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| YouTube |
Universe of Energy
The angular building that houses the Universe of Energy pavilion is covered with 2,200 solar energy panels that helped power the ride vehicles inside the pavilion since opening day in 1982. The pavilion was originally sponsored by Exxon and later by ExxonMobil from 1982-2004.
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| Wikipedia |
Looking Back
Since opening on October 1, 1982, the Universe of Energy has been home to two versions of the same attraction. Both versions of Universe of Energy featured a preshow, theaters, and a Primeval World section. Guests were transported from one area of the attraction to the other in a theater car.
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| Mouse Planet |
The original preshow featured a large screen that creator Emile Radok described as a “kinetic mosaic.” According to Lost Epcot, “the screen was made up of 100 turning sections that almost resembled cubes. They were not technically cubes though because they had three sides: one black and two white for projection. The five projectors and the turning cubes were synced together to create a kaleidoscope-like show.”
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| Kungaloosh Radio |
During the preshow, various forms of energy were displayed including nuclear, electrical, light, wind, water, and fossil fuels. It was during this preshow that the song "Energy (You Make the World Go 'Round)" was played.
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| Dinosaur Toy Forum |
At the conclusion of the preshow, guests were loaded into the theater cars before seeing a film on a 155-foot wide screen about the formation of fossil fuels. This film served as the segway into the Primeval World section of the attraction. The Primeval World was filled with audio-animatronic dinosaurs that took guests through the history of fossil fuels.
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| Disney Tourist Blog |
After exiting the Primeval World, guests were taken to another theater where a film on present day energy sources was displayed on the large screen. At the film's conclusion, guests were transported back to the first theater where mirrored walls created a wrap around effect for the final film, which was mostly computer generated. The song “Universe of Energy” was played during this part of the attraction.
In September of 1996, the Universe of Energy received a redesign, although most of the original attraction was still incorporated into the new version. The newly updated version was called Ellen’s Energy Adventure and starred Ellen DeGeneres, Bill Nye the Science Guy, Alex Trebek, and Jamie Lee Curtis. Instead of the more educational approach of the original version, this version specialized in comedic relief.
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| Oh My Disney |
In this preshow, Ellen has a dream she is a contestant on Jeopardy along with her former college roommate, Dr. Judy Peterson, and Albert Einstein. Unfortunately for Ellen, all the categories are about energy, of which she knows nothing about. To the rescue during a commercial break is her neighbor, Bill Nye the Science Guy, who takes her on a whirlwind journey to learn all about the different forms of energy.
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| Parkelogy |
The game show is projected onto the large theater screens as guests load the theater cars. The Primeval World section of the ride received minor updates for the new version, including the addition of an Ellen audio-animatronics.
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| Bleeding Cool |
After leaving the Primeval World and heading to the second theater room, guests heard a prehistoric radio broadcast which featured the voices of Willard Scott and Chris Berman. Following the broadcast was a twelve minute live-action film on three wrap around screens where Bill Nye gives Ellen on an in-depth look at energy resources.
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| Easy WDW |
At the end of the attraction, back in the first theater, guests get to see Ellen use all her newly learned knowledge to defeat Judy and ultimately win by answering the final Jeopardy question correctly.
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| WDW Magic |
Looking Forward
At the D23 Expo in July, it was announced that the Universe of Energy would be closing its doors to make way for a Guardians of the Galaxy themed attraction. The Universe of Energy permanently closed on August 13, 2017. Although I don’t exactly know how to feel about a possible roller coaster going into the Universe of Energy pavilion, I’m hoping that it as fun and as educational as its predecessors.
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| Theme Park University |
Oh, and that Baby Groot is in it.
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| WDW Theme Parks |
Robyn Fleenor is a contributing writer for The Mouse Knows Best Podcast. She is an avid Disney fanatic and would rather be at Walt Disney World eating glazed almonds than anything else. When she isn't working to pay for her next Disney vacation, she likes to binge watch TV shows and fall in love with fictional characters. She can be found tweeting at @rahrah6263. .
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