New IBM Think Exhibit in Epcot references 1977 science movie Powers of Ten

I'll have photos soon of the IBM Think Exhibit in Innoventions, new this week in Epcot. But something in the new show caught my eye immediately. There's a scene where the camera zooms in from space to the U.S. Midwest, then to a lakeside park, then down to a picnic blanket and a happy couple. I knew this image; it was in a science film from my youth. Specifically, it was called Powers of Ten (1977) and showed what changing the magnification did to scale.

When I got home, I looked up an image from the old movie, and compared it to a photo I'd snapped in the attraction. Pretty close, don't you think? (click for a larger version)

I was impressed by how much the new version tried to mimic the details. There's a picnic basket up top with the blue/white checker design. There are two blankets, with different designs. It's odd they didn't reproduce the colors exactly. Specifically, the man's shirt went from pink to red... maybe they feel pink is out? The woman's colors appear roughly the same. As does the placement of the food.

In case you wanted to see the original 1977 movie, here it is:



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Kevin Yee is the author of numerous independent Disney books, including the popular Walt Disney World Earbook series and Walt Disney World Hidden History.