Brightest, sharpest, most colorful pictures

Brightest, sharpest, most colorful pictures
Ryan P. Wilson

A while back we took to the old photo trail of the Magic Kingdom in 1972. The exploration utilized a 1972 guidemap, complete with icons denoting the stops on the photo trail, and visited the same locations today to see what views were offered. This journey seemed so successful, that I thought another tour was due, this time into EPCOT Center in its early years, namely 1984.

Why 1984, you may ask? Honestly, in my personal opinion, 1984 is a very precise point in the evolution of EPCOT Center. Both Future World and World Showcase still had pavilions to be constructed. Horizons, what many believe to be the pinnacle of the Future World discussion, due to the fact that it touches upon every theme in the remainder of Future World, had just opened. The Living Seas and the Wonders of Life pavilions were both years away from their release, although The Living Seas was previewed on the map itself. Morocco was also previewed in the Spring 1984 map, as it was mere months away from opening. Elsewhere in World Showcase, Norway Outpost, and International Gateway were still awaiting their openings.As for the tour of the Kodak Photo Spots, as Walt Disney World had moved away from GAF and towards Kodak since 1972, it is difficult to track some of the spots due to their confusing placement on the map. Examples include Italy being left off of the large map but included in the detailed map of Italy, the appearance that Universe of Energy and Horizons shared a common Photo Spot, and the placement of a two spots that looks to be setting up odd shots, including a picture for France from across the bridge but is on the wrong side of the bridge (I took the liberty of moving to the other side of the bridge for this shot) and another across the waterway from what would be The Living Seas that either was meant for a long shot of Future World West or the construction of The Living Seas (I chose to snap a picture of The Seas in this instance). As could be expected, most of the spots have held up over time, especially in World Showcase. In some case, also not surprisingly, new buildings and foliage have enveloped the original vista, but that didn’t stop me from taking the picture anyway.

Enough of my chatter, let’s take a walk, shall we? Oh, and be sure to have your cameras ready!