When Walt Disney began drawing up his plans for the Experimental Prototype Community Of Tomorrow, something that was included right from the start was a pavilion dedicated to health and fitness, and the wonders of the human body. Imagineers wanted to stay as close to the original plans as possible when designing Epcot Center, now simply known as Epcot, so of course this pavilion was included in the park. The Wonders of Life Pavilion seemed destined for success, and for a while it was until it’s sad closure in 2007. So what happened, and why did this classic, much-loved pavilion close? Keep reading to find out!
Dreaming up Wonders of Life
A pavilion dedicated to health, fitness and nutrition in a Disney park, which were then notorious for unhealthy food, was a completely new idea, which meant Imagineering found it difficult to find a sponsor for their new pavilion. They eventually found one in the insurance and benefit company MetLife, who agreed to work with the pavilion until 2001. Wonders of Life would be situated between Mission: Space and Universe of Energy, and would feature several permanent attractions, including Cranium Command, a screen and animatronic based show, and Body Wars, a simulator type ride that took riders on an adventure through the human body. (More on these later!) Some theatres was also included in the plans, which would feature many non-permanent shows, one of which being the famously strange screen-based show The Making Of Me.
The Wonders of Life Pavilion opened to mostly positive reviews in October 1989, approximately 7 years after the park’s opening in 1989. A large, circular gold tent, housed 2 major attractions, Cranium Command and Body Wars, and guests entering were greeted with a large DNA spiral and a sign welcoming them to the pavilion. As shown in the plans for Epcot Center, the golden tent also featured a theatre, which was home to The Making of Me, along with other, short-term shows.
Epcot’s most controversial attraction?
Countless attractions occupied the gold tent that was Wonders of Life, some of them successful, some of them not. Many of the pavilion’s rides and attractions caused controversy, however most of this was aimed at one attraction in particular: The Making Of Me. Some parents reported that their children had been asking uncomfortable questions after seeing the show, regarding concepts parents really don’t want to have to explain to their 5 and 6 year olds. The Making of Me, voiced by Martin Short, began with two people falling in love in High School, continuing with a cartoon sequence showing a sperm fertilising an egg, before showing how the embryo develops into a foetus, before eventually revealing the child when it was born. You can imagine how this led to some seriously awkward conversations between kids and parents.
Others argued that, as The Making Of Me showed fertilisation and of course birth, it could bring up the topic of abortion, which for many is a sensitive subject, and is even banned by some religions and in some countries. Subsequently a warning sign was placed at the entrance to the theatre, advising parents that the show may not be suitable for some children. Despite the controversy (and awkward conversations) sparked by the attraction, many people said The Making Of Me handled these sensitive subjects well, combining just the right amount of information and family-friendliness, and it continued to run until Wonders of Life’s closure in 2007.
A (Very) Rough Ride!
To say that Body Wars was a bit of a rough ride would be an understatement- many consider it to be the roughest attraction ever built by Disney, even now! Some riders called it The Vomit Machine, and its even been suggested that six out of every ten riders of Body Wars would throw up at some point on the ride!
Body Wars took riders on a journey through the human body, using a simulator-type ride system similar to the one used on Star Tours at Hollywood Studios. After being shrunk down to smaller than a blood vessel, guests would board a vehicle similar to a spaceship, and would venture into the blood to rescue a scientist that had become trapped on blood vessel. It was certainly an immersive experience, too immersive for some riders, who said that Disney’s first thrill ride was also one of the roughest!
“Where do you think you are- Disney World?”
Yup, this was an actual line used in the preshow of what was arguably Wonders of Life’s most popular attraction- Cranium Command. This amazing attraction followed the adventures of Buzzy, a young intern left in charge of the mind of a twelve year old boy, as he goes through puberty, school and even meets a girl he likes! Buzzy narrates the experience as a colourful animatronic at the front of the theatre, while rides see the world through the boy’s eyes.
Starting to sound familiar? The premise of Cranium Command was similar, very similar, in fact, to that of the 2015 Pixar movie Inside Out, and many people believe that the attraction was actually inspiration for the film. Because of this, there has been much speculation that Cranium Command could be getting an Inside Out overlay and retheme, with Joy and Sadness replacing Buzzy, and the experience being through Riley’s eyes, rather than the eyes of the boy.
The Pavilion’s Final Years and Closure
Between 2003 and 2007, Disney were dropping hints at the closure of Wonders of Life, including the decision to make the pavilion seasonal operation only, with it’s last operations being in 2006. MetLife ended their sponsorship with Epcot, which led to the decline of the pavilion and it’s attractions. Despite the park’s attempts to keep Wonders of Life operational, the attractions began to fall into disrepair, and on January 1st, Epcot announced that the Wonders of Life Pavilion would close, with no official reason given for the pavilion’s closure.
Later in 2007 the building that housed Wonders of Life reopened to guests, for Epcot’s annual Food and Wine Festival. Those who wished to see or even ride their favourite attractions from the pavilion however, were sorely disappointed, when the entrances to Cranium Command and Body Wars, among other attractions, were covered by decorated construction walls. The next few years brought various removals of parts of the old pavilion, with a sign reading “celebrate the joy of life”, and the entrance signage for Body Wars being taken away in 2008 and 2009, and many of Body Wars’ mechanical systems being removed also in 2009. Some of the systems and parts used on Body Wars are now used as spare parts for Star Tours at Hollywood Studios! What was then an empty show building was for several years one of the locations used for Epcot’s Flower and Garden, and Food and Wine festivals, until, in 2012, it was reported that the park had requested for a “selective destruction” to occur at the Wonders of Life pavilion. Since then major parts of the pavilion’s rides and attractions have been gradually removed, with the dismantling of the entire ride system of Body Wars in 2014, and parts of Cranium Command’s queueline being removed in 2017. However, it is said that the theatre and staging area is still intact, and in December 2018, Epcot reported that the iconic Buzzy animatronic had been stolen from the Cranium Command theatre. This sparked a massive social media movement, known as #findbuzzy, which asked that anyone who knew anything about the disappearance of this well-known animatronic get in contact with the park. Thankfully, Epcot have said that Buzzy has since been restored to his rightful place in the theatre.
Does Wonders of Life have a future at Epcot?
The short answer is: probably not. Many of us would love to see the Wonders of Life Pavilion restored to it’s former glory, however the recent actions of Epcot and the Disney company, including the demolition of the pavilion, suggest that this particular Disney dream isn’t likely to come true. At D23 Expo in February 2019, Imagineering announced that a new, interactive Play! pavilion would be coming to the park, replacing Wonders of Life. Although many of us, myself included, will be heartbroken to see this classic pavilion go, the future of Epcot looks bright with the park’s overhaul and various new attractions, and I’m excited to see what is next announced for the park!
Did you ever get to see the Wonders of Life Pavilion at Epcot? What was your favourite ride or attraction? Let me know below!
Your articles are amazing. Thank you for your hard work.
It’s definitely worth a visit! 🙂
Interesting! Never heard of that park before
Love this Lily
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Thank you so much! I’m so glad you enjoy them. Sorry about the late reply -Lily 🙂