The American Adventure
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Overview
The American Adventure is a large indoor theatre presentation in EPCOT’s American Adventure pavilion.
The show tells a broad history of the United States using large-scale Audio-Animatronic scenes, projected film, music and narration led by figures representing Benjamin Franklin and Mark Twain.
Rather than using a conventional stage throughout, elaborate sets and characters rise into view from beneath the stage before disappearing again for the next scene.
The presentation lasts around 30 minutes and is completely stationary for the audience.
Queue Details
There is no conventional queue for The American Adventure.
Guests wait in the large, flat rotunda inside the pavilion until the theatre is ready for the next performance.
Wheelchair and ECV users remain in their mobility device while waiting and are taken to the upper-level theatre by elevator.
From the elevator, turn right and keep to the left-hand side to reach the accessible entrance into the auditorium.
The standard route to the theatre uses steps and an escalator.
Voices of Liberty also perform in the rotunda at various times throughout the day, so depending on when you arrive, you may be able to watch them while waiting for the theatre to open.
Transfer Info
No transfer is required.
Wheelchair and ECV users can remain seated in their mobility device throughout the performance.
Accessible viewing positions are located at the rear of the auditorium, with standard theatre seating nearby for companions.
The theatre itself is built on a slope, with the rows descending towards the stage.
Guests who prefer to transfer into a standard theatre seat can do so, but this is optional.
There is no ride vehicle, restraint, moving platform or boarding step to negotiate once you are inside the accessible seating area.
Sensory Experience
What do these sensory tags mean?
- Darkness
- Substantial parts of the experience take place in darkness or very low light.
Sensory experiences vary between people. These tags describe elements that may be present, not how strongly any individual guest will experience them.
The American Adventure is physically very gentle, but the presentation includes several changes in lighting, sound and atmosphere.
The auditorium becomes dark once the show begins, with attention moving between the physical stage and a large projection screen.
Audio-Animatronic scenes rise into view from below the stage, sometimes revealing large pieces of scenery or groups of figures relatively suddenly.
There are periods of loud orchestral music, speeches and dramatic sound effects connected with historical events.
Some sequences depict conflict, war and social unrest, including Civil War imagery and other emotionally serious historical material.
The show alternates between brightly illuminated stage scenes and darker film sequences, with periods of near-darkness during transitions.
The finale uses a rapid montage of historical and contemporary imagery accompanied by music.
There is no audience movement, 3D imagery, water, wind or seat-based 4D effect.
Wheelchair and ECV users therefore receive the same physical theatre experience as guests sitting in the standard seats.
Practical Tips
The theatre is upstairs, but wheelchair and ECV users are taken up by elevator rather than using the standard stairs or escalator.
When you leave the theatre, the accessible exit route slopes downhill and is fairly steep, so take your time if you are self-propelling a wheelchair or controlling a mobility device.
The show lasts around 30 minutes and provides a substantial seated, air-conditioned break while travelling around World Showcase.
Voices of Liberty perform in the pavilion’s rotunda at various times during the day, so it can be worth checking the schedule if you would like to see both.
The subject matter becomes considerably more serious than many EPCOT attractions, with war, political conflict and difficult periods of American history included alongside more celebratory sections.
If darkness is uncomfortable, be aware that the theatre repeatedly dims almost completely while the large stage machinery changes scenes.
The building contains enough machinery beneath the stage to make an entire cast of historical figures appear and disappear on command. EPCOT could have explained American history with a film, but apparently that wasn’t complicated enough.
Attraction Gallery
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