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EPCOT’s The Seas Marks 40 Years With Month-Long Celebration

The milestone spotlights a pavilion that moved from documentary-style exhibits to Nemo storytelling, with conservation programming refreshed in recent years.

Overview

  • Disney’s Animals, Science, and Environment VP Dr. Mark Penning invited fans on Instagram to follow a month-long anniversary commemoration throughout January.
  • The pavilion opened as The Living Seas on January 15, 1986 after a delayed 1984 target, with United Technologies sponsoring the venue through 1998.
  • The original experience featured an ocean film, Hydrolator elevator simulators, the Caribbean Coral Reef Ride, and the SeaBase Alpha aquarium.
  • A Finding Nemo re-theme began in 2003, Turtle Talk with Crush debuted in 2004, the pavilion temporarily closed in 2005, and the ride reopened as The Seas with Nemo & Friends in early 2007.
  • Recent changes include a 2023 exterior and signage refresh, a shift last year to short‑term animal rehabilitation in the aquarium, and the return of the diver lock‑out chamber demonstration after five years.