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At first glance, lovable Uncle Walt and, one-time fourth richest person on Earth, Elon Musk, have little in common. But if there’s two things they share, it’s a fantastical vision for the and a restless ambition. So I ask: what would an city look like? Could Musk continue ‘s legacy and build his Florida dream city for real this time?
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What was the original ?
Everybody knows that is a at Walt in . It’s famous for its which samples exotic cuisine in its annual Internationa Food & Wine Festival. The also features a number of famous rides and attractions like and .
However, what only hardcore tend to know is that stands for of and was originally stylized as E.P.C.O.T. This is because it wasn’t designed to be a at all. It was supposed to be a city with over 20,000 residents designed by Walt himself.
After the success of his Disneyland , was interested in building much more than just a sequel . He dreamed of a city that would “never cease to be a blueprint of the His dream for Florida wasn’t to build Walt , but rather a full blown community that would innovate new technologies and pioneer new ways of living.
He crucially intended to incorporate his famous and PeopleMover for . There would be no cars above ground at and the “pedestrian would be the king.” The city would feature hotels, convention facilities, camps, an airport, an industrial and of course, a dubbed The . Some sketches even include an impressive dome surrounding the city.
Most importantly, Walt’s vision stated that nobody would own their property and all would be required to work within . This was so that new technology could be easily implemented into the homes of each worker to test new innovations on a regular basis. The city would welcome visitors from across the and would hire staff that could speak a myriad of languages to cater for any guest.
Sadly, Walt’s vision of E.P.C.O.T. never came to fruition as he died during the planning stages in 1966. executives quickly altered his plans to focus on the well-mined industry and Walt was eventually born, along with The and a futuristic with the ambitious concept’s namesake.
You can find out all you’ll ever need to know about the concept at The Original information site.
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Elon Musk and the need for innovation and
Ok, so where does Elon Musk come into this? The South African-born billionaire needs no introduction and is a -famous giant in . His work founding companies like Tesla , The , and SpaceX are but the tip of the iceberg on this eccentric billionaires’ “to do list.”
Musk has been described as a real-life Tony Stark, a fitting tribute as the entrepreneur was not only a heavy inspiration for RDJ’s portrayal of the hero, he even played himself in a cameo role in ‘s Iron Man 2.
The point is, if there’s one man in the modern with the finance, infrastructure, and passion for the to pick up where Walt left off with , it’s Elon Musk.
Musk has been vocal about innovating new ways of community living, though unlike Walt, he looked to the stars and, more specifically, Mars. Musk has also proposed revolutionary mass transportation methods like the Hyperloop, a device that he claims could see transport from to San Francisco reduced to a mere thirty-five minutes.
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Elon Musk and
Musk’s innovation in the transport industry and dreams of a should sound familiar. They directly correlate and reflect ‘s dreams for , albeit with a modern infusion of eco-friendly technologies.
‘s dreamed of a where cars would be hidden in tunnels underneath a true utopia. Perhaps Musk’s would utilize self-driving cars or use his proposed rockets as an alternative to Walt’s airport. Musk has previously stated that these hypothetical transport rockets could make travel to anywhere in the take less than an hour.
Musk’s passion for the continued advancement of technology that push the boundaries of what is possible also align with Walt’s vision for the capitalist utopia of a place where brand-new products would be implemented into every aspect of life and innovation would never sleep.
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So, should Elon Musk develop a modern version of the concept?
Of course, all of this depends on Musk actually being at all interested in the idea of . It also might rub more than a few up the wrong way that an iconic like is evolving into a passion project for an ultra-rich eccentric with an – erm – “flowery” vocabulary. Indeed, Musk has had more than a few controversies that have made much of the public weary of his antics and vivacious personality.
It’s also unlikely that would be involved in any capacity as the Mouse has left technological and social development firmly in the past in favor of and multi-media production. If Musk were to develop , it would likely be in name only, and perhaps it wouldn’t feature even that. Walt’s basic dream for a futuristic city has been intrinsically entwined with the from a brand point of view and Musk would most likely aim to put his own unique spin on the idea anyway, complete with an unpredictable name.
For now, will likely have to make do with , a favorite among lovers for sure. Though it lacks the glitz of or the animalistic attractions of ‘s , has something no other has: a fascinating history and a continued goal to bring people together through explorations of culture, exotic food, and futuristic fantasy.
Though it’s far from ‘s original dream, we’d like to think he’d be pleased with the , particularly the and .
As for Elon Musk, though I doubt he’d be interested in ‘s E.P.C.O.T., I’ll be ready and waiting to report on the day that he does.
#RemembertheFuture
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What do you think? Would an city work? Let us know in the comments below.
Editor’s Note: The opinions expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of Inside the Magic overall.