The Land: Update. Like it or hate it. . . here it is:

I think that I have devised a way that we can have the best of both worlds. A new attraction at the land, and all the past rides that WDW has decided to remove.

It will be called: "Soarin over all the good rides and attractions that WDW management has removed without good purpose and with no respect to tradition".

The title may be a bit cumbersome, but I think they can still get it on a tradeable pin..........

Yeah, i agree gang...The Land pavillion was always a bit "dull"....EXSPECIALLY after they pulled out "Kitchen Kaberet". I rememeber back in 83' The Land was my Mom's favorite pavillion and i never understood why until i was older. Last two times i was at Epcot, i was there a LOT...mostly to eat as it's one of the few places one can get a good meal for a fair price and that also has vegetarian options beyond the norm within the park. I also liked the environment too...cool spot of retreat after pounding the pavement for hours on end.

I also more appreciated the "peace" the pavillion envoked in me....it was reflective of what our land should be in a way. I love the beautiful painted swirls and those fantastic air balloons that grace the ceiling. They should STAY ...they are so attractive! The fountain...well, i like it a lot too but i can understand the plans to remove it. I'm actually still miffed about the one they removed that used to be at right in front of SE when you first approached that had the color changing plastic slabs. That fountain ROCKED!! Now what they have are those horrid monstrosities, the "monliths" or whatever they are called that have peoples' photos and engravings etched on them...for a price! I really don't like these where they are... could'nt they be somewhere ELSE?? It totally ruins the scene there in front of SE. It used to be so impressive when you would walk in the main gate, see the landscaping and the fountain..and of course the huge geosphere looming up at you. Now, thanks to poor planning and outright greed, it has been ruined like most of my favorite park. What they won't do for money.....geez!

Yeah, i agree with Lynx's comments in that UOE and JIYIWF don't draw the crowds at all really. I went through these multiple times when last i visited and i had the whole building to myself. I guess it stems from a topic brought up on here before, about how the general public has this pre-conceived notion that Epcot is the "boring, educational place". Well, perhaps to some short sighted folks, but a thrill park (in a thrill ride sense) it will never be so Upper Management should get that through their heads. They won't. i know as it is obvious that the common Guest wants thrills alone and the few rides that deliver this are obviously popular with them so that is where the money is. I guess i'm just too much of a "purist".....i miss the "real" Epcot Center Experience!!

when i first heard that soarin was being put into the land i was ecstatic but ever since the excitment has keep on going down. Now it has hit about rock bottom. I dont want to see the fountain and the balloons to go. i have a ritual of eating there whenever i go to EPCOT. On a business side of this arguments where are all the people gonna eat. is this an attemp at getting more people to go through the world showcase and eat. I understand that they will be puttin in a new resatraunt but when i am at a theme park i dont wanna sit down and have a meal, i wanna get my food, eat and go back out to explore. I dont kno if everyone has this feeling but i do. I guess well all just have to see how it works out.

I love the Sunshine food fair. And instead of cutting costs on all these rides and attractions (dino rama) they should just stop re-theming and refurbishing huge pavillions.

I have only been to California once in my life and it was about a year before CA opened so obviously I haven't been on Soarin'. I was just wondering what it was like. When I ask I usually get a "Your feet hang and it's like a hang glider over California." Yep, could have told yuh that one. Is it in one big room where the IMAX is all over the ground and you can see a bunch of other "gliders" around you or does it go into different rooms? To me it sounded like the modern day Peter Pan. The more details you can give... the better.

........

Since everyone was talking about the Land being changed and tradition being ruined. I use to live in Orlando and went about once a week and grew very "attached" (I guess that is the best word lol) to most of the rides.The Land was never an attraction I cared much for though. We would go to The Land for Living With The Land then leave. Never a big fan of the World Showcase or The Living Seas either, I get bored with the education, no rides, sorta deal. I don't HATE Epcot but I would get over it pretty quick if they knocked out the World Showcase .

Ok so back to the point. Changing the traditional rides. The things I have been the most upset about was Mr. Toad's Wild Ride and JIYI. Never saw the but still loved it. I think I was more upset though when they totally screwed up JIYI. Remember the awesome smell when you went through the big white room with (I think) crystals and stuff? :'( The first scene was awesome. They should get rid of the Ellen ride crap and rebuild the old JIYI in there.

:hammer:is it over yet???

It seems a lot of you are missing the point. Just as one would say that one part of an attraction doesn't make the attraction great, California doesn't include the other lands of the world. Honestly, if they are so stuck up about saving money, the name shouldn't be "The Land" any longer.

I keep reading that the SOC film will incude other parts of the world at a later date. If this is true then SOC will be a welcome addition to "The Land" and to the theme "Traval company".

WHY??????????????????????

That is my question, why change something that has been working for so many years? The Living With the Land ride always has a 15+ minute wait, and the Sunshine Food Fair always is packed. So why change a GOOD pavilion just because of a e-ticket attraction? Make the e-ticket attraction look like "The Land."

Here's an idea, make soarin look like back in the early 1900s with the Wright Brothers. Make the queue like a barn and farm, with the Wright Brothers AAs talking about flight, and then usher people onto the ride. That would help the themeing of the Soarin into the Land.

Here is another example of Disney destroying something good for short-term gains. Why destroy Mr. Toads to make Pooh, when you had 20,000 Leagues Lagoon sitting there for 10 years. Fill in the Lagoon and build the Pooh attraction where the Lagoon was, and don't touch Mr. Toad.

Add to, don't subtract! Disney likes to take away instead of adding to. Horizons and M:S together, World of Motion and TT, wow, Epcot would be my favorite park!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Bring back Mr. Toads, and make it like the Roger Rabbit ride at Disneyland.

Thanks for letting me vent my anger. I feel better now.

>Why destroy Mr. Toads to make Pooh, when you had 20,000 Leagues Lagoon sitting there for 10 years. Fill in the Lagoon and build the Pooh attraction where the Lagoon was, and don't touch Mr. Toad.

The reason, I believe, is a business decision. They want to control costs. Attractions cost money both in staffing and maintenance. Thus, adding a ride adds to the costs, while replacing a ride doesn't. In fact, maintenance might be less if the ride is newer. They also figure the new ride attracts customers whereas the old ride doesn't. I agree with though that they've actually taken away rides.

figmentfan said:

Here is another example of Disney destroying something good for short-term gains. Why destroy Mr. Toads to make Pooh, when you had 20,000 Leagues Lagoon sitting there for 10 years. Fill in the Lagoon and build the Pooh attraction where the Lagoon was, and don't touch Mr. Toad.

Add to, don't subtract! Disney likes to take away instead of adding to. Horizons and M:S together, World of Motion and TT, wow, Epcot would be my favorite park!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Bring back Mr. Toads, and make it like the Roger Rabbit ride at Disneyland.

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Read this

HAVE THE PREDICTIONS FROM OCTOBER 2004 COME TRUE?

This post was made in October. Do you think it was a premonition?

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Read first post (mostly the second half of it): http://forums.wdwmagic.com/showthread.php?t=45884&page=1&pp=15

2. Then see photographs of the NEW Land: http://forums.wdwmagic.com/showthread.php?t=54478

3. Questions to be discussed:

a. Where can you see the STORY of the Land being improved? Is there anywhere where the story of the Land is NOT being told?

b. What was the biggest change, and was it for the best? In terms of beauty? In terms of storytelling or uniqueness?

c. Does the color scheme complement the Land?

d. Point out new areas where we see man's interaction with nature highlighted.

A. The story of the Land can be improved on the carpeting. :hammer: Honestly, I like the new colors, but this is more like an Air Pavilion not a Land Pavilion IMO.

B. Biggest change was Soarin LOL. It will be for the best. New landscaping and new colors bring new appeal to a 1980s building.

C. The color scheme itself compliments the building, but it's not the earth tones of the past. I prefer the new land color scheme. The old one made you feel "trapped" and crowded inside the land pavilion.

D. While Soarin' ins't about harvesting crops or changing cabbage into lemons via the EPCOT Center changer 3000...it is still an enjoyable ride in the Experimental Prototype Crazy Outrages Thrills park.

I think the way things turned out for the land where OVERALL for the best. I'm not gonna loose sleep over Food Rocks being closed. I welcome the new color scheme and design. I hope living with the land and that other thing that I don't see with characters from the lion king can be improved in w/e way that can help this new land.

Thanks, Expo.. I appreciate it. But I'm not talking about Soarin' here... I'm talking about the redesigned lobby area of the Land.

Interesting topic, but...

Why don't you let us know what you think? We all respect your insights and opinions. The Land looks a little brighter and more open to me, but I'm basing that on just a few photos, and my memories of the old version are now at least two-and-a-half years old. Certainly, the travel agency theme seems underdone, insignificant, and slightly distracting, at best. It doesn't add much, and does not amount to a complete re-theming. They seemed to do this the way they did the M:S post-show: Half-way, cheap, and not well enough to be convincing.

docandsix said:

Why don't you let us know what you think? We all respect your insights and opinions. The Land looks a little brighter and more open to me, but I'm basing that on just a few photos, and my memories of the old version are now at least two-and-a-half years old. Certainly, the travel agency theme seems underdone, insignificant, and slightly distracting, at best. It doesn't add much, and does not amount to a complete re-theming. They seemed to do this the way they did the M:S post-show: Half-way, cheap, and not well enough to be convincing.

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Welcome to WDWmagic! I WILL post what I think (trust me ) in a fair manner, going through each detail. I want to hear your input as well as I formulate my weekend project.

It will be available with photographs (new ones/comparisons/diagrams) on Monday...

General Grizz said:

Let's advance this discussion:

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So you’re looking for a thesis, eh? Alright...

Where can you see the STORY of the Land being improved?

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The most obvious improvement to the story of The Land is the addition of Soarin’. Regardless of whether the attraction has been borrowed from California Adventure, movie and all, Soarin’ is a gorgeous flight over The Land, showing us vistas such as oceanscapes, mountains, rivers, crops, and civilization. It is a rich, aroma filled extension of the story being told in Living with the Land, providing an exhilarating interaction for the human passengers with nothing but the earth beneath them.

That they have chosen to lead guests into this experience through an airport themed extension of the Pavilion is clever and contemporary. The story it tells us is that through these portals, flight can give you views of The Land that you cannot see from the ground. Rather than take us on some sort of nostalgic trip through the past to theme this attraction, Disney has presented us with an opportunity available to all in the 21st century: a modern airport, inspiring young and old to seek out this connection with the earth and its atmosphere.

Is there anywhere where the story of the Land is NOT being told?

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Not from the views provided so far. Along with the story that Soarin’ and its queue are presenting, the previous stories found inside Living with the Land, Circle of Life, the Garden Grill remain apparently. The rethemed balloons continue to tell us the story of the seasons, now with the addition of seasonally themed, vibrantly colored groundscapes below them in the newly configured seating areas. The new, as yet unopened Sunshine Season food court area is providing a new story as well, with new, fresher, and more internationally varied cuisine allowing the ingredients born from The Land to tell their own story through taste.

What was the biggest change, and was it for the best? In terms of beauty? In terms of storytelling or uniqueness?

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Again, the biggest change is the addition of Soarin’ and yes, it is for the best as already described. The fountain is now gone, but the story of water has not been lost since it can be found nearby aboard the boats in Living with the Land. The other most significant and far reaching change is the overall redesign of the Pavilion’s color scheme and introduction of more contemporary materials and styles, from innovative metal trees to eye-popping patterns. The Land now stands unrivalled in beauty compared with Future World’s other Pavilions, offering new visual rhythms and a sense of grace unseen previously inside these walls.

Does the color scheme complement the Land?

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It complements it, it matches it, and it contrasts it all at the same time. The white brings us the color of clouds, apple blossoms, and snow and a feeling of freshness. The seasonal colors on the main floor demonstrate the myriad of colors that swirl around us throughout each year. The bright yellow tapestries surrounding the brightly colored seasonal balloons are like the rays of the sun shining down on The Land below. Overall, the new color scheme brings a new burst of life and airy color to a previously dark, drab, cavernous space.

Point out new areas where we see man's interaction with nature highlighted.

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Soarin’ stands as a testimony to man’s ability to connect with the earth and its atmosphere in new ways. The airport theme reminds us of how we can reach those heights in our everyday lives. The new Sunshine Season dining area will bring us a dramatically different selection of foods. There will be nothing fried, no burgers, and everything will be prepared fresh before your eyes, demonstrating in stark contrast to the previous menu how much smarter man has become about the foods we eat and the methods in which we cook them. Food grown right inside Living with the Land’s hydroponic gardens will provide a touchstone to the story told throughout the Pavilion.

This new era for The Land looks to be one of dynamic excitement, new experiences, and a furthering of the Pavilion’s story without diluting it in the least. The Land looks renewed and envigorated like a bountiful garden and is sure to inspire the imagination and the taste buds, while providing a highly repeatable destination for all to enjoy.

Thanks, hyperion... I enjoyed reading your opinion.

Thank you Hyprion...that was a great post!!!
Very well put, well thought out, and I couldn't agree with you more! :sohappy:

I'll start off by saying something nice: the outside looks really, really great. It kept with the theme of The Land (minus that unsightly Soarin' sign), and even expanded on it from the previous design.

That's pretty much where my compliments stop.

My first reaction (after OMG ?!) was, "this looks like a museum". My next reaction was, "this looks like the unholy love child of a museum and an airport". Where is the land inside of The Land? *looks outside her window* Nope, the land outside of my house is not sterile white and metal. I see brown earth, evergreen trees, new spring foliage beginning to blossom; lots of green bushiness. Someone must have stolen the land from The Land. Should we call the police? The story of the land is not being told throughout most of the interior of the pavilion. The return of the balloons are a good thing; they symbolize the seasons. The idea of the seating areas being themed to the seasons is a good enough idea, but I think it could have been executed differently. Oh, this colour scheme. What about earthtones? What is with the sterile white? Oh, that's right, this isn't The Land anymore, it's The Airport. If I wanted to visit an airport, I'd just drive down to Newburgh and save myself the $402 on an AP. Soarin' does not belong in The Land. Do they even care, anymore, about the interaction between a pavilion's name, its meaning, the attractions within, its message, or anything like that? Apparently not. Soarin' would have better been suited in the Test Track pavilion; it could have become a pavilion dedicated to motion, like how it used to be. And this travel agency. Perhaps someone could explain to me the connection between a travel agency and symbiosis. Have I missed where man interacts with nature inside of a travel agency? Oh, that's right, it doesn't. It's just there to put an inappropriately themed ride inside a pavilion that is supposed to be about the land.

Don't get me wrong. I'm sure I will love Soarin'; it looks like a fun ride. But I think it should have been placed elsewhere. The theming ideas for Soarin' are great. Travel agency, great. Travel agency in The Land, bad. The Land now feels like a congested airport. The queue for Soarin' will extend to the exterior of the pavilion on peak days, based on what CMs have said. This will cause backups on the ramps, leading to even more frenzy. The frantic feeling of the airport fits in with the lines, but not the theme of a serene land that was depicted in the version we had before. The peaceful and serene feeling of The Land is gone. There is no more "land" in The Land. They killed The Land. The Land is dead.