So I found this a few years ago, figured today would be a neat day to share it:

Nearly 3,000 designers and 4,000 construction workers were involved in building the first phase of the Epcot theme park, which was believed at that time to be the nation’s largest private construction job. By the end of the first year of operation, the cost of Epcot totaled more than $1 billion.

At the height of the construction activity, the work force at the site totaled 4,500. During three years of building, more than 10,000 workers representing 18 unions, 22 general contractors, and 500 sub-contractors participated.

One of the greatest challenges in building the new showplace was its size. Even a 1/8-inch scale model of the overall project covered 1,428 square feet—an area as big as many American homes. In constructing almost two million square feet of show space for Epcot, 54 million cubic feet of dirt was removed.

The World Showcase Lagoon covers 40 acres. Surrounding it on a 1.2-mile promenade are eleven national showcases: Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Morocco, Japan, The American Adventure, Italy, Germany, China, Norway, and Mexico.



One Future World theme area, The Land, presented by Nestle USA Inc., covers six acres. It is as big as all of Tomorrowland in the Magic Kingdom Park. The tile mosaic at the entrance to The Land covers 3,000 square feet. It took three months to install the 150,000 individually cut and shaped pieces. The marble, granite, slate, smalto, Venetian glass, 14K gold, mirror, ceramic, and pebble pieces are in 131 colors.

The visual focal point of Epcot is Spaceship Earth, presented by AT&T. Weighing almost 16 million pounds, it is more than three times heavier than a NASA space shuttle fully prepared for launch.

More than 1.5 million feet of motion picture film was shot to produce 31 Epcot shows. After editing, some 73,000 feet of film represents the work of 16 production crews in more than 30 countries and nearly every state of the United States. While filming the China Circle-Vision 360 film, a Disney crew carried its 300-pound camera up 4,500 steps precariously perched on the steep slopes of Huangshan Mountain in the Annui Province.

The roof of Universe of Energy, presented by Exxon, is covered with 80,000 photovoltaic cells which can produce up to 70,000 watts of direct current power, enough to supply the needs of 15 single-family homes. For a primeval diorama in Universe of Energy, three artists spent 5,700 hours painting a backdrop 32 feet high and 515 feet long.

While special effects for most movies are designed to satisfy a single take which may last only a few seconds, those in Epcot shows are designed and built to be seen 14 hours a day, 365 days a year. Epcot features 274 special effects, more than five times the number utilized in the Magic Kingdom Park.

Disney landscapers planted 3.5 acres of annual flowers and plants, 70 acres of sod, 12,500 specimen trees, and 100,000 shrubs of every description as part of "Operation Cover-Up," the greening of Epcot.

Finally, the 260-acre entertainment complex—Future World and World Showcase—is more than twice the size of the Magic Kingdom Park, located less than three miles north. Both "entertainment worlds," along with the Disney-MGM Studios and Disney's Animal Kingdom Theme Park, are part of the 30,500-acre Walt Disney World Resort.