The past, present and future of EPCOT are all coming together today in one special moment at the front of the park. Anyone visiting as of this morning will see in real life what we at Walt Disney Imagineering have been dreaming up in our heads for many years now.

Overnight, our crews removed all the “progress walls” from the main entrance plaza, giving you the first full look at this next major milestone in the park’s historic transformation. While there is still more work to be done here in the future, the area is much more open and welcoming now. It features new planters, pathways, lush landscaping and a vibrant new color palette that will eventually tie into the four new neighborhoods we’re creating inside the park – World Celebration, World Discovery, World Nature and World Showcase.

And there in front of iconic Spaceship Earth you’ll now see a reimagined fountain, standing in the footprint of the original that welcomed guests on the park’s opening day in 1982. Our design team took special interest in this water feature, as we looked back to the geometry of the original for inspiration while creating some new magic of our own. In the fountain’s center is a brilliant light, a unique liquid-cooled fixture we’ve designed with new capabilities that complement the fountain’s changing colors and will coordinate with new lighting coming to Spaceship Earth and the upcoming World Celebration beyond.

Three acrylic pylons, each standing over 16 feet tall and featuring the park’s logo, surround the fountain and hearken back to the creation of EPCOT. Their timeless design and vertical presence draw your eye upward toward the sky – perfectly framing views of Spaceship Earth.

This new fountain is the centerpiece of EPCOT’s entrance plaza, which we’ve designed as a welcoming area that brings people together. The greenery and use of water celebrate a harmony between humanity and the natural world. This park was built to inspire optimism, and we’re infusing this transformation with the magic of possibility.

Today we took a big step toward that goal, and I’m so proud to be part of the team at Walt Disney Imagineering bringing this dream to life. I hope you’ll continue along with me on this exciting and amazing journey by keeping tabs on my updates here on the Disney Parks Blog and following me @thezachriddley.