I miss when EPCOT was an exciting look into the future and was just as much a science faire as a theme park. Says "I miss" as if I could have ever visited it at that time. Sigh.
These are just a few of my favorite exhibits and shows from that time!
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The WorldKey was a computer interface kiosk built by Bell Laboratories, which originally lived in the post-show of Spaceship Earch but was later moved to Communicore closer to EPCOT's Computer Central itself. The "touchscreens" used a grid of laser sensors and coordinates to create the illusion of a responsive screen, and the visuals were created by a combination of computer text and graphics with pre-rendered video and animation stored on laserdisk. WorldKey monitors took information back and forth to the Computer Central, and allowed guests to learn more about the park and get current updates on rides, as well as connect to a call center.
My favorite part of the WorldKey system is Bit! He's a little pixel (a single bit!) with goofy animated hands that bring things up on your screen with all that squash and stretch animation charm. Bit was made to be a friendly face for those who were new to the idea of computers, and his classic animation style was nostalgic and inviting. There isn't much about this guy and no high-quality recordings of his Worldkey segments exist, but he is one of my favorite short-lived characters to come out of this EPCOT era.
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Ultimately, the laserdisk system was too expensive and time consuming to update with new footage and information. Since text-based info could be easily added to the computer's display, the additions and subtractions of new rides, shows, even whole pavillions would be added as footnotes in text while the videos themselves grew out of date. The system was scrapped in 1999.
The Astuter Computer Revue was a literal look into EPCOT's Computer Central, the high tech (for the time) computer room that ran all of the schedules, rides, information, and everything else needed in the park. Guests were brought up to a (thankfully, soundproof) window overlooking the room where they could watch its technicians going about their jobs, and learn about the different jobs the computer did.
Earlie the Pearlie is a silly little guy played by Ken Jennings, that's right, the original Tobias Ragg in Sweeney Todd on Broadway. He's projected for the audience as if inside Computer Central himself - using a Pepper's Ghost effect (and you know I love a Pepper's Ghost!!!) - at about 8 inches tall. While showing how the computers are used to program the animatronics, there is also a ghost cameo of Mr. Eggz from the Kitchen Kabaret.
Earlie even had a jaunty little Sherman Brother's song:
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"Them computers is full of surprises"
- Tobias Ragg, apparently
Astuter Computer Revue was an opening day attraction, but closed in 1984 after only two years in operation. Many articles cite this as the shortest running WDW attraction, but without digging too deep into that I still find it difficult to believe that two years is the record there, knowing how much EPCOT and especially Communicore were in flux. But that is my educated guess, I don't have proof. Astuter Computer Revue was quickly replaced with Backstage Magic, a show with similar visuals but a more informational presentation. It closed in 1993.
The Age of Information was an animatronic show in Communicore West Futurecom. Unlike much of Communicore, the aesthetics are soft and warm with muted colors and rounded wooden figures. The boy with a Mickey Mouse clock for a face is mildy unsettling, though, and the contemporary clock stands out harshly. The Age of Information song is often regarded as extremely prophetic - referencing online shopping, school, healthcare, and video calls in the year of its creation 1982. However, most of these ideas were already in existance at the time in small-scale theoretical experiments, so it wasn't difficult to predict that they would spread to the general population.
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The proper video of the attraction is amazing to have in all its detail, but it doesn't give you an idea of just how massive this stage was. It's really cool to also see it all spread out.