The American Adventure

Infobox Disney ride
name=The American Adventure
logo=USA at Epcot.png

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caption=The outer facade of the show building
park=Epcot
land=World Showcase
designer=WED Enterprises
manufacturer=
type=Theater Show
theme= Colonial American town
control_system=
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soft_opened=
opened=1982-10-01
closed=
host=Benjamin Franklin and Mark Twain (animatronic figures)
music=Golden Dream
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duration=28:30
length=
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lift_count=
audio-animatronics=35
custom_label_1=Seating Capacity
custom_value_1=1024
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accessible=yes
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assistive_listening=yes
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The American Adventure is the host pavilion of the World Showcase within Epcot at the Walt Disney World Resort. It is also the name of the pavilion's main attraction, an Audio-Animatronics stage show of American history.

Layout

The pavilion is a single large building designed in the Colonial style. It contains the "American Adventure" show and the Hall of Flags exhibit, a display of the different flags throughout U.S. history. It also contains the Liberty Inn restaurant which serves American fare, such as cheeseburgers and hot dogs. There is a small gift shop, Heritage Manor Gifts, selling American items.

Attractions and services

Attractions

"The American Adventure" takes guests on a trip through America's rich 200-plus year history. It is narrated by figures of Benjamin Franklin and Mark Twain. The show is presented in a theater-like auditorium, with sets and characters rising out from the stage floor to represent scenes from different historical periods. The characters provide insight into American life of the past through conversations in which they discuss the current events of their time. Periods include the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, the Centennial International Exhibition of 1876 (representing American industrialization), and the Great Depression. The presentation culminates with a musical film montage representing famous moments and people in American history from post-World War II to the present.

Changes

In 1993, the attraction was updated with all new animatronics and a new version of the theme song. In mid-2007, about 45 seconds of footage was added to the end of the Golden Dreams montage, the first updating of the montage since the 1993 renovation.

oundtrack

* "In the Days of '76" (traditional)
* "New World Bound" (lyrics by F. X. Atencio and Randy Bright [http://www.ascap.com/ace/search.cfm?mode=results&searchstr=440342621&search_in=i&search_type=exact&search_det=t,s,w,p,b,v&results_pp=30&start=1 ASCAP ACE database] ] , music by Buddy Baker)
* "Two Brothers" (lyrics and music by Irving Gordon, vocals by Ali Olmo)
* "Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?" (lyrics by E. Y. Harburg, music by Jay Gorney)
* "Golden Dream" (lyrics by Randy Bright with additional lyrics by Lynn Hart, music by Robert Moline, vocals by Rick Pages and Siedah Garrett)

Theme song

multi-listen item
filename=American_adventure_golden_dreams.ogg|title="Golden Dreams"
description=A section of the history montage transitioning into the Golden Dreams theme song for the attraction.
format=OggThe theme song for The American Adventure is "Golden Dream", it was written by Bob Moline in 1980. After the rehab in 1993, the song's vocals were sung by a different man and woman, the chorus after the quotes is longer, and the ending is different.

The original song can be found on these releases:
*"The Official Album of Disneyland and Walt Disney World" (1991)
*The updated song can be found on these releases:
*
*

The Voices of Liberty

The Voices of Liberty is an eight-member a cappella group that hosts patriotic choral performances in the pavilion rotunda throughout the day, often as a pre-show to the next scheduled performance of the main presentation. The group also performs in year-round events including the Candlelight Processional and other special events.

America Gardens Theater

Across from the pavilion is the America Gardens Theatre, an outdoor amphitheater. The America Gardens Theatre hosts concerts, singers, and bands from around the world. Many entertainment acts from around the world perform on this stage.

The America Gardens Theatre has hosted numerous amount of shows since it was built. Over the years some of the more famous shows include "Blast!" and "Barrage". During the park's two major festivals—the International Flower and Garden Festival in the spring, and the International Food and Wine Festival in the fall—musical groups from the 1960's and 1970's perform as part of each festival's concert series ("Flower Power" in the spring, and "Eat to the Beat" in the fall).

In 1999, a revised version of Michael Flatley's "Lord of the Dance" performed in the theater over the summer. Even though Flatley himself did not perform in the show, its popularity encouraged Epcot to bring the show back in 2000 for another summer run. Originally designed as an open-air theater, partial cover and backstage dressing and show equipment areas were added during a refurbishment that was completed before the inception of the "Magical World of Barbie" stage show.

Characters from recent Disney films such as "Pocahontas", "Lilo and Stitch", and "Toy Story 2" drop by to greet guests.

Candlelight Processional

During the holiday season, the theater hosts the Candlelight Processional. This show follows in the footsteps of the show first performed in Disneyland in 1958, and which was duplicated at the Magic Kingdom in 1971. The show relocated to the America Gardens Theater in Epcot in 1994. The show includes an orchestra and massed choir that perform traditional holiday songs while a guest celebrity retells the biblical story of Christmas. Some of the celebrities who have taken part in the Processional over the years include John Stamos, Marlee Matlin, Corbin Bleu, Haley Joel Osment and Jim Caviezel. The Candlelight Processional is a major part of Epcot's Holidays Around the World celebration, running from the Friday after Thanksgiving until December 30 each year.

References

* [http://www.wdwnews.com/ViewPressRelease.aspx?PressReleaseID=100118 Behind the Scenes at The American Adventure]
* Alcorn, Steve and David Green. Building a Better Mouse: The Story of the Electronic Imagineers Who Designed Epcot. Themeperks Press, 2007, ISBN 0-9729777-3-2.

ee also

*Epcot attraction and entertainment history
*Steve Alcorn, show control engineer

External links

* [http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/wdw/parks/attractionDetail?id=USATheAmericanAdventureAttractionPage The official Disney World American Adventure page.]
* [http://allearsnet.com/tp/ep/e_adv.htm All Ears Net American Adventure] - A comprehensive description of The United States pavilion, including the American Adventure attraction.
* [http://www.wdwmagic.com/american.htm WDWMAGIC American Adventure] - The United States Pavilion, including a detailed history of the attraction.