The American Adventure Exhibition

 What is the American Adventure?

For some, it’s a dream. Others see it as their heritage. Still, others call it a dynamic spirit, while optimists look to it as eternal hope.

The American Adventure encompasses all of this and much more. It represents the flaming birth of a new nation, the long bitter struggle against tyranny, the saddening defeats and cherished victories; each spawning a breath of life and a spirit of independence that created a distinctly new and individual people.
— The American Adventure, Familiarization Guide 1982

A forensic analysis of the second centerpiece of EPCOT Center could start by explaining that one of the hallmarks of all classic Disney attractions is that the experience starts well before you enter a ride vehicle or sit down in a theater. From the serenely creepy graveyards of the Haunted Mansion to the lush Chinese interiors of the Great Movie Ride and all points in between and beyond, each of these is designed to prime the audience for the story or environment that is about to unfold. However, this otherwise acceptable approach is almost disrespectful when describing the host nation of World Showcase.

The American Adventure is not merely an attraction in a theme park nor a pedantic presentation of historical events. Put succinctly, The American Adventure is the pinnacle of patriotic achievements of the 20th Century. No museum, monument, exhibition, book, play, or film has been able to encapsulate the spirit and history of America in such an innovatively inspirational way as this insightfully concise experience. An experience that, yes, does begin long before taking your seat in The Liberty Theater.

To paraphrase the Steinbeck opening of the show: "The American Adventure did not exist."

It's very easy for us to falsely view any great creation as effortless and inevitable, yet in all cases that effortless appearance is the result of enormous effort. There were so many ways this show could have gone wrong. In fact, as show creator Randy Bright stated it was "the result of six abject failures". The exterior of the American Adventure could have easily been a scale replica of the imperious US Capitol or the White House, The inside of the Great Hall could have been decorated with paintings of impressive, albeit impersonal moments of American might and power with contextless portraits of historical figures. What was actually built was nothing short of perfection.

As with the show itself, The American Adventure (the edifice) was designed as a pavilion by and for “WE The People”. Unlike the seemingly multi-structured pavilions of the rest of World Showcase that depicts their respective countries at their most distinctive cultural zenith, the youngest nation around the lagoon is represented at its infancy and ironically in a Georgian architectural style imported from the mother country.
In stark contrast to the Italian palaces and Imperial castles of its nearest neighbors, the five-story tall Liberty Theater is the only example of Imagineering to invert the illusion of forced-perspective, appearing as a modest three-story manor house in the style of Independence Hall or evoking Thomas Jefferson's Monticello that might have manifested itself at the birth of the republic.

Once inside, we enter the museum-like Great Hall or Rotunda minimally appointed with late 17th and early 18th-century furnishings and are subtlety surrounded by the insights of famous individuals and impactful oil paintings depicting the essence of American exceptionalism.

Click on one of the images below for a large exhibit map.

To spite depicting multiple events, locations, time periods, and subjects these eleven masterpieces specifically created for The American Adventure are united in portraying huge concepts on a human level. Although spectacular in appearance, these compositions are singularly-focused on the combined achievements of common men and women.

Ascending through the Hall of Flags displaying "Flags that played a vital role in the rich heritage of America's diverse beginnings. [That] represent the struggle for independence, famous expeditions by Americans into uncharted regions, independent territories that became states, and the evolution of our own Stars and Stripes." We enter the Hall of Mirrors and finally The Liberty Theater itself where we encounter the Spirits of America representing distinctive American qualities.

Click on the image below for a large theater map.

Although the faces were selected differently, the Spirits were modeled by WED Enterprises Imagineers and PICO personnel as revealed by Interviewer & Researcher Tammy Tuckey.

For the attraction's tencennial in 1992, massive enhancements were made to the pavilion and show including upgrading several of the Audio-Animatronics cast to A-100 models and a new expanded version of Golden Dream with enhanced visuals. For the pavilion, a new ribbon Marquee and graphics rebranding the presentation as a broadway-style performance. Inside a few changes were made including relocating some artwork, a new lighted marquee over the entrance to the Hall of Flags, and a massive canvas painting by Imagineer Bryan Jowers depicting the climax of the show including a movie picture style "Billing Block" of the many featured players, supporting cast and special tributes in the show.