News Big changes coming to EPCOT's Future World?

[Sped2424]

Is anyone else hearing that soarin around the world will use the star tours concept in that there is more than one film on rotation? For example soarin through tokyo, soarin through china, soarin through france, soarin through america, etc etc. I heard a rumor that there will be 3 or 4 films on rotation for the new attraction when it opens. And that they are choosing destinations that have a disney park in them. Forgive me if this has already been discussed I just found this interesting given that up until now it's been looking to be one film rather than 3 or 4.

 

[ItlngrlBella]

^^^ I heard it somewhere on here earlier this year - and that would be cool and makes more sense - a good segway into world showcase as well.

 

[wdwfan4ver]

Your adding a cartoon IP to a park which shouldn't have them, if you really want it to have a presence have him take over Chef Mickey . Innoventions should be licensed to Sony(VR), Microsoft(Holograms), Nike/Apple(Wearables), WDI(Robotics(AA)). The Toons have no presence in Epcot. Its the cheapo option for people who can't learn without seeing a Toon ...

I know how Epcot was in the early 1990's and Epcot always been my favorite WDW theme park dating back to my first trip in the early 1990's.

I disagree with you to a point that Cartoon or movie IP's shouldn't be used in Epcot. It is what or how the IPS are used in Epcot is the problem. Disney used Lion King IP properly for Circle of Life: An Environmental Fable, but not for Nemo ride and Frozen. Circle of Life fits due to attraction actually is about the environment with the Lion King Characters being used for learning purposes.

The ride in Nemo was a mistake due to the fact it actually didn't nothing at all for learning it terms of the ride itself. The ride has Nemo wondering around again with his dad trying to find him and that is not learning at all.

 

[doctornick]

I rather see randomized sequences -- rather than completely different films -- with the ending always being the park you are in. But that's a minor quibble. Having multiple different films would be awesome, though it would make me wish they were adding two new theaters for increased capacity because people will want to re-ride.

 

[doctornick]

I know how Epcot was in the early 1990's and Epcot always been my favorite WDW theme park dating back to my first trip in the early 1990's.

I disagree with you to a point that Cartoon or movie IP's shouldn't be used in Epcot. It is what or how the IPS are used in Epcot is the problem. Disney used Lion King IP properly for Circle of Life: An Environmental Fable, but not for Nemo ride and Frozen. Circle of Life fits due to attraction actually is about the environment.

The ride in Nemo was a mistake due to the fact it actually didn't nothing at all for learning it terms of the ride itself. The ride has Nemo wondering around again with his dad trying to find him and that is not learning at all.

I've often said that I don't have a problem using Nemo in the Seas ride, but the execution was poor. Use Nemo characters to educate and talk about the actual Seas would have been a cool thing (especially since they already had a great Professor Von Drake type character to use -- Mr. Ray).

Turtle Time with Crush IMHO is another reasonable use of characters in Epcot.

 

[FigmentJedi]

I've often said that I don't have a problem using Nemo in the Seas ride, but the execution was poor. Use Nemo characters to educate and talk about the actual Seas would have been a cool thing (especially since they already had a great Professor Von Drake type character to use -- Mr. Ray).

Turtle Time with Crush IMHO is another reasonable use of characters in Epcot.

As far as rebooting the Seas goes, I'd drop the characters from the ride itself (turn it into sort of a dark ride version of the original pavilion film), but retain them in post-show stuff. Keep Turtle Talk, put a Mr. Ray classroom video type of thing in the original smaller Turtle Talk venue, and replace Bruce's Shark Shack with a modernized version of that Ocean Exploration thing from the original pavilion, but focused specifically on the work of the real-life SeaOrbiter project, maybe with a few nods to Disney's original Nemo.

 

[prberk]

They sponsored the Circlevision theatre in WDW. Edit, already answered.

What was there in the Circle-Vision theatre after America the Beautiful and before Timekeeper? Just trying to dust the fog from my memory. I had forgotten about America the Beautiful. Was that the first one?

 

[Sped2424]

I rather see randomized sequences -- rather than completely different films -- with the ending always being the park you are in. But that's a minor quibble. Having multiple different films would be awesome, though it would make me wish they were adding two new theaters for increased capacity because people will want to re-ride.

Randomized sequences would be rather confusing for guests who don't know all the landmarks to each place. Makes much more sense to have them be devoted to one geographic area for each film.

 

[articos]

That suggests that maybe they have big Epcot plans in the works too - we just don't know about them? Hope springs eternal...

Hmmmm....

 

[marni1971]

What was there in the Circle-Vision theatre after America the Beautiful and before Timekeeper? Just trying to dust the fog from my memory. I had forgotten about America the Beautiful. Was that the first one?

America the Beautiful opened (November 71 I think)
Magic Carpet 'Round the World ’74
America the Beautiful (re edited) 1976
And American Journeys 1984-1993. But I'll have to check the actual dates to be sure.

 

[NiarrNDisney]

On the subject of the Mouse using its characters (Pixar included) I agree that depending on how the character is used in the attraction whether its telling a story or in an educational purpose they have kind of dropped the ball on a few attractions in Epcot namely the Finding Nemo and what I can only assume will be a mess of a ride Frozen Maelstrom. Though I do enjoy riding the Grand Fiesta Tour I find it also has no actual educational value discussing the country or culture of Mexico I kind of hope that in the future they may reconsider redoing the ride. I know I will probably get flack for this but I would kind of like to see a Coco (future Pixar film) overlay where the boats would bring us into world of the dead in a celebration of the festival Dia del los Muertos since they already have the mini its a small world celebration scene why not go over the top and make it more filled out.

 

[Bocabear]

On the subject of the Mouse using its characters (Pixar included) I agree that depending on how the character is used in the attraction whether its telling a story or in an educational purpose they have kind of dropped the ball on a few attractions in Epcot namely the Finding Nemo and what I can only assume will be a mess of a ride Frozen Maelstrom. Though I do enjoy riding the Grand Fiesta Tour I find it also has no actual educational value discussing the country or culture of Mexico I kind of hope that in the future they may reconsider redoing the ride. I know I will probably get flack for this but I would kind of like to see a Coco (future Pixar film) overlay where the boats would bring us into world of the dead in a celebration of the festival Dia del los Muertos since they already have the mini its a small world celebration scene why not go over the top and make it more filled out.

That is a great idea...if only Disney relased Book Of Life, it might have happened... But i hear there is another Dia De Los Muertos film project in the works...so it is possible. The "Where's Donald" version of the Rio Del Tiempo is really awful...they cvan do better....and really should. ..it was just plain lazy...

 

[Chris82]

That is a great idea...if only Disney relased Book Of Life, it might have happened... But i hear there is another Dia De Los Muertos film project in the works...so it is possible. The "Where's Donald" version of the Rio Del Tiempo is really awful...they cvan do better....and really should. ..it was just plain lazy...

I agree on "Where's Donald..." and I could believe it's laziness, although I'd put my money on fear.

It feels to me like since Everest and Mission: Space, Disney has been deathly afraid of getting a single "my toddler was too afraid to ride this ride" letter. Other than the mildish Ursula scene in Ariel's Undersea Adventure, virtually every new attraction has been 100% pabulum - no threat, thrill, or mystery whatsoever. It's ok for characters to be looking for Nemo or Donald so long as we're never even slightly concerned that they're actually lost. The Dwarfs can sing "heigh ho" for us, Belle can tell us a story, Woody can play a game with us, and Monsters can make us laugh - but no tension allowed.

To me, Disney seems to be playing almost exclusively to the most scaredy-cat of scaredy-cat toddlers. Not that I want Disney to open up their own Halloween Horror Nights, mind you, but the occasional shrunken-head salesman or grim grinning ghost would be nice...

 

[Miss Heinous]

I'm sorry but this whole "ALL IP TIE INS ARE EVIL" logic is silly. If done right I don't see a problem, the fact that a lot of you are unable to see that just out of stubbornness is ridiculous.

 

[marni1971]

I'm sorry but this whole "ALL IP TIE INS ARE EVIL" logic is silly. If done right I don't see a problem, the fact that a lot of you are unable to see that just out of stubbornness is ridiculous.

Opinion is not fact. Just because "you don't see a problem" doesn't mean others are wrong to do so. Nor does it make them stubborn.

IP tie ins do work when executed correctly. See Tower of Terror, Star Tours, parts of the MK for example.

 

[MaryJaneP]

Two quick unrealistic ideas.
1. A pharma manufacturer of mind altering medication could sponsor a re-use of the Captain EO/HISTK theater for an Inside Out film. This might actually encourage TDO to redo Imagination.
2. Universe of 5 hour Energy. It seems to take about that long sometimes.

 

[theRIOT]

I make sure to follow Florida Man on Twitter to continually remind myself of that fact, to keep me from throwing out resumes just in case.

I guess I fall into that not-sane category. I'm flying to Florida next week for a job interview. Hot and humid, yes, but it sounds nicer the the negative 30 it gets here at home. Plus living one hour from WDW and the beach sounds nice, too.

 

[MerlinTheGoat]

EPCOT was never in need of IP tie ins throughout the majority of its life, it was popular without them (moreso than anytime it has had IP's). The original creators of the park certainly seemed eager to keep them out (or at least to a bare minimum, only allowing some of the Mickey characters to walk around).

WDW has three other parks where IP's can work if done right (even Animal Kingdom under careful circumstances). 3 out of 4 is quite enough, keep one of the parks unique and with original content, EPCOT can do without being the cartoon and Fantasyland spillover...

 

[Nick Pappagiorgio]

I'm sorry but this whole "ALL IP TIE INS ARE EVIL" logic is silly. If done right I don't see a problem, the fact that a lot of you are unable to see that just out of stubbornness is ridiculous.

I thats not what I'm saying. Disney certainly COULD use their IPs in a way that works well in Epcot. But nearly all of the examples, other than the Circle of Life film which I honestly forgot about, have shown that Disney is not interested in using their IP in this way. Plus the Lion King film was done way before any of the recent examples. So we have to assume that given the recent history of characters in Epcot, it will be simply shoehorned in like the others.

 

[George]

America the Beautiful opened (November 71 I think)
Magic Carpet 'Round the World ’74
America the Beautiful (re edited) 1976
And American Journeys 1984-1993. But I'll have to check the actual dates to be sure.

Did bits of Magic Carpet Round the World show up in Timekeeper?

*sorry for thread drift....I'll stay out from here on out unless something gives me hope vis a vis EPCOT, but I'm not holding my proverbial breath*