Walter Elias Disney was an animator, a dreamer, a visionary, a creator. Beginning in the early 1920s, he and his brother Roy began taking steps in building Disney Bros. Studios–the entity we know today as The Walt Disney Company.
Walt had a gift for visualizing the future, for visualizing what could be, what might be–and, admittedly, Walt had a lot of fun doing “the impossible.” When a vision was met with obstacles, Walt found a way to overcome those obstacles, whether that meant approaching his goal from a different angle or creating a new way of doing things altogether.
Walt Disney at Age 122
If, somehow, Walt and his Imagineers had been able to create a Disney version of the Fountain of Youth, a mantle of immortality, or a Disneyland attraction that could propel him back in time–if he had somehow been able to live forever, he would celebrate his 122nd birthday next month on December 5.
This year, in celebration of The Walt Disney Company’s 100th anniversary and to honor Walt on his birthday, the Walt Disney World Resort is hosting a very special event–one that fans of the Central Florida Disney parks have been anticipating for more than a year.
A Masterpiece, More Than a Year in the Making
At the 2022 D23 Expo in Anaheim, California, Disney revealed some of the company’s most magical plans for new experiences, attractions, themed lands, and other additions and changes in the works for Disney Parks across the globe.
One of the additions revealed for Walt Disney’s World’s EPCOT was Dreamers Point, an area just outside the Spaceship Earth attraction at Disney World’s second park that was originally inspired by Walt Disney’s visionary genius and his lifetime commitment to never stop dreaming.
The new area at EPCOT was described as a place inside the park where guests will be able to relax, recharge, and take a moment to dream. But the area won’t only be a place of rejuvenation and relaxation. It will feature a very special tribute to the great visionary Walt Disney in the form of a beautiful sculpture in his likeness. At the D23 Expo in September 2022, images of the sculpture were shared, and they were very moving.
The Expo was more than one year ago, and now, the time has come for the sculpture reveal.
The Time Has Finally Come
On Tuesday, Disney Parks announced the opening of Dreamers Point and the debut of the “Walt the Dreamer” statue, which depicts Walt sitting with a “sense of fulfillment, enjoying the beauty of his realized dream: a park that represents pure optimism and truly celebrates the magic of possibility.”
In honor of Walt’s birthday, EPCOT will debut Dreamers Point and the statue created in his likeness on Tuesday, December 5.
Per Disney Parks Blog:
This new statue of Walt is one of many areas to visit as a part of World Celebration Gardens where guests will be able to relax, unwind, and connect – to EPCOT, to nature, and to each other. Each of the gardens found in the center of World Celebration, including Dreamers Point, will connect back to the areas surrounding them, drawing on the architectural legacy of EPCOT, modern lighting elements, and a variety of natural textures.
Dreamers Point was named for Walt, the dreamer who continues to spur fans on to inspiration–but also for fans visiting EPCOT to celebrate the possibilities and the limitless potential of dreaming and creativity.
