Happy New Year and New Century from Epcot

Hard to believe the New Millennium was almost 20 years ago! Walt Disney World was prepared to celebrate with Epcot Center being the main park to keep the focus on the future.

A splashy new logo was prepared...

A new CD shared the amazing celebration music with us...

Even T-shirts had the cool Tapestry of Nations parade logo on them!

From brb1006 at WDWMagic.

Best of all was. this incredible commercial capturing all the excitement. And the reality was as good as the promotion.

As for us, it's a New Year- and the best promises Come from God Himself-
Here's His Word from the prophet Isaiah, in Chapter 43:

19 “Look, I am about to do something new.
Now it begins to happen! Do you not recognize it?
Yes, I will make a road in the desert
and paths in the wilderness.
20 The wild animals of the desert honor me,
the jackals and ostriches,
because I put water in the desert
and streams in the wilderness,
to quench the thirst of my chosen people,
21 the people whom I formed for myself,

so they might praise me.”

May your New Year begin wonderfully with lots of praise to God, followed by plenty of blessing throughout the year!

Tapestry of Nations at Epcot

Epcot's Tapestry of Nations Parade- what a winner! Our family could not imagine a better way in order to celebrate the new millennium than taking a visit to Walt Disney World and its most futurist theme park. 

As you can tell from the video above by super fan Martin Smith, Tapestry of Nations had it all: a compelling score, creatively designed aesthetics and an enthusiastic crowd making it all a very lively event. Our family particularly loved the "clock drums". 

Traveling through World Showcase each evening, the parade made its way down the promenade. It was the perfect beginning of a perfect end to the day, a nighttime showing of the classic Illuminations show. 

(Photograph copyright The Walt Disney Company; Video copyright Martin Smith.)

Epcot's Tapestry of Nations

What were you doing to celebrate the Turn of the Century from the 1900s to the 2000s? Our family decided it was time to go to Epcot- and we were not disappointed!

Of course, being Disney and being an opportunity for a once in a lifetime Millennium party, the brilliant Imagineers did what they could before the accountants took control: they created some wonderful entertainment to mark the occasion. The best part of the mesmerising Tapestry of Nations, one part parade and one part performance art.

There's not too many pieces of concept art out there for The Tapestry of Nations. In fact, this is a fairly poor scan of a very small piece I have tried to enlarge and improve. But if you can imagine larger than life puppets and drummers all moving around World Showcase to an incredibly original sounding theme sound, you'll get the idea. Or just go to these videos to see if for yourself.

Along with the somewhat charming but overblown Millennium Village (now a convention space!), and an incredible new version of Illuminations: Reflections of Earth, this spectacle represented much of what was good about Epcot and its original vision. Edutainment at its best.

Our last night visit to Epcot, (a family tradition to spend our last night at our favorite park), was one we will never forget. Let's just hope the suits don't make us wait another hundred years for something so truly magical!

(Art copyright The Walt Disney Company.)