I wrote this letter about the EPCOT GotG rumor if you're interested....

[Phil12]

I said he didn't say that gotg will nessersrly replace it not that it won't be replaced...

Well at least you now know how to spell his name.

 

[sshindel]

I chose snail mail for my letter. I think that someone who has worked in the parks since '71 would appreciate the physical letter.

 

[OliveMcFly]

Hopefully they don't report back to bob like this "Sir we need to revamp imagination asap!" then iger is like "I got it inside out MORE IP'S! STAT"

 

[George]

Reply number 2 ^^^^

 

[The Empress Lilly]

View attachment 159889 Reply number 2 ^^^^

I only hope that we don't lose sight of one thing - that it was all ended by a mousseau.

 

[montyz81]

I sent this letter to Joe Rohde (email?), Tom Fitzgerald(email), Bob Chapek(snail mail), and George K (snail mail, I came up with this foursome after talking to various message board bigwigs). Each of them had a unique intro paragraph. For the record, e-mails (2) and phone calls (2) I got Saturday morning have all officially been on the behalf of Bob Chapek. First, here is the letter with the Tom Fitzgerald opening paragraph. I'm not sure if Joe Rohde ever got it. The typical firstname.lastname@disney.com e-mail address bounced. He had a personal website that made it very clear he didn't want Disney e-mails sent to that site. I eventually found an edu address for him. Email response and some interesting points from the phone conversation with the person in "Guest Experience Somehing or the other" to follow. The person I talked to was very good at her job.

You are my hero! I wish I could express myself in words as you have done here! This is top notch!

 

[Andrew C]

View attachment 159902 Reply number 2 ^^^^

What a jerk response. Lol. Funny thing is they think you're the only person who has these opinions.

And where did you solicit something new? You essentially said they should follow their own promise/mission statement for each park.

 

[Nemo14]

Just now caught up with this thread. Kudos to @George for expressing so well what many of us have been feeling for years. I did write to Chappie back in March when the original rumors about ToT were going around, and I believe I probably spoke to the same person George did. She is very good at appeasing people, but I did bang my head on the wall for a while after talking to her.

 

[sshindel]

I just received a call from a Guest Experiences Services representative as well for my letter I sent to George K. I let it go to voicemail, I'll call her back at another time. I'm guessing it'll be the same conversation I had with another representative earlier in the year.

 

[Phil12]

What a jerk response. Lol. Funny thing is they think you're the only person who has these opinions.

And where did you solicit something new? You essentially said they should follow their own promise/mission statement for each park.

That is not for you or I to decide. Only Disney can decide upon their mission and the theme of their operations. As a prime example, some folks repeatedly criticize Epcot because they think the theme has been broken with new attractions such as Frozen Ever After. They fail to realize that the theme of any and all Disney operations is solely determined by Disney.

Disney can not and will not listen to your suggestions. If they do, they're just asking for a lawsuit. People here often lament that they could run the company better than Disney. However, the facts of the matter don't support those repeated lamentations.

 

[sshindel]

That is not for you or I to decide. Only Disney can decide upon their mission and the theme of their operations. As a prime example, some folks repeatedly criticize Epcot because they think the theme has been broken with new attractions such as Frozen Ever After. They fail to realize that the theme of any and all Disney operations is solely determined by Disney.

Disney can not and will not listen to your suggestions. If they do, they're just asking for a lawsuit. People here often lament that they could run the company better than Disney. However, the facts of the matter don't support those repeated lamentations.

While I think I follow your logic, I disagree on some points. Yes, Disney does hold the final decision on what theme means to them, it's their property and parks of course. The problem is that the theme was clearly spelled out when the park was built and dedicated. The theme was set, in promotional materials, in dedication speeches, and in the attractions themselves. It's put in bronze plaques outside the park.

Since this time, there has been no communication on a change in theme to this park. They have not talked about a change in direction, a change in the mission of the park. And saying that anything Disney does adheres to theme, simply because they can define the theme is a cop out.

Let me go back to an example I use over and over again. Disney cannot plop down a Star Wars attraction in Frontierland and say that it is on-theme. It is not and never will be. Doing so doesn't fit the theme, it destroys it, in that case irrevocably. You can't say it's now "Frontier themed plus space in this one place".
If Disney comes out and says "Epcot is no longer going to be <see plaque>, it's now going to be theme X", then they have changed the theme and the new park might fit it. Until then, the theme remains, and putting things in that do not fit to that theme can be criticized.

 

[Andrew C]

Disney can not and will not listen to your suggestions. If they do, they're just asking for a lawsuit. People here often lament that they could run the company better than Disney. However, the facts of the matter don't support those repeated lamentations.

These are not my suggestions nor anyone else's. It was Disney that came up with the mission of each park and put it up on a plaque. If they want to move away from that, they should stop pretending that they still follow these ideas.

 

[sshindel]

For those that might be interested, this is the letter I mailed to George K. last week. I've not yet spoken with Guest Experience Services about it yet. I chose snail mail for my delivery method.

Dear Mr. Kalogridis,

I am writing this letter to voice my concern about the recent direction, or more appropriately the lack thereof, at your Epcot theme park. It’s been something that has been on my mind for quite some time now, honestly for years, but recent events have caused me to pick up the pen to write to you.


Knowing your long tenure with Disney Parks, and your previous experience helming Epcot, I know that I don’t have to get into a massive explanation of what this park was built to be. As you know, Epcot Center was designed to be something more than just a theme park. While Walt’s initial idea for an actual experimental community served as the basis for the theme park that was designed in the late 70s and opened in ‘82, the park was transformed into one built on the idea of inspiration. A portion of Card Walker’s dedicating statement spoke to that:
“May EPCOT Center entertain, inform and inspire and, above all, may it instill a new sense of belief and pride in man's ability to shape a world that offers hope to people everywhere.”


Again, I feel that lecturing you on this is something that I do not need to do. As someone who has worked in the Disney Parks since they opened in Florida, and as someone who shepherded Epcot for years, this likely is more apparent to you than to those of us observing from the outside.


I do however bring this up because this is exactly what I feel has been lost over the years in Epcot, and if rumors are correct, seem to be about to breathe it’s final breath. What once set this park apart from all others, a bold experiment in being more than just a theme park, has been lost.


One of the things that was apparent, even to someone who was a child through the birth and growth of Epcot, was that each part of the park was a small piece of the larger message. This held true for the entire park, with Future World presenting the inspiration and vision and World Showcase showing the global perspective that would be needed to make that vision a reality. It also held true for each individual section. World Showcase was a place to explore different cultures, feel at one with fellow citizens of the world. Future World was one cohesive story of education and inspiration. Each pavilion telling it’s own story, but all together telling a part of the larger story.


The opening chapter of that story was Spaceship Earth, which closed with the song “Tomorrow’s Child”, the lyrics of which served as a mission statement for the entire park to come. Each pavilion in turn explored it’s topic, but all reinforced the central theme of the park. Horizons served as the target, and Journey into Imagination spoke to the mechanism that exists in all of us that will help us realize that goal.


I want to be clear that the point of this letter is not to ask you to bring back former pavilions. I understand and agree with the philosophy that the park needed to change and grow as the world itself did. Epcot Center was always meant to be an ever evolving park, stasis would be as detrimental to the park as anything else.


What I feel deeply is that change should not be done without careful consideration on the adherence to the overall theme. The use of film characters is not itself something that can be seen as the only factor in attraction design. The world’s most exciting Star Wars attraction would fall flat if placed in Frontierland.


Looking at some of the more recent changes, it’s hard to say that this thoughtful incorporation has happened. Soarin’, while fun, is a travelogue, which does not fit with the theme of agriculture that once defined The Land (nor is it futuristic). The Seas with Nemo missed a massive opportunity to use beloved characters as an emotional tie to tell a story about oceanic exploration, instead rehashing the film in a haphazard fashion. Test Track and Mission Space, while exciting rides, do not try and inspire kids big and small to dream of becoming astronauts or designing the transportation methods of the future. Imagination… I don’t have enough words to describe the shortcomings of the current attraction, once the linchpin of the entire park now relegated to describing our 5 senses, something my children learned in preschool.


Most recently, Frozen Ever After broke the unwritten law that defined World Showcase. It was a celebration of the real countries of the world, an exploration into the cultures of our fellow man and woman. Now the entire pavilion has been taken over by a fictional land inspired by but not a real country. With one fell swoop, it broke down the wall that had been built decades ago.


All of this has taken away from what Epcot Center once was. I truly feel that my time spent in Epcot Center as a child, during my formative years, is what led me down the path of what is now called STEM. My sense of wonder with the scientific world was nurtured by what I saw and experienced in Epcot as a child. The feeling of awe and perspective that I had as we reached the top of Spaceship Earth to see the world as one. The dreams of a future spent traveling to undersea resorts and space colonies. The desire I’ve had my entire life to one day put up solar panels so that my house could be running on “sunshine”. These feelings were real, and they had a real impact on me. I cannot say that the same is true now when I take my children to the park. They do not get the same sense of wonder. They get a couple rides that they may enjoy, but disappear immediately when the next enjoyable ride comes up. When my kids talk about Disney trips, they point to many, many other rides before they mention an Epcot attraction in passing. I would have lived in Epcot Center as a child, my kids now know it as a half-day park.


In a world that seems increasingly scientifically illiterate, it seems even more imperative that our children can find inspiration and wonder in the sciences. In a world that seemingly has taken a sharp xenophobic and at times hate-filled turn, the ideals of working together across the globe to forward the human race seems more pressing now than ever. I know that The Walt Disney Company is one that truly cares about these things, it’s evident in the efforts put forward in charitable works, in expanding renewable energy capabilities, in standing up for the marginalized communities around the world. I wish that I felt that same was reflected in the park that once was the standard bearer for this. No fast-paced comic book based attraction is going to inspire this.


I truly believe that what was written in the book Walt Disney’s Epcot Center: Creating the New World of Tomorrow should hold true today.
“While entertainment will continue to be a highly visible attraction at EPCOT Center, it is the underlying educational value of Future World that is it's most important contribution. Exciting, amusing, and fascinating as each pavilion is in itself, it is but an element of a project that may well be viewed as a springboard to our discovery of new world.”


I hope that there is still some consideration for what made this park great. What gave it such a loyal and vocal fanbase, who will line up for hours to buy merchandise celebrating former attractions. What literally changed the lives of the generation of children that had the opportunity to be inspired by the breathtaking vision put forward. I want to proudly take my kids and someday grandkids to a park and see the wonder in their eyes that I know I had 30 years ago.

Thank you for your time,

 

[danyoung56]

I'm right there with Phil12. It's their park, and they can decide what to do with it. If they want to "expand" the theme to allow Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor into Tomorrowland, that's their right, no matter what I think of it. If they say that Frozen fits in to the Norway pavilion, who am I to say they're wrong? Just because I disagree only means that I have a different opinion, and my opinion has no value to the company.

 

[sshindel]

I'm right there with Phil12. It's their park, and they can decide what to do with it. If they want to "expand" the theme to allow Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor into Tomorrowland, that's their right, no matter what I think of it. If they say that Frozen fits in to the Norway pavilion, who am I to say they're wrong? Just because I disagree only means that I have a different opinion, and my opinion has no value to the company.

My guest dollars have value to the company. My guest dollars are informed by my opinion. I may be the smallest of drops in the WDW park revenue, sure, but if Disney is not careful, there may be enough similar opinions that end up having an impact.

Sure, it's not likely. People luuuv to get drunk around the world. People will continue to show up and click the turnstiles.

But there ARE people who value adherence to theme. It's one of the things that sets Disney apart from the competition. I have a concern that too many "little" deviations will end up with a larger impact than they expect. It's how we got to where Future World is today. Little deviation in theme here to squeeze in Nemo. Little deviation there to shoehorn Soarin. Little deviation over there to turn the transportation pavilion into a car commercial, and all of a sudden, you have a park with no theme at all, and one that struggles to maintain its audience without relying on "special events and festivals" for nearly 50% of the year.

 

[mousehockey37]

View attachment 159902 Reply number 2 ^^^^

Well Mr. Poopypants, you got Stocked!

That's a form letter of form letters, lol.

I've heard of this happening before, and I've seen on this site others post their similar letters.

Basically, they've dismissed anything you've said, because, well, you made sense.

Don't feel bad, you aren't the first and won't be the last.

 

[Earl Sweatpants]

My guest dollars have value to the company. My guest dollars are informed by my opinion. I may be the smallest of drops in the WDW park revenue, sure, but if Disney is not careful, there may be enough similar opinions that end up having an impact.

Sure, it's not likely. People luuuv to get drunk around the world. People will continue to show up and click the turnstiles.

But there ARE people who value adherence to theme. It's one of the things that sets Disney apart from the competition. I have a concern that too many "little" deviations will end up with a larger impact than they expect. It's how we got to where Future World is today. Little deviation in theme here to squeeze in Nemo. Little deviation there to shoehorn Soarin. Little deviation over there to turn the transportation pavilion into a car commercial, and all of a sudden, you have a park with no theme at all, and one that struggles to maintain its audience without relying on "special events and festivals" for nearly 50% of the year.

Well said!

 

[mousehockey37]

My guest dollars have value to the company. My guest dollars are informed by my opinion. I may be the smallest of drops in the WDW park revenue, sure, but if Disney is not careful, there may be enough similar opinions that end up having an impact.

Sure, it's not likely. People luuuv to get drunk around the world. People will continue to show up and click the turnstiles.

But there ARE people who value adherence to theme. It's one of the things that sets Disney apart from the competition. I have a concern that too many "little" deviations will end up with a larger impact than they expect. It's how we got to where Future World is today. Little deviation in theme here to squeeze in Nemo. Little deviation there to shoehorn Soarin. Little deviation over there to turn the transportation pavilion into a car commercial, and all of a sudden, you have a park with no theme at all, and one that struggles to maintain its audience without relying on "special events and festivals" for nearly 50% of the year.

Sadly, they could care less about those that are domestic travelers. If we would all stop going, they would just beef up their international deals. The visitors from the UK get a pretty sweet deal (minus airfare) to come over and we all know about the South American tour groups. So unless you have a ton of stock, your ideas and opinions pretty much go here:

 

[danyoung56]

My guest dollars have value to the company.

Your individual guest dollars have very little value to the company. It all comes down to dollars. If they continue to make buckets of money and have so many people come that their parks are overrun and their hotels are full . . . well, then they are successful. At the point that people stop coming and they start to make less money, then perhaps they will change their tune a bit.

I don't disagree with anything you said. But you're preaching to a deaf ear.

 

[montyz81]

My guest dollars have value to the company. My guest dollars are informed by my opinion. I may be the smallest of drops in the WDW park revenue, sure, but if Disney is not careful, there may be enough similar opinions that end up having an impact.

Sure, it's not likely. People luuuv to get drunk around the world. People will continue to show up and click the turnstiles.

But there ARE people who value adherence to theme. It's one of the things that sets Disney apart from the competition. I have a concern that too many "little" deviations will end up with a larger impact than they expect. It's how we got to where Future World is today. Little deviation in theme here to squeeze in Nemo. Little deviation there to shoehorn Soarin. Little deviation over there to turn the transportation pavilion into a car commercial, and all of a sudden, you have a park with no theme at all, and one that struggles to maintain its audience without relying on "special events and festivals" for nearly 50% of the year.

They are already speaking. Attendence growth rates down the street are faster then any of the WDW properties I believe for 2015 and so far 2016. I get that they are building many more IPs into their rides and that kind of makes a case for what we think Disney is doing to Epcot, but if done right, they could keep the theme and include the IPs at the same time.