Today, we welcome the 21st Century and Melissa of Disney on Wheels to 40 Days to 40 Years. Didn’t the first 19 years go quickly? As they say, time flies … It’s EPCOT 2001!
EPCOT 2001
I am so excited to be a part of the 40 Days to 40 Years series. 2001 is a special year for me because it was my first trip to Walt Disney World with my now husband. We only had one day per park so we tried to fit as much magic as possible into every day. We saved the best for last and went to Epcot on the final day of our vacation. Looking back, one of the things that made that trip so special was viewing the Tapestry of Dreams Parade.
Tapestry of Nation parade
The Tapestry of Dreams Parade was a rethemed version of the Tapestry of Nations parade that ran from 1999 to 2001. The new version took out the references to the millennium and according to AllEars.net celebrated children, dreams and the legacy of Walt Disney.
Tapestry of Dreams parade
Music was blended with the voices of children, the narrator, and the three Dream Seekers. They were Elfin, who represented nature, magic, and emotion, Cosmo who was the representation of nature, magic, and emotion, and Leonardo Columbus who represented discovery, invention, and genius.
My favorite part of the parade were the giant puppets. They were designed by Micheal Curry who also designed the puppets for the Lion King on Broadway. The puppets were huge ranging in height from 12 to 19 feet and with wingspans of 8 to 16 feet.
Even though I only saw this parade once I think it is my favorite. The music for the parade was beautiful. Each of the floats and puppets were unique and it was a truly magical Disney experience.
If you would like to know a little more about the history of the Tapestry of Nations and Tapestry of Dreams parade Illuminating Epcot has a great post. AllEars.net also has more information about the floats and puppets.
Thank you Melissa, we can’t get enough of this fabulous parade!