Universe of Energy - Timeline

Timeline

• October 1, 1982 — The pavilion opens with the original Universe of Energy show.
• January 21, 1996 — The original Universe of Energy show and pavilion are closed for refurbishment.
• June 1, 1996 — The fully refurbished pavilion temporarily reopens in an effort to help handle the park’s busy summer crowds. The old films from the original Universe of Energy show are used during this time as the new films with Bill Nye and Ellen DeGeneres had not yet been completed.
• September 1, 1996 — The pavilion closes and the new films are installed.
• September 15, 1996 — The pavilion re-opens with a new show entitled Ellen's Energy Crisis, but is immediately renamed Ellen's Energy Adventure.
• 2003 — The original Universe of Energy marquees at the entrance of the pavilion are replaced with all new signage to reflect the sponsor's new name, ExxonMobil.
• 2004 — ExxonMobil drops its 22-year sponsorship of the pavilion, and all references to the company are removed from the signage and show.
• March 28, 2009 — The pavilion re-opens after a lengthy refurbishment that began in late 2008. Although no significant changes to the show were made, some of the scenes within the diorama were refreshed, the audio systems were upgraded and the computer systems that operate the attraction were updated. The exterior of the pavilion was also repainted back to its original color scheme of reds, oranges and yellows (during the Ellen renovation in 1996, the exterior of the pavilion was repainted into a pastel rainbow color scheme).