- General: 1-Billionth Guest -
In September
1994 - 1-Billionth Worldwide Guest
- Magic Kingdom: Fantasyland-Sword
in the Stone Ceremony
- Presided over by Merlin the Magician, this
audience participation event, begun in 1994, occurs several times daily in
front of Cinderella's Golden Carousel. The magic sword Excalibur is securely
embedded in a large boulder. No one can pull it out, except for one lucky
child in the audience who is then designated king or queen for the day.
- Magic Kingdom: Tomorrowland-Complete
refurbishment
- The complete refurbishment of Tomorrowland was
completed in 1994. After 23 years, it became rather obvious that trying to
predict the future is hazardous duty. The 1960's view of future had become
considerably long in the tooth. Although Space Mountain continues to be one
of the most popular attractions in the MK, Mission to Mars and American Journeys
CircleVision 360 were among the least patronized. The theme of Tomorrowland
has been changed from the (then) current view of the future to "the future
that never was". This retro-1930's view of the future, with its massive, perforated
girder construction will never go out of date. Mission to Mars is beening
replaced with ExtraTERRORestrial Alien Encounter and American Journeys with
The Timekeeper.
- Magic Kingdom: Tomorrowland-The
Timekeeper
- The Timekeeper, which opened in 1994 and replaces
Circle-Vision 360, is based on a similar attraction located in Discoveryland
at Disneyland Paris. A time-traveling robot probe is sent back to Paris about
a hundred years ago where it--and the audience--encounters a conversation
between two of the most famous science fiction writers of the era.
- Magic Kingdom: Tomorrowland-Walt
Disney's Carousel of Progress
- Tomorrowland's Carousel of Progress
was updated in 1994 and renamed Walt Disney's Carousel of Progress. The original
theme song of the show, There's a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow, was
restored, replacing Now is the Best Time of Your Life, the song that
had been playing since the Carousel's move from Disneyland.
- Magic Kingdom: Tomorrowland-Astro
Orbiter
- In 1994, the Astro Orbiter replaced the StarJets, which
had been flying in Tomorrowland since 1975.
- EPCOT: Epcot '94
- In 1994 Disney turned
its attention to the 12-year-old park and began a series of renovations. These
improvements were designed to enliven the park, add little more fun (and a
little more Disney), and return to its roots as a showcase for world culture
and the technology of the near future. The first order of business was to
rename the park from EPCOT Center to Epcot '94 ('95, '96, etc.).
- EPCOT: Future World-Spaceship Earth
-
Spaceship Earth, fondly referred to by most as the Big Ball, received somewhat
of a facelift in 1994. The venerable Walter Cronkite audio track has been
replaced. Most of the visible changes occur at the top and on the way down.
The final scene depicting the future of communications has been updated. On
the most of the way down, you now have some things to look at.
- Studios: Hollywood
Boulevard
- A Studio Tips Board was
added at the intersection of Hollywood Boulevard and Sunset Boulevard in 1994.
Here you will find posted the latest information on wait times at all major
park attractions.
- Resorts: Shades of Green
- In 1994 the
Disney Inn (i.e. Golf Resort) was leased to the U.S. Military and renamed
the Shades of Green Resort. This is the first military R&R resort to operate
in the continental United States. It caters exclusively to military personnel,
whether active, reserve, or retired. Civilian employees of the military may
also stay here.
- Magic Kingdom: Main
Street, USA--Main Street Cinema
- The show at the Main Street Cinema
was changed in December, 1994, from a selection of Mickey Mouse cartoons to
Mickey's Big Break, which chronicles Mickey Mouse's "audition" for
Walt in 1928. Also shown is a short Mickey Mouse cartoon.
- Recreation: Pleasure Island & Village Marketplace:
Planet Hollywood
- Another in the growing chain that highlights
movie history with its display of memorabilia, Planet Hollywood, which opened
December 1994, is housed in a three-story tall planet-like blue sphere. It
is located just next to the AMC theater. If you don't want to wait a long
time to get in, plan on eating mid-afternoon when seating is usually very
quick.
- Resorts: All-Star Music
- Walt Disney
World's All-Star Music Resort is a companion resort the All-Star Sports Resort.
Opened November 1994, it is designed around larger-than-life replicas of music
icons.
- EPCOT: Future World-Journey into Imagination-Honey,
I Shrunk the Audience
- This multi-media 3-D movie experience replaced
Captain EO at the Journey into Imagination pavilion on November 24, 1994.
It is based on the popular Disney movies of similar name. Professor Wayne
Szalinski and family are back to receive the Inventor of the Year Award and
demonstrate the latest version of his incredible machine. As always, things
don't work out quite as planned and you, the audience, get shrunk! The effect
is quite convincing. This has become one of the most popular attractions at
Epcot.
- Magic Kingdom: Fantasyland--Legend
of the Lion King
- This puppet-live performer-animated presentation,
which opened in July, 1994, quite deftly summarizes the entire plot of the
Lion King into a 25 minute span. The puppetry uses the same technique as used
with the Muppets. This attraction is very effective and is sure to be a favorite
of young and old alike. It is located in the theater that formerly housed
the 3-D movie Magic Journeys.
- Studios: Sunset Boulevard
- This new area of the park opened in the summer of 1994. Sunset Boulevard
is a short street that intersects Hollywood Boulevard just before the Hollywood
Brown Derby restaurant. Aside from a few new shops, its primary occupants
are the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror and the rebuilt Theater of the Stars.
- Studios: Twilight Zone
Tower of Terror
- The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, which opened
July 22, 1994, is the premier attraction in the new Sunset Boulevard area
of the park. The old 13-story, 199-foot tall Hollywood Tower Hotel hasn't
been occupied since 1939--except by the ghosts of the riders of an elevator
that was zapped into the Twilight Zone by a lightning bolt on Halloween night.
Board one of the service elevators to experience some of the best optical
effects to be seen at Walt Disney World. But don't be surprised when your
elevator loses its grip just when you get to the top! Arguably, the most popular
ride at the Disney-MGM Studios.
- Studios: Theater of
the Stars
- With the summer 1994 opening
of the Sunset Boulevard area of the park, the Theater of the Stars has been
rebuilt and is located halfway down Sunset Boulevard, not far in back of where
it used to be.
- ECPOT: Future World-Innoventions
- Innoventions, which opened June 1994, is an attempt to put a little
more of the near future into Epcot. Innoventions is located in the former
Communicore buildings--those semi-circular buildings just past Spaceship Earth,
AKA the Big Ball. Here you will find advanced prototypes of all kinds of consumer
goods that are expected to become available over the next few years. From
home security systems to home computers, if its at Innoventions you will probably
be able to buy it in a year or two. One of the largest areas houses free demos
of a myriad of the latest and not-yet-released video games for the kids to
try out. Innoventions will be updated frequently to keep the exhibits from
becoming dated.
- Resorts: Wilderness Lodge
- Walt Disney
World's Wilderness Lodge Resort, which opened May 1994, is themed to replicate
the turn-of-the-century National Park Service lodges in the Pacific Northwest.
It is located in the Magic Kingdom resort area, approximately mid-way between
the Polynesian, Contemporary and Fort Wilderness Resorts. It is not, however,
on the monorail.
- Resorts: All-Star Sports Resort
- Walt Disney World's All-Star Sports Resort, which opened May 1994,
is designed to provide the most economical accommodations Disney has offered
to date. The resort is designed around larger-than-life replicas of sports
icons. It is located just beyond the Blizzard Beach water park.
- EPCOT: Future World-The Land-Food Rocks
- Food Rocks, an animatronic musical food group revue, replaced the
similarly themed but dated Kitchen Kabaret on March 26, 1994.
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