The Wonders of Life pavilion was an attraction at

Epcot Epcot, stylized in all uppercase as EPCOT, is a theme park at the Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida. It is owned and operated by The Walt Disney Company through its Parks, Experiences and Products division. Inspired by an unre ...

Walt Disney World The Walt Disney World Resort, also called Walt Disney World or Disney World, is an entertainment resort complex in Bay Lake and Lake Buena Vista, Florida, United States, near the cities of Orlando and Kissimmee. Opened on October 1, 1971, ...

Lake Buena Vista, Florida Lake Buena Vista () is a city in Orange County, Florida, United States. It is mostly known for being the mailing address for Walt Disney World—although almost all of the resort facilities, including all four theme parks, are physically located ...

. It was devoted to

health care Health care or healthcare is the improvement of health via the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, amelioration or cure of disease, illness, injury, and other physical and mental impairments in people. Health care is delivered by health pr ...

, focusing on the

human body The human body is the structure of a human being. It is composed of many different types of cells that together create tissues and subsequently organ systems. They ensure homeostasis and the viability of the human body. It comprises a hea ...

physical fitness Physical fitness is a state of health and well-being and, more specifically, the ability to perform aspects of sports, occupations and daily activities. Physical fitness is generally achieved through proper nutrition, moderate-vigorous physical ...

medicine Medicine is the science and practice of caring for a patient, managing the diagnosis, prognosis, prevention, treatment, palliation of their injury or disease, and promoting their health. Medicine encompasses a variety of health care pr ...

and

nutrition Nutrition is the biochemical and physiological process by which an organism uses food to support its life. It provides organisms with nutrients, which can be metabolized to create energy and chemical structures. Failure to obtain sufficient ...

. Attractions included

Body Wars Body Wars was a motion simulator attraction inside the Wonders of Life pavilion at the Walt Disney World Resort's Epcot. Riders would be taken on a mission by the fictional Miniaturized Exploration Technologies corporation (Stylized as MET) to st ...

and

Cranium Command Cranium Command was an attraction at the Wonders of Life pavilion at Walt Disney World Resort's Epcot theme park. The show was a humorous presentation on the importance of the human brain. The show's script was written by Jenny Tripp, a staff w ...

. It is located inside a golden colored dome between Mission: SPACE (formerly Horizons) and Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind (formerly

Universe of Energy The Universe of Energy was a pavilion on the eastern side of Future World at Epcot, a theme park at the Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida. One of Epcot's opening day attractions in 1982, it explored the world of energy through four l ...

). It opened on October 19, 1989, and closed on January 1, 2007. From 2007 to 2018, the Pavilion acted as EPCOT's Festival Center, before becoming a construction site in March 2019 in preparation for the upcoming

Play! Play! is a pavilion, which was scheduled to open at Epcot by the spring of 2023. It will be built in the former Wonders of Life pavilion and will be themed like an interactive city in which guests will be able to interact with their favorite Dis ...

pavilion to replace it. The original attractions within the building have been closed and partially removed. In February 2019, it was announced that a new

pavilion would be built in the domed show building formerly occupied by Wonders of Life, and was originally scheduled to open in time for Walt Disney World's 50th anniversary in 2021, but due to the park's temporary closure during the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

, the pavilion's opening date was delayed indefinitely but is now set to open in late 2024.

History

The idea of a pavilion devoted to health and fitness dates back to the original concept of the EPCOT Center theme park, but no corporate sponsor could be found to cover the costs. It was not until

MetLife MetLife, Inc. is the Holding company, holding corporation for the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company (MLIC), better known as MetLife, and its affiliates. MetLife is among the largest global providers of insurance, Annuity (US financial produc ...

signed on that the pavilion was finally constructed, and it featured two main attractions:

and

, the first thrill ride located in EPCOT. Also featured was a theater (home to '' The Making of Me''), restaurant and interactive attractions that evolved around the idea of health and wellness. The Wonders of Life pavilion was officially announced on January 22, 1988, with construction beginning the following month. It opened to the general public on October 19, 1989. MetLife ended its sponsorship in June 2001, which led to the slow decline of the pavilion. On January 4, 2004, Disney made the decision to make it seasonal operation only. It reopened when the park was projected to hit near capacity during the high spring months and Christmas season. Its most recent operational phase was November 26, 2006, through January 1, 2007. In 2007, the pavilion closed permanently, with no official reason given. While it is not operational to the public, it is still commonly used for private and corporate events. In 2007, temporary walls were placed around the existing attractions when Epcot hosted the Food and Wine festival in the pavilion. The "Body Wars" sign was removed in 2008, replaced by a temporary Garden Town sign while the imprints from the original marquee were painted over. By 2009, significant portions of the Body Wars attraction had been removed. The "Celebrate the Joy of Life" sign was removed following in 2009, while most of the exhibits left were removed. The pavilion also received a paint job inside using mute colors such as white and light green. The pavilion then operated seasonally as the center for the

Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival The Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival is an annual garden festival at Epcot in Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida near Orlando in the spring, typically from early March through late May. The festival is included with regu ...

and the

Epcot International Food & Wine Festival The Epcot International Food & Wine Festival is an annual food festival at Epcot, in the Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida. It would typically run from late September to mid-November, though in recent years the start date has moved ...

as the Festival Center. For those events, it hosted seminars, videos, presentations, and more. It was used as a central merchandise location during the two festivals as well. All attractions are shut down and their signs have been removed. As of November 2014, the ''Body Wars'' ride simulators have been dismantled. The queue still exists, but most of the props and other electronics have been removed. As of 2017, ''Cranium Command'' has had its queue and pre-show partially dismantled, but the theater - including the animatronics, lighting, seats, and staging area - remains intact. The theater that was used for ''The Making of Me'' is still used for various movies and presentations during the event. On September 11, 2012, Walt Disney Imagineering filed a notice of commencement with the Orange County Comptroller’s office indicating the intentions for a "selective demolition" to take place at the pavilion. In February 2019, it was announced that a new interactive pavilion would be built in the dome formerly occupied by Wonders of Life. The pavilion was originally scheduled to open in time for Walt Disney World's 50th anniversary in 2021, but was delayed during the COVID-19 pandemic. The opening of the Play! Pavilion is currently schedule for 2022.

Attractions

- A theater show with audio-animatronic actors and a movie. The show explained the functions of the brain and its interaction with the human body. * Frontiers of Medicine - Listen to stories about medicine and the brain on small televisions. *

- A motion simulator ride taking guests on a '' Fantastic Voyage''-like trip through the heart, lungs, and brain. The film shown was directed by

Leonard Nimoy Leonard Simon Nimoy (; March 26, 1931 – February 27, 2015) was an American actor, famed for playing Spock in the '' Star Trek'' franchise for almost 50 years. This includes originating Spock in the original ''Star Trek'' series in 1966, th ...

, and starred actors

Tim Matheson Tim Matheson (born Timothy Lewis Matthieson; December 31, 1947) is an American actor and director. Some of his best-known acting roles include the title character of the 1960s animated '' Jonny Quest'' TV series, Eric "Otter" Stratton in the 19 ...

Elisabeth Shue Elisabeth Judson Shue (born October 6, 1963) is an American actress. She is best known for her roles in the films ''The Karate Kid'' (1984), '' Adventures in Babysitting'' (1987), ''Cocktail'' (1988), '' Back to the Future Part II'' (1989), ''B ...

, and Dakin Matthews. Often compared to Star Tours at

Disney's Hollywood Studios Disney's Hollywood Studios is a theme park at the Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida, near Orlando. It is owned and operated by The Walt Disney Company through its Parks, Experiences and Products division. Based on a concept by M ...

and

Disneyland Disneyland is a theme park in Anaheim, California. Opened in 1955, it was the first theme park opened by The Walt Disney Company and the only one designed and constructed under the direct supervision of Walt Disney. Disney initially envisio ...

as its counterpart. * Coach's Corner - Guests can swing a bat while a professional player gives tips. * Goofy About Health - A

multimedia Multimedia is a form of communication that uses a combination of different content forms such as text, audio, images, animations, or video into a single interactive presentation, in contrast to tradit ...

show about healthy living hosted by

Goofy Goofy is a cartoon character created by The Walt Disney Company. He is a tall, Anthropomorphism, anthropomorphic dog who typically wears a turtle neck and vest, with pants, shoes, white gloves, and a tall hat originally designed as a rumpled f ...

, using clips from his cartoons. * Fitness Fairgrounds - Tested guests' athletic abilities * Sensory Funhouse - An interactive playground which tested guest's sensory abilities, including an

Ames room An Ames room is a distorted room that creates an optical illusion. Likely influenced by the writings of Hermann Helmholtz, it was invented by American scientist Adelbert Ames Jr. in 1946, and constructed in the following year. Usage and effect ...

** Audio Antics - A listening skill game which involved regular sounds and sounds that were out of place, which the listener had to figure out. * '' The Making of Me'' - A short

movie A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...

about

birth Birth is the act or process of bearing or bringing forth offspring, also referred to in technical contexts as parturition. In mammals, the process is initiated by hormones which cause the muscular walls of the uterus to contract, expelling the f ...

and life starring

Martin Short Martin Hayter Short (born March 26, 1950) is a Canadian-American actor, comedian, and writer. He has received various awards including two Primetime Emmy Awards, and a Tony Award. In 2019 Short became an Officer of the Order of Canada. He ...

. * Wonder Cycles - Stationary bicycles with a television attached. The faster riders pedaled, the faster the video played. The bicycles would take the rider on a short tour, with a selection of: **''100th Anniversary

Rose Parade The Rose Parade, also known as the Tournament of Roses Parade (or simply the Tournament of Roses), is an annual parade held mostly along Colorado Boulevard in Pasadena, California, United States, on New Year's Day (or on Monday, January 2 if N ...

Pasadena, California Pasadena ( ) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, northeast of downtown Los Angeles. It is the most populous city and the primary cultural center of the San Gabriel Valley. Old Pasadena is the city's original commercial district. ...

'' **''

'' in California - The rider could see that day's park patrons watching the camera pass and moving out of the way for the operator. **''Take a Little Ride: Microworld Bigtown, U.S.A.''

Live entertainment

* Anacomical Players - A live show that featured improvisational skits on health and nutrition.

Shops

* Well and Goods Limited

Food services

* Pure & Simple

Gallery

File:EPCOT-WoL2.jpg EPCOT-Wol-Inside.jpg Wonders of Life (2015).jpg Cranium Command (358808645).jpg

References

External links

Wonders of Life Festival Center Photo Gallery
{{coord, 28, 22, 29.88, N, 81, 32, 47.99, W, region:US_dim:150, display=title Former Walt Disney Parks and Resorts attractions Epcot Amusement rides introduced in 1989 Amusement rides that closed in 2007 Future World (Epcot) MetLife Human body 1989 establishments in Florida 2007 disestablishments in Florida