Universe of Energy at Epcot
Florida Guide > Epcot
The Universe of Energy can be found in Future World at Epcot. To locate it just walk to left of Spaceship Earth, turn left at the fountains and then left again. The pavilion opened on October 1st 1982 and contains just the one attraction. This attraction is called “Ellen’s Energy Adventure”, Ellen being the comedienne and actress Ellen DeGeneres.
Guests accompany Ellen and travel through time together whilst exploring the past, the present and the future. The ride lasts almost forty-five minutes and can be a welcome break for those tired feet and also a rest away from the heat of the midday sun, especially in the hot, humid days of summer.
The pre-show lasts approximately eight minutes which is then followed by the ‘real ride’ which takes place in travelling theatre cars. The ride commences in the six-hundred seat theatre where you watch the huge screens in front of you. Ellen falls asleep whilst she is watching the television programme Jeopardy. She begins to dream that she is actually in the programme and is up against her college rival, who is played by Jamie Lee Curtis. The other contestant is Albert Einstein! All the questions are energy related, not a subject that Ellen is familiar with but her neighbour, who is Bill Nye the Science Guy, rescues her and they begin their journey back in time to the prehistoric era.
This is when the whole theatre starts to rotate and divides up into six huge cars which travel with Ellen and Bill on their journey. It is now quite dark and the roar of dinosaurs can be heard, what is that strange smell? Amazing audio-animatronic dinosaurs appear at either side of your car with Ellen popping up at regular intervals, she is also an audio animatronic! Look out for the Hidden Mickey in this section of the ride. It appears in the fight scene with the T-Rex and the stegosaurus. If you look to the right hand side of the dinosaurs at the front, you should see a large plant in the shape of Mickey’s head.
Your car will then travel again into the next theatre. This is the longest section of the show where Ellen and Bill Nye look at energy resources from today and what could happen in the future. Watch on three huge screens that are thirty feet high and seventy-four feet wide. They are curved which creates a 200-degree range of vision.
The final section of the ride is when your vehicle returns to the theatre where your adventure all began and you watch the conclusion of Ellen’s dream.
What I like about this ride is that it is not only entertaining but educational too. You can have fun with your children and they are learning new things without even knowing it!
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