The halftime of the 1986 50th Cotton Bowl Classic between Texas A & M verses Auburn University was a wonderful Walt Disney production called The Living Seas…..which is a production that was an extension of their Disneyland exhibitThe Living Seas….whichopened to the public on January 15, 1986…..and housed the largest saltwater tank in the world at its completion….while holding 5.7 million US gallons (22,000,000 L) of water.
The concept of the building was to take visitors under the ocean to “Sea Base Alpha”…..as guests viewed a short movie about the formation of the oceans entitledThe Sea….which was followed by an elevator ride to the ocean floor aboard a “Hydrolator” ….when in reality, guests rode a 2-story hydraulic elevator to the first floor while moving walls, sound effects and a vibrating floor gave the effect of traveling a long distance downward…..and then the guests boarded a Seacab on the Caribbean Coral Reef Ride….and rode through the middle of the tank. They then disembarked into the main exhibit area where they could interact with various multimedia displays. Once finished, guests leaving the pavilion would then board another Hydrolator to the surface….which, similar to the first set of elevators, simulated upward motion.
The Living Seas halftime show at the 1986 Orange Bowl Classic was the prelude to the opening of the exhibit by the same name…..as it gives a wonderful preview of what will be able to be seen at the Disney Parks for the next 20 years.