Epcot - Ellen's Energy Adventure

Universe of Energy - Ellen's Energy Adventure

Ellen's Energy Adventure closed permanently on August 13, 2017 to make way for a Guardians of the Galaxy themed attraction.

Opened: October 1, 1982
Closed: August 13, 2017
Length: 45 minutes

Overview/History:
The Universe of Energy was home to "Ellen's Energy Adventure." It was a cute look back at the prehistoric origins of today's energy sources.

The show began every 17 minutes. (The lobby show was 8 minutes long followed by 37 minutes in the traveling theater cars.) This wasn’t the type of attraction that you could leave mid-stream. Once you're in those cars, you'd better plan on staying as there was no easy way out.

The show starred Ellen DeGeneres. Ellen wasn't part of the show back in 1982 when this attraction first opened. On September 15, 1996, "Ellen's Energy Adventure" debuted as Disney capitalized on the success of her sitcom. (Over at MGM they once had "Ellen's Buy the Book.") 

The 'Adventure' began with Ellen falling asleep while watching Jeopardy. She finds herself in a nightmare where she's pitted against her college rival "Smart Judy", played by Jamie Lee Curtis. All of the Jeopardy categories are energy-related, something Ellen knows little about.

Her neighbor just happened to be Bill Nye the Science Guy. He takes Ellen under his wing and they embarked on a trip back to prehistoric times. At this point, the 600-seat theatre rotated and broke up into 6 enormous "cars" that accompany Ellen and Bill as they traveled in pursuit of the origin of energy.

Amazing Audio-animatronic dinosaurs were part of Ellen's adventure. This part of the ride was just about the same as it was since 1982. Still, with the addition of the Ellen storyline, it was a lot more enjoyable.

This was a real sensory experience. The dark lighting set the stage. You’d hear the roars of the dinosaurs and there was a distinct odor in the air. It was best described as 'slightly damp basement.' You heard Ellen and Bill Nye as you travel along and Ellen pops up from time to time. (Not the real Ellen, the animatronic version of her.)

With Ellen's new found knowledge of energy, she returned to play Final Jeopardy against "Smart Judy." (We won't give away how the game ends.)

Again, this was one long attraction. Since it had such a high rider capacity, it was a great choice on those busy, hot days when you need to take a break. Besides that, hey, it's Ellen. You knew there are going to be some laughs along the way.

Fastpass: No

Handicapped Accessibility: Guests in ECVs must be able to transfer to a wheelchair. For guests who are hearing impaired, assistive listening devices are available at Guest Services.

FUN FACTS:
- This ride was mostly powered by the 2 acres of solar panels that sit on the roof. The equivalent power could supply enough energy to power 15 homes!
- Michael Richards (Kramer from Seinfeld) was in the film.
HIDDEN MICKEYS:
- In the fight scene between the T-rex and the stegosaurus there was a large plant shaped like Mickey’s head to the front, right side of the dinosaurs.