Canada
The
Hotel du Canada is an example of forced perspective, it looks six stories high,
but is actually only 3.
The Hotel du Canada is modelled on Ottawa's Chateau Laurier.
All of the Canadian provinces are represented.
The Victoria Gardens were inspired by the Butchart Gardens in British Columbia.
The
fir trees you see perched atop the Rockies spend three years adapting to the Florida
climate before they go onstage, where they are not actually planted, but rather
nestled among rocks in large plastic planters. Each tree has an understudy waiting
in the wings, so a quick switch can be made in the event that the tree is struck
by disease or hit by lightning.
United Kingdom
The pavilion represents four time periods, from Tudor to Victorian.
A replica of Hampton Court Palace is featured, along with Anne Hataway's thatched
cottage, Hyde Park, Yorkshire & Regency buildings.
The Rose and Crown bears the Latin motto 'Otium Cum Dignitate' ('Leisure with
dignity')
France
The pavilion recreates la belle epoque, a glorious era in the late 1800s.
Featured are a replica of Les Halles, a once-beloved Parisian market, and a replica
of Pont des Arts, a footbridge that once led from the Louvre to the quais of the
Left Bank.
The Eiffel Tower is only one-tenth the size of the original.
The tower is painted with a sticky substance to discourage birds from ruining
the illusion of height.
The park is inspired by Georges Seurat's painting 'A Sunday Afternoon on the Island
of La Grande Jatte'.
Morocco
The pavilion follows the pattern of many Moroccan cities, being divided in two.
The ville nouvelle (new city) contains a replica of the Koutoubia minaret of Marrakesh,
leading into a courtyard containing a replica of the Nejjarine Fountain, which
in turn leads to the gated entrance of the Medina (old city).
The Chella Minaret is a Muslim prayer tower, and the keyhole windows signify that
worship can open up the door to the heavens.
Reproductions of the Bab Boujouloud gate in Fez, and the bells of the Madrassa
can also be seen.
The King of Morocco was so enthused about having his nation represented at Epcot
that he sent his own artisans over to create carvings and tilework.
Nineteen maalems (Moroccan artisans) worked on the extensive mosaic art throughout
the pavilion.
You won't find any patterns containing people, animals, or plants, due to the
tenet that only Allah can create life.
Japan
The levels of the five-tiered pagoda represent the five elements from which Buddhists
believe all things in the universe are produced: earth, water, fire, wind and
sky.
The 83 ft pagoda is adapted from the seventh-century Horyuji Shrine at Nara.
The torii gate is found throughout Japan at the entry to ancient shrines. A great
vermilion torii on the shores of World Showcase Lagoon, adapted from the Itsukushima
Shrine in Hiroshima Bay, is the entry to Disney's shrine to the architecture and
heritage of Japan in World Showcase.
Most of the plants are stand-ins for the actial Japanese varieties, since few
Japanese plants could survive the Florida climate.
American Adventure
The Colonial-style mansion is an example of forced perspective in reverse. The
high windows and oversize doors make the five-story building appear as though
it's only three stories tall. The idea is to make it look more dramatic from a
distance.
The audio-animatronic characters in the show have wigs made from real hair.
Italy
The pavilion features a replica of the Doge's Palace and the Venetian campanile
(the bell tower) of St Mark's .
One of the statues on top of the columns at the square's entrance shows Theodore
and the Dragon. The other statue is of the Lion of St Mark, protector of the city
of Venice.
Germany
Featured is the architecture of Bavaria, Rhineland and Northern Germany.
The statue in the centre of the platz (town square), is St George (patron saint
of soldiers) slaying the dragon.
A Rhine River attraction was originally planned, and a building was even built
for it, but the attraction was never constructed.
The glockespiel in the central plaza chimes a melody specifically composed for
that pavilion.
China
Featured in this pavilion is a one-half scale reproduction of the Temple of Heaven
in Beijing.
Norway
The stave church dates back to 1015, when King Olaf II first made Christianity
the official religion of Norway, and you can see both Viking and Christian symbols
in the architecture.
The castle is modeled after Akershus, a 14th century fortress in Oslo Harbour.
Mexico
The pyramid is styled after Mesoamerican architecture that dates back nearly 1,800
years.
Imagineers designed the approach to the pyramid with the lushly planted, parrot-dotted
walkway on your extreme right; the idea is that you're hacking your way through
the rainforest with a machete, and you stumble across a ruin.
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