We have now polished off 30 episodes of our passion project – Up the Waterfall podcast! To mark this milestone, we decided it was time to bring in a guest to share some further insight and commentary. After covering our personal memories and EPCOT Center’s history back on episodes 5 thru 9 (be sure to check them out if you haven’t already watched or listened), we thought it was time for our first “deep dive” into one of the original EPCOT Center attractions: the World of Motion. Who better to help us navigate the history of this great attraction, than EPCOT Center fan, historian, and generally great guy, Michael Crawford.
For those unaware, Michael has been sharing his love and historical facts regarding the original Walt Disney World Resort, EPCOT Center, and more, on his Progress City, U.S.A. blog for years. He also has had a great presence on the original “Disney twitter” where is how I personally came to know him. We shared fond and obscure memories of our time in the parks when we were just tiny fans.
Additionally, Michael has presented at D23 events such as the EPCOT 30th Anniversary Celebration and written the Progress City Primer, all about the creation of the Walt Disney World Resort. We are very grateful to have Michael join our modest podcast, and the timing is great, because he’s just recently started up his own Progress City Radio Hour podcast after a short 10-year break in between episodes 3 and 4. We urge you to check it out for more great discussions with Michael and his brother Jeff Crawford.
In this episode, we take a quick rundown of our favorite bits and pieces of the iconic World of Motion. We then take a deep dive into this original EPCOT Center attraction; including its storied history reaching back to the 1964 World’s Fair in New York. We then go over each section from boarding the ride vehicle to exiting the Trans Center. Michael shares some fun facts along the way so you may learn a thing or two as well.
Do you have memories of the World of Motion? We’d love to hear them below! Did you love the music, the sets, the animatronics? Or just checking out the new cars at the end of the ride? If you haven’t ever been on the ride, be sure to check out Martin Smith’s Ultimate Tribute video, which is the next best thing. We hope you enjoy this week’s episode! You can watch it below:
As always, we thank you for watching and listening! If you enjoyed, please share with a friend so more folks can learn about our growing podcast! Thank you!
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Watch Up the Waterfall:
Head to our Up the Waterfall YouTube Playlist – where you can see our opening sequence and see some unique images during some episodes.