Epcot had a lot of planned pavilions, and relatively few ever got built after the park opened. Few even transitioned into something else that did end up in a Disney Park.
Welcome to Epcot Center's Cancelled Attractions where we explore rides, areas, and attractions that were planned but never built at Disney World's second theme park. Today we are exploring the Scandinavia Pavilion that would eventually develop into Norway at the park. Be sure to check out the rest of the series here.
Initially, as the park was originally being planned, Denmark was intended to be built in the location that would eventually become Norway, and bathrooms were even built in this style that remains in the park to this day as part of the present-day Norway Pavilion. Funding could not be secured for the pavilion, as sponsors were needed for any World Showcase expansions at the time, and it became one of a growing list of phase 2 Epcot Center projects that never got off the drawing board.
It eventually developed into a broader pavilion based on the larger Scandanavia region with the hope of getting sponsors easier when not confined to a single country. They presented plans to multiple countries in order to find sponsors, with shops and restaurants that could be swapped out for whatever sponsors ended up signing up.
It would take a historical approach to the region, showcasing classic architecture styles that did not have strict national borders, as well as the attraction that would eventually develop into Malestrom.
Most never built Epcot World Showcase pavilions die due to a lack of available sponsors. This was the opposite. It was replaced due to an overwhelming response from one of the countries that were intended to be a part of this pavilion.
Norway ended up paying for the pavilion in full, being impressed with preliminary designs, and the potential for presenting their country to an American audience that could potentially be intrigued enough by it to travel there themselves. The existing plans would be reworked to be more Norway specific with additions like the Stave Church.
We never got to see this country, but it is because of these plans that the last built World Showcase Pavilion became a reality. It was a stepping stone on the road to getting the last country to sign on to the park, and giving World Showcase its second ride.
Would you have liked to see Scandanavia represented in Epcot? Let us know in the comments below. Also, be sure to check out the rest of this series here, and come back next week as we explore Epcot's lost flying carpets.
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