Thread by @kevinhedet

Imagine Epcot as a person living their life. Let’s look at where they’ve been and where they might go. 🧵 #EPCOT #WDW50 1/

EPCOT Center was conceived out of love and determination as its creators sought to honor the legacy of one of their heroes. 2/

Envisioned as an ambitious, utopian vision of tomorrow it was born a showcase of possibility that aimed to unite and inspire the world, leading the way into a hopeful future. 3/

EPCOT Center was quite literally Tomorrow’s Child. 4/

And like a child, EPCOT Center in its early years overflowed with energy, wonder and optimism. It asked big questions, foresaw remarkable futures and considered how new knowledge and technology could make those futures a reality. 5/

It valued the natural world and promoted the importance of imagination and discovery. 6/

It sought to shrink the gaps between us, highlighting our commonalities and celebrating our differences. 7/

In its adolescence, EPCOT Center became Epcot. In a changing world, it tried to find itself. What did it want to be? What was its role in the world? 8/

It learned a few hard lessons... 📷: @wdwmagic, @JeffLangeDVD 9/

...but its inherent hope and inspiration was hanging on. That culminated when Epcot turned 18 and threw one hell of a party! 10/

It celebrated togetherness and harmony at a pivotal time in history. 11/

When the afterglow wore off, however, Epcot was hit with the crushing weight of reality. It was forced to learn to navigate in a new and rapidly changing world. 12/

Luckily Epcot was given the tools it needed at an early age. The experiences and principles instilled in it engendered confidence. It had some early success, and new when to ask family for help. 13/

But like many young adults, it began to doubt itself. It learned that great things take hard work and it wasn’t always up to the challenge. 📷: @laughing_place 14/

It made some questionable decisions which it had to live with for some time. 15/

Then Epcot began to lose its way. Instead of investing in itself and holding to the ideals it once had, it started taking shortcuts. It leaned on quick, less ambitious ventures. 📷: BaaBeE9 on Flickr 16/

Instead of challenging the status quo, Epcot relented to an uninspiring world. Vision was replaced with enticement and discovery was replaced with familiarity. 📷: @DisneyFoodBlog 17/

Occasionally Epcot tried to regain the youthful vigor it once had. But often those attempts turned out hollow and lackluster. 18/

Epcot seemed to decide that giving maximum effort was pointless when unchallenging and flashy exploits were all that was needed to generate a reaction—even if those choices were misguided and short-sighted. 19/

Sometimes it just gave up entirely. No wonder. No possibility. No imagination. No inspiration. 📷: @yesterlandcom 20/

Pushing 40, Epcot (now known as EPCOT) is in somewhat of a mid-life crisis. It has recognized the years of self-neglect, and has vowed to do better. Some of those efforts are already paying off. 📷: David Roark 21/

Behind that facade, though, EPCOT is pushing itself even further away from what it once was. It no longer has a point of view, no longer a driving philosophy. 📷: @Blog_Mickey 22/

Where does EPCOT go from here? What does it stand for? Can it find in itself the hope and inspiration it used to embody? 23/

Will a middle-age EPCOT return to celebrating “human achievements ... through imagination, wonders of enterprise and concepts of a future that promises new and exciting benefits for all”? 📷: Jeff Bergman on Flickr 24/

I worry our friend EPCOT will end up a shell of its former self—nodding to but ultimately abandoning its past. 📷: @wdwmagic 25/

@wdwmagic It seems EPCOT should listen to Walter Cronkite: “Ours is a time of unprecedented choice and opportunity, so let us explore and question and understand.  Let us learn from our past and meet the challenges of the future, let us go forth and fulfill our destiny.” 26/

@wdwmagic EPCOT can become Tomorrow’s Child once again. The world sure could use one. 27/end