HORIZONS: ... then we can do it!
The original exit to EPCOT's Horizons attraction took guests past this giant mural. According to the artist, Bob McCall, the mural represents the "flow of civilized man from the past into the present and toward the future." It depicts most of the earth's nationalities, cultures, and religions. The monuments depicted from left to right are the Pyramids of Egypt, the Obelisk (Egypt), Stonehenge, Pyramids from the Central America/Mexico region, the Parthenon on the Acropolis (Athens), The Quabbat Al-Sakhra (or the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem), a Thailand temple, a Chinese temple, an African tribe hut, St. Peter's Church, the Taj Mahal, a Torii, the Bali Buddhist temple, the Daibutsu Budda (Japan), Big Ben and the House of Parliament, the Eiffel Tower, St. Basil's in Moscow (and the red tower of the Kremlin in the background), the Washington Monument, the US Capitol Building, and then the City of Tomorrow. Throngs of people from around the world are heading toward that dominating futuristic city.
McCall spent 3 months planning and developing the concept, drew a sketch, and finally the 10 foot master painting. The master was divided into one-inch grids. Slides were taken of each grid and then projected onto the mural canvas. This technique allowed McCall to sketch a perfectly scaled final version. The actual process of painting the mural on the 19 by 60 foot canvas took 6 months. McCall and his wife, Louise, worked on the mural at The Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, CA, finishing it up in March of 1983. It was then shipped to EPCOT for installation into the Horizons pavilion.