2015: The year of the EPCOT makeover?

[PeterAlt]

Will 2015 be the year EPCOT gets a makeover?

Confirmed: Frozen coming to Norway
Semi-confirmed: New Soaring film, projector, & theater
Rumored: New Imagination attraction
Rumored: New attraction for WoL pavilion
Rumored: Ratatouille ride for France
Rumored: UoE update

Did I miss anything? This would be in addition to Star Wars Land coming to DHS. What do you think are the chances of all of this or some of this happening?

 

[dgp602]

I have not heard the rumor for the WoL pavilion.

What is the update for UoE?

And other than Frozen coming to Norway, I can't see anything listed above that would be remotely ready to open/ride in 2015...

 

[Nmoody1]

I seem to remember thisbtime kast year everyone was predicting an Imagination makeover starting Jan 2014. I have about as much faith in an EPCOT makeover as TDO has in EPCOT!

 

[harryk]

Let there be a new film in the Earth pavilion and bring back the live hosts on the boat ride - the recording is not good. WOL was really good when it had a sponsor - why can't WDW get a new sponsor for it? This has never been explained. Reopen Odyssey, as a restaurant. WOE needs a new host/hostess - Ellen has been worn out.
Bring in a couple of NEW countries - the space is there. Get Donald out of Mexico and return the original film/show. What ever happened to Walt's ideas for EPCOT and World Showcase?

 

[JohnD]

I'm dubious about WOL. The festivals are major components of Epcot now. They would have to find new space for the "festival center."

 

[danv3]

Is rate the chances for a WoL attraction at just under 0.1%.

I'm not even sold that EPCOT will get the new Soarin film. The only saving grace there is that SDL and DCA can share costs. Otherwise I think the TDO response would be "pass."

 

[rangerbob]

I'm dubious about WOL. The festivals are major components of Epcot now. They would have to find new space for the "festival center."

The massive tent that used to be Millenium vilage that sits unused most of the time.

 

[Cmdr_Crimson]

I'll just wait for the announement for New World Fantasyland Showcase and when that shall happen....This shall occour...

 

[BrerJon]

I'm dubious about WOL. The festivals are major components of Epcot now. They would have to find new space for the "festival center."

I think they should turn the Festival Center into an attraction pavilion again, and move the tastings, merchandise stalls etc. into Odyssey instead and make that the new Festival Center.

Odyssey sits unused most of the year, other than for Cast Member meetings and corporate events, and has its own kitchens, so is perfect. Even on Festival days they could close it early and have corporate shindigs in the evenings.

I've been to the Festival Center on a busy day during Food & Wine, and even then the crowds in the Center are never so large they couldn't reasonably fit elsewhere. It also makes more sense being near World Showcase than being about as far from the events as you can get.

 

[Wegerter]

I highly doubt that any of this will happen in the near future except Frozen and Soaring.

 

[harryk]

I'm dubious about WOL. The festivals are major components of Epcot now. They would have to find new space for the "festival center."

They could use the facility located between Canada and the UK where the millennium center was in 2000.

 

[Beholder]

I'll just wait for the announement for New World Fantasyland Showcase and when that shall happen....This shall occour...

I'll bring the gasoline.

 

[dgp602]

I'm dubious about WOL. The festivals are major components of Epcot now. They would have to find new space for the "festival center."

If that's the case, then they should call it what it is. Rename it the Festival Pavilion, and completely rehab and re-theme it this way. When you leave an attraction like this in disrepair, with the rides and restaurants gutted, it looks like an abandoned attraction. The old ride signs just remind people of what it once was. Celebrate what it has become and spend some time to re-theme it....

 

[TB4244]

I think they need to re-open the WoL pavilion with an Pixar update to Cranium Command to tie in with 'Inside Out'. We know that its still there!

The synopsis:
Growing up can be a bumpy road, and it's no exception for Riley, who is uprooted from her Midwest life when her father starts a new job in San Francisco. Like all of us, Riley is guided by her emotions - Joy, Fear, Anger, Disgust and Sadness. The emotions live in Headquarters, the control center inside Riley's mind, where they help advise her through everyday life. As Riley and her emotions struggle to adjust to a new life in San Francisco, turmoil ensues in Headquarters. Although Joy, Riley's main and most important emotion, tries to keep things positive, the emotions conflict on how best to navigate a new city, house and school.

Sound familiar?

 

[ToTBellHop]

No.

 

[WondersOfLife]

I'm dubious about WOL. The festivals are major components of Epcot now. They would have to find new space for the "festival center."

Simple. There's the Odyssey and the upstairs imageworks. Also both abandoned.

 

[WondersOfLife]

Wonders of Life isn't changing any time soon and I have not heard any rumors of the pavilion since like.. 2011 or 2012.

 

[boufa]

The worst thing that happened to the WDW fan community was the Calif adventure re-do. Now since that happened, we see them doing it step by step to all of the parks. It would be nice, but I'm not holding my breath.

As for priorities, right now clearly AK is getting a lot of love. My bet is that DHS is next (with the timing of the next Star Wars movies). Epcot needs the love, and I hope it will get it, but the enhancements to epcot will be incrimental, and spread out. I would like/expect to see Epcot getting worked on 1 ride at a time. Maybe 2 at certain times. The Soarin' thing seems solid, and Frozen obviously. Then when they are done, tweaking something else.

 

[LSUmagic]

I feel like Epcot gets the short end of the stick. So much potential and so many venues already constructed but not in use. It would be amazing to see it get a face lift.

 

[gljvd]

I would wager it will work like this.

Avatar Land - Ready early 2016

Lucus Land /Hollywood make over Ready Early 2017 (I doubt they will have to make much and it will be building re-themes.

Epcot make over - Late 2017/2018.

Some things will be ready before others but I will think it will work out just like fantasy land. Hollywood studios and epcot would require the least time since most of the building work will already be there and the rides will be re-themed to fit into it . I would hope Hollywood studios itself gets a little bump in land size but I'm sure indy will come right down and they will be able to put up 2 rides quickly in that space one of them might be the indy ride from the west coast and a cantina wouldn't take to long to go up next to star tours.