World Showcase

World Showcase, the second themed area of Epcot, has had very few changes since the 1982 opening. Two new countries, Morocco and Norway, were added in the late 80's. The originally planned Equatorial Africa pavilion was turned into the Outpost and added in.

One of the always changing areas of World Showcase is the Japan Gallery. Ranging from Japanese baseball to tin toys, it is always on a constant change. The China pavilion changed it's 360 show from Wonders of China to an updated version: Reflections of China around the year 2003.

The bigger World Showcase changes happened during the 2000 celebration. The Millennium Village, located between Canada and the UK, once served as an exhibit area for countries not in the Showcase. A Brazil rain forest playground and an Israel simulator were among the clustered attractions. After the celebration the Millennium Village was closed down and gutted. The inside now hosts conventions.

Along with the Village, a new parade was added to Epcot for the 2000 celebration. This was the Tapestry of Nations parade. If featured large puppets but lacked the Disney characters. The parade remained after the celebration and was rejuvenated for the 100 Years of Magic celebration in 2002, and it was renamed Tapestry of Dreams. When the 100 Years of Magic ended, Tapestry of Nations/Dreams finally came to a halt.

The fireworks and laser show above World Showcase lagoon has changed frequently over time. One of the earliest shows was Laserphonic, which went through a few different versions. During the late 80's IllumiNations replaced Laserphonic. Some of the most notable versions of IllumiNations were IllumiNations 95 (for the year 1995), IllumiNations 25 (for Disney World's 25th birthday) and IllumiNations 2000: Reflections of Earth. After the 2000 celebration, IllumiNations 2000: Reflections of Earth became IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth.

Around the year 2004, Trapper Bob's closed down in the Canada area. Trapper Bob's featured the Beaver Tail, a flat doughnut-like pastry that could have multiple toppings. The small cabin that housed the tails remains, but does not sell them anymore.

The Mexico pavilion boat ride, El Río del Tiempo, was closed, refurbished, and reopened in the spring of 2007 as Gran Fiesta Tour - Boat Cuise Starring the Three Caballeros. The new ride differs with the original in a few ways. All of the video screens now feature Donald, José, and Panchito with their Mexican amigos. Many of the original murals have been repainted to also feature the Three Caballeros. The marionette carousel is now replaced by more video screens with the trio. However, the section with the dolls remains very much the same.

In mid 2007, the circle-vision film "O' Canada!" closed and reopened as an updated version with new host Martin Short.