The Thinking Fan's Guide to Walt Disney World: Epcot

by Aaron Wallace

Learn to Slow Down and Savor the World’s Boldest Theme Park

There’s no place like Epcot. It's the theme park that endeavored to change the world.

Now, more than 30 years later, Aaron Wallace dives deep into the heart of Epcot. Step beyond the typical rush-here, do-that frenzy of most guidebooks to truly appreciate the park’s history, storytelling, and controversies.

The Thinking Fan’s Guide is a lighthearted but scholarly tour through every Epcot ride and show. You’ll learn to unpack big questions like:

• Should a Future World attraction ever take place in the past?
• Are Frozen’s Anna and Elsa holding World Showcase hostage?
• Do Disney characters belong in Epcot?
• Why does the park spend so much time in Ellen DeGeneres’s head?
• Has Epcot lost its way?
• Did the park really change the world?

This is a guide for those ready to immerse themselves in the wondrous achievement of 1982’s EPCOT Center and the multi-faceted, modern-day Epcot it has become.

Longtime Disney buffs will find new insights and surprising perspectives, while newcomers will get more out of their vacations by learning to look at Epcot as a work of art.

Fall in Love with Epcot for the First Time... or All Over Again.

Genres: Nonfiction

230 pages, Paperback

Published February 5, 2017

About the author

Aaron Wallace is a writer, podcaster, and attorney who studies movies, music, television, theatre, theme parks, the 1980s and ’90s, and why we love them. He is the author of three bestselling books about Disney, travel, and entertainment, available now at Amazon.com and in bookstores around the world:

• The Thinking Fan’s Guide to Walt Disney World: Magic Kingdom
• The Thinking Fan’s Guide to Walt Disney World: Epcot
• Hocus Pocus in Focus: The Thinking Fan’s Guide to Disney’s Halloween Classic

Disney fans know Aaron as the host of On Main Street with Aaron Wallace, the web’s longest-running Disney fan podcast. The show is one of the most-downloaded podcasts about Disney and has repeatedly been recognized by Apple as a “Featured Travel Podcast,” a fixture on the iTunes Travel Top 10. He also reviews live theatre and entertainment and conducts celebrity interviews as a Contributing Editor at BroadwayWorld.com, the web’s #1 source for live entertainment coverage. His more than two hundred movie, music, and television reviews have reached an audience of millions across multiple outlets, including the popular DVDizzy.com.

He has been featured in The Washington Post, the New York Daily News, Buzzfeed, Attractions Magazine, and The Orlando Sentinel, among other publications, and is a frequent guest on podcasts such as The Mad Chatters and Dizney Coast to Coast.

Aaron’s passion for Disney dates back to childhood, when he developed an early love for Disney’s movies, theme parks, and everything in between. He first started thinking critically about the company’s artistic output during his time at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in both Communication Studies (concentrating in Film, Television, and Media Studies) and English. While enrolled, he also taught a recitation course in analyzing popular children’s literature, becoming one of the first undergraduates in the program to lead a course.

He later pursued an interest in law, earning a Juris Doctorate from Wake Forest University and practicing as an attorney before transitioning full-time to his career as a writer, critic, podcaster, and public speaker.

Today, Aaron lives in Orlando, Florida, where he visits the Walt Disney World Resort on at least a weekly basis and shares his adventures (and myriad thoughts on the entertainment world at large) on Instagram (@aaronhwallace) and Twitter (@aaronwallace). His website is available at www.AaronWallaceOnline.com.

Reviews

[María José Quiñones · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting information! For a fan it's cool to get some insights of this wonderful theme park.

[Sebastian · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little surface level at times, but I appreciate his commitment to passive aggressive hater energy against like half of Future World

[Sesana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Way too much thought applied to a theme park, so basically perfect for me. Epcot does make for some interesting discussions as a park, because the apparent mission has changed so much since Walt first dreamed it up, and it's due to change even more. I wonder if Wallace is at all amused that publishing one of his extensively researched guides is evidently a cue that it's time for a major overhaul for that park. I also wonder if he's amused that he sort of accidentally called Universe of Energy being torn down to make room for a Guardians of the Galaxy ride. At any rate, this book makes for a great read for dedicated Disney fans. My only disappointments is that there's nothing at all about the pavilions that don't have rides (I would have liked to see a chapter with a World Showcase roundup, with a page or two for each pavilion) and that it could've used another proofread.

[Peter Wright · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's interesting that in the introduction, Wallace says that after all the research for this book, he loves Epcot and hopes we will, too, after reading the book. Yet, he has a lot of criticism about Epcot in its current form. The great thing about Wallace's writing style is that he goes into great detail to explain why he's not too happy with the direction the park has taken. This truly is a "thinking fan's guide" in that his reasoning is always intellectual and thought out. I suspect he loves the original version of Epcot as opposed to the current one, and it's not hard to see why. I've only experienced the current Epcot version, since my first trip there was in 2001, then 2013. I didn't get to see a lot of the great attractions that have since disappeared. Based on what he's said about them, I wish I had experienced them! Epcot seems to be losing its way, losing those aspects that made it new and original to begin with. That's a shame

This series Wallace is working on is a great read for Disney fans, especially those that are critical of the direction the company seems to be taking. Wallace appears to be, too, and his arguments are always researched, thought provoking, and beautifully explained.

[Matthew Sanders · Rating 4 out of 5]

Growing up on Disneyland when I visited Epcot for the first time in December last year I was overcome with a sense of nostalgia as it had the same “feel” as Disneyland’s of 1980s Tomorrowland. The big difference is that while Tomorrowland all but removed the feel when they got rid of attractions like Captain EO, the People Mover, and Adventures Thru Inner Space (my personal favorite as a kid), Epcot structures and rides (most notably Spaceship Earth) seem unscathed by a great amount of change since its opening. Reading this book gave some great insight into the changes they have made over the years and likewise some fascinating background on each of the attractions (and Disney in general). I wish I saw the park in its initial stage but even with its current state it is still an extremely intriguing park (and probably my second favorite of the Disney parks I have visit (the 1st being Disneyland)). I really enjoyed the author’s writing style, especially the tongue-in-cheek humor sprinkled throughout the book. My only really issue is that I would have loved some inclusion of photos, especially of the attractions which are no longer around. That being said, it is a worthwhile read for those who love to find out more about Disney parks.

[Leeann · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wallace offers a lot of new information and details about Epcot's attractions that makes for an entertaining read. If you love Epcot, you'll love this book, but warning: it's pretty intellectual, so if you're looking for fun facts and hidden Mickeys, this is not for you. Favorite chapters include Circle of Life and O Canada!. I do wish the footnotes were either at the end of each chapter or on the page, because flipping to the back of the book constantly was frustrating, plus it could have used another round of proofreading. But still very interesting to any major Disney/Epcot fan.

[Kelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Epcot is secretly my very favorite, even though we all always say Magic Kingdom is the best (and it is). There is something about Epcot that has always been more chill and more enjoyable. I love going to each country and not feeling rushed. Everything feels nostalgic and happy.
This book feels like that too. It’s an overview of Epcot and it’s rides. It’s a light read that is well researched. It is one you can grab from time to time, especially if you are going to go visit the parks soon.

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book is occasionally long-winded but often thoughtful about a theme park I dearly love. The section on Future World is slower and less interesting than the section on World Showcase... and because the book pre-dates the major changes for the Future World portion of EPCOT in 2018 and following, it often seems out of touch.

Still glad I read it - and would be interested in similar books about Animal Kingdom & Hollywood Studios.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

Aaron Wallace does it again. He is insightful, educational, and entertaining. Can not recommend enough.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting read right before/during a park visit. The section on The China pavilion was especially thought-provoking.

[Louise · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easy to read, with some interesting background about Epcot but true to Walt Disney’s dream to look to the future, his love of America, how and why areas have changed. I love Illuminations and I look forward to the new light show. Change for the better is always a good thing! Hopefully, Epcot will continue to flourish and continue to spark our imagination!

[Kris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent look at Disney's EPCOT theme park. Written by a Disney fan but critical when it needs to be, and very well researched.
My biggest gripe is that, having been born in 1977 and gone to the parks, I KNOW I experienced many of the EPCOT attractions in their original form, but I can't remember most of them and it makes me a little crazy.