Walt Disney World The Epcot Educational Media Program Book of Planned Projects, c.1980

The EPCOT Educational Media Program (1980)

Paperbound, 16 pages + covers, 11" x 8.5"

After the death of Walt Disney in 1966 it became clear to Walt Disney Productions that his utopian dream of an "Experimental Planned Community of Tomorrow" in Florida could not be fulfilled. Development of the vast Florida landscape turned first to the Walt Disney World theme park, yet a version of EPCOT was kept alive along with a desire to create a second Florida theme park that would provide entertainment and educational programs designed to make the world of tomorrow better for everyone.

This color-illustrated book opens by stating: "EPCOT will be a forum for the examination of global issues—a platform for new ideas and forward-lookiing concepts. The EPCOT Educational Media Program will take the concepts inspired by the pavillions, exhibits and ideals of EPCOT, and transmit them to the minds of our young people."

The new media was to be "adapted from EPCOT Television Specials...based on EPCOT Center Pavilions [and] themed to EPCOT Values." An "Almanac" series of 16mm classroom films and multimedia kits were to be adapted from EPCOT television specials. Pavilions would inspire "numerous opportunities for high-interest media" for elementary and secondary grade levels. And "a full range of EPCOT educational media will be developed that will support young people in their growth to fully-functioning citizens. These will include personal values and development, career awareness, life skills, language arts, mathematics, and free enterprise." These programs are described in some details, including film titles and synopses, along with plans for marketing and public relations.

It was an ambitious program, and most of it never came to fruition.