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Walt Disney World: A Complete Renovation
- Thread starter Brer Panther
- Start date
DisneyManOne
Well-Known Member
You know, the man behind the Imagineerland blog had Mickey's PhilharMagic moved to DHS, like you did. But, he put in a Frozen dark ride instead of Mary Poppins. Do you think a Frozen dark ride could work well in that space?
We've already got Frozen being shoehorned into Maelstrom, we don't need another.
DisneyManOne
Well-Known Member
Brer, the reason I said that is because I thought that your plans would not involve Frozen being shoehorned into Norway.
Well, they wouldn't, but I don't think there's anything we can do about it now... Construction's already started.
Before we leave the Magic Kingdom, I’d like to talk about a few changes that will be made to the park’s Parades…
First up, we have the Festival of Fantasy Parade. This parade, I assume, is supposed to represent all of the Disney characters found in Fantasyland. Except that it skips over a few. Not only that, but Frozen, which in my renovation has no place in Fantasyland (remember, the meet and greet in the Princess Fairytale Hall is just until the meet-and-greet at EPCOT is finished) is featured!
Thus, Anna, Elsa, and Olaf will be removed from their float and replaced with Princess Aurora, who was actually planned to be there before them.
And there’s also a new float in between the Brave and Peter Pan floats: a small float, but a float nonetheless, featuring Pooh, Tigger, and Eeyore in a small Honey Pot on wheels (like this pin):
There’s also the Main Street Electrical Parade. Now, I know a lot of people love this parade’s return to the Magic Kingdom, but others are rather sad that we had to lose SpectroMagic for it. I hope that this new parade will be the best of both worlds, so to speak, for both groups. I call it Disney’s Main Street Electrical Parade: SpectroMagic! Not only that, but it’ll give the current parade’s homepark, Disneyland, a chance to have it back.
The parade begins, appropriately enough, with a large sparkling float almost exactly like the one that began SpectroMagic, minus the orbs, twirly circular things, and those creepy SpectroMen guys. Mickey stands in the front of the float, Goofy in the back. “On This Magic Night”, the theme song for SpectroMagic, begins to play.
Right behind are three Swan Boats (that oddly enough don’t look much like the ones we talked about earlier) being ridden by Minnie, Donald, and Daisy. And behind THEM it is the silver pumpkin-shaped carriage that Cinderella rode to the ball. Naturally, she’s inside.
A large yellow-and-pink mushroom that serves as a chair for the hooka-smoking Caterpillar signals the beginning of the Alice in Wonderland unit of the parade. Several large critters such as a turtle, a ladybug, and a snail twirl and spin down the street. Alice, the Mad Hatter, and the March Hare arrive in a giant color-changing teacup. The Cheshire Cat trails after them, constantly vanishing and reappearing.
Next up is a unit themed to Winnie the Pooh and his hometurf, the Hundred Acre Woods, headlined by several large bees. Pooh, Tigger, and Eeyore stand in front of a large tree, while Piglet, Rabbit, Kanga (with Roo), and Owl follow the float. Behind them is a large plaid Heffalump and a polka-dotted Woozle.
After that, we have a unit themed to Peter Pan featuring the Jolly Roger, where Captain Hook and Peter Pan duke it out. Wendy and Mr. Smee are also featured. The Crocodile, of course, trails the float, ticking away.
And now for a voyage under the sea! However, instead of the Little Mermaid, we’ll be trying to find Nemo. Which isn’t very hard, he and Marlin are coming down the parade route right now. Behind them is Mr. Ray. And behind HIM are Crush and his band of sea turtles.
Firefly-lit lily pads (one of them ridden by Louis the Alligator) signal an appearance by Tiana and Naveen from The Princess and the Frog. Behind them, Rapunzel and Flynn Rider appear in a boat, surrounded by floating lanterns.
Pete’s dragon Elliot, a parade classic, makes his way down the route, followed by a unit themed to Fantasia. This section is almost exactly like the one from the original SpectroMagic.
An enormous version of Pumbaa, the warthog from The Lion King, heads down the route now, Timon riding on his back. This signals the start of a jungle-themed section. Simba (as a cub) stands in front of the float with a “mane” of color-changing leaves. Baloo and Mowgli dance with King Louie and a group of monkeys. Bringing up the rear is Kaa the Snake, who looks almost exactly like how he does in the Disneyland version of Fantasmic!
The second-to-last unit of the parade is a Toy Story unit featuring a giant Slinky Dog, Buzz Lightyear and Woody on a large RC Car, and Rex the Dinosaur.
And finally, we have the grand finale, which isn’t that different from the one from the previous SpectroMagic, albeit with Pinocchio at the end rather than Minnie and Donald.
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Main Street U.S.A.
1. Walt Disney World Railroad
2. Main Street Vehicles
3. Walt Disney: One Man’s Dream
4. Plaza Swan Boats
5. Main Street Cinema
Adventureland
6. Jungle Cruise
7. Pirates of the Caribbean
8. Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room
9. Indiana Jones and the Temple of the Fire Snake
10. Swiss Family Treehouse
Frontierland
11. Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
12. Splash Mountain
13. Country Bear Jamboree
14. Tom Sawyer Island
15. Nature’s Wonderland
16. Western River Expedition
17. Wolf and Bear Explorer Canoes
Fantasyland
18. Cinderella Castle
19. Peter Pan’s Flight
20. Dumbo the Flying Elephant
21. Prince Charming Regal Carousel
22. “it’s a small world”
23. The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
24. Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride
25. The Barnstormer Featuring the Great Goofini
26. Mad Tea Party
27. Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
28. A Jolly Holiday With Mary Poppins
29. Princess Fairytale Hall
30. Under the Sea: Journey of the Little Mermaid
31. Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
32. Enchanted Tales With Belle
Tommorowland
33. Space Mountain
34. Tommorowland Transit Authority Peoplemover
35. Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin
36. The TRON Experience
37. Laugh Floor Replacement
38. Walt Disney’s Carousel of Progress
39. Mars Rover Races
40. Astro Orbitor
And so ends our little trip to the Magic Kingdom. Now, let’s hop aboard the Monorail and head to the Transportation and Ticket Center. There’s a great big beautiful tomorrow over at…
First up, we have the Festival of Fantasy Parade. This parade, I assume, is supposed to represent all of the Disney characters found in Fantasyland. Except that it skips over a few. Not only that, but Frozen, which in my renovation has no place in Fantasyland (remember, the meet and greet in the Princess Fairytale Hall is just until the meet-and-greet at EPCOT is finished) is featured!
Thus, Anna, Elsa, and Olaf will be removed from their float and replaced with Princess Aurora, who was actually planned to be there before them.
And there’s also a new float in between the Brave and Peter Pan floats: a small float, but a float nonetheless, featuring Pooh, Tigger, and Eeyore in a small Honey Pot on wheels (like this pin):
There’s also the Main Street Electrical Parade. Now, I know a lot of people love this parade’s return to the Magic Kingdom, but others are rather sad that we had to lose SpectroMagic for it. I hope that this new parade will be the best of both worlds, so to speak, for both groups. I call it Disney’s Main Street Electrical Parade: SpectroMagic! Not only that, but it’ll give the current parade’s homepark, Disneyland, a chance to have it back.
The parade begins, appropriately enough, with a large sparkling float almost exactly like the one that began SpectroMagic, minus the orbs, twirly circular things, and those creepy SpectroMen guys. Mickey stands in the front of the float, Goofy in the back. “On This Magic Night”, the theme song for SpectroMagic, begins to play.
Right behind are three Swan Boats (that oddly enough don’t look much like the ones we talked about earlier) being ridden by Minnie, Donald, and Daisy. And behind THEM it is the silver pumpkin-shaped carriage that Cinderella rode to the ball. Naturally, she’s inside.
A large yellow-and-pink mushroom that serves as a chair for the hooka-smoking Caterpillar signals the beginning of the Alice in Wonderland unit of the parade. Several large critters such as a turtle, a ladybug, and a snail twirl and spin down the street. Alice, the Mad Hatter, and the March Hare arrive in a giant color-changing teacup. The Cheshire Cat trails after them, constantly vanishing and reappearing.
Next up is a unit themed to Winnie the Pooh and his hometurf, the Hundred Acre Woods, headlined by several large bees. Pooh, Tigger, and Eeyore stand in front of a large tree, while Piglet, Rabbit, Kanga (with Roo), and Owl follow the float. Behind them is a large plaid Heffalump and a polka-dotted Woozle.
After that, we have a unit themed to Peter Pan featuring the Jolly Roger, where Captain Hook and Peter Pan duke it out. Wendy and Mr. Smee are also featured. The Crocodile, of course, trails the float, ticking away.
And now for a voyage under the sea! However, instead of the Little Mermaid, we’ll be trying to find Nemo. Which isn’t very hard, he and Marlin are coming down the parade route right now. Behind them is Mr. Ray. And behind HIM are Crush and his band of sea turtles.
Firefly-lit lily pads (one of them ridden by Louis the Alligator) signal an appearance by Tiana and Naveen from The Princess and the Frog. Behind them, Rapunzel and Flynn Rider appear in a boat, surrounded by floating lanterns.
Pete’s dragon Elliot, a parade classic, makes his way down the route, followed by a unit themed to Fantasia. This section is almost exactly like the one from the original SpectroMagic.
An enormous version of Pumbaa, the warthog from The Lion King, heads down the route now, Timon riding on his back. This signals the start of a jungle-themed section. Simba (as a cub) stands in front of the float with a “mane” of color-changing leaves. Baloo and Mowgli dance with King Louie and a group of monkeys. Bringing up the rear is Kaa the Snake, who looks almost exactly like how he does in the Disneyland version of Fantasmic!
The second-to-last unit of the parade is a Toy Story unit featuring a giant Slinky Dog, Buzz Lightyear and Woody on a large RC Car, and Rex the Dinosaur.
And finally, we have the grand finale, which isn’t that different from the one from the previous SpectroMagic, albeit with Pinocchio at the end rather than Minnie and Donald.
Main Street U.S.A.
1. Walt Disney World Railroad
2. Main Street Vehicles
3. Walt Disney: One Man’s Dream
4. Plaza Swan Boats
5. Main Street Cinema
Adventureland
6. Jungle Cruise
7. Pirates of the Caribbean
8. Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room
9. Indiana Jones and the Temple of the Fire Snake
10. Swiss Family Treehouse
Frontierland
11. Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
12. Splash Mountain
13. Country Bear Jamboree
14. Tom Sawyer Island
15. Nature’s Wonderland
16. Western River Expedition
17. Wolf and Bear Explorer Canoes
Fantasyland
18. Cinderella Castle
19. Peter Pan’s Flight
20. Dumbo the Flying Elephant
21. Prince Charming Regal Carousel
22. “it’s a small world”
23. The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
24. Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride
25. The Barnstormer Featuring the Great Goofini
26. Mad Tea Party
27. Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
28. A Jolly Holiday With Mary Poppins
29. Princess Fairytale Hall
30. Under the Sea: Journey of the Little Mermaid
31. Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
32. Enchanted Tales With Belle
Tommorowland
33. Space Mountain
34. Tommorowland Transit Authority Peoplemover
35. Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin
36. The TRON Experience
37. Laugh Floor Replacement
38. Walt Disney’s Carousel of Progress
39. Mars Rover Races
40. Astro Orbitor
And so ends our little trip to the Magic Kingdom. Now, let’s hop aboard the Monorail and head to the Transportation and Ticket Center. There’s a great big beautiful tomorrow over at…
DisneyManOne
Well-Known Member
Brer, I don't think Aurora should be on the princess float, seeing as how "Sleeping Beauty" has a whole section in the parade.
Also, instead of just a honey pot on wheel, why not have a whole storybook float for the Pooh characters?
Also, instead of just a honey pot on wheel, why not have a whole storybook float for the Pooh characters?
I figured it'd be a bit redundant since I already had a Pooh float in the Electrical Parade. That's also why I replaced the Electrical Parade's Little Mermaid unit with a Finding Nemo one.
DisneyManOne
Well-Known Member
Wouldn't it also be redundant to have Aurora at the beginning of Festival of Fantasy, although there's a whole Sleeping Beauty unit?
Good point. I'll replace Anna and Elsa with someone else.
Oh, I have my reasons...
In 1982, the second theme park of Walt Disney World Resort, EPCOT Center, opened.
The park’s dedication plaque describes the park as a place where “human acievements are celebrated through imagination, wonders of enterprise and concepts of a future that promises new and exciting benefits for all.” At least, it was until 1999. Since then, while we have gotten some incredible new attractions, we’ve ended up losing some pavilions and attractions that were still beloved even back then. And there’s no denying that what’s replaced them is a step down!
But there would be a happy ending for the park. Now, ladies and gentlemen, I introduce to you, EPCOT Center, the revived version. Welcome to…
“The entrance of the park now features the original symbol of EPCOT Center, embedded in silver tiling at the very entrance of the park. Much in the same style as the former Leave a Legacy stones, the silver tiling will consist of the small images of all those who had had their images features on the Leave a Legacy tiles. With this renovation, the guests that had left their "legacy" at the entrance of the park will still have it there, while opening up the entrance and removing the large stones, which obstructed the entrance to the theme park.”
The park’s equivalent to Cinderella Castle (every Disney park needs one) is Spaceship Earth, presented by Siemens. DisneyManOne, again, came up with a great ride-through for a new version of the attraction narrated by James Earl “Darth Vader” Jones. I have featured it below.
Once inside the time machine vehicles, having chosen the specific language they want to hear the ride in, guests hear this introduction.
MALE ANNOUNCER: On behalf of EPCOT Center and Siemens, welcome aboard Spaceship Earth. Journey with us now as we travel through time to explore the fascinating history of human communication.
The vehicle enters a dark tunnel and rises sharply upward. A starfield appears and we hear soundbites from famous people such as Susan B. Anthony's "We ask equality be guaranteed...", JFK's "Putting a man on the moon," and FDR's famous line, "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself." Along the walls, light surges up colored "wires" towards the top of the tunnel. As we near the top, we see a projection of purplish clouds and an occasional lightning bolt as James Earl Jones begins his narration.
JAMES EARL JONES: Like a grand and miraculous spaceship, our planet has sailed through the universe of time. And for a brief moment, we have been among its many passengers. But where did we come from and where were we going? In the dust from which we were formed, the walls of time have recorded the answers to these questions and so many others. And from the very beginning with our ancestors, we have always wanted to reach out to each other... to bridge the wide gaps between us... to communicate.
Once at the top of the tunnel, images of early human pioneers, men with spears or holding rocks, and mammoths are projected onto a large screen. Every few seconds the images ripple with a wave and then reappear. We then enter a cave and see a Shaman, or medicine man, with a fur cape and antlers on his head. Two men sit around the fire listening to the Shaman. His large shadow is reflected by the fire onto the cave wall. A woman is also listening while working with a fur. On the far right wall, a man and a woman are painting a message on the wall. The drawings are similar to those found in the Salon-Niaux cave in Ariège, France, circa 10,000 B.C. Sounds of animals growling echo through the caves.
Sweeping across a vast, lonely, hostile planet, our early ancestors had set out in every direction, for they were intent on their search for food and shelter. With the development of speech came a very significant answer to survival. Now we could share and learn from one another. On the walls of caves, we inscribed our utmost victories, an increasing proof of our deeds to share with others so they too may greet tomorrow's sun.
Moving into an Egyptian temple, representing 1567 - 1085 B.C., a man on the left is making paper out of papyrus. On the right, next to an elaborate entrance to a building whose archways are decorated with hieroglyphics, a man stands high upon scaffolding carving a ventilation hole near the top of a tower. Further ahead on the left, an Egyptian pharaoh is dictating a message as a scribe copies it onto the new paper. His wife is seated next to him while a servant fans them.
Within a few thousand years, the Egyptians created more walls, each of which covered in the first written form of communication: hieroglyphics, a multifaceted language of symbols and pictures. Now we could release our thoughts from carved walls and set them down on papyrus scrolls, the first form of paper. Pharaohs could now deliver declarations to subjects throughout the land.
In the Phoenician scene, 9th century B.C., two ships meet in the ocean to exchange goods. Another man on the larger ship, behind the smaller ship, holds a rope that is connected to the smaller ship so that both ships stay together. Fog surrounds the ships. Smoke rises from small fires in pots at both ends of the larger ship. To the right of us is a wall showing the ocean going to the horizon and stars above.
Then came the Phoenicians who not only helped institute the first means of trading goods to distant ports of call, but also created the first common alphabet and delivered it from one area of the Mediterranean to another.
Up next on the right is a Grecian school, circa 428 B.C. An elderly man teaches three young scholars.
In the land of ancient Greece, the written word solidified the advent of a new art. The Greeks refined the Phoenician alphabet by adding vowels. Now the written word could be enunciated. With this improvement came philosophy, logic, and mathematics.
Ahead on the left, a young Roman man holds the reins to a two horse-drawn chariot. The man, dressed as if he is in the Roman army, who arrived in the chariot is now exchanging information with another man dressed in a toga. The man holding the reins is standing on the ground with the horses, the army man is standing one step up, and the man in the toga is standing one step up from there on a marble platform. He is between four large columns, two on each side. Smoke rises from two small fires in metal pots/stands on both ends of the scene. In the back is a painted wall showing the streets of Rome. An animated horse-drawn cart with a man riding in it dashes out of one street and off into the distance.
The great Roman Empire intertwined three continents with roads, one of the fastest information highways the world had ever known. No matter what road you took, they all led to and from Rome.
We then see a building in ruins with smoke rising from it. The smell of the burning building fills the air.
Alas, these same roads spelled doom for Rome, thanks to invaders who left Rome and centuries of knowledge in the ashes of the Dark Ages. But all was not lost. Far from the smoldering embers, Jewish and Islamic teachers would not give up the quest for knowledge. As they traveled, they debated ideas and shared new breakthroughs to anyone who would listen.
In the Islamic Empire scene, on the right, four men sit around a table on pillows on the floor discussing topics. One man has two books right next to him and another has a wooden book holder that holds the book open to a specific page. On the left is a library with some books on the shelves. They aren’t stacked full. Two men, one standing, one seated on pillows on an elevated platform, are reading. Standing up high on the balcony on the right is an astronomer looking at the stars through a quadrant, which is an exact replica of the real thing. Further ahead on the left, two Benedictine Monks, 11th and 12th century, are seated at their desks copying text. The one on the right has fallen asleep at the job. His chest rises and falls as he breathes in and out.
In western abbeys, monks toiled endlessly in silent seclusion, copying old books of wisdom and revelations for future generations. At long last, from the depths of the Dark Ages, came the Renaissance and a wonderful new invention, the printing press. Now for all: the printed word.
On the left, two men are working with a large wooden printing press. Johann Gutenberg is studying a piece of paper that just came off the press (1456).
Scientists, scholars and explorers expanded their discoveries into books and essays. Poets, musicians and artists all fanned the flames of the Renaissance, swelling it into a time of priceless works of beauty and majesty.
In Renaissance Italy (1500s), on the right, one man is reading a book to two listeners on the steps. Also, two musicians are playing just beyond in front of a closed doorway. An Italian town can be seen through the columns and arches in the background. On the left, in an artist's studio, we see a man mixing paint, another painting some fruits with a bowl of fruit as a guide, and another chiseling marble to create a statue. Sketches of the female subject are on the wall behind him and to the left of him is a small statue that he also uses as a guide. Further ahead and up on the left, we see Michelangelo painting the Sistine ceiling while lying on his back high upon scaffolding. Below, the stained glass church windows are illuminated with black light. To the right is a conveyance system that allows buckets of paint to be hoisted up the scaffolding to Michelangelo.
On this wave of inspiration, we sail into a bold, new era: an age of amazing inventions and ever-increasing progress in communications, bringing people worldwide together as never before. As our appetite for knowledge and information continued to swell, the world began to shrink.
Now we move into the Age of Invention (19th and 20th centuries). First, we see a large steam-powered printing press by William Bullock in 1863. Just like Gutenberg inspected his printed paper, a man stands in front of the press and inspects a newspaper that was just printed. Nearby, on a street corner, a boy stands with a stack of New York Daily papers calling out to try to sell them.
NEWSPAPER BOY: Extra! Extra! Read all about it! The Civil War is over! Extra! Extra! (note that I have no idea what the paperboy currently shouts, but it'd remain the same.)
On the right, one man is dictating a message and the other is using a telegraph to send the message. Through the window and door behind them, we can see train tracks crossing the plains to the mountains in the distance. On the left is a switchboard that three women, two seated and the third standing, are operating. Behind that are several windows that represent homes and apartments throughout the town. Fiber optic telephone lines stretch from the switchboard across poles to the homes. We can hear conversations coming from the shadows of people in some of the windows. On the right, is a woman in a ticket booth. Above that and also spanning above us is a lighted "Cinema" sign. There are three screens to the left of the booth that show scenes from an old black and white movie about a guy on a runaway trolley ("Stop that trolley!" is one of the captions), Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) and 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954). The screen showing the old movie is surrounded by red curtains and gold trim to look like the fancier theaters of its time. Back on the left is the WDP radio station. WDP is, of course, short for Walt Disney Productions. A man and a woman inside the sound booth are live on the air acting out a story. A man outside the booth is checking sound levels and directing. To the right of that is a radio tower with a red light blinking on top. On the wall behind it is a painting of another radio tower in the distance. Surrounding its red light are drawings of the radio waves spreading from the tower. Just beyond that is a family (mother, father, and daughter) sitting in their living room around the TV. The mother changes the channel using a large, by today's standards, remote control. Three other TVs hang on the wall up behind the family TV. The TVs are playing Ozzie and Harriet, the 1964 NFL Colts vs. Browns Championship Game, Walt Disney introducing an episode of Disney's Wonderful World of Color and Neil Armstrong landing on the moon.
Now we have the ability to connect with everyone anywhere in the world, and then on July 20th, 1969, from somewhere else...
NEIL ARMSTRONG: That's one small step for man...and one giant leap for mankind.
JAMES EARL JONES: Yes, to send a man to the moon, we had to create a new language. A language not spoken by man...but by computer. Following this success, the power of the computer was put in everyone's hands.
Ahead on the left, we see a boy lying on the floor of his typical American room using his computer. He is checking e-mails on his computer that came from a Japanese girl and he is talking to her on his cell phone. Everything he says is translated into Japanese for her to understand and everything she says is translated into English, except once when she says, "Jason, you are one cool dude" in English. The video downloads include a written translation showing both languages. She plays a video clip of her baseball game for him to see. Fiber optics zip from his room up and across the ocean to her room in Japan, showing the transfer of the information. She is sitting on the floor of her home in Japan with a similar computer to the boy's, talking on a similar cell.
KAIKO: Jason, do you want to see my team’s winning run?
JASON: Cool. Launch it over.
KAIKO: Okay, wait...
JASON: Kaiko, it’s you! Excellent! I knew you were a star.
KAIKO: Oh, no...
Missing lines here...
JASON: Yeah, I can see. Hey, check this out!
KAIKO: Launch it over.
JASON: Hold on a second. There...
Missing lines here...
JASON: Wait, wait. Watch this. (hit) Yes!
KAIKO: Oh, Jason. You're master of [ ? ] too.
JASON: You were right. You won the match.
JAMES EARL JONES: The Internet, our new communications system is growing before our very eyes. Spaceship Earth glows with billions of interactions carrying news and information at the very speed of light.
Fiber optic lights then transfer the information to a large sphere representing Earth. We pass through a satellite transmitter that has rays of electric energy fly overhead, representing Internet informatoin jumping from city to city and sometimes across continents to computers. We then enter a tunnel that surrounds us with lights blinking and whirling past. The sounds of jumbled conversations and visuals of words (e-mails) join the music.The rays of energy converage and expand, covering the vehicles, almost as if it is being sucked into this expanse of energy. The video screens begin to illuminate with a series of digits and letters, as if it was being enveloped by a matrix. The vehicles travel down a glittering, illuminated matrix, before arriving at the peak of the attraction.
After 30,000 years of progress, here we are. Verged on the threshold of infinity, we see our world as it truly is: small, silent, fragile, alive, a drifting island in the midnight sky. We are a truly global community, poised to shape the future of this, our Spaceship Earth.
Outer space. Looking in from space, up at the Earth. The entire peak of the attraction features glittering, new fiber-optic stars, as well as projected stars filling the vast space sky. The vehicles then rotate backwards, as they begin their descent back down to earth.
MALE ANNOUNCER: Attention, travelers of time. Please remain seated at all times. Your time machine is rotating backwards for your return back to earth.
As I said earlier, the video screens will no longer be utilized during the finale and much of the current finale will be completely removed. As the vehicles descend down, they proceed through a vast expanse of matrix-y digits and numerals, enveloped in a wash of energy. An instrumental of "Tomorrow's Child" starts up.
JAMES EARL JONES: No longer can physical distance hamper communication. Today, the whole world is just a click or a call away. Our news is their news and vice-versa. We share our hopes and concerns with the whole planet. Today we truly live among people in a Global Neighborhood.
We pass below a large TV screen that displays news clips from around the world. Every 10 seconds or so, the image switches to a different anchor from a different part of the world.
Wondrous new tools will help us learn more about ourselves, each other and the planet we share. We'll find new ways to share our dreams and ideals and create a better for us, today, tomorrow and tomorrow's child.
The lyrics to "Tomorrow's Child" begin to be heard at this point and the song plays throughout the rest of the attraction, even during some upcoming dioramas.
No longer just words, but now images and videos are sent in a flash to every corner of our world. Cellular communications make it possible for us to be on-the-go and connect with others freely. Wireless computers and smart phones give us new information anywhere, any time we need. And as we enter a new century, yet another revolution in communication is upon us as profound as all the progress that has come before. By using our new communication tools to build better bridges between us, we will discover we all share the common bonds of hope and sorrow, dreams and joys.
On the right, we pass clouds, a star field, and an occasional lightning strike. The vehicles, still descending backwards, pass through a futuristic city. Lights below the track our vehicles are on seem to emulate cars speeding by. Giant buildings illuminated with fiber optic lights surround our field of vision. Inside these buildings, we can see various families from across the world all interacting with each other, via computer screen, communicating with it, sending video images from one place to another, establishing the fact that communication is right at our figner tips and therefore, the world as well. The segment displays the easy video transmition from a place like Japan and how it can reach to a family in Canada. The sets feature people from all over the world, communicating with other people across the room.
All these communications are sending information through the network to the vast, fiber optics filled, modern city on the waterfront beyond. Rays of fiber-optics spread away from the city up and over the vehicles, towards the descent of the attraction. As the vehicle continues to ascend down, the vehicle becomes wrapped in a descent of stars, as twinkling, colorful fiber-optics swirl overhead before seemingly dissolving into a series of glittering bulbs, as if fading, just as the vehicles turn around to reveal the unloading station.
Since the dawn of recorded time, communication has transformed our ways of life and changed our world. We now have the ability and the responsibility to build new bridges of acceptance and co-operation between us, to create a better world for our children and ourselves as we continue our astounding voyage on board Spaceship Earth.
MALE ANNOUNCER: Siemens thanks you for traveling with us on Spaceship Earth and look forward to serving you in the future. For a look at today's new technologies, we invite you to visit Project: Tomorrow in CommuniCore West, an exciting world of new ideas and innovations made possible by Siemens ingenuity. When the doors of your vehicle open, please gather your personal belongings, take small children by the hand and step out onto the moving platform up ahead. The platform and your vehicle are traveling at equal speed.
Upon exiting the vehicle, we then proceed down the ramp into Earth Station.
Innoventions is now gone, as it is over in Disneyland, and each side has been replaced by something different. For example, Innoventions East has become EPCOT Center: A Legacy, a walk-through attraction a la One Man’s Dream over at the Magic Kingdom about the history of EPCOT Center. Featured here are old photographs, concept art, and even old attraction props!
A piece of concept art featured in EPCOT Center: A Legacy
Innoventions West, meanwhile, is the new home for two new attractions: one half has become the new home for the Blue Sky Gallery, where you can get a sneak peak at Walt Disney Imagineering’s latest projects. The other half is now a new attraction called the Information Superhighway. This quick-moving dark ride gives riders the feeling of being inside a computer. But beware, for viruses have invaded the system, and they’re after YOU!
Outside, you may find that someone else has joined the ranks of Disney’s “Living Character” audio-animatronics, along with Lucky the Dinosaur and Push the talking trash can. This is SMRT-1, a purple robot with a knack for trivia. He roams through Future World on a rotating pedestal surrounded by telephones.
The Electric Umbrella restaurant has been renamed (what does that name mean, anyway?) to Starlight Terrace.
And that about does it for now. Next time, we’ll take a left turn at Spaceship Earth and see what’s happening on the East side of the park.
The park’s dedication plaque describes the park as a place where “human acievements are celebrated through imagination, wonders of enterprise and concepts of a future that promises new and exciting benefits for all.” At least, it was until 1999. Since then, while we have gotten some incredible new attractions, we’ve ended up losing some pavilions and attractions that were still beloved even back then. And there’s no denying that what’s replaced them is a step down!
But there would be a happy ending for the park. Now, ladies and gentlemen, I introduce to you, EPCOT Center, the revived version. Welcome to…
FUTURE WORLD
Gone as we walk down the entryway of the park are the Leave a Legacy rocks. However, those that have “left a legacy” will still be featured in the park, as this idea from DisneyManOne explains:“The entrance of the park now features the original symbol of EPCOT Center, embedded in silver tiling at the very entrance of the park. Much in the same style as the former Leave a Legacy stones, the silver tiling will consist of the small images of all those who had had their images features on the Leave a Legacy tiles. With this renovation, the guests that had left their "legacy" at the entrance of the park will still have it there, while opening up the entrance and removing the large stones, which obstructed the entrance to the theme park.”
The park’s equivalent to Cinderella Castle (every Disney park needs one) is Spaceship Earth, presented by Siemens. DisneyManOne, again, came up with a great ride-through for a new version of the attraction narrated by James Earl “Darth Vader” Jones. I have featured it below.
Once inside the time machine vehicles, having chosen the specific language they want to hear the ride in, guests hear this introduction.
MALE ANNOUNCER: On behalf of EPCOT Center and Siemens, welcome aboard Spaceship Earth. Journey with us now as we travel through time to explore the fascinating history of human communication.
The vehicle enters a dark tunnel and rises sharply upward. A starfield appears and we hear soundbites from famous people such as Susan B. Anthony's "We ask equality be guaranteed...", JFK's "Putting a man on the moon," and FDR's famous line, "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself." Along the walls, light surges up colored "wires" towards the top of the tunnel. As we near the top, we see a projection of purplish clouds and an occasional lightning bolt as James Earl Jones begins his narration.
JAMES EARL JONES: Like a grand and miraculous spaceship, our planet has sailed through the universe of time. And for a brief moment, we have been among its many passengers. But where did we come from and where were we going? In the dust from which we were formed, the walls of time have recorded the answers to these questions and so many others. And from the very beginning with our ancestors, we have always wanted to reach out to each other... to bridge the wide gaps between us... to communicate.
Once at the top of the tunnel, images of early human pioneers, men with spears or holding rocks, and mammoths are projected onto a large screen. Every few seconds the images ripple with a wave and then reappear. We then enter a cave and see a Shaman, or medicine man, with a fur cape and antlers on his head. Two men sit around the fire listening to the Shaman. His large shadow is reflected by the fire onto the cave wall. A woman is also listening while working with a fur. On the far right wall, a man and a woman are painting a message on the wall. The drawings are similar to those found in the Salon-Niaux cave in Ariège, France, circa 10,000 B.C. Sounds of animals growling echo through the caves.
Sweeping across a vast, lonely, hostile planet, our early ancestors had set out in every direction, for they were intent on their search for food and shelter. With the development of speech came a very significant answer to survival. Now we could share and learn from one another. On the walls of caves, we inscribed our utmost victories, an increasing proof of our deeds to share with others so they too may greet tomorrow's sun.
Moving into an Egyptian temple, representing 1567 - 1085 B.C., a man on the left is making paper out of papyrus. On the right, next to an elaborate entrance to a building whose archways are decorated with hieroglyphics, a man stands high upon scaffolding carving a ventilation hole near the top of a tower. Further ahead on the left, an Egyptian pharaoh is dictating a message as a scribe copies it onto the new paper. His wife is seated next to him while a servant fans them.
Within a few thousand years, the Egyptians created more walls, each of which covered in the first written form of communication: hieroglyphics, a multifaceted language of symbols and pictures. Now we could release our thoughts from carved walls and set them down on papyrus scrolls, the first form of paper. Pharaohs could now deliver declarations to subjects throughout the land.
In the Phoenician scene, 9th century B.C., two ships meet in the ocean to exchange goods. Another man on the larger ship, behind the smaller ship, holds a rope that is connected to the smaller ship so that both ships stay together. Fog surrounds the ships. Smoke rises from small fires in pots at both ends of the larger ship. To the right of us is a wall showing the ocean going to the horizon and stars above.
Then came the Phoenicians who not only helped institute the first means of trading goods to distant ports of call, but also created the first common alphabet and delivered it from one area of the Mediterranean to another.
Up next on the right is a Grecian school, circa 428 B.C. An elderly man teaches three young scholars.
In the land of ancient Greece, the written word solidified the advent of a new art. The Greeks refined the Phoenician alphabet by adding vowels. Now the written word could be enunciated. With this improvement came philosophy, logic, and mathematics.
Ahead on the left, a young Roman man holds the reins to a two horse-drawn chariot. The man, dressed as if he is in the Roman army, who arrived in the chariot is now exchanging information with another man dressed in a toga. The man holding the reins is standing on the ground with the horses, the army man is standing one step up, and the man in the toga is standing one step up from there on a marble platform. He is between four large columns, two on each side. Smoke rises from two small fires in metal pots/stands on both ends of the scene. In the back is a painted wall showing the streets of Rome. An animated horse-drawn cart with a man riding in it dashes out of one street and off into the distance.
The great Roman Empire intertwined three continents with roads, one of the fastest information highways the world had ever known. No matter what road you took, they all led to and from Rome.
We then see a building in ruins with smoke rising from it. The smell of the burning building fills the air.
Alas, these same roads spelled doom for Rome, thanks to invaders who left Rome and centuries of knowledge in the ashes of the Dark Ages. But all was not lost. Far from the smoldering embers, Jewish and Islamic teachers would not give up the quest for knowledge. As they traveled, they debated ideas and shared new breakthroughs to anyone who would listen.
In the Islamic Empire scene, on the right, four men sit around a table on pillows on the floor discussing topics. One man has two books right next to him and another has a wooden book holder that holds the book open to a specific page. On the left is a library with some books on the shelves. They aren’t stacked full. Two men, one standing, one seated on pillows on an elevated platform, are reading. Standing up high on the balcony on the right is an astronomer looking at the stars through a quadrant, which is an exact replica of the real thing. Further ahead on the left, two Benedictine Monks, 11th and 12th century, are seated at their desks copying text. The one on the right has fallen asleep at the job. His chest rises and falls as he breathes in and out.
In western abbeys, monks toiled endlessly in silent seclusion, copying old books of wisdom and revelations for future generations. At long last, from the depths of the Dark Ages, came the Renaissance and a wonderful new invention, the printing press. Now for all: the printed word.
On the left, two men are working with a large wooden printing press. Johann Gutenberg is studying a piece of paper that just came off the press (1456).
Scientists, scholars and explorers expanded their discoveries into books and essays. Poets, musicians and artists all fanned the flames of the Renaissance, swelling it into a time of priceless works of beauty and majesty.
In Renaissance Italy (1500s), on the right, one man is reading a book to two listeners on the steps. Also, two musicians are playing just beyond in front of a closed doorway. An Italian town can be seen through the columns and arches in the background. On the left, in an artist's studio, we see a man mixing paint, another painting some fruits with a bowl of fruit as a guide, and another chiseling marble to create a statue. Sketches of the female subject are on the wall behind him and to the left of him is a small statue that he also uses as a guide. Further ahead and up on the left, we see Michelangelo painting the Sistine ceiling while lying on his back high upon scaffolding. Below, the stained glass church windows are illuminated with black light. To the right is a conveyance system that allows buckets of paint to be hoisted up the scaffolding to Michelangelo.
On this wave of inspiration, we sail into a bold, new era: an age of amazing inventions and ever-increasing progress in communications, bringing people worldwide together as never before. As our appetite for knowledge and information continued to swell, the world began to shrink.
Now we move into the Age of Invention (19th and 20th centuries). First, we see a large steam-powered printing press by William Bullock in 1863. Just like Gutenberg inspected his printed paper, a man stands in front of the press and inspects a newspaper that was just printed. Nearby, on a street corner, a boy stands with a stack of New York Daily papers calling out to try to sell them.
NEWSPAPER BOY: Extra! Extra! Read all about it! The Civil War is over! Extra! Extra! (note that I have no idea what the paperboy currently shouts, but it'd remain the same.)
On the right, one man is dictating a message and the other is using a telegraph to send the message. Through the window and door behind them, we can see train tracks crossing the plains to the mountains in the distance. On the left is a switchboard that three women, two seated and the third standing, are operating. Behind that are several windows that represent homes and apartments throughout the town. Fiber optic telephone lines stretch from the switchboard across poles to the homes. We can hear conversations coming from the shadows of people in some of the windows. On the right, is a woman in a ticket booth. Above that and also spanning above us is a lighted "Cinema" sign. There are three screens to the left of the booth that show scenes from an old black and white movie about a guy on a runaway trolley ("Stop that trolley!" is one of the captions), Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) and 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954). The screen showing the old movie is surrounded by red curtains and gold trim to look like the fancier theaters of its time. Back on the left is the WDP radio station. WDP is, of course, short for Walt Disney Productions. A man and a woman inside the sound booth are live on the air acting out a story. A man outside the booth is checking sound levels and directing. To the right of that is a radio tower with a red light blinking on top. On the wall behind it is a painting of another radio tower in the distance. Surrounding its red light are drawings of the radio waves spreading from the tower. Just beyond that is a family (mother, father, and daughter) sitting in their living room around the TV. The mother changes the channel using a large, by today's standards, remote control. Three other TVs hang on the wall up behind the family TV. The TVs are playing Ozzie and Harriet, the 1964 NFL Colts vs. Browns Championship Game, Walt Disney introducing an episode of Disney's Wonderful World of Color and Neil Armstrong landing on the moon.
Now we have the ability to connect with everyone anywhere in the world, and then on July 20th, 1969, from somewhere else...
NEIL ARMSTRONG: That's one small step for man...and one giant leap for mankind.
JAMES EARL JONES: Yes, to send a man to the moon, we had to create a new language. A language not spoken by man...but by computer. Following this success, the power of the computer was put in everyone's hands.
Ahead on the left, we see a boy lying on the floor of his typical American room using his computer. He is checking e-mails on his computer that came from a Japanese girl and he is talking to her on his cell phone. Everything he says is translated into Japanese for her to understand and everything she says is translated into English, except once when she says, "Jason, you are one cool dude" in English. The video downloads include a written translation showing both languages. She plays a video clip of her baseball game for him to see. Fiber optics zip from his room up and across the ocean to her room in Japan, showing the transfer of the information. She is sitting on the floor of her home in Japan with a similar computer to the boy's, talking on a similar cell.
KAIKO: Jason, do you want to see my team’s winning run?
JASON: Cool. Launch it over.
KAIKO: Okay, wait...
JASON: Kaiko, it’s you! Excellent! I knew you were a star.
KAIKO: Oh, no...
Missing lines here...
JASON: Yeah, I can see. Hey, check this out!
KAIKO: Launch it over.
JASON: Hold on a second. There...
Missing lines here...
JASON: Wait, wait. Watch this. (hit) Yes!
KAIKO: Oh, Jason. You're master of [ ? ] too.
JASON: You were right. You won the match.
JAMES EARL JONES: The Internet, our new communications system is growing before our very eyes. Spaceship Earth glows with billions of interactions carrying news and information at the very speed of light.
Fiber optic lights then transfer the information to a large sphere representing Earth. We pass through a satellite transmitter that has rays of electric energy fly overhead, representing Internet informatoin jumping from city to city and sometimes across continents to computers. We then enter a tunnel that surrounds us with lights blinking and whirling past. The sounds of jumbled conversations and visuals of words (e-mails) join the music.The rays of energy converage and expand, covering the vehicles, almost as if it is being sucked into this expanse of energy. The video screens begin to illuminate with a series of digits and letters, as if it was being enveloped by a matrix. The vehicles travel down a glittering, illuminated matrix, before arriving at the peak of the attraction.
After 30,000 years of progress, here we are. Verged on the threshold of infinity, we see our world as it truly is: small, silent, fragile, alive, a drifting island in the midnight sky. We are a truly global community, poised to shape the future of this, our Spaceship Earth.
Outer space. Looking in from space, up at the Earth. The entire peak of the attraction features glittering, new fiber-optic stars, as well as projected stars filling the vast space sky. The vehicles then rotate backwards, as they begin their descent back down to earth.
MALE ANNOUNCER: Attention, travelers of time. Please remain seated at all times. Your time machine is rotating backwards for your return back to earth.
As I said earlier, the video screens will no longer be utilized during the finale and much of the current finale will be completely removed. As the vehicles descend down, they proceed through a vast expanse of matrix-y digits and numerals, enveloped in a wash of energy. An instrumental of "Tomorrow's Child" starts up.
JAMES EARL JONES: No longer can physical distance hamper communication. Today, the whole world is just a click or a call away. Our news is their news and vice-versa. We share our hopes and concerns with the whole planet. Today we truly live among people in a Global Neighborhood.
We pass below a large TV screen that displays news clips from around the world. Every 10 seconds or so, the image switches to a different anchor from a different part of the world.
Wondrous new tools will help us learn more about ourselves, each other and the planet we share. We'll find new ways to share our dreams and ideals and create a better for us, today, tomorrow and tomorrow's child.
The lyrics to "Tomorrow's Child" begin to be heard at this point and the song plays throughout the rest of the attraction, even during some upcoming dioramas.
No longer just words, but now images and videos are sent in a flash to every corner of our world. Cellular communications make it possible for us to be on-the-go and connect with others freely. Wireless computers and smart phones give us new information anywhere, any time we need. And as we enter a new century, yet another revolution in communication is upon us as profound as all the progress that has come before. By using our new communication tools to build better bridges between us, we will discover we all share the common bonds of hope and sorrow, dreams and joys.
On the right, we pass clouds, a star field, and an occasional lightning strike. The vehicles, still descending backwards, pass through a futuristic city. Lights below the track our vehicles are on seem to emulate cars speeding by. Giant buildings illuminated with fiber optic lights surround our field of vision. Inside these buildings, we can see various families from across the world all interacting with each other, via computer screen, communicating with it, sending video images from one place to another, establishing the fact that communication is right at our figner tips and therefore, the world as well. The segment displays the easy video transmition from a place like Japan and how it can reach to a family in Canada. The sets feature people from all over the world, communicating with other people across the room.
All these communications are sending information through the network to the vast, fiber optics filled, modern city on the waterfront beyond. Rays of fiber-optics spread away from the city up and over the vehicles, towards the descent of the attraction. As the vehicle continues to ascend down, the vehicle becomes wrapped in a descent of stars, as twinkling, colorful fiber-optics swirl overhead before seemingly dissolving into a series of glittering bulbs, as if fading, just as the vehicles turn around to reveal the unloading station.
Since the dawn of recorded time, communication has transformed our ways of life and changed our world. We now have the ability and the responsibility to build new bridges of acceptance and co-operation between us, to create a better world for our children and ourselves as we continue our astounding voyage on board Spaceship Earth.
MALE ANNOUNCER: Siemens thanks you for traveling with us on Spaceship Earth and look forward to serving you in the future. For a look at today's new technologies, we invite you to visit Project: Tomorrow in CommuniCore West, an exciting world of new ideas and innovations made possible by Siemens ingenuity. When the doors of your vehicle open, please gather your personal belongings, take small children by the hand and step out onto the moving platform up ahead. The platform and your vehicle are traveling at equal speed.
Upon exiting the vehicle, we then proceed down the ramp into Earth Station.
Innoventions is now gone, as it is over in Disneyland, and each side has been replaced by something different. For example, Innoventions East has become EPCOT Center: A Legacy, a walk-through attraction a la One Man’s Dream over at the Magic Kingdom about the history of EPCOT Center. Featured here are old photographs, concept art, and even old attraction props!
A piece of concept art featured in EPCOT Center: A Legacy
Outside, you may find that someone else has joined the ranks of Disney’s “Living Character” audio-animatronics, along with Lucky the Dinosaur and Push the talking trash can. This is SMRT-1, a purple robot with a knack for trivia. He roams through Future World on a rotating pedestal surrounded by telephones.
The Electric Umbrella restaurant has been renamed (what does that name mean, anyway?) to Starlight Terrace.
And that about does it for now. Next time, we’ll take a left turn at Spaceship Earth and see what’s happening on the East side of the park.
Flippin'Flounder
Well-Known Member
So where will Project: Tommorow be?
I'm not sure.
FUTURE WORLD EAST
This side of Future World seems to have gotten the most changes over the years. Some of them have fared better than others. Hopefully, the changes I’ve brought to Future World East will fare better than those others as well!First up is the Universe of Energy pavilion. Now, while I do enjoy the Ellen’s Energy Adventure attraction, I will admit that it’s gotten a little dated. It’s also pretty long (there’s, like, a full minute where they take a break from the story and you’re stuck listening to a radio play). The new version of the attraction, simply titled Universe of Energy, should fix both of these problems. The attraction, hosted by Jim Parsons (no, he’s not in-character as Sheldon. That would just make the ride dated), is rather similar to the original version. The dinosaur sequence, of course, remains, minus the Audio-Animatronic Ellen.
Where Wonders of Life once stood is a brand-new pavilion called Wonders of Weather. The building no longer looks like a giant dome, but more along the lines of a large building that looks like a cloud from overhead. There’s a lot to do here, so let’s head inside!
Instead of Body Wars, the main attraction here is StormRider, a clone of the popular Tokyo DisneySea attraction that gives guests the sensation of being stuck in a storm.
Replacing Cranium Command is a new show called WeatherWatch. Hosted by “Weather Expect” Dr. Sirius (Craig Ferguson), the show, like its predecessor, features personifications of types of weather as its characters. From the attention-hogging Sunlight (Rob Paulsen) and the incredibly depressed Rain (Steven Wright) to the loud and bombastic Thunder (Brad Garrett) and the crazy and out-of-control Tornado (Jim Cummings). As a tribute, Cranium Command character General Knowledge makes a quick cameo during the show.
In place of the Sensory Fairgrounds is a play area called WeatherWorks. The pavilion also features a restaurant called the Cloud 9 Café and a gift shop called Thunder and Lighting Gifts.
I wasn’t sure what to do with Mission: SPACE at first. I’m not a fan of the ride (I haven’t even been on it), but I wasn’t sure about getting rid of it because I figured it was a pretty popular attraction. However, since I’ve joined the forums I’ve discovered that the common Disney fan (Fanicus Vacationkingdomoftheworldicus) actually doesn’t like the ride that much. While space travel will still have a place in the park once I’m done, you can say bye-bye to Mission: SPACE and hello to a new version of the much-missed Horizons. Obviously, everything on the ride wouldn’t be EXACTLY the same as it was back then. There’d be updated effects, and slightly more up-to-date views of the future. The ride also features a small tribute to Mission: SPACE during the scene with the astronauts, but I’m not sure what it will be yet.
And finally, there’s Test Track, which remains unchanged since its 2012 refurbishment.
We’re done… For now. Join me next time where we’ll dive into the Living Seas, journey into imagination with Figment, and live with the land we all love.
FUTURE WORLD WEST
This is where things get juicy. First up, how about a trip to The Land?
The pavilion looks better than ever. Gone are the balloons and streamers. Now there is a large mural painted on the roof. The main attraction here, of course, is Soarin’, but since Disney already has plans to refurbish it I won’t make any changes for now.
Also here is Living With the Land. Here I’d bring back the cast member guides and the old song “Listen to the Land” (however, I’d change the lyrics a bit: now it goes “We’re living with the land we all love…”)
A new addition here is FOOD! A Salute to Good Nutrition, intended to be kind of a throwback to Kitchen Kabaret and Food Rocks. Admittedly, I’m not a huge fan of either show, but there’s at least a good premise. This is sort of a “best of both worlds” for fans of both attractions. Characters featured include the Little Richard pineapple, Mr. Hamm and Mr. Eggz, and the host, Fud Wrapper.
The host of the show, Fud Wrapper.
Next we have The Living Seas. I make plans for Nemo and his fishy friends elsewhere in the resort, so they’ll be given the boot from EPCOT. The only remainders of their presence are Turtle Talk With Crush, a small tribute in the new dark ride (mentioned below), and some merchandise in the gift shop.
The Seas With Nemo and Friends dark ride is now Deep Sea Voyage, in which guests board small “open-air submarines” and dive, dive, dive for a voyage into the beautiful briny sea. On the ride, they’ll encounter glowing jellyfish, friendly sharks, an octopus, and even a ferocious anglerfish. Of course, during the ride you can see the aquarium fish in the tank, although most of the new additions are audio-animatronics.
In between The Land and The Living Seas is a new pavilion called SPACE: The Final Frontier. This is meant to serve as sort of a replacement for Mission: SPACE.
The main attraction here is Flight to the Moon, a dark ride in the style of Horizons that takes you on an adventure through space. The ride exits out into the Ursa Major Shop. Also featured here is a restaurant called Spacestation Snacks.
And finally, we have the Imagination! Pavilion. Time hasn’t been kind to this pavilion. Even the return of the ever-popular dragon Figment in 2002 hasn’t helped it become a park favorite again. This new refurbishment of the pavilion will change that.
The pavilion’s walls have been repainted, the former red and oranges being replaced with a flood of blues and purples. The glass pyramids have been cleaned. The banner displaying the title of the dark ride inside the pavilion has been replaced with a similar one reading, “JOURNEY INTO THE IMAGINATION (FEATURING FIGMENT)”.
Why? The attraction has been completely revamped, that’s why! The new attraction, called Journey Into the Imagination, features the return of the pavilion’s old host, Dreamfinder. He and Figment take you on a journey into the many realms of imagination, such as the Realm of Art, the Realm of Science, and the Realm of Literature. A full ride-through will come later.
The ride exits out into the new ImageWorks. The new version of the classic play area takes use of not only the current ImageWorks, but the former version located upstairs. The upstairs area can be accessed via a spiraling staircase in the middle of the area. Activities include the Stepping Tones, Dreamfinder’s School of Drama, and Figment’s Coloring Book And I’m not sure what’ll replace Captain EO yet…
Well, that about does it for Future World. Next up, it’s time for a trip to World Showcase…
This is where things get juicy. First up, how about a trip to The Land?
The pavilion looks better than ever. Gone are the balloons and streamers. Now there is a large mural painted on the roof. The main attraction here, of course, is Soarin’, but since Disney already has plans to refurbish it I won’t make any changes for now.
Also here is Living With the Land. Here I’d bring back the cast member guides and the old song “Listen to the Land” (however, I’d change the lyrics a bit: now it goes “We’re living with the land we all love…”)
A new addition here is FOOD! A Salute to Good Nutrition, intended to be kind of a throwback to Kitchen Kabaret and Food Rocks. Admittedly, I’m not a huge fan of either show, but there’s at least a good premise. This is sort of a “best of both worlds” for fans of both attractions. Characters featured include the Little Richard pineapple, Mr. Hamm and Mr. Eggz, and the host, Fud Wrapper.
The host of the show, Fud Wrapper.
Next we have The Living Seas. I make plans for Nemo and his fishy friends elsewhere in the resort, so they’ll be given the boot from EPCOT. The only remainders of their presence are Turtle Talk With Crush, a small tribute in the new dark ride (mentioned below), and some merchandise in the gift shop.
The Seas With Nemo and Friends dark ride is now Deep Sea Voyage, in which guests board small “open-air submarines” and dive, dive, dive for a voyage into the beautiful briny sea. On the ride, they’ll encounter glowing jellyfish, friendly sharks, an octopus, and even a ferocious anglerfish. Of course, during the ride you can see the aquarium fish in the tank, although most of the new additions are audio-animatronics.
In between The Land and The Living Seas is a new pavilion called SPACE: The Final Frontier. This is meant to serve as sort of a replacement for Mission: SPACE.
The main attraction here is Flight to the Moon, a dark ride in the style of Horizons that takes you on an adventure through space. The ride exits out into the Ursa Major Shop. Also featured here is a restaurant called Spacestation Snacks.
And finally, we have the Imagination! Pavilion. Time hasn’t been kind to this pavilion. Even the return of the ever-popular dragon Figment in 2002 hasn’t helped it become a park favorite again. This new refurbishment of the pavilion will change that.
The pavilion’s walls have been repainted, the former red and oranges being replaced with a flood of blues and purples. The glass pyramids have been cleaned. The banner displaying the title of the dark ride inside the pavilion has been replaced with a similar one reading, “JOURNEY INTO THE IMAGINATION (FEATURING FIGMENT)”.
Why? The attraction has been completely revamped, that’s why! The new attraction, called Journey Into the Imagination, features the return of the pavilion’s old host, Dreamfinder. He and Figment take you on a journey into the many realms of imagination, such as the Realm of Art, the Realm of Science, and the Realm of Literature. A full ride-through will come later.
The ride exits out into the new ImageWorks. The new version of the classic play area takes use of not only the current ImageWorks, but the former version located upstairs. The upstairs area can be accessed via a spiraling staircase in the middle of the area. Activities include the Stepping Tones, Dreamfinder’s School of Drama, and Figment’s Coloring Book And I’m not sure what’ll replace Captain EO yet…
Well, that about does it for Future World. Next up, it’s time for a trip to World Showcase…
I should probably do two posts about World Showcase... But to heck with it, I'll tackle every pavilion out now!
With this refurbishment, I believe that EPCOT Center has been returned to its former glory. Much-beloved characters like SMRT-1 and the Dreamfinder have returned. Once again, you can see the future on Horizons. World Showcase has more to do. Sure, it’s not EXACTLY how it was in its glory days, but I think those that pine for the days of World of Motion and CommuniCore will be satisfied with the current state of EPCOT Center.
Future World
1. Spaceship Earth
2. EPCOT Center: A Legacy
3. Blue Sky Gallery
4. Information Superhighway
5. Universe of Energy
6. Wonders of Weather
- StormRider
- WeatherWatch
- WeatherWorks
7. Horizons
8. Test Track
9. The Land
- Living With the Land
- Soarin’
- Circle of Life: An Environmental Fable
- FOOD! A Salute to Good Nutrition
10. The Living Seas
- Deep Sea Voyage
- Turtle Talk With Crush
11. SPACE: The Final Frontier
- Flight to the Moon
12. Imagination!
- Journey Into the Imagination (Featuring Figment)
- The ImageWorks
- Captain EO Replacement
World Showcase
13. Mexico
- Gran Fiesta Tour Starring the Three Caballeros
14. Norway
- Frozen ride
- Voyage of the Vikings
15. China
- Reflections of China
16. Russia
Mount Elbrus
The Firebird
Peter and the Wolf
17. Germany
Rhine River Cruise
16. Italy
- Le Avventure di Italia
17. The American Adventure
18. Japan
- Mount Fuji
- Bullet Train Pass
19. Morocco
- Flying Carpets Over Morocco
20. France
- The Marvelous Mind of Jules Verne
- Impressions De France
21. United Kingdom
- King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table
22. Egypt
- Great Pyramids of Anubis
23. Canada
- O Canada!
- Grizzly River Run
Next up, how about a trip to the park where you can “ride the movies”? No, I’m not talking about Universal Studios…
WORLD SHOWCASE
The last new pavilions to be added to World Showcase were Norway and Morocco. Since then, not much has changed about this section of the park, aside from the Norway pavilion essentially being turned into a pavilion devoted to Disney’s latest cash cow, Frozen. But now, let’s see what’s been up in this section of the park!
Mexico
First up is Mexico, home of the piñata, the taco, and the enchilada. One major change comes to the pavilion’s boat ride, Gran Fiesta Tour Starring the Three Caballeros. The ride has ditched its “Donald is lost” storyline and now focuses on Donald, Jose, and Panchito showing us around Mexico (Panchito does most of the talking, with Donald and Jose occasionally making a quick quip). Near the end, they realize that they’re late for a concert.
Norway
Frozen’s ending up in Norway and, unfortunately, there’s nothing we can do about it. However, here I’d add a new attraction called Voyage of the Vikings. Intended as sort of a Spiritual Successor to Maelstrom, this will be a water coaster in which guests climb aboard small Viking ships and zip away on an adventure with a band of clueless Vikings led by the grouchy Earl the Mighty. No goofy snowman or princesses here!
The last new pavilions to be added to World Showcase were Norway and Morocco. Since then, not much has changed about this section of the park, aside from the Norway pavilion essentially being turned into a pavilion devoted to Disney’s latest cash cow, Frozen. But now, let’s see what’s been up in this section of the park!
Mexico
First up is Mexico, home of the piñata, the taco, and the enchilada. One major change comes to the pavilion’s boat ride, Gran Fiesta Tour Starring the Three Caballeros. The ride has ditched its “Donald is lost” storyline and now focuses on Donald, Jose, and Panchito showing us around Mexico (Panchito does most of the talking, with Donald and Jose occasionally making a quick quip). Near the end, they realize that they’re late for a concert.
Norway
Frozen’s ending up in Norway and, unfortunately, there’s nothing we can do about it. However, here I’d add a new attraction called Voyage of the Vikings. Intended as sort of a Spiritual Successor to Maelstrom, this will be a water coaster in which guests climb aboard small Viking ships and zip away on an adventure with a band of clueless Vikings led by the grouchy Earl the Mighty. No goofy snowman or princesses here!
China remains mainly unchanged. If anyone has any ideas for attractions there, let me know.
Russia
The, let’s face it, fairly useless African Outpost is now home to the park’s Russia pavilion. Featured here is a recreation of Saint Basil’s Cathedral, a Matterhorn-esque coaster called Mt. Elbrus, a live show based on Peter and the Wolf, a stylized dark ride called The Firebird. Below is a ride-through courtesy of our good friend DisneyManOne:
The queue goes through the lobby of a ballet studio, where it is evident that they are currently practicing the Firebird. The next room seems to be the sets and costumes workshop. Around the room are flats of trees and smaller set pieces, including a sleigh just like the ride vehicle. The queues pass under a tree branch of one of the set pieces and we find ourselves right in the story. We are in a snowy forest clearing with the load area ahead of us. This room is large and tall with realistic backgrounds, the trees of the forest acting as the only division between load and the first scene, making this a grand sized room. Behind the wall straight ahead are the rest of the scenes isolated from this room. I should say now that I have taken some creative liberties with the original Firebird story.
The vehicles resemble small sleighs seating 3 per row with 2 rows. It pulls away and turns left between the snowy trees. This attraction has a style like the attraction Sinbad's Storybook Voyage at TDS. Its slightly cartoony and stylized, but very detailed which makes sense for a fantasy based story. After turning left, our narrator begins telling the story of Ivan and firebird. On the right we pass Ivan about to climb through a cave opening as our narrator introduces us to him and his journey. Forward, on the left, we see Ivan looking at the magical gardens he has stumbled upon. On the ground to the right, we see a rather large footprint and hear a birds call, which our narrator says belongs to the magical firebird. We pass through a cave, hearing struggles, and immediately find the firebird on the other side. This is a large and beautiful figure, flapping its wings attempting to fly away as Ivan stands in awe. Around the corner we find the bird in flight, hovering over Ivan who has a lasso in his hands. Our narrator tells us that Ivan captured the beautiful bird, but that the bird made a deal for its freedom. Ivan gets a magic feather and the promise to help him if needed, while Ivan must do something for the bird in return. The next scene we see the bird sitting freely next to Ivan, with a large feather in Ivan’s hand. The narrator says that Ivan continued his journey through the gardens with his new magic feather.
Around the corner we find a group of 13 princesses dancing, with Ivan watching from the trees. They are captive to the evil King the narrator says, but Ivan is in love with one of them, so he will try to get her freedom. On the right, we see Ivan pleading with the King on his throne, but the King soundly refuses. At this point Ivan remembers he has the feather so he calls on the firebirds magic. The firebird makes all the Kings subject dance, which we see in the next large scene, filled with dancing figures, the firebird sitting on the cliff side watching. But the dancing makes everyone tired, including the King, causing everyone to fall into a deep sleep. Ivan must do the favor for the firebird, and steals a magic egg sitting by the Kings throne, which is the source of his power. We pass through a small cave to a scene of Ivan breaking the egg, causing the King to become powerless. Around the corner, we see Ivan and the princess together, going off into the sunset while the Firebird sits on a tree, bowing at us as we pass. Everything ended happy our narrator tells us as we reach the unload area. We leave the sleigh, and exit back out into the square. In a secluded garden nearby the concert hall, you'll find a park-exclusive meet & greet with Ivan, the princess and an interactive animatronic Firebird.
Germany
The Germany pavilion is now the place to find a resurrected version of the old Rhine River Cruise attraction, a cruise down Germany’s most famous rivers.
Italy
Hope you like gondolas, because the Italy pavilion has them now: specifically, a boat ride (yes, ANOTHER ONE) called Le Avventure di Italia.
Russia
The, let’s face it, fairly useless African Outpost is now home to the park’s Russia pavilion. Featured here is a recreation of Saint Basil’s Cathedral, a Matterhorn-esque coaster called Mt. Elbrus, a live show based on Peter and the Wolf, a stylized dark ride called The Firebird. Below is a ride-through courtesy of our good friend DisneyManOne:
The queue goes through the lobby of a ballet studio, where it is evident that they are currently practicing the Firebird. The next room seems to be the sets and costumes workshop. Around the room are flats of trees and smaller set pieces, including a sleigh just like the ride vehicle. The queues pass under a tree branch of one of the set pieces and we find ourselves right in the story. We are in a snowy forest clearing with the load area ahead of us. This room is large and tall with realistic backgrounds, the trees of the forest acting as the only division between load and the first scene, making this a grand sized room. Behind the wall straight ahead are the rest of the scenes isolated from this room. I should say now that I have taken some creative liberties with the original Firebird story.
The vehicles resemble small sleighs seating 3 per row with 2 rows. It pulls away and turns left between the snowy trees. This attraction has a style like the attraction Sinbad's Storybook Voyage at TDS. Its slightly cartoony and stylized, but very detailed which makes sense for a fantasy based story. After turning left, our narrator begins telling the story of Ivan and firebird. On the right we pass Ivan about to climb through a cave opening as our narrator introduces us to him and his journey. Forward, on the left, we see Ivan looking at the magical gardens he has stumbled upon. On the ground to the right, we see a rather large footprint and hear a birds call, which our narrator says belongs to the magical firebird. We pass through a cave, hearing struggles, and immediately find the firebird on the other side. This is a large and beautiful figure, flapping its wings attempting to fly away as Ivan stands in awe. Around the corner we find the bird in flight, hovering over Ivan who has a lasso in his hands. Our narrator tells us that Ivan captured the beautiful bird, but that the bird made a deal for its freedom. Ivan gets a magic feather and the promise to help him if needed, while Ivan must do something for the bird in return. The next scene we see the bird sitting freely next to Ivan, with a large feather in Ivan’s hand. The narrator says that Ivan continued his journey through the gardens with his new magic feather.
Around the corner we find a group of 13 princesses dancing, with Ivan watching from the trees. They are captive to the evil King the narrator says, but Ivan is in love with one of them, so he will try to get her freedom. On the right, we see Ivan pleading with the King on his throne, but the King soundly refuses. At this point Ivan remembers he has the feather so he calls on the firebirds magic. The firebird makes all the Kings subject dance, which we see in the next large scene, filled with dancing figures, the firebird sitting on the cliff side watching. But the dancing makes everyone tired, including the King, causing everyone to fall into a deep sleep. Ivan must do the favor for the firebird, and steals a magic egg sitting by the Kings throne, which is the source of his power. We pass through a small cave to a scene of Ivan breaking the egg, causing the King to become powerless. Around the corner, we see Ivan and the princess together, going off into the sunset while the Firebird sits on a tree, bowing at us as we pass. Everything ended happy our narrator tells us as we reach the unload area. We leave the sleigh, and exit back out into the square. In a secluded garden nearby the concert hall, you'll find a park-exclusive meet & greet with Ivan, the princess and an interactive animatronic Firebird.
Germany
The Germany pavilion is now the place to find a resurrected version of the old Rhine River Cruise attraction, a cruise down Germany’s most famous rivers.
Italy
Hope you like gondolas, because the Italy pavilion has them now: specifically, a boat ride (yes, ANOTHER ONE) called Le Avventure di Italia.
Like China, the American Adventure pavilion remains unchanged, the one addition being an ice cream shop called Uncle Sam’s. So how about we stop here? We’ll tackle the rest of World Showcase next time…
Japan
A Mount Fuji coaster was once planned for the Japan pavilion, but KODAK’s partnership with the parks prevented that. Now that KODAK is no longer in the picture, Mount Fuji can finally rise above Japan! Also here is an attraction called Bullet Train Pass, a simulator through a Japanese city. Be warned, you never know when a giant reptile might show up!
Morocco
Morocco has earned an attraction of its own now! Say hello to Flying Carpets Over Morocco, a suspended coaster a la the former Big Bad Wolf coaster at Busch Gardens Williamsburg in which guests board Flying Carpets, not unlike those from the Magic Carpets of Aladdin, for a thrilling flight through a Moroccan marketplace. This is not an Aladdin attraction, though I probably would have made it one if it weren’t for the fact that people on this site REALLY do not like the idea of IPs in World Showcase if the “Frozen in Norway” backlash is to be believed.
France
The France pavilion, naturally, has a new attraction as well. In The Marvelous Mind of Jules Verne, a theatrical “revolving theater” show, we get to travel through some of French author Jules Verne’s most beloved stories.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom, of course, has gained an attraction too. The new experience, King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table, is a theater-in-the-round show a la Alien Encounter that casts guests as King Arthur’s knights. The show features witty jokes, an appearance by the horrible Dark Knight, and a small cameo from Archemides the owl from The Sword in the Stone.
Egypt
The last new pavilion, Egypt takes the place of the Canadian building used for the Food and Wine Festivals. The entire pavilion here is pretty much the same thing that DisneyManOne posted, so yeah…
This new pavilion will make up its' new home in Epcot and will be centered by a grand pyramid, which dominates over the rest of the pavilion. Sand floors are sketched into the pavement of the pavilion. A wooden bridge suspends over the land, as a part of the World Showcase Lagoon runs throughout the Egyptian sands, simulating a serene Nile River, as tall strings of grass appear from the waterbeds of the river.
In the center of the pavilion, guests will find the Egyptian Marketplace, which is a bustling metropolis of activity. The Marketplace features several stores and the Cairo Café quick-service restaurant, which offers a splendid selection of Egyptian-style foods. Egyptian cuisine is know for its kababs, meat and vegetables that are grilled on skewers. The concept for this restaurant would be that diners walk through an area designed to look like a market and select different types of meat, vegetables, spices, and sauces they want on their kababs. Diners then take their ingredients to a large open fire pit where a chef will place the ingredients they have chosen onto a skewer and they can watch as the kababs are prepared over the open fire. There's also a bakery featuring a large selection of breads, which form the backbone of Egyptian cuisine, as well as numerous Egyptian pastries. The bakery would offer a variety of different sandwiches and guests would have the opportunity to select which type of bread on which they would like to have their sandwich. Within the Marketplace, the Cairo Jewelers store is located, featuring a great supply of wonderfuly jewelery and fragrance items. Attached to Cairo Jewelers is the Ancient Artifacts store, which sells all different sorts of material and merchandise from Egypt, including clothing, wooden sculptures, ancient tablets and incenses.
From here, the guests are then led along a sand road, adorned with ancient columns, destoyed after years and years of decay. The stone columns line the way to a grand pyramid, where the Great Pyramid of Anubis is located. The pyramid is host to this new E-Ticket attraction, which takes guests through the pyramid to gather the knowledge of the facts and myths of the worlds of Egypt and more-so, what lies beneath the the deepest chambers of this sacred pyramid. While the attraction is somewhat of a mild thrill ride, probably comparable to either Test Track or Dinosaur, this is not a scary attraction, there are no Zombies or demons chasing after the guests, much opposed to Universal's Revenge of the Mummy attraction, rather this adventure offers guests a once in a life-time journey to explore the secrets of a pyramid, lost to the world for hundreds of years. The inside of the pyramid also features King Tut's, a sit-down restaurant inside one of the lavish treasure chambers of the pyramid.
I hope DisneyManOne doesn’t mind that I keep using his ideas. I can’t help it, they’re just so good!
Canada
And finally, we have Canada. Obviously, another attraction has set up shop here: Grizzly River Run. Actually, the ride has very little in common with the ride that shares its name at Disney’s California Adventure, aside from the fact that it’s a raft ride that takes place around a large bear-shaped mountain. Instead, riders are strapped into small rafts and sent spinning down the Yukon River, where they’ll encounter lumberjacks, forest fauna, and one very angry grizzly bear who doesn’t take kindly to being awoken from its nap. You may get wet!
Japan
A Mount Fuji coaster was once planned for the Japan pavilion, but KODAK’s partnership with the parks prevented that. Now that KODAK is no longer in the picture, Mount Fuji can finally rise above Japan! Also here is an attraction called Bullet Train Pass, a simulator through a Japanese city. Be warned, you never know when a giant reptile might show up!
Morocco
Morocco has earned an attraction of its own now! Say hello to Flying Carpets Over Morocco, a suspended coaster a la the former Big Bad Wolf coaster at Busch Gardens Williamsburg in which guests board Flying Carpets, not unlike those from the Magic Carpets of Aladdin, for a thrilling flight through a Moroccan marketplace. This is not an Aladdin attraction, though I probably would have made it one if it weren’t for the fact that people on this site REALLY do not like the idea of IPs in World Showcase if the “Frozen in Norway” backlash is to be believed.
France
The France pavilion, naturally, has a new attraction as well. In The Marvelous Mind of Jules Verne, a theatrical “revolving theater” show, we get to travel through some of French author Jules Verne’s most beloved stories.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom, of course, has gained an attraction too. The new experience, King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table, is a theater-in-the-round show a la Alien Encounter that casts guests as King Arthur’s knights. The show features witty jokes, an appearance by the horrible Dark Knight, and a small cameo from Archemides the owl from The Sword in the Stone.
Egypt
The last new pavilion, Egypt takes the place of the Canadian building used for the Food and Wine Festivals. The entire pavilion here is pretty much the same thing that DisneyManOne posted, so yeah…
This new pavilion will make up its' new home in Epcot and will be centered by a grand pyramid, which dominates over the rest of the pavilion. Sand floors are sketched into the pavement of the pavilion. A wooden bridge suspends over the land, as a part of the World Showcase Lagoon runs throughout the Egyptian sands, simulating a serene Nile River, as tall strings of grass appear from the waterbeds of the river.
In the center of the pavilion, guests will find the Egyptian Marketplace, which is a bustling metropolis of activity. The Marketplace features several stores and the Cairo Café quick-service restaurant, which offers a splendid selection of Egyptian-style foods. Egyptian cuisine is know for its kababs, meat and vegetables that are grilled on skewers. The concept for this restaurant would be that diners walk through an area designed to look like a market and select different types of meat, vegetables, spices, and sauces they want on their kababs. Diners then take their ingredients to a large open fire pit where a chef will place the ingredients they have chosen onto a skewer and they can watch as the kababs are prepared over the open fire. There's also a bakery featuring a large selection of breads, which form the backbone of Egyptian cuisine, as well as numerous Egyptian pastries. The bakery would offer a variety of different sandwiches and guests would have the opportunity to select which type of bread on which they would like to have their sandwich. Within the Marketplace, the Cairo Jewelers store is located, featuring a great supply of wonderfuly jewelery and fragrance items. Attached to Cairo Jewelers is the Ancient Artifacts store, which sells all different sorts of material and merchandise from Egypt, including clothing, wooden sculptures, ancient tablets and incenses.
From here, the guests are then led along a sand road, adorned with ancient columns, destoyed after years and years of decay. The stone columns line the way to a grand pyramid, where the Great Pyramid of Anubis is located. The pyramid is host to this new E-Ticket attraction, which takes guests through the pyramid to gather the knowledge of the facts and myths of the worlds of Egypt and more-so, what lies beneath the the deepest chambers of this sacred pyramid. While the attraction is somewhat of a mild thrill ride, probably comparable to either Test Track or Dinosaur, this is not a scary attraction, there are no Zombies or demons chasing after the guests, much opposed to Universal's Revenge of the Mummy attraction, rather this adventure offers guests a once in a life-time journey to explore the secrets of a pyramid, lost to the world for hundreds of years. The inside of the pyramid also features King Tut's, a sit-down restaurant inside one of the lavish treasure chambers of the pyramid.
I hope DisneyManOne doesn’t mind that I keep using his ideas. I can’t help it, they’re just so good!
Canada
And finally, we have Canada. Obviously, another attraction has set up shop here: Grizzly River Run. Actually, the ride has very little in common with the ride that shares its name at Disney’s California Adventure, aside from the fact that it’s a raft ride that takes place around a large bear-shaped mountain. Instead, riders are strapped into small rafts and sent spinning down the Yukon River, where they’ll encounter lumberjacks, forest fauna, and one very angry grizzly bear who doesn’t take kindly to being awoken from its nap. You may get wet!
There isn’t much I can say about the Entertainment at EPCOT Center. Everyone seems to miss the Tapestry of Nations, so what the heck? I’ll bring it back. Illuminations: Reflections of Earth remains unchanged.
With this refurbishment, I believe that EPCOT Center has been returned to its former glory. Much-beloved characters like SMRT-1 and the Dreamfinder have returned. Once again, you can see the future on Horizons. World Showcase has more to do. Sure, it’s not EXACTLY how it was in its glory days, but I think those that pine for the days of World of Motion and CommuniCore will be satisfied with the current state of EPCOT Center.
Future World
1. Spaceship Earth
2. EPCOT Center: A Legacy
3. Blue Sky Gallery
4. Information Superhighway
5. Universe of Energy
6. Wonders of Weather
- StormRider
- WeatherWatch
- WeatherWorks
7. Horizons
8. Test Track
9. The Land
- Living With the Land
- Soarin’
- Circle of Life: An Environmental Fable
- FOOD! A Salute to Good Nutrition
10. The Living Seas
- Deep Sea Voyage
- Turtle Talk With Crush
11. SPACE: The Final Frontier
- Flight to the Moon
12. Imagination!
- Journey Into the Imagination (Featuring Figment)
- The ImageWorks
- Captain EO Replacement
World Showcase
13. Mexico
- Gran Fiesta Tour Starring the Three Caballeros
14. Norway
- Frozen ride
- Voyage of the Vikings
15. China
- Reflections of China
16. Russia
Mount Elbrus
The Firebird
Peter and the Wolf
17. Germany
Rhine River Cruise
16. Italy
- Le Avventure di Italia
17. The American Adventure
18. Japan
- Mount Fuji
- Bullet Train Pass
19. Morocco
- Flying Carpets Over Morocco
20. France
- The Marvelous Mind of Jules Verne
- Impressions De France
21. United Kingdom
- King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table
22. Egypt
- Great Pyramids of Anubis
23. Canada
- O Canada!
- Grizzly River Run
Next up, how about a trip to the park where you can “ride the movies”? No, I’m not talking about Universal Studios…
orlando678-
Well-Known Member
I really like your ideas. For China, I was thinking of a rickshaw dark ride where you encounter Dragons, Chinese legends and historical figures. Also I did expect some more countries, but I guess its fine. I also hoped the Mexico ride could have been changed into a more thrilling ride where we follow Donald, Jose and Panchito through a portal created by the Aracuan bird who has stolen Panchitos guitar. The portal will lead into the history of Mexico. In the end the three birds retrieve the guitar and be on time for their concert. No screens, just audio animatronics here. For Germany I was thinking of a storybook library inside a Neuschwanstein like castle, which is miniature( like beast's castle). Here you could see some of the Brothers Grimm stories. I did hope for something more for the UK pavilion like a red bus ride, thames boat ride or a british literature ride. Great ideas though and I can't wait for the Hollywood Studios!
Watusimanu
Member
What if you brought in a show like a mix between Laugh Floor, Stitch Encounter, and It's Tough To Be A Bug that hearkens back to "Plectu's Intergalactic Revue? Make it hilarious like the Laugh Floor, but add a little more interaction between the audience. Replace the Monsters with Aliens, and use very realistic Animatronics instead. Add some 4-D effects and a plot, I think that would fit well.
Before we head to the Studios, I'll go over the FastPass+ attractions at the Magic Kingdom and EPCOT Center.
The Magic Kingdom
- Jungle Cruise
- Pirates of the Caribbean
- Indiana Jones and the Temple of the Fire Snake
- Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
- Splash Mountain
- Western River Expedition
- Peter Pan’s Flight
- Dumbo the Flying Elephant
- “it’s a small world”
- The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
- Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride
- The Barnstormer Featuring the Great Goofini
- Mad Tea Party
- Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
- A Jolly Holiday With Mary Poppins
- Under the Sea: Journey of the Little Mermaid
- Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
- Space Mountain
- Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin
- The TRON Experience
EPCOT Center
- StormRider
- Test Track
- Soarin’
- Turtle Talk With Crush
- Flight to the Moon
- Journey Into the Imagination (Featuring Figment)
- Frozen ride
- Voyage of the Vikings
- Mount Elbrus
- The Firebird
- Rhine River Cruise
- Mount Fuji
- Bullet Train Pass
- Flying Carpets Over Morocco
- Great Pyramids of Anubis
- Grizzly River Run
The Magic Kingdom
- Jungle Cruise
- Pirates of the Caribbean
- Indiana Jones and the Temple of the Fire Snake
- Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
- Splash Mountain
- Western River Expedition
- Peter Pan’s Flight
- Dumbo the Flying Elephant
- “it’s a small world”
- The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
- Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride
- The Barnstormer Featuring the Great Goofini
- Mad Tea Party
- Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
- A Jolly Holiday With Mary Poppins
- Under the Sea: Journey of the Little Mermaid
- Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
- Space Mountain
- Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin
- The TRON Experience
EPCOT Center
- StormRider
- Test Track
- Soarin’
- Turtle Talk With Crush
- Flight to the Moon
- Journey Into the Imagination (Featuring Figment)
- Frozen ride
- Voyage of the Vikings
- Mount Elbrus
- The Firebird
- Rhine River Cruise
- Mount Fuji
- Bullet Train Pass
- Flying Carpets Over Morocco
- Great Pyramids of Anubis
- Grizzly River Run