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Ode to Universe of Energy

You and I have very different definitions of what "screen based" means...

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There's a world of difference between an attraction using screens (perhaps extensively) and an attraction being "screen based."
Completely agreed.

The attraction utilized screens, designed in a way to educate you on one hand and leave you in awe when you open up to the Primeval World room and see that you've sort of stepped back in time and were immersed in it all around you.

Just because a ride has screens doesn't mean it is screen based.
 
I think the hammering was on the thermal mosaic. It's probably on its way to the archives. It's been there relatively untouched since 1982.

If they were super smart, and in the end the preshow is in roughly the same place, they could seal the doors into the theater space and then use the preshow with some digital projectors as a preview of the coming attraction. Plenty of floor space to even display a model. Just have guests flow in one side and out the other.

Then closer to the opening close and modify the space as needed. That'd give a mini attraction until the ride is ready in 2-3 years time.

Anywho..

List of things that were perma-broke at the time of closing:

Show Door A (between theater 1 and the diorama - seen in final photos in down position when it's supposed to be closed at that point in the show.)
Ellen animatronic (removed)
Elasamasaurus (removed)
Automated curtains in theater 2 (locked open)

And the fog didn't seem to be working, I doubt the lava was working, the Dinos have been repainted to so many times they look like absurd craft projects instead of skin, and the audio and projection quality was generally pretty poor.

Great care was put into the design of the diorama. The plants, while fake, are designed to move realistically in wind effects. Not to mention the rainfall they removed after the first version.

Le sigh. Sad to see it go, but little bits have been discarded over the years that really took away from the whole.
 
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Figured I’d post some highlights from my experience on the last day...
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The final countdown:
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The tile representing the Earth in scale to the big Sun in the center of the mural:
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The Traveling Theater is my favorite ride vehicle:
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We e-stopped in the dinosaur diorama:
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We waited a while for them to reset:


But then plans changed:


And everyone just kind of slowly dispersed:
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I was the last one to leave:
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Finally, I sat there for a bit and wrote up a little thread off-the-cuff about what the attraction means to me:


I think the hammering was on the thermal mosaic. It's probably on its way to the archives. It's been there relatively untouched since 1982.

If they were super smart, and in the end the preshow is in roughly the same place, they could seal the doors into the theater space and then use the preshow with some digital projectors as a preview of the coming attraction. Plenty of floor space to even display a model. Just have guests flow in one side and out the other.

Then closer to the opening close and modify the space as needed. That'd give a mini attraction until the ride is ready in 2-3 years time.

Anywho..

List of things that were perma-broke at the time of closing:

Show Door A (between theater 1 and the diorama - seen in final photos in down position when it's supposed to be closed at that point in the show.)
Ellen animatronic (removed)
Elasamasaurus (removed)
Automated curtains in theater 2 (locked open)

And the fog didn't seem to be working, I doubt the lava was working, the Dinos have been repainted to so many times they look like absurd craft projects instead of skin, and the audio and projection quality was generally pretty poor.

Great care was put into the design of the diorama. The plants, while fake, are designed to move realistically in wind effects. Not to mention the rainfall they removed after the first version.

Le sigh. Sad to see it go, but little bits have been discarded over the years that really took away from the whole.
I don’t think I’ve seen the fog work in over a decade. They got the flowing lava back up and running for a few years, but indeed hasn’t been recently. Where was the rainfall at?
 
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Ok, popping in with some tidbits...

It's been suggested that the final ride was stopped in the diorama intentionally.

I dont think this is the case because they could have stopped the ride at a different point and had the other theater in the ride system at the time return home before it was stopped.

Instead, the other vehicles were here:



They're over at least 1 show door (door B) and possibly over another (door C) while being underneath the elevated screen in Theater 2.

They stopped in the worst position possible in regards to guest safety. If someone chose to stop the ride there, they were taking a decent size gamble on guest safety, which is an obvious no-no.

When Energy is evac'ed and reset, the vehicles are supposed to be sent to whatever theater they're partially in, set on the turntable, manually spun into position, and the show doors around them raised and closed, curtains closed, and screens raised - so guests cant touch anything.

If the vehicles can't move, guests disembark wherever they are. However, if the vehicle is over a show door it is supposed to be moved. If it cant be moved, big wooden planks are brought out and the guests step on the planks instead of the show door. The top of the show doors is foam padding. They have little steel bridges the vehicles cruise across on their wheel sets. The show doors are otherwise hollow, and if you step on the foam with enough weight (avg human constitutes this) you will fall. Down. Into the basement. Out the other side of the hollow 30ft tall show door. On to a dirty concrete floor in the basement. Don't ask how anyone knows that can happen.

So much of Energy's evac process was focused on making sure no one steps on show doors.

The other bit is that to evac the theaters are in manual operation - to move the doors/screens/curtains/turntables to the "safe" positions and allow the vehicles to move in to evac positions. In manual, there is no safety system to say a vehicle is only partially on a turntable.. which may or may not have happened in the past and caused a vehicle to be spun into the theater 1 operations console destroying it at one previous point in time.

An in manual, the show doors can be brought up underneath vehicles and can lift 3 fully loaded energy vehicles off the ground - don't ask how we know that.

And in a particularly egregious instance, a vehicle can be lifted on a show door, with guest, while also having the steel frame of a Theater 2 screen come down on it, breaking the vehicle in half. Again, no quetions or further inquiry allowed.

So.. it's very unlikely anyone who works at Energy would have intentionally placed the ride vehicles to stop where they did in transition. The group coming back from Theater 2 could have made it fully on to the turntable and the vehicle chain would be fully extended in the diorama for a better stopping point just a few seconds later. (It's easier to get people out of the diorama when it's fully extended because when it's still clumped the vehicles are close together with narrow walkways and the wheelchair ramps cant be opened.)
 
This is such a great thread. Why not just leave it open? If it fizzles out and dies, so what? What if someone wants to come along and post some more great UoE related content? Thank you so much Mr. EPCOT, for the great pictures above, especially the ride vehicles and the dinosaurs. Also thank you epcyclopedia, for the very interesting behind the scenes stories above. I know you said don't ask, and I won't but I'm sure myself and others would be fascinated to hear any other related stories you have about Energy or other classic Epcot attractions.
Where else can I go to reminisce with the few rare fans who truly understand what made this ride so great?

The ride system an building were a technological wonder likes of which we're likely not going to see in the theme parks again.

I was thinking a little about why Energy's ride system was more impressive than newer trackless rides and even Great Movie Ride - and I think it's because of the showmanship in the trick of its movement.

All the other rides are blatantly rides and you quickly figure out they're trackless. Energy pretends to be a theater and then suddenly moves - in fact the slow manner in which it moves helps. In the first transition you're not sure if the theater moved or set pieces merely moved around it. It's not until one of the car peels off that it's obvious the whole thing is moving.

And Energy is a huge building, as mentioned, not so sure we'll see the same scale again, but then on top of that that design plays with your perception of space to imply an even larger building. It made Future World seem very epic.

A large part is the scale and spectacle of it. We often say you can't judge from a YouTube video - but in the case of Energy it's really true. The vehicle movements are very impressively done.

It plays into the "epcot has a lot of films" cliche and then goes "Ha! Fooled ya!" when the theater breaks apart and starts moving.

The real winner of this revamp, though, was the absolutely awe-inspiring Big Bang sequence.

When I try to explain to others why I was such a big fan, they just don't understand, but the posts quoted above put it in words quite nicely. You guys get it. A ride/show of this scale simply just doesn't exist anymore. As others have said, looking into what this pavilion was before Ellen increases your appreciation for it even more. If I rode original Energy as a child, I don't remember it, but thanks to Martin's Videos, I have been enjoying this attraction and it's music, and that has increased my nostalgia for it even more so.

I still understand that it's time has come. Keeping the majority of the building (according to the concept art) will be a wonderful tribute to this attraction and it's the most I could ask for.
 
This is such a great thread. Why not just leave it open? If it fizzles out and dies, so what? What if someone wants to come along and post some more great UoE related content?

I agree. I see no reason this thread can't remain open for the future. For instance, we know Martin is hard at working finishing up his Ultimate Tribute for Ellen's Energy Adventure. This would be the appropriate place to discuss it once it's available.
 
I agree. I see no reason this thread can't remain open for the future. For instance, we know Martin is hard at working finishing up his Ultimate Tribute for Ellen's Energy Adventure. This would be the appropriate place to discuss it once it's available.
I did not know this! I had assumed the one that was currently up was the Final Ultimate tribute! You have me super excited now. Possibly more updated HD footage? More music and behind the scenes info? Hopefully he doesn't get a narrator like a few people who don't know better have suggested. Could you imagine the sin of someone talking over his wonderful collection of music? I've been searching Disney theme park sites since the early 2000s, and Martin Smith has been the name associated with the highest quality Disney videos and ride music since the early days of the internet. Since way before the days of YouTube. I'm very happy that he is still giving back to the Disney fan community. Thank you Martin!
 
I did not know this! I had assumed the one that was currently up was the Final Ultimate tribute! You have me super excited now. Possibly more updated HD footage? More music and behind the scenes info?

Here's the teaser he released a few days ago...



That sounds good, I'll keep it open. I just don't want Guardians stuff to cross pollinate.

I don't think anybody wants that! ;)
 
Super excited about this. Might be one of the best unofficial archiving of an extinct attraction I've ever seen.

It's here. Absolutely worth the wait. Tons of extra shots to show details of the ride. Even some authorized backstage footage. My only complaint is that he didn't play out the entire boarding music. There's so much other good music in this I haven't heard elsewhere, I'm glad he didn't get someone to narrate this and talk over it.
 
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