Podcast Episode 81: Wonders of Life Part IV – Cranium Command

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Welcome to Episode 81 of the RetroWDW Podcast: Wonders of Life Part IV – Cranium Command – We appreciate your support and hope you have been enjoying each and every episode. Be sure to check out some of our previous shows from over the years. We have visited multiple parks, resorts, and just about everything else in between.

Listener Mail

We open the mailbag monthly and are ready to hear from you. Be sure to reach out with questions, stories, memories, and more. You never know if your letter will be read on a future episode: podcast@retrowdw.com

  1. John from Texas is up first this episode and he is curious about the Millenium Village. We go into what we remember and our various experiences with this early 2000s EPCOT add-on.
  2. Another letter from another John, this time an update on the smelitzer in Living With the Land. John sent us a link to a video with some cold, smelly proof…. Click Here to have a listen.
  3. We have another note, from another guy named John! This John reached out about a time capsule and we love these. John wanted to give us the info on the Nickelodeon Studios Time Capsule. Lots of updates on this one….
  4. Our final letter, from Jimmy and he sent us lots of positive words. Jimmy also shared with us a Christmas ’94 video which is super fun. We also go deep into programming your VCR back in the 80s and 90s.

Main Topic

We are heading back into the golden dome which is known as Wonders of Life. Over the months, we have taken you through many different episodes all about Wonders of Life including: Body Wars/Making of Me, the pavilion and sponsorship, the original concept, and finally the heated debate on the Magic Kingdom toll plaza sign. As we continue into this amazing pavilion, this episode we decided to take a deep dive into the classic show, Cranium Command. We could not have done this episode or concluded with Wonders of Life without involving some guest stars. This is a huge deal and we are super excited to welcome @bunny_wars and @DreamFinderGuy.

Brian welcomes our two guests into the episode and we get a brief history of their EPCOT love, Wonders of Life experiences, and also how they are preserving the history of Wonders of Life. As we get started, make sure as you listen you check out the Wonders of Life Archive. Bunny and DFG have an amazing passion for the pavilion and also Cranium Command. They have spent hours upon hours digging up old resources, history, and tons more. You are going to really enjoy everything they have to offer throughout this episode. Wonders of Life pavilion model, 1989

As a duo, Bunny & DFG get us started by going through the preshow of Cranium Command. We get to hear all about this attraction from their vast archive, which includes cast member interviews and pulling facts from old documents in their archive. The history of Cranium Command is very interesting in how it changed throughout its development. DFG does a great job explaining how the versions changed when exchanging hands between Disney and Colossal Pictures, which is very interesting. We also get into scripts and movie format of the show that was never made. Wonders of Life had many of the attractions tucked away, Cranium Command was no different as the pavilion tried to promote discovery. As you look at the history of this show, the entryway did change over the years to draw people in. We continue on throughout the show, going nearly line by line and scene by scene. The celebrity connection on Cranium Command was one of the most beloved parts and we dig into each of those.

Cranium Command is such an amazing show experience, which makes this episode nearly two hours. Bunny & DFG have been amazing throughout all of this, offering us facts and info that none of us have heard before. Make sure you listen to this one twice; the details are immense and you are going to want to take notes for your next viewing of the attraction. We hope you have enjoyed this visit back to Wonders of Life and throughout this journey inside Cranium Command. 

RetroMagic Updates

2023 is upon us and that means we are working on our next event, RetroMagic: Celebrating EPCOT Center. Join us later this year on the weekend of 9/30 for another great celebration. Click Here for more information and to stay in the know!

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Marinka
Marinka
September 1, 2024 10:33 am

During Flower & Garden festival 2013 the festival center was located in the Wonders of Life pavillion. I was so happy to be able to go into the pavillion as i only visited it once in 2003. You could still feel a bit of the atmosphere. The entrance to some of the attractions was still visible and the restrooms screamed 90’s. I hope one day they will do something fun with this pavillion.

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