Epcot

PARK CITY, Utah -- "Escape from Tomorrow," filmed on the sly at Disney theme parks, is the talk of the Sundance Film Festival this weekend. But what was it like to make a movie over 25 days at Disney World, Epcot and Disneyland without park employees, or tourists, knowing? In the video above, lead actor Roy Abramsohn and director Randy Moore explain the bizarre and thrilling experience of filming on Disney property without permission. In the black-and-white film, Abramsohn plays a down-on-his-luck father touring the park with his wife and children.

PARK CITY, Utah -- "Escape from Tomorrow," filmed on the sly at Disney theme parks, is the talk of the Sundance Film Festival this weekend. But what was it like to make a movie over 25 days at Disney World, Epcot and Disneyland without park employees, or tourists, knowing? In the video above, lead actor Roy Abramsohn and director Randy Moore explain the bizarre and thrilling experience of filming on Disney property without permission. In the black-and-white film, Abramsohn plays a down-on-his-luck father touring the park with his wife and children.

A smoky electrical fire early Wednesday kept Epcot at Walt Disney World closed for the day. The theme park was expected to reopen today. There were no injuries in the 3 a.m. EDT fire in an electrical generation building at the popular theme park. The park wasn't open at the time. The fire, which took 10 minutes to extinguish, caused little damage but caused power outages at Epcot, the Caribbean Beach Club and Disney Vacation Club.

Walt Disney World Resort ticket prices Four parks: Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom One day, one park: ages 3 to 9, $74; 10 and older, $82 One-day Park Hopper: $128/$136 Two-day Park Hopper: $200/$216 Four-day Park Hopper: $263/$286 Seven-day Park Hopper: $278/$301 Park Hopper tickets allow visits to multiple parks per day. Other ticket options, hotel packages, meal plans and annual passes...

Walt Disney World reopened its "Mission: Space" attraction Thursday, a day after a woman died following a ride on the space-flight simulator. It was the second death in less than a year related to the Epcot Center ride, which spins riders in a centrifuge that subjects them to twice the normal force of gravity. Hiltrud Bleumel, 49, of Schmitten, Germany, died at a hospital on Wednesday. A 4-year-old boy, Daudi Bamuwamye, died in June after taking the ride.

A Walt Disney Co. official charged with developing a proposed new theme park adjoining Disneyland said Friday that planners are working on a concept similar to Epcot Center in Florida and intend to unveil plans to the public next year. "What we're working on at this point is an Epcot-related concept for a 'second gate' in Anaheim," said Kerry Hunnewell, who is heading the Anaheim project for Disney Development Co. in Burbank. "Epcot has been incredibly successful in Florida."

The international flavor of some of the exhibits at Walt Disney World's Epcot Center isn't just a fantasy. It's real. Since the center opened in October, 1982, more than 1,000 young people at a time from 10 nations have spent six months to a year staffing the 11 spectacular cultural pavilions at this unique global exposition.

Within the Disney empire, Tim Onosko was known as the go-to guy for the future. By often accurately forecasting how technology would alter the entertainment landscape, he developed a reputation as a high-tech soothsayer. At Disney, he helped refine the newly opened Epcot in Florida in the 1980s by steering the theme park's designers toward cutting-edge gadgets.

Card Walker, a mailroom employee who rose to become the first chief executive at the Walt Disney Co. who wasn't a member of the Disney family, leading the company from 1971 to 1983, has died. He was 89. Walker, who oversaw the development of Walt Disney World, died of congestive heart failure Monday at his home in La Canada Flintridge, the company announced. During his tenure, Walker brokered the deal for the company's first international theme park: Tokyo Disneyland, which opened in 1983.

The first big new ride at Walt Disney World's Epcot theme park in five years will lift off the launchpad on Aug. 15 in Florida, aiming to simulate a trip to Mars. The ride, called Mission: Space, took five years and a reported $100 million or more to develop with the help of former NASA advisors and scientists. (Disney spokesman Rick Sylvain declined to confirm the cost.) Disney has made the ride available to guests several hours a day for several weeks of tests.

Within the Disney empire, Tim Onosko was known as the go-to guy for the future. By often accurately forecasting how technology would alter the entertainment landscape, he developed a reputation as a high-tech soothsayer. At Disney, he helped refine the newly opened Epcot in Florida in the 1980s by steering the theme park's designers toward cutting-edge gadgets.

Walt Disney World reopened its "Mission: Space" attraction Thursday, a day after a woman died following a ride on the space-flight simulator. It was the second death in less than a year related to the Epcot Center ride, which spins riders in a centrifuge that subjects them to twice the normal force of gravity. Hiltrud Bleumel, 49, of Schmitten, Germany, died at a hospital on Wednesday. A 4-year-old boy, Daudi Bamuwamye, died in June after taking the ride.

Card Walker, a mailroom employee who rose to become the first chief executive at the Walt Disney Co. who wasn't a member of the Disney family, leading the company from 1971 to 1983, has died. He was 89. Walker, who oversaw the development of Walt Disney World, died of congestive heart failure Monday at his home in La Canada Flintridge, the company announced. During his tenure, Walker brokered the deal for the company's first international theme park: Tokyo Disneyland, which opened in 1983.

The first big new ride at Walt Disney World's Epcot theme park in five years will lift off the launchpad on Aug. 15 in Florida, aiming to simulate a trip to Mars. The ride, called Mission: Space, took five years and a reported $100 million or more to develop with the help of former NASA advisors and scientists. (Disney spokesman Rick Sylvain declined to confirm the cost.) Disney has made the ride available to guests several hours a day for several weeks of tests.

A smoky electrical fire early Wednesday kept Epcot at Walt Disney World closed for the day. The theme park was expected to reopen today. There were no injuries in the 3 a.m. EDT fire in an electrical generation building at the popular theme park. The park wasn't open at the time. The fire, which took 10 minutes to extinguish, caused little damage but caused power outages at Epcot, the Caribbean Beach Club and Disney Vacation Club.

Walt Disney World opened its Israel exhibit at Epcot Center on Friday with both Jews and Muslims unhappy over its depiction of Jerusalem. The Anti-Defamation League of B'nai B'rith complained that the exhibit doesn't celebrate Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. Muslim groups said it wrongly depicts Jerusalem as a unified city. Dozens of Muslims protested outside the park, carrying banners reading "Israeli Exhibit of Falsehood" and "Disney and Israel--Partnership for Propaganda."

A space shuttle launch is, of course, an immensely technological and coordinated event. Visiting NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston as a tourist is, well, another matter. The free tour at the center, which has dozens of buildings in a campuslike setting, consists of showing visitors a modest museum and giving them maps so that they can find the handful of buildings open to the public. About 1 million people arrive each year and try not to get lost, but often do.

Walt Disney World Resort ticket prices Four parks: Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom One day, one park: ages 3 to 9, $74; 10 and older, $82 One-day Park Hopper: $128/$136 Two-day Park Hopper: $200/$216 Four-day Park Hopper: $263/$286 Seven-day Park Hopper: $278/$301 Park Hopper tickets allow visits to multiple parks per day. Other ticket options, hotel packages, meal plans and annual passes...

A space shuttle launch is, of course, an immensely technological and coordinated event. Visiting NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston as a tourist is, well, another matter. The free tour at the center, which has dozens of buildings in a campuslike setting, consists of showing visitors a modest museum and giving them maps so that they can find the handful of buildings open to the public. About 1 million people arrive each year and try not to get lost, but often do.

The Walt Disney Co. official charged with developing a proposed theme park next to Disneyland said Friday that planners are working on a concept similar to Epcot Center in Florida and intend to unveil plans to the public next year. "What we're working on at this point is an Epcot-related concept for a 'second gate' in Anaheim," said Kerry Hunnewell, who is heading the Anaheim project for Disney Development Co. in Burbank. "Epcot has been incredibly successful in Florida."