The "Wonders of Life" that Never Was...

Twenty eight years. Twenty eight long years since EPCOT Center opened its doors to the public.

A panorama of inside the pavillion during the brink of the '90s

And twenty one years since the Wonders of Life pavillion opened its doors to greet a generation of park visitors, with almost $90 million spent on construction since 1988. But you see, the Wonders of Life hasn't always been what it was at its prime, believe it or not.

In fact, let's flash backward to 1975, at least four years before EPCOT's birth as an attraction park. There were so many ideas generated for the park, especially one for a life and health themed pavillion. Then in 1978, the pencils were sharpened, and some prototypes were made, showcasing how the pavillion would have been constructed... like this:

[above image links to http://progresscityusa.com/2010/04/20/epcot-origins-1977-master-plan-5/]

There would be a lot of history to do with the pavillion, when it was during its early stages, but here are the attractions that would have been included, and their equivalent niches:

• The Joy of Living (a presentation which explains and shows the beauty, the dignity and strength of man and woman, from birth and growing up to adulthood and the golden years),
• The Sensory Funhouse (which strangely was included but as an open space exhibit)
• the Tooth Follies (which unfortunately was not included),
• The Head Trip (early equivalent of Cranium Command),
• Good Health Habits (non-Disney equivalent of Goofy About Health),
• The Incredible Journey Within (which was the OmniMover equivalent of Body Wars)

Although I do not have access to actual images or research, I can happily say that someone else has done some research, and put it together in video form. This is why I have put this video here:

It contains practically some of the concept images, as well as the blueprints that would have been part of the pavillion, plus the official WED Promotional Video for the Life and Health pavillion at the time. It even shows exactly, and I mean EXACTLY, where the exhibits were, both then and currently. (It starts at the 1:50 mark)

The video was made by Martin Smith, in which his videos were made for the purpose of preserving this fantastic attraction.


Wonders of Life – Ultimate Tribute - Part 1 of 2 from Martins Videos on Vimeo.
So, proof that there's a lot of history behind such a formidable pavillion, now long lost (but hopefully never forgotten). It's very wonderful how many people would choose to hang onto relics of past events, to one day share with others close to them (or even the world).
In the next coming posts, I would get started with researching and reviewing some of the attractions that once lived in this very golden dome.
Peace for the Future!
RabidLeroy

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PS: Honestly I would not close off this blog article with a few others some articles from the news, as well as other weblogs that may capture your interest...

• "Met Life and Walt Disney officials preside at Wonders of Life groundbreaking in EPCOT Center. [Web Transcript of News Article, written on January 29, 1988; SUBSCRIPTION REQUIRED for FULL ACCESS]
• The Neverland Files - EPCOT Center/Epcot [Website Portal]
• Earning My Ears: EPCOT 1978 - Life and Health Pavilion [Blog Article, written in May 21, 2008]
• New Epcot exhibit (now) healthy Disney's $90 million Wonders of Life pavilion almost died at birth [Orlando Sentinel News Article, written on Nov 12, 1989; SUBSCRIPTION REQUIRED for FULL ACCESS]
• Unrealized Epcot: Rides, shows & entire pavilions that never quite made it off the drawing board - Jim Hill - Editor In Chief - JimHillMedia [Blog Article, written on June 5th, 2006]
• Disney's latest wonders frighteningly real/Now you can 'shrink' to go inside a body or a young boy's brain [News Article from the Toronto Star, written on November 11, 1989]
• PLUS a Newspaper Review Article of the Pavillion held on Google News, which you can view here.