Interama
In 1964, Walt Disney expressed an interest in what he described as a ‘permanent international exposition’ which would be sponsored by the state of Florida’s Inter-American Center Authority. 1 It was originally a plan for a permanent ‘World’s Fair‘ -type of expo in Miami, Florida, however, after a plethora of revisions and setbacks the intended project was cancelled. “Interama was to have been Miami’s futuristic fair of the Americas. Under development for decades, Interama was never built, but captured the imagination of twentieth century planners, architects and public officials during an era when Miami increasingly perceived itself as a hemispheric crossroads.” 2 Subsequently, Disney instead adopted the idea of this permanent exhibition and created something somewhat similar in order to display industrial means and cultural values of certain countries, as well as showcase traditional festivals specific to each, while simultaneously however, intentionally downplay political, economic, and religious issues associated with the countries chosen for the display; which is comprised of Mexico, Norway, China, Germany, Italy, United States, Japan, Morocco, France, United Kingdom, and Canada within the World Showcase at EPCOT. 3 Due to the fact that Disney had complete control over his park, he was able to dictate what was and what was not appropriate within the confines of his utopic creation.