Greece Pavilion Part 4

In this final installment, we take a magical, mythical tour of Greece in the third section a pavilion that only exists in the writer's imagination.  This is by far the largest component of the pavilion.

I left out a little piece from the prior Greece pavilion installments.  I didn't quite know where to put it.  It is the Olympic torch relay.  It has elements of all three sections of the pavilion: modern, historical and mythical Greece.  It's definitely part of the modern Olympic games and the torch is lit by the sun's rays in Olympia, site of the ancient games.  Finally, perpetual flames burned outside temples to the gods of Greek mythology.  It would be interesting to have a daily torch relay depart the back section of the Greek pavilion, move toward the World Showcase and then make a trip "around the world" through each of the other pavilions as a symbol of global unity.  It wouldn't have to be a real flame (a fiber-optic torch could take on the colors of the flags of each pavilion it visits).  Without real flame, selected guest torchbearers could carry the torch too (kind of like parade marshals).  A final runner (possibly Hermes) sprinting back up "Mt. Olympus" in the rear of the Greece pavilion would ignite a "cauldron of flame" or even set off some fireworks.  Think Tinker Bell going the other way.

But, that's only the start of the mythical section or "the Greece that never was."  This is where all those great characters and creatures could finally come to life.  I have a slight problem with Hercules though.  His Greek name is Herakles, but most people are used to the Roman equivalent.  Still, he and Hades and some of the others from the Disney animated feature could have their meet and greet time here.  I have toyed with the idea of how the Percy Jackson characters could be added although the book/movie series doesn't quite have the draw of, say, Harry Potter.  For anyone about to write "But, that's Fox, not Disney," think licensing agreement.  Indiana Jones Stunt Show?  Star Tours?  Twilight Zone Tower of Terror?  Disney-MGM Studios?  It's possible.  There may even be a morning character dining event "Food of the Gods" which would have to feature ambrosia and nectar.

World Showcase pavilions face criticism for not having enough rides and attractions.  Fair enough.  The Greece pavilion would feature some unusual ones.  First, a double-decked carousel featuring the mythical creatures of the air and land on the upper level and the creatures of the sea and underworld on the lower level.  A double-decked carousel is not that far-fetched for Disney.  There's one at Disney Sea in Tokyo called the Caravan Carousel (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arabian_Coast_%28Disney%29).  I thought some Audio-Animatronics would add to the experience.  Perhaps the figures along the building's interior could move or respond to the riders as the go around.

A labyrinth ride would have random elements that change the path through the attraction.  You also never know when you are about to encounter the Minotaur.  I had thought this might work as a walk-through rather than a ride-through.  Then, I remembered falling ill while walking in a labyrinth-like attraction at another location in central Florida.  An Omnimover system with the story of Theseus and Ariadne will do fine.  This could be combined with the story of the designer of the Labyrinth, Daedalus, and his son, Icarus.  When telling their part of the story, there can be a musical snippet from "If You Had Wings" as an in-joke.

This Greece Pavilion entry has gone on longer than the others, but with good reason.  It is relatively extensive when compared to the others.

I think I'll move over to the Animal Kingdom next and sketch out Antarctica. - Jeff