Do people ride a ride because they want to be enlightened, to go on a journey, to gain insight about the world around them, with a character as a guide? I certainly would, but most people would ride that type of ride because it's just the [character/franchise] ride. It's the Nemo ride, the Frozen ride, the Ellen ride, not the ride about the wonders of the ocean, the culture of Norway (not like that one would feature it), or the science behind the energy that powers our houses and cars and computers.
It's the nature of characters that they generally will lean more towards fantasy, and the plots of their own movies, than serving the educational aspects of the ride. Did any of you think that the "Olaf gives a tour of Norway" ride could have actually happened?
Most guests don't associate Aladdin with Morocco, if they even know what Morocco is. They associate Aladdin with the classic movie with the Genie and the Flying Carpet and Jafar and Iago and Jasmine and Aladdin...
I love this post, but I have a few disagreements with it. I don't think Disney characters belong in Epcot, except maybe in Character Spot, and definitely not on the rides. Every replacement of an original ride with IP in Epcot has been a disaster, and most of them took away from the central theme of the pavilion.
The "modern audience" had no connection to The Snow Queen before Frozen. If the public could massively enjoy a movie featuring a new cast of characters and a new story instead of just the rehashing Hollywood thinks we want, then why couldn't Disney build a great revival of Journey Into Imagination or Cranium Command? Because they're not "Disney?"
You can't guarantee number two, no matter how hard you'll try. As for the other two, Disney thinks now that playing it safe is the only option. What happened to the daring Disney of the 60s through 90s? Where's the Disney that brought us original attractions like Pirates of the Caribbean, Haunted Mansion, Spaceship Earth, Journey Into Imagination, and Horizons? Either dead or retired. The third (or is it fourth?) generation of Imagineers are here and they're focused on one thing: satisfying Iger, the IP Overlord.
This massive clusterlove that is today's Walt Disney World is just sad. I wonder why there's an armchair Imagineering outbreak right now? It's because Disney doesn't know how to do their own concepts justice. I might even catch a little of that fever.
Now to ponder your question. To amaze in this generation, where almost any piece of information is accessible in minutes or even seconds, is a truly difficult feat. Ellen's Energy Adventure isn't as fun (not that it ever was) if people search the answers to Jeopardy! on their phones. An EPCOT dark ride needs to provide insight on the topic rather than just a research project on it, especially in the age of Wikipedia.
EPCOT does need to abandon the "Future" World concept, but how could they rename it? Gardens of Wonder?
Almost every ride at EPCOT Center could have survived until now, and would be sorely needed in an educational park. Dreamfinder was like a "host" of a "documentary" if you will. An imaginative David Attenborough or some other notable type, taking us on a vivid journey into the wonders of imagination and creativity. I've said before that each pavilion needs an insight, some reason to ride instead of just using Google or Wikipedia, and if I made my own EPCOT that's what I would focus on. An update for the modern age, if I had my own EPCOT, would maybe touch upon how different arts are created. Music, paintings, sculpture, film, television, animation, even websites. Kids should be inspired to do great things. ImageWorks is also so needed. Kids need a creative outlet, and they would especially want one after riding a rejuvenated Journey into Imagination. The original ImageWorks was brilliant (but I can only experience it through video, never got the chance to go to EPCOT before it closed), but it's location wouldn't work in this day and age with the "go to the next ride unless there's something interesting in front of me" behavior of guests. The current location will do, just put in some better distractions.
The Seas, oh... The Seas. The Seas isn't a necessary pavilion to have, but it's nice. Please don't change the aquarium, but instead of Nemo, we need the original concept as planned. Neptune guiding us through the ocean and its wildlife would be just swell. I would love to travel to a coral reef, a kelp forest, or a deep trench. What would be the insight of a future Seas pavilion? How about sending the message of not wasting water, or maybe anti-pollution. There's a lot of bozos out there who just outright deny global warming is happening, but it has tangible effects that you can see for yourself. The Great Barrier Reef in Australia is a prime example. It's turning white. There are tons of possibilities, but please don't be preachy.
The main theme of The Land before Soarin' opened was agriculture and, due to the sponsor, food products. This day and age I think it's more appropriate to tell how to eat healthily than to tell how food is made... so, if I made my own EPCOT, I would split The Land in two pavilions, a geography pavilion similar to the original concept, and the other pavilion would be like a more health-oriented Wonders of Life. We know what the message of a health pavilion would be, but what would a geography pavilion teach? Acceptance of other cultures, possibly (this could work wonders with World Showcase!), or perhaps another environmental message. It would get boring after a while, but it's possibly the most important lesson that the next generation or two needs to learn... oh, and Circle of Life needs to die already.
World Showcase. An excellent idea. Let's showcase various cultures of the world. Seems simple, but execution is very important. I take issue with the selection of countries. Five countries are dedicated to Germanic cultures (Canada, United Kingdom, United States, Germany, and Norway). There's eleven countries, but only four continents are represented, and there are some civilizations/cultures that definitely need a representation. These include the Slavic cultures (examples include the Poles, Russians, and the people of Former Yugoslavia), the Sub-Saharan cultures (examples include the Zulu, Yoruba, and even the Malagasy), the Indian culture, and the Southeast Asian cultures (examples include the Malays, the Javanese, and Khmers). Some people will say, no doubt, that you can search on the Internet for info about these countries and cultures. There's a difference between taking a vacation and browsing a Wikipedia article. For the love of God, please don't put IPs in the countries, either!
Communication is a very important topic in today's interconnected world. An update to Spaceship Earth must touch more upon the Digital Revolution. The topic of history is very dominant in Spaceship Earth, but let's keep non-communication related info in another ride. A history ride would be very successful! Horizons was great, marvellous and all that, but it was doomed to fail. Talking about the future is a very 20th--century thing. We need the entire park to inspire us to shape the future. Maybe Horizons and the history ride could be merged. Let's talk about the replacement, Mission: SPACE. Space is something that should be reignited in the public consciousness. Images from the Hubble telescope still hold the public eye and the Mars rovers have been very publicized, but NASA has stopped the Space Shuttle program, and the International Space Station is almost 20 years old, and set to cease operations in eight years. This is one of the few themes where a simulator could actually be executed well, but you need a separate entrance and another attraction to attract the non-simulator crowd to get to exhibits. The Blue Marble is a compelling image, one that speaks of fragility but also of strength. A WALL-E ride in this pavilion? Inexcusable. Here's why: the movie fits the theme of the pavilion, but it's still an IP. If you want a WALL-E ride, you're going to get a ride about WALL-E falling in love with EVE, not about WALL-E discovering the wonders of the cosmos. Cosmos, cosmos, cosmos... Neil DeGrasse Tyson anyone?
On the topic of thrilling rides, we get to Test Track, which is inappropriate, but the park has too many dark rides otherwise. Transporation... it isn't actually that essential to the park. I just don't think it fits in. Energy on the other hand, definitely fits in, but also definitely needs an update. Okay, Disney, rides become dated quickly, but a cheap factual update every twenty years will not kill you, especially if you ditch the celebrities (they date the ride and make it harder to stay current decades after they are introduced into it). The update should include the alternative forms of energy that have come forward in the past three decades, such as solar energy and wind energy. Nuclear energy and hydroelectric energy could be worth talking about, but out of the EPCOT themes, energy is the most dull in my, and a lot of other people's, books.
These are just my ideas. I know, I'm being way too optimistic and armchair-y, and this post is too long already, blah, blah blah.
