us know in the comments below.

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