Walt Disney World > Epcot >
Future World > Energy

The Universe of Energy Pavilion consists of the single show/ride, Ellen's Energy Adventure. The old show here was a perfect example of the best and worst aspects of Epcot. The best, in that it contained an amazing, state of the art ride through a full size display of audio-animatronic dinosaurs. The worst, in that you had to sit through a long, dull and humorless corporate commercial for Exxon both before and after the dinosaurs.

The current show has changed all that, although it too is now starting to show its age. The dinosaurs are still here, just as big as ever, but the show has made an advance in entertainment value. It stars Ellen DeGeneres and Bill Nye, The Science Guy, in a film based around Ellen's dream that she is facing an old school rival on Jeopardy -- and all the topics are about energy. After a disastrous first round, Ellen enlists Bill Nye to help her learn about energy so she can try and win, so he takes her back to the dinosaur era, among other places, for a painless learning experience.

The show now packs a few surprises and manages to be both funny and informative, without all the pretentiousness of the former production. It does drag in places, though, and the necessity of moving all of the slow audience sections in single file leads to a lot of filler before and after the dinosaur section for the first and last cars (this isn't Animal Kingdom's fast moving Dinosaur ride, it's an educational presentation). Try and catch the entire pre-show film, as it sets the premise up for you and also gets some laughs making fun of its multiple screen technique.

Where To?

The Universe of Energy is on the West side of Future World next to The Wonders of Life.