Tailikku1
The Killer of Kefka
So there is one design influence that many fans have glossed over for FFVII, mainly because the source of this reference is very obscure.
I am speaking of course of the general design of Midgar.
Everybody knows its 2-layer pizza-shaped design with the ShinRa building being the pizza tripod that looks like a table. But here's the interesting fact: the design was based on a concept by Walt Disney.
Which concept? The Experimental Prototype Community Of Tomorrow. or EPCOT.
As this concept art shows, EPCOT was to be a metropolis where people could live in thanks to the wonders of science. It was part of four monorail stops that included an industrial park where scientific experiments were to be held so that those ideas could be continuously demonstrated in the city, a Welcome Center, and the Magic Kingdom. Yes, as it turns out, this was the original concept for Disney World!
Now for the design of the city, it was shaped like a wheel and had two layers to it, each one connected by a monorail. The bottom layer was known as the green belt which separated the city core from the low-density residential area. This section would be where establishments such as parks with playgrounds, community centers, and places of worship would be located. The top layer was to be the residential area. This is where most of EPCOT's 20,000 citizens would have lived.
And then there's the city core. Walt described the tall structure as being a 30-story Cosmopolitan Hotel and Convention Center. This building was to have been the tallest building in EPCOT and could have been seen for miles, like the Matterhorn at Disneyland. The parking lot for hotel guests would have been located underneath the city core, right off of the vehicle throughway. Bob Gurr, an Imagineer who is still doing work for Disney, said that the "roof" of the enclosed area would be the recreational area for hotel guests. The pool, tennis courts, basketball courts, shuffleboard, and other activities would have been located here.
Starting to sound very similar to Midgar, eh?
I am speaking of course of the general design of Midgar.
Everybody knows its 2-layer pizza-shaped design with the ShinRa building being the pizza tripod that looks like a table. But here's the interesting fact: the design was based on a concept by Walt Disney.
Which concept? The Experimental Prototype Community Of Tomorrow. or EPCOT.
As this concept art shows, EPCOT was to be a metropolis where people could live in thanks to the wonders of science. It was part of four monorail stops that included an industrial park where scientific experiments were to be held so that those ideas could be continuously demonstrated in the city, a Welcome Center, and the Magic Kingdom. Yes, as it turns out, this was the original concept for Disney World!
Now for the design of the city, it was shaped like a wheel and had two layers to it, each one connected by a monorail. The bottom layer was known as the green belt which separated the city core from the low-density residential area. This section would be where establishments such as parks with playgrounds, community centers, and places of worship would be located. The top layer was to be the residential area. This is where most of EPCOT's 20,000 citizens would have lived.
And then there's the city core. Walt described the tall structure as being a 30-story Cosmopolitan Hotel and Convention Center. This building was to have been the tallest building in EPCOT and could have been seen for miles, like the Matterhorn at Disneyland. The parking lot for hotel guests would have been located underneath the city core, right off of the vehicle throughway. Bob Gurr, an Imagineer who is still doing work for Disney, said that the "roof" of the enclosed area would be the recreational area for hotel guests. The pool, tennis courts, basketball courts, shuffleboard, and other activities would have been located here.
Starting to sound very similar to Midgar, eh?
