EPCOT Big changes coming to EPCOT's Future World?

[dreamfinding]

Maybe it’ll be like a state fair and they can demo new vacuums and mattresses. “Honey, look at the suction on this bagless cyclonic!”

Sounds like a perfect opportunity to bring back this bad boy:

 

[wdwmagic]

Were these taken during previews or during the first night open to the general public?

It seems like such a waste that this brand new area could be sitting empty and unused so quickly.

This was on opening night (last night) during Luminous - everyone was in World Showcase at this point.

 

[UNCgolf]

Rise was 350-ish

It boggles the mind that Rise didn't cost at least $50-100m more than Cosmic Rewind. The fact that Cosmic Rewind cost $100+ million more than Rise is incomprehensible.

 

[Streetway]

It boggles the mind that Rise didn't cost at least $50-100m more than Cosmic Rewind. The fact that Cosmic Rewind cost $100+ million more than Rise is incomprehensible.

I’m guessing that music rights are expensive. All the songs there are all like real songs, licensing must’ve cost a lot.

 

[lazyboy97o]

I’m guessing that music rights are expensive. All the songs there are all like real songs, licensing must’ve cost a lot.

There’s a whole royalty system already in place for music. The whole reason so many places are able to just use music is because they are not negotiating individual rights agreements.

 

[Ayla]

A couple games have been set up in the flex space area, but be warned the artificial turf is roasting in the sun:

I imagine all the pieces are burning hot. Way to go, Disney!

The entire thing gets a big ol' meh from me.

 

[marni1971]

It boggles the mind that Rise didn't cost at least $50-100m more than Cosmic Rewind. The fact that Cosmic Rewind cost $100+ million more than Rise is incomprehensible.

Yep.

 

[Ayla]

This really looks like it was thrown together in a rush.

A rush? It's been 5 years.

 

[Ayla]

Here's a look at the new men's restroom at CommuniCore Hall:

What is with the hideous same tile on floor and wall design? Yikes.

 

[Disstevefan1]

A rush? It's been 5 years.

LOL, I think Communicore was a rush to complete because they wasted 5 years on a planter and a splash pad.

 

[CntrlFlPete]

Weird. Originally, the whole purpose of this (I thought…) was that they’d move the festival concerts here, have tons of open space for people to come and go from the music, have some food, stop by the beer garden, etc.

Now, I’m not sure what the purpose is. The spine feels like another “too many cooks in the kitchen” project with no overarching vision.

I thought the same, but there really are not any sightlines for an audience to watch a band (IMHO). The stage is not that high up. I am about 5'8'' and I could see the drummer's head:

 

[Ayla]

Presumably the new "Festival Center" as opposed to the old Wonders of Life building. So, during festivals it will be as filled up as the WOL building was. In-between it's vast empty space.

One of the things the WoL building had going for it was it was dry and air-conditioned. Neither can be said about *waves hand* whatever this is.

 

[FerretAfros]

I think the bigger surprise to me is that they wouldn’t cover enough for this to run during rain. Perhaps they won’t actually use this for the concerts at Festivals since those need to run regardless of weather due to dining packages. So I guess they’ll still use America Gardens for those and have smaller shows here.

Like others, I’m struggling to fully comprehend Communicore’s purpose. It seems rather redundant in this park. Epcot has no shortage of huge buildings.

I don't think this was ever intended to be used for large-scale entertainment like what's at the American Gardens Theatre. The audience viewing area is only about half the size, has no meaningful shade/weather covering, has no seating, and is more-or-less flat. It's not really big enough to accommodate large crowds, and even if the crowds did show up, most of them wouldn't be able to see the stage. It is especially poorly designed for any sort of reserved seating that you might get from one of the dining packages that they love to sell.

Additionally, the stage itself is poorly configured for big acts. It's fairly small, so anything more than about a half-dozen performers would be a tight fit. The sleek building design doesn't contemplate a soffit or proscenium above the stage to allow lighting and sound equipment to be hidden from view (the temporary banners are doing a lot of work at the moment). The stage is only about 2' tall, so sightlines from the audience aren't great (as @CntrlFlPete pointed out above). The audience is exposed to full sunlight but the stage is in the shade, which makes it hard to see what's going on up there from a distance. The stage has that weird 2-sided configuration, where the backside opens up to the main walkway, with no divider from that space or clearly defined crowdflow. And of course, the performers have to cross through guest areas to get to the stage, limiting the viability for any high-demand personalities (be they Disney characters, celebrity chefs, or musicians).

All of this matches the earliest promotional images they released for this area.

Looking at the design of the space, it was never intended for anything larger than mid-level entertaingment; something along the lines of the Candlelight Processional or even Eat to the Beat-type concerts would be a poor fit for the venue. It seems like it was intended for things like cooking demonstrations (if they ever return) and the Arts acrobat troupe, or even the Encanto show they're running now; nice diversions if you're in the area, but nothing that that's going to bring you in from the other side of the park. Why the lawn space is so large for relatively modest performances is anybody's guess.

I suspect this location was built to satisfy a checklist of functions to replace with the project, and it's the replacement for the old stage on the south end of the Fountain of Nations. And unfortunately, like that stage, I imagine this one will be vacant a lot of the time because it's just not a great venue for much of anything. At best, I'd like to think we could have some decent programming in this area during non-festival periods when the American Gardens Theatre isn't being used, to give guests something yearround. But realistically I expect both locations will be vacant a lot of the time, leaving guests to wonder what's supposed to be there. Which, in its own sad way, makes it a perfect fit for Epcot.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

I think that's the plan? The site plan shows at least three booths eventually going in under the long portion of the awning.

…how magical

It boggles the mind that Rise didn't cost at least $50-100m more than Cosmic Rewind. The fact that Cosmic Rewind cost $100+ million more than Rise is incomprehensible.

Yep.

The hang up on guardians is starting to become “one of those things”…beware

As far as the other ride goes…it’s not a big thing

Notice how they’re trying to hawk it for $24 in the morning and you can basically walk on at the end of the night

There might be a shelf life on a trackless with such awful IP?
Shocking

 

[dreamfinding]

bit of a question: did the Wondrous China film ever get filmed?

 

[Incomudro]

The lack of height for that stage seems like a big mistake.
The ability to view what's going on on it, especially for shorter people and young ones is going to be very difficult.
Seems they didn't think about that.

 

[Disstevefan1]

What is with the hideous same tile on floor and wall design? Yikes.

Hey the contractor got a clearance deal on the tiles and he had to complete it ASAP

 

[Disstevefan1]

The lack of height for that stage seems like a big mistake.
The ability to view what's going on on it, especially for shorter people and young ones is going to be very difficult.
Seems they didn't think about that.

Communicore was a "lest rush to get this last thing done" thing I think.

That said, I wonder how much thought they put into the entire EPCOT renovation?

 

[tparris]

That said, I wonder how much thought they put into the entire EPCOT renovation?

Either too much thought by too many people or not enough.

 

[dreamfinding]

Either too much thought by too many people or not enough.

I fear the Epcot reimagining suffered the same way TBA has - too many cooks in the kitchen.