Disney Reveals Leave a Legacy’s New Design and Location

Posted on by Mathew Corn Disney Parks, Epcot

For the last two decades, the Leave a Legacy sculpture dominated the entrance of Epcot and allowed guests the opportunity to be a part of that legacy by adding laser etched photos of themselves and their families to the giant blocks of granite that filled the space. As the reimagining of Epcot began and construction started on a newly designed entrance, the Leave a Legacy display was removed along with the thousands of guest photos added over the years. However, the legacy lives on in a new location and a new design. This week, Disney unveiled the new Leave a Legacy.

From a Disney Cast Member;

I’m so happy to tell you all that Leave A Legacy is returning to EPCOT! I’ve always been a super-fan of it, not just because I had a photo in it but because of the memories behind that photo. There’s quite a story here, and I’ll explain if you’ll indulge me for a moment.

Turning back the clock to 2000, I participated in a trivia contest for Walt Disney World cast members in honor of the new millennium. I’ve always had a knack for trivia and was quite happy to land a second-place score. As runner-up (after several tie-breaking questions, no less), the winner of the contest invited me to join him in commemorating our wins with a day at EPCOT the following week where he would redeem his first place prize – a picture in the Leave A Legacy display! He wanted me to be in it with him because it was such a great memory and, he figured, the start of a good friendship with a fellow trivia lover.

Well, that day at EPCOT with fellow Disney Parks Blog author Shawn Slater turned into our first date and, as they say, the rest is history. We’ve been married nearly 20 years and always loved visiting Leave a Legacy at the front of the park whenever we went to EPCOT.

Shifting gears back to the present, with the transformation of the EPCOT main entrance area, the original Legacy sculpture has been removed, but Leave A Legacy lives on in a beautiful new setting just outside the park. Shawn and I were thrilled to get a look at its new home this morning before the park opened and were even more excited to find the picture from our first date. Seeing Leave a Legacy again at EPCOT was incredibly special, and we’re so glad it’s part of the updated main entrance area – in a bright new color, too!

These newly designed panels are the first of many that will be installed outside the EPCOT touch points, featuring vibrant hues from the park’s new color palette. Along with the fresh look for Leave A Legacy, the beautiful fountain and gleaming pylons further illustrate the park’s transformation and the magic of possibility.

For anyone else who wants to search for a tile at the new location, guests can use their smart device to scan the QR code at the Leave a Legacy display. This opens up the tile finder search feature, which can provide the coordinates for a tile’s location. Guests can also visit the EPCOT guest Relations team for assistance.

BREAKING: Epcot Closures Confirmed for Future World Redesign

Posted on by Mathew Corn Disney Parks, Epcot

For awhile now, it has been known that Epcot was going to be the next park to get a major overhaul. After the opening of Pandora at Animal Kingdom and the recent addition to Hollywood Studios of Toy Story Land and the upcoming opening of Galaxy’s Edge, Epcot was the next to receive updates and additions.

While details on what further plans for the park are scheduled to be released at the upcoming D23 Expo next month, Disney has confirmed a significant list of closures in preparation for the transformation that will see essentially an entire section of the park closed this fall.

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As part of the major redevelopment of the entrance and Fountains of Nations area of Future World ahead of the 50th Anniversary of Walt Disney World, Disney has announced closings of several locations in that area.  The Leave a Legacy monuments have already begun to be removed from the entrance and demolition has started.

Here is a list of closings below:

  • On September 8, The Fountains of Nations, Colortopia, Innoventions East, and Nanooze Break will close.
  • Fountain View, the park’s Starbucks location, will be moved to a temporary location later this fall.
  • This winter the Electric Umbrella is scheduled to close.
  • Also this winter, Mouse Gear will move to a temporary location while the current space will be reimagined.
  • Art of Disney will be moved temporarily to a new location while that location is being refurbished.
  • The Camera Center will close this fall to become the new home for Pin Central.
  • Club Cool will be closing and will be relocated.

As the redevelopment is in the works many character greetings are being relocated. Character Spot will close on September 8. The characters will relocate as follow:

  • Minnie Mouse will move to the World Showcase Gazebo.
  • Daisy Duck will move to the American Adventure.
  • Mickey and Goofy in a temporary Innoventions West area, but with an all-new location to be in the Imagination! pavilion.
  • The location for Joy is still to be determined.
  • A location for Baymax has not been announced.
  • Winnie the Pooh will be returning to the United Kingdom pavilion.