The Legacy Continues At EPCOT
It seems like a lifetime ago now, but back in 1999 the world was celebrating a major milestone; the new millenium. It was a big moment and, like every other big moment in history, Walt Disney World was ready to do something epic.
With the new millenium being something everyone in the global community would celebrate, Walt Disney World chose EPCOT as the venue for a bulk of the celebrations. It was the perfect canvas for the festivities [which included a parade and new nighttime spectacular]. Entertainment isn’t forever though, and so the decision was made to give guests a way to not only celebrate, but leave their mark for generations to come. The result was something called Leave A Legacy.
Available starting in 1999, guests who visited EPCOT had the option to visit the Leave A Legacy kiosk and have their photo taken so that it could later be etched into a steel tile and fixed to one of many monoliths at the base of Spaceship Earth. The process would cost $35.00 for one person or $38.00 for two with a maximum of two people per tile. Guests could be part of “building the legacy” all the way up until June of 2007.
The finished product [as we knew it at the time time] would include 35 monoliths to which steel plates had been attached on which thousands of faces had been etched. The monoliths sat at the base of Spaceship Earth and, from just the right angle, seemed to almost support it from below.
As beautiful an idea as the Leave A Legacy monoliths might have been, they ended up missing the mark. The first problem was the placement. The 35 massive monoliths were a maze of obstacles that needed to be navigated just about as soon as you entered the park gates. This created a choke point, especially as crowd levels increased. The second problem with the monoliths was the esthetic. The polished granite and steel plates looked unmistakably like gravestones. Not quite the look into the future I’m hoping for every time I walk into EPCOT. . . . if you know what I’m sayin’!
Despite these problems, it didn’t seem like the Leave A Legacy monoliths were going anywhere fast thanks to language used when customers purchased their tiles. In the fine print, Disney explained that though the “image and/or sculpture” could be replaced or relocated anywhere within Walt Disney World at any time, images would be up for 20 years before it could be removed permanently. That means, thanks to the last image going up in 2007, we could expect to navigate the monolith graveyard presumably until 2027. As it turns out though, this wouldn’t end up being the case.
In February of 2019, Disney announced that there would be changes coming to EPCOT. One such change being a new entrance plaza. Shortly thereafter, the Leave A Legacy monoliths started being removed from the EPCOT entrance and were soon removed completely leaving a wide open and much more welcoming entrance to the park.
Of course, removing the Leave A Legacy monoliths raised a lot of questions. Whether people were fans of them or not, everyone seemed to be curious about what exactly would be happening next. Disney announced that Leave A Legacy would be moved to a “beautiful setting just outside the park’s gateway” eliminating the speculation that they would be completely gone. [Don’t forget, the paperwork said they could be moved anywhere in Walt Disney World. It did not say that it had to be accessible or visible by guests.] The answer finally came last week as Disney unveiled the new version of Leave A Legacy.
Located outside the EPCOT main entrance, this new Leave A Legacy display is certainly a departure from what it once was. Gone are the polished granite monoliths of years past! Now, the images of those who left their legacy are featured on tall colorful panels that make up what can only be described as a wall. [Some are even describing it to what looks very similar to a Walt Disney World construction wall. I can’t say I disagree.] The new display also comes with a new system for referencing and finding your photograph. Guests can now use a QR code to access a tile finder search helping them locate themselves on the massive display. EPCOT Guest Relations can also offer assistance.
Excited as some may be at the return of Leave A Legacy, others have offered up some criticism. As is so often the case, much of the criticism is based on personal opinions and taste. There are those who don’t like that the new display looks similar to a construction wall, others who feel that parts of it are just too far out of the way and those who think it looks too cheap to stand the test of time. However, one criticism stands out above the rest; the panels are too tall.
As seen in an image posted on the Disney Parks Blog, the panels tower over the cast member pointing to one of the tiles. Of course, photos don’t always tell the whole story and so I decided to do some digging. As it turns out, though the information isn’t available elsewhere, WDWMagic.com took the time to measure the panels and found that it’s just under 8 feet between the bottom and top rows of images. They also explained that though it can be difficult to read the text tiles on the upper rows, the images are relatively easy to see.
Photo Credit: Disney Parks Blog
Though I have yet to see the new Leave A Legacy display up close and personal, my initial opinion is that this is an improvement. Not only is the new display out of the way, eliminating that choke point at the parks entrance, but it’s also colorful. For me, the color alone is a huge improvement.
Of course, I do understand the criticisms. I think it’s fair to compare this display to a construction wall and I very much understand that it doesn’t look as permanent as the polished granite and steel. That said, I don’t think that this display is intended to be as permanent or long lasting as the monoliths were. As I mentioned earlier, Walt Disney World is not obligated to keep these images beyond the agreed upon 20 years meaning that 2027 would mark the end of that obligation. Personally, I wouldn’t be surprised if the wall was intended to last until that point before it was removed completely.
For now though, Leave A Legacy seems like it would be a great place to take a selfie and let your eyes wander over the thousands who have left their marks on the park.