But before the satellite plan was announced, it was revealed that the first element derived from EPCOT that would be built was a new gated attraction dubbed the World Showcase. This would be an international exposition, with pavilions representing dozens of participating nations. Each of the pavilions would house an attraction, restaurant, and shops and other exhibits.

The story of how this idea grew into EPCOT Center is a story I hope to tell someday, but for now it’s fun to look back and see what World Showcase could have been like had WED’s early plans come to fruition. Several years ago someone was kind enough to share this promotional film with me; in it, the narrator speaks of Disney’s achievements in planning at Disneyland and Walt Disney World before discussing Walt’s EPCOT plans. And then it segues into a preview of World Showcase, seemingly pitched at potential participant nations and corporations. According to Imagineer Tom Morris on BlueSky, this was also shown to Disneyland Cast Members at the time to excite them about the project.

The film is undated, but judging from the state of the project shown I estimate it to date from 1974 or 1975.

Have a look…

At the end of last month, I started uploading daily videos to my long-dormant YouTube channel, Progress City Public TV. These are random clips and ephemera from decades of collecting – from long-ago TV specials to rare content from the early days of the Disney Channel. Maybe even the occasional really terrible home video of old park adventures. I’m even hoping to put together an extensive playlist of Michael Eisner’s intros to the old Disney anthology program. If he won’t come on the podcast, I’ll live vicariously through these.

If people enjoy these shenanigans I’ll try to keep it going, so pop some popping corn and tune in for a good time with Mr. Eisner and company.

We’re back, and kicking off a new run of episodes with a fresh interview! This month, we return to our Town Hall for a chat with artist and Imagineer extraordinaire, Tim Kirk. Tim joins us to talk about his early Tolkien illustration work and his contributions to EPCOT classics such as Kitchen Kabaret, the Disney-MGM Studios and The Great Movie Ride, Sunset Boulevard and the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, and much, much more. Time to take a Head Trip – it’s the Progress City Radio Hour!

Listen below, and don’t forget you can always support our efforts and gain early access to episodes and monthly livestreams with a tax-deductible donation to our Patreon! You can also make a one-time tax deductible donation.

Aloha! The Radio Hour is back with a look at some of Disney’s brushes with the cultures of the south seas. We’ll look at Walt’s voyages to Hawaii, the creation of his Enchanted Tiki Room, and the many delights of the Tahitian Terrace. Come closer so you may see what magic there is in fantasy, it’s the Progress City Radio Hour!

Listen below, and don’t forget you can always support our efforts and gain early access to episodes and monthly livestreams with a tax-deductible donation to our Patreon! You can also make a one-time tax deductible donation.

It was with both great shock and intense sadness that I learned today of the passing of design great Eddie Sotto. Eddie was a former Imagineer who, after leaving Disney in 1999, headed his own series of design studios and worked on projects for corporate as well as private clients.

Eddie was wildly talented, furiously and energetically creative, and quite simply all-around brilliant. He loved this industry and the art of themed entertainment – he lived and breathed its history and its future, and he was an endless font of ideas and inspiration about “the how of wow”. I could listen to him talk for hours. It was great to know someone who had such a clear vision for where the industry was going, while also having such real and lasting connections to its past, having worked alongside legends such as Herb Ryman.

Most importantly, Eddie was an incredibly kind and generous person. He was definitely “one of us”, eager to share his knowledge with fans and fellow creatives alike. He was the first person to ever hire me to work in this industry, taking the risk of employing some random blogger to actually do something creative. When I moved from North Carolina to Los Angeles, my first work was for him and I loved it. I loved listening to him give career advice, reminisce about his time at Disney, talk about where the industry was heading, and just generally pontificate about things. I loved perusing his enormous research library, of which I’m still jealous, and I loved going over to get lunch with him across the street from his Brentwood offices, where he’d point out which ancient street-side trees had ties to legendary Disney landscaper Bill Evans.

He was a great tour guide. Whether giving walking historical tours of Disneyland, or introducing an uninitiated east coaster to the wonders of Knott’s Berry Farm.

Eddie was just fun. The ideas came fast and furious, all the time. And his legacy of work is amazing. You can read about his past on his studio’s site, but Disney fans will no doubt know him first for his breathtaking Main Street at Disneyland Paris, as well as the now-fabled Pooh’s Hunny Hunt attraction in Tokyo. But his contributions went beyond that – even down to some of the wacky voices you might hear while exploring the parks. Voices, by the way, that he would be happy to perform at a moment’s notice.

Even more impressive, as always, were the projects that didn’t make it off the drawing board. These were always the really interesting stories – tales of the fabled 1920s-era Main Street for Paris, for instance, or Tokyo’s Sci-Fi City and Cratertown. So many ideas!

For a time, Eddie headed the Imagineering Concept Development Studio, a sort of internal think tank doing out-there research into new projects and possibilities. From the stories he’d tell, some of the projects they were considering would be considered cutting-edge even today. I was constantly amazed to hear how far ahead of the curve they were on some of the things they wanted to do – everything from interactive toys to augmented reality before that was even a thing.

There’s so much more to be said about Eddie, and I’m sure we’ll hear a lot from folks who knew him far better than I, but we here send out our warmest thoughts to his family and loved ones. To say he will be missed is a vast understatement.

Thankfully, Eddie has left us his own words in a number of interviews, speeches, articles, and social media postings. He was nice enough to join our podcast several times, so if you want to hear more about Eddie from the horse’s mouth, you can listen below.

For some time now, we’ve had people ask about the possibility of having t-shirts printed up for Progress City and the Radio Hour. Now, thanks to an incredibly generous and wildly talented artist, we are able to offer just that! We’ve opened the Centorium, a place where we can sell Progress City merch and any other silliness which might cross our minds.

And it’s not all Progress City stuff, either. We hope to have all sorts of things based on our favorite old theme park experiences. Just look at this!

Now that is some top-notch goodness.

So, if you’re interested take a peek at what we’ve got on offer, and be sure to check back regularly as we will continue to add things. And, of course, if you have any ideas or requests, let us know!

We’re back with a new episode! This time around we’re turning back the clock fifty years to the opening of the expanded Tomorrowland at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom. We take deep dives into the major new attractions which debuted in 1975 – Space Mountain, the WEDWay PeopleMover, and the Carousel of Progress. We also look at the wacky television special put together to promote the new Florida mountain.

Listen below, and don’t forget you can always support our efforts and gain early access to episodes and monthly livestreams with a tax-deductible donation to our Patreon! You can also make a one-time tax deductible donation.

Long-time listeners to the podcast might remember a really wonderful two–part interview we did several years ago with horticulturalist and Disney landscaper Scott Girard. During our talk, Scott mentioned how, back when Walt Disney World was being originally landscaped, topiaries were famously placed along the road between the Transportation and Ticket Center and the Magic Kingdom. These topiaries became an iconic sight for several generations of Guests.

Unfortunately, the area was also the site of some unsightly exposed steam vents. To cloak this necessary infrastructure, two dragon topiaries were placed over the vents, with piping re-routed to let the steam escape through the dragons’ mouths. Thus, Walt Disney World became the home of two fire-breathing dragons.

Some time ago, Scott contacted me to say he’d actually found a photo of these fierce creatures. I’ve been long overdue in posting them here. I love that it looks like the monorail is driving into a Godzilla film…

To honor the recent passing of Disney Legend Richard Sherman, this special episode of the Radio Hour is a tribute to the iconic and unforgettable Sherman Brothers. We’ll take a look at some of their lesser-known work, from their time before Disney to projects such as Tinpanorama and Summer Magic, to, yes, even SMASH FLOPS! History, music, and more – bring your tuppence, it’s the Progress City Radio Hour!

Listen below, and don’t forget you can always support our efforts and gain early access to episodes and monthly livestreams with a tax-deductible donation to our Patreon! You can also make a one-time tax deductible donation.

Ahoy! We continue our nautical theme on the Radio Hour with the return of former Imagineering and Disney Development Company exec Bob Holland! Bob joins us to talk about the early days of the Disney Cruise Line, from the shipyards of Italy to Castaway Cay. Set sail for new magic – it’s the Progress City Radio Hour!

Listen below, and don’t forget you can always support our efforts and gain early access to episodes and monthly livestreams with a tax-deductible donation to our Patreon! You can also make a one-time tax deductible donation.