| Canada (EPCOT) | |
|---|---|
 | |
 | |
| EPCOT | |
| Area | World Showcase |
| Status | Operating |
| Opening date | October 1, 1982 |
| Ride statistics | |
| Attraction type | Themed pavilion |
| Theme | Canadian countryside |
Canada is a cultural pavilion representing the country of the same name as part of the World Showcase area of EPCOT at the Walt Disney World Resort near Orlando, Florida. It is located next to the United Kingdom pavilion at the northern end of World Showcase Lagoon.
The Canada Pavilion is designed to remind guests of Canada's natural beauty. It includes a canyon, a waterfall, gardens, a pool with fountains, and totem poles. Further in to the pavilion, beyond the rustic log cabins, a small thoroughfare is designed to represent the British and French influences and heritage through its buildings; the Hotel du Canada [1] dominates the skyline to the right whilst English cottages adorn the left. An iconic Gilbert-Scott telephone box stands to the side, and often there is a direct connection on this phone to the boxes in the United Kingdom pavilion nearby. [2]
The main attraction is Canada: Far and Wide, a Circle-Vision 360° movie of Canada's cities, scenery, and people. The pavilion also includes Le Cellier Steakhouse and the former home of the Celtic rock band Off Kilter. North American animal characters from Brother Bear (Kenai and Koda) and Pocahontas (Meeko and Percy) used to make the occasional appearances to patrons, but have been absent from the pavilion for a few years.
Prior to the construction of the pavilion, the Walt Disney Company sought financial support for the attraction from the Canadian government. The company wanted the federal government to fund the cost of building the attraction; in return the government would have input into the design and layout. The Canadian government was concerned about the stereotype of Canada that Disney wanted (i.e., lumberjacks). Funding was refused, and Disney threatened to pull the exhibit, but ultimately did not.
At one time during the planning, the entire pavilion was to have been divided by a main street of shops and restaurants, with one side representing French Canada and the other English Canada. Today this is somewhat evident as a small thoroughfare.
At the opening in 1982, the original musical talent for the Canadian pavilion was a trio called the "Caledonian Pipe Band", consisting of two pipers and one drummer. The performers were Robert (Bob) Proctor (lead, drummer), Kenneth Mauchin (piper) and Robert Mauchin (piper). They were recruited by Ron Rodriguez (talent co-ordinator for Walt Disney World) from the Rosie O'Grady's Pipe Band of Orlando. Because all three had ties to Scotland, they also performed in the British pavilion at various times.
In 2007, Disney updated the movie O Canada!, filmed in 1979. For several years, the Canadian Tourism Commission lobbied to have the movie updated, partly to remove outdated stereotypes of Canadian life. On August 31, 2007, the updated edition opened with a new host, Canadian actor Martin Short, and Canadian Idol winner Eva Avila reprising the original film's theme song, "Canada (You're a Lifetime Journey)". [3]
The attraction closed in late 2019 to make adjustments for the new update; Canada Far and Wide, which opened in 2020.
The pavilion opened with two North west coast Indigenous totem poles totem poles, up to 30' (9 metres) in height constructed of fibreglass. Designed by Disney Imagineering, the icons used did not represent any specific nation but rather tried to capture the spirit of the Indigenous peoples of Canada's west coast. [7]
In 1998, the park decided to add a third on, this time using wood so as to be more "authentic". It was carved by the Alaskan artist David A. Boxley in front of guests over a two-month period and was officially put on display in April 1998. The third totem pole depicts three stories of the Raven tricking the Sky Chief into the release of sun, moon and stars from a chest. Then, in 2017, Disney commissioned Boxley to create two more poles to replace the original fibreglass ones.[ citation needed ]
The Victoria Gardens which are adjacent to the Hotel du Canada are inspired by the Butchart Gardens near Victoria, British Columbia. The gardens are the largest (and most labour-intensive) of all the national pavilions.
The Canada Pavilion contains two Hidden Mickeys:
The Hidden Mickey that was on the fish in the Mercantile was created by cast members in 2002 and removed in 2019. An updated fish created by an artist from Dieppe, New Brunswick received approval by Disney Imagineering and was placed in 2023.
The Walt Disney World Resort is an entertainment resort complex located about 20 miles (32 km) southwest of Orlando, Florida, United States. Opened on October 1, 1971, the resort is operated by Disney Experiences, a division of The Walt Disney Company. The property covers nearly 25,000 acres, of which half has been developed. Walt Disney World contains numerous recreational facilities designed to attract visitors for an extended stay, including four theme parks, two water parks, four golf courses, conference centers, a competitive sports complex and a shopping, dining, and entertainment complex. Additionally, there are 19 Disney-owned resort hotels and one camping resort on the property, and many other non-Disney-operated resorts on and near the property.
EPCOT is a theme park at the Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida. It is owned and operated by The Walt Disney Company through its Disney Experiences division. The park opened on October 1, 1982, as EPCOT Center—the second of four theme parks built at the resort. Often referred to as a "permanent world's fair", EPCOT is dedicated to the celebration of human achievement, particularly technological innovation and international culture and is known for its iconic landmark Spaceship Earth, a geodesic sphere.
The Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow, shortened to EPCOT, was an unfinished concept for a planned community, intended to sit on a swath of undeveloped land near Orlando, Florida. It was created by Walt Disney in collaboration with the designers at Walt Disney Imagineering in the 1960s. Based on ideas stemming from modernism and futurism, and inspired by architectural literature about city planning, Disney intended EPCOT to be a utopian autocratic company town. One of the primary stated aims of EPCOT was to replace urban sprawl as the organizing force of community planning in the United States in the 1960s. Disney intended EPCOT to be a real city, and it was planned to feature commercial, residential, industrial, and recreational centers, connected by a mass multimodal transportation system, that would, he said, "Never cease to be a living blueprint of the future".
Soarin', also known as Soarin' Over California, Soarin' Around the World, Soaring Over the Horizon and Soaring: Fantastic Flight, is a flight motion simulator attraction at Disney California Adventure, Epcot, Shanghai Disneyland, and Tokyo DisneySea. It employs a mechanical lift system, a projected presentation on an 80 ft (24 m) concave 180-degree dome screen, and artificial scents and wind to simulate a hang gliding flight over locations in six of the world's continents. Many consider it the first flying theater.
The Land is a pavilion located in the World Nature neighborhood of Epcot, a theme park at the Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida. The pavilion is dedicated to human interaction with the Earth, focusing on agriculture, conservation, and travel. It opened on October 1, 1982, as part of the Phase I features for the grand opening of what was then known as EPCOT Center. It explores how humans can both use the land for their benefit, and how they can also destroy it. Future Technology in better preserving the land is also explored in the pavilion, along with a focus on the celebration of the land itself.
Impressions de France is a film about France and the featured attraction in the France Pavilion of Epcot's World Showcase at Walt Disney World in Florida. The movie is presented in the Palais du Cinéma building and projected onto five adjacent screens, giving 200° coverage and resembling a Cinerama Screen, in which one giant, curved screen stretches so wide that the edges are at the peripheral vision of the average person, unlike Circle-Vision 360° found at the Canada pavilion and the China pavilion.
CommuniCore was a pavilion dedicated to technological advance located at EPCOT Center in Walt Disney World, Florida. It occupied two semi-circular buildings behind Spaceship Earth at the center of Future World. The two buildings were known as CommuniCore East and West and housed rotating exhibits. The pavilion was closed and redesigned in 1994, and the former CommuniCore buildings became the home of Innoventions, which closed permanently on September 7, 2019.
The Themed Entertainment Association (TEA) is an international non-profit association that represents creators, developers, designers and producers of themed entertainment. It is also noted for its THEA Awards, which were founded in 1995 and are distributed annually in a range of themed entertainment categories.
WestCOT was a planned second theme park for the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California. It was essentially a replica of EPCOT Center at the Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, and was dedicated to the celebration of human achievement, namely technological innovation and international culture. The park was represented by SpaceStation Earth, a larger version of the geodesic sphere Spaceship Earth featured at EPCOT Center.
The Walt Disney World Swan is a resort hotel located between Epcot and Disney's Hollywood Studios in the Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida, and across from its sister resort, the Walt Disney World Dolphin, both of which are operated by Marriott International. It is one of the few resorts inside Walt Disney World that is not owned and operated by The Walt Disney Company. The resort opened on January 13, 1990, partially in response to a lack of convention center space inside Walt Disney World.
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The Morocco Pavilion is a Moroccan-themed pavilion that is part of the World Showcase, within Epcot at Walt Disney World in Bay Lake, Florida, United States. It was the first expansion pavilion to be added to World Showcase, opening on September 7, 1984.
The France Pavilion is a French-themed pavilion that is part of the World Showcase within Epcot at Walt Disney World in Bay Lake, Florida. Its location is between the Morocco and United Kingdom pavilions.
United Kingdom is a cultural pavilion representing the four countries within the island country of the same name as part of the World Showcase area of EPCOT at the Walt Disney World Resort near Orlando, Florida. It is located between the France and Canada pavilions along the World Showcase Lagoon.
The American Adventure is the host pavilion of the World Showcase area of EPCOT at the Walt Disney World Resort near Orlando, Florida. It is also the name of the pavilion's main attraction, an Audio-Animatronic stage show of American history. It is located between the Italy and Japan pavilions.
David A. Boxley is an American artist from the Tsimshian tribe in Alaska, most known for his prolific creation of Totem Poles and other Tsimshian artworks.
The Epcot International Food & Wine Festival is an annual food festival at Epcot, in the Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida. It would typically run from late September to mid-November, though in recent years the start date has moved earlier to mid-July. Special kiosks are set up around the World Showcase with food and drinks that reflect various countries. The activities, themes and corporate sponsors have changed over the years since the festival began in 1995.
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Remy's Ratatouille Adventure, also known as Ratatouille: L'Aventure Totalement Toquée de Rémy, is a motion-based trackless 3D dark ride, based on the 2007 Disney-Pixar animated film Ratatouille, located at Disney's Walt Disney Studios Park in France by Disneyland Paris and at Disney's France Pavilion at Epcot from Walt Disney World.
| World Celebration |  | |
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| World Discovery | ||
| World Nature | ||
| World Showcase | ||
| Annual events | ||
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| Other | ||
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