Take a Cinematic Tour around the World at Epcot

As you tour Epcot, there are the must-do attractions - Soarin', Test Track, Spaceship Earth - but today we're going to step back a bit and look at a few less adrenaline filled attractions that sometimes get overlooked in the hustle and bustle of a day at the parks.

A World Tour in Film

Heading into World Showcase, begin your tour in a counterclockwise fashion and walk toward the Canada Pavilion. You might not have lunch reservations at Le Celllier, but take some time to stop for a viewing of O Canada!

This 18-minute long Circle-Vision 360 degree film is narrated by Canadian actor Martin Short and takes guests on a tour the very large country of Canada. The film was updated in 2007 but it still contains some scenes from the original film. Guests will travel to the Bay of Fundy in New Brunswick, Horseshoe Falls, Toronto, Vancouver, Quebec City, and Montreal.

The film also takes visitors to rustic towns and showcases popular winter pastimes including ice skating, skiing, hockey, and the very Canadian sport of curling. The film's theme song - 'Canada (You're a Lifetime Journey)' is sung by Canadian Idol winner Eva Avila.

O'Canada

Once you've finished your journeys in Canada, keep walking through World Showcase until you reach France. After grabbing a snack in Les Halles bakery, it's time to take a seat in the Palais de Cinema and take in Impressions de France.

This film (also 18 minutes in length, just like O Canada!) is projected onto five screens, giving guests a 220deg viewing experience. Impressions de France will transport you to the land of romance and fairy tales. Guests will visit Mont Saint-Michel, vineyards, a marketplace in Normandy, the Hall of Mirrors in Versailles, and several sites in Paris including the Eiffel Tower and the Champs-Elysees.

Impressions de France

To continue your cinematic tour around the world, once you leave France keep walking until you reach the China Pavilion (don't worry the other pavilions will still be there when you're done with your world tour).

When you're watching Reflections of China, you'll have a chance to visit both ancient and modern China all in a span of 13 minutes.

Li Bai, a Tang Dynasty poet, is your guide for this Circle-Vision 360 degree film. Your journey will take you down the Haungpu River to Shanghai, and then you'll visit the Sea of Clouds where perhaps you'll find inspiration like generations of poets before you. Soon you'll find yourself on the Yangtze River and then the journey takes you across the Gobi Desert to Inner Mongolia. Other locations you'll see on your journey include the Great Wall of China, Hong Kong, and Beijing's Forbidden City.

Reflections of China

Once your trip to China is complete, it's just a short walk to the last cinematic feature on your trip around the world. Your destination - Norway.

In Norway, you'll board a Viking ship for a journey through Norway's history on Maelstrom and then at the end of the ride, disembark your ship walk through the quaint Norwegian fishing village, and head into a small theater for a brief five-minute film that highlights the adventurous spirit of Norway.

The film itself does need to be updated, but it features all things Norway from Vikings to oil rigs on the stormy North Sea, to fishing villages, skiers, and even a parade showing the spirit of Norway. Once the movie has finished, you'll exit through the gift shop and probably need to continue to channel the spirit of Norway with some Schoolbread.

The Spirit of Norway

Thanks to the magic of movies, you've just traveled around the world in less than an hour (of course that journey is a bit longer if you calculate in walking time). A note about O Canada! and Reflections of China - you will be standing for the duration of those films, so take that into consideration if you have small kids in tow.

And thanks so much to contributor Traci C., for another fantastic post about all there is to do in Epcot! What World Showcase film is your favorite? Leave us a comment!