More for EPCOT Center’s 40th Anniversary: Visit the Living Seas, See Barbie, Celebrate Oktoberfest, and a Tour of Innoventions

To continue the celebration of EPCOT Center’s 40th anniversary, we have several videos from our archives from throughout the park’s history. First up is this complete tour of the Living Seas from 1992. One of the most immersive attractions of its time, the video includes the queue pre-show, “The Seas” film, and a ride on the hydrolators and Seacabs. As part of a large sponsorship agreement with toy company Mattel, Barbie came to Epcot’s American Gardens...Read More...

RetroMagic Event on 10/1/23 – Celebrating EPCOT Center – Information Sign up!

UPDATED as of March 3, 2023 We are pleased to announce we will host our next RetroMagic event celebrating 40+ years of EPCOT Center in Florida during EPCOT and Walt Disney World’s anniversary weekend September 30th-October 1st, 2023. The event will be hosted at Disney’s Yacht Club Convention Center with the main stage event, Centorium Archive Display and vendor area all happening on Sunday, October 1st.  Tickets will go on sale in March or early April...Read More...

Podcast Episode 77: Wonders of Life Part I

Our main topic this month is all about Wonders of Life. With this being Part I, we are just going to scratch the surface about all this pavilion and attraction had to offer. This pavilion is actually still around, the golden dome that is next to Mission: Space, Guardians of the Galaxy, and it also served as a festival center from time to time over the years. How is leading us here in our journey through…Read More...

RetroMagic 50 Video Release – Part 5 – Norm Inouye

One of the highlights of RetroMagic 50 was the interview and segment we did with Norm Inouye. He was an absolute pleasure to have on stage and we are so excited that we were able to share everything he accomplished at Walt Disney World with all of you. Enjoy this 30-minute discussion with Norm as we dig into EPCOT Center logos, the infamous fountain, and how Norm came to work with the Walt Disney Company. Mr....Read More...

Podcast Episode 76: The Spirit of America

This month, we take you through the glorious two-hour special that is The Walt Disney World Fourth of July Spectacular from 1988. This is a commentary on the entire special, which is on YouTube currently on many different channels. Here is the link we used: Click Here. As we go through this discussion, we look at each section, analyzing how things have changed and also how the special seems just a bit off.Read More...

Podcast Episode 75.5 – A Chat With Ray

Welcome to Episode 75.5 of the RetroWDW Podcast: A Chat With Ray – 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. Main Topic On this episode, we are joined by Disney entertainer Ray DeForest. Ray spent many years in Walt Disney World entertainment...Read More...

Podcast Episode: 72 – Maelstrom

The high seas Viking adventure was billed as a stormy boat ride with tons of excitement, danger, and thrills. Many articles were written to describe how amazing this ride was going to be and the hype machine was up and running at full speed. This really was the first thrill ride at EPCOT Center, so they played that angle as much as possible. How guides us through so many neat aspects about how this ride came…Read More...

New Year’s Eve Celebration Videos – 1993 & 1994

As a followup to podcast episode 73, we are pleased to present some video from two New Year’s Eve celebrations at WDW! Explode into 1993 at Epcot with a live musical performance from Kool & the Gang: And then, welcome 1994 at Disney-MGM Studios! There are plenty of DJ’s and bands, including a performance by the Turtles, to help celebrate, and a performance of Sorcery in the Sky. And, of course, plenty of party horns to...Read More...

Fly With “Airship Shamu” Blimp In 1992

A while back we acquired this set of slides taken by a crew member or passenger aboard Sea World’s promotional blimp the Airship Shamu. Included with the set was a December 30, 1993 article from the Orlando Sentinel about the omnipresence of blimps in the Orlando area. The slides are from a specific flight in March 1992. Airship Shamu soared over EPCOT, Disney-MGM Studios, Lake Buena Vista, Kissimmee, and other local sites including Interstate 4 looking...Read More...

EPCOT Film Tour

Many EPCOT Center attractions featured original films. This week, we are pleased to share a few of these from around the park! The main attraction in the Canadian World Showcase Pavilion is the Circle-Vision theater. The film “O Canada” was a 360 degree tour of Canada and its history. Our recording is of the “front” screen as seen in 1992.   Headed back into Future World, a film called “Symbiosis” played in the Harvest Theater. This...Read More...