Beginning in the shapeless void before the Big Bang, this segment was inspired by the Lumia Effect that begins our journey aboard Spaceship Earth, which coincidentally aligns with “M Theory” where when two Membranes in the fifth dimension collide to create our universe.
The first abstraction in our trip through time and space, this image was inspired by the early conceptual paintings of Spaceship Earth by Claudio Mazzoli where he frequently depicted the dawn of humanity with angelic fetuses.
Our first step through the evolution of mankind is sparked by the development of our frontal lobes, making possible all the progress of our species.
The Spark of Consciousness becomes the galactic map found on the Pioneer 10 Space Probe that triangulates the position of our Sun in relationship to 14 Pulsars.
This map will lead us to our final destination on this 13.8 Billion Light year odyssey through the cosmos.
Although precious little has survived from one of our oldest civilizations these bas reliefs serve as a mysterious first stop through the early mists of time.
Setting much of civilization in Motion, these early incarnations of our World’s round revolution are also the first direct cameo from the Center-ed subject matter of our film. ☆
Commonly known as Abraham, the patriarch of the three Abrahamic religions, including Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
Father of the famous Tutankhamun, Akhenaten holds the distinction of establishing the first (and possibly only) monotheistic religion of Egypt.
Memphis was one of the oldest and most important cities in ancient Egypt, located at the entrance to the Nile River Valley near the Giza plateau. It served as the capital of ancient Egypt. ☆
The “Golden Era” Necropolis of the pharaohs Khufu, Khafre, and Menkaure, here we see complex in its original glory filled with lush tropical vegetation and cap-stoned pyramids. ☆
Ancient Greece serves as the birthplace of democracy while Phoenicians create a common alphabet ☆
One of the earliest and most important scientists, making many discoveries in the worlds of Mathematics, Metaphysics, Music theory, and the first person to call himself a “philosopher”, Pythagoras was also well versed in Mysticism, Ethics and Religion.
Classic Proportions discovered by Euclid of Alexandria is often referred to as the “founder of geometry”. This segment (and the pentagram preceding it) is simultaneously a tribute to 1959’s “Donald in Mathmagicland” — in many ways the embryo of EPCOT Center.
Greecian philosophers Plato & Aristotle debate their opposing beliefs in Raphael’s magnificent School of Athens fresco. ☆
One of the wonders of the ancient world, the Lighthouse of Alexandria shines through the night sky. ☆
The reconstructed (or Second) Jewish holy temple that stood on the Temple Mount in the city of Jerusalem between c. 516 BC and 70 AD.
As the central figure of the human race, Jesus of Nazareth, is symbolically depicted as a dove flying through the temple veil forever breaking the barriers to salvation through the Living God.
The Roman Empire before the fall as seen in “The Martyrdom of St. Agnes” ☆
Last of the “Five Good Emperors” in the “Pax Romana” age, Marcus Aurelius furthered Stotic philosophies while Constantine more than 100 years later restructured the faltering federation into the Holy Roman Empire.
Beginning as “Byzantium” the city was renamed “Constantinople” after Constantine the Great established it as the new capital of the Holy Roman Empire.
Although by far not the first culture to perform it, the Byzantines created modern music notation, such as this traditional chant allowing music to be “recorded” for replication and distribution.
Vikings set out to explore New Worlds long before others attempt similar journeys.
An immensely influential philosopher, theologian, and jurist in the tradition of scholasticism, St. Thomas Aquinas bridges the false gap between the spiritual and scientific, inspired, in part, by the North Rose Window of Notre Dame de Paris. Interestingly, I had no knowledge of the relationship between these two, while creating this shot.
A page from the Gutenberg bible appears letter-by-letter to usher in The Age of Enlightenment. ☆
(Note: Because of image compression, this element had to be eliminated from the final film.)
Represented by its Florentine epicenter, The Renaissance brings new knowledge and discoveries to light. ☆
History’s preeminent polymath, Leonardo da Vinci and his contemporary astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus.
Copernicus’ revolutionary Heliocentric Model of the Solar System featuring period-appropriate planetary symbols and proportionally accelerated orbits.
The central scene of Michelangelo's magnificent Sistine Ceiling, the “Creation of Adam” represents a pinnacle of artistic expression while also (less importantly) serving as an homage to the sequence’s Spaceship Earth inspiration. ☆
Sir Thomas More social philosopher and statesman and author of Utopia with Galileo Galilei, "father" of observational astronomy, modern physics and the scientific method among a myriad of other accomplishments.
Representing the many ships that set sail from the Old World to the New, are the Discovery, Godspeed & Susan Constant that settled Jamestown. ☆
Founding Fathers Ben Franklin and Thomas Jefferson herald the arrival of a revolutionary republic that would change the course of human events.
Independence Hall and the Constitution signify the arrival of a new society; not great, but fitted by our very faults for greatness.
Although the original still exists, it was near impossible to get I clean shot of Independence Hall as it existed in 1776, so the replica at Knott's Berry Farm was substituted as well as a new vectorization of the US Constitution.
The US Capitol symbolizing the democratic system of government that brought forth the flexiblity needed to found a forward-thinking nation.
The world's first Theoretical Computer Programmer Ada Lovelace and the practical inventor Thomas Alva Edison.
The gears of the industrial age explode bringing us mechanical marvels like Locomotives and visionary inventors such as Nikola Tesla.
Designed by Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi with a framework by Gustave Eiffel is The Statue of Liberty in her original copper color and visionary novelist Jules Verne.
Pioneering physicist and chemist, Marie Curie that was the first to research radioactivity and discover polonium.
The first purely futuristic structure Le Tour Eiffel as it appeared during its debut at the Exposition universelle de 1889 complete with original lighting scheme.
A continuation of the previous image, now showcasing one of its original omnidirectional spotlights.
The first skyscrapers including The Flatiron and Singer Buildings with the automobile racing its way thru history.
The Singer building is quickly surpassed by the MET Tower as the Wright Flyer begins the era of air travel. Note: At this point, the acceleration of time in combination with practical concerns of composition precipitates overlapping events in history.
The competition for ever-higher edifices continues with Art Deco masterpieces the Chrysler and Empire State.
Movie star and inventor Hedy Lamarr develops the process of “frequency-hopping”, thus creating our Wi-Fi-enabled world of today with Alan Turning mathematician and pioneer of modern computer science. Off in the distance, the Trylon & Perisphere from the 1939 World’s Fair come into view. ☆
Aerospace engineer Wernher von Braun appears as the Trylon & Perisphere begin their metamorphosis into other aspirational structures. ☆
Science Fiction author and inventor of the geosynchronous orbit, Arthur C. Clarke appears on the surface of the moon, as the TWA Moonliner (the only fantasy element of this presentation) takes off to its lunar destination. ☆
The transformation from 1939’s Perisphere into the 1964 Unisphere completes featuring its original lights illuminating the capitals of the world.
In its final transition, the orbits of Yuri Gagarin, John Glenn and the Telstar satellite spin out of view as the Unisphere metamorphosizes into our spaceship — our Spaceship Earth.
Our journey across the furthest reaches of time and space begins its descent to the Earth’s surface “crash landing” into a particular parcel of land towards the end of 1966.
Although interrupted by the opening titles of “EPCOT | Recentered” our trek across the cosmos pick-ups where we left off with a catwalk view of Walt Disney shooting “The EPCOT Film” and beginning our story.