Riding on Sunshine: The Universe of Energy at EPCOT Center

Universe of Energy at EPCOT Center was a spectacular blend of science, storytelling, and Disney imagination—a sweeping journey through time, power, and human progress. From the very first glimpse of the pavilion, guests were drawn into the theme. With its enormous wedge-shaped structure that seemed to rise from and plunge into the ground, the building itself made a bold architectural statement. Its slanted roof was gleaming with solar panels that captured sunlight to power the experience inside. Its sides were lined with bands of warm color that suggested heat radiating from them. In front of the main entrance stood a mirrored sculpture reflecting the ripples of a pool below—an early visual metaphor for energy in motion.

A captivating kinetic presentation called "Energy, You Make the World Go 'Round" kicked off the experience in the pre-show area. The display, designed by Czech filmmaker Emil Radok, was a shimmering, three-dimensional mosaic made up of one hundred rotating screen panels that were timed to projected images. The eight-minute show took guests from the birth of galaxies to the rise of humanity, tracing the evolution of energy—from atoms to fire, from primitive tools to the industrial age. As it ended, it posed a pressing question: what happens when fossil fuels are no longer enough?

From there, guests entered the triangular-shaped main theater, where the entire seating area rotated to face a massive, panoramic screen. What followed was the largest animated film ever created at the time—a dramatic visualization of how fossil fuels came to be. Viewers watched the molten Earth cool, ancient seas give rise to microscopic life, and layer upon layer of organic matter accumulate on the ocean floor. Over eons, this matter became oil and gas. On land, lush forests gave way to prehistoric creatures, violent storms, and volcanic upheaval. As those forests decayed and sank beneath the Earth, they slowly transformed into coal. The film reminded us that this transformation took millions of years—and much of the fossil fuel we use today was born in that distant past.

Then, something incredible happened. The massive theater broke apart and began to move. The audience had unknowingly been seated in one of six traveling theater cars, which now glided silently forward into one of Disney's most ambitious and immersive environments: the Primeval Diorama.

Guests found themselves transported 275 million years into the past, rolling through a stunning Audio-Animatronic landscape filled with towering ferns, misty swamps, and prehistoric life. In the moonlight, enormous dragonflies were buzzing. A family of brontosaurs wading through a still pond. However, chaos quickly replaced the calm as a storm moved in, lightning splintered the sky, and rain began to fall. A fierce battle broke out between a stegosaurus and an allosaurus nearby. Underfoot, earthquakes rumbled. In bubbling mud pits, dinosaurs were imprisoned. A massive elasmosaurus lashed out from a tidal pool. Farther ahead, real waves crashed against the shore and a volcano erupted with smoke, ash, and molten lava shooting overhead. The scent of brimstone filled the air as the lava ignited fallen trees, steam hissing as flames consumed them. Just before it seemed the lava might reach the guests, the traveling cars dipped into a dark tunnel, symbolically descending through layers of the Earth, passing through mist and fog, and emerging once again in the present.

The journey continued into a second theater, designed to resemble NASA's Mission Control. Here, the six traveling cars reassembled for a dramatic live-action film highlighting the global search for energy. On a massive wraparound screen and a series of video monitors, guests were taken from the icy wilderness of Alaska to offshore oil rigs in the North Sea, across Middle Eastern deserts and over the thundering waters of Niagara Falls. Satellites in space searched for new energy reserves. Solar panels, hydroelectric dams, nuclear plants, and experimental synthetic fuels were all explored. The film emphasized that no single energy source could meet the world's growing demand. Instead, a balanced, diversified approach was needed—what the show called an "energy diet." Conservation was just as critical as innovation.

And in a powerful, poetic moment, guests learned that much of the ride itself had been powered by the sun. The solar panels they'd seen on the roof as they entered were actively providing electricity to the traveling theater system. They had, quite literally, been riding on sunshine.

As the attraction neared its finale, the cars returned to the original theater, now transformed. Curtains were raised to reveal mirrored walls that reflected a whirlwind of color and light. A massive transparent scrim appeared in front of the audience, and a final film sequence unfolded. Accompanied by the upbeat Universe of Energy theme song, guests were surrounded by glowing, animated patterns and swirling images that celebrated the role of energy in everyday life—transportation, medicine, communication, agriculture, and more. This was not a technical lesson, but a vibrant celebration of potential.

The experience ended with a reminder of the pavilion's main takeaway, which was that we could all contribute to creating a safer, better future by banding together to investigate and fund new energy frontiers.  As guests disembarked from their traveling cars and made their way toward the exit, it was difficult not to feel inspired—charged by the belief that with imagination, innovation, and care, the dream of an energy-abundant future could indeed become a reality.