News Guardians of the Galaxy Cosmic Rewind attraction confirmed for Epcot

[FERRARA12]

Hmmm. One week later, my prevailing attitude is one of indifference. Future World has felt like an increasingly hollow shell for years, and while I might not care much for the Guardians myself, at least they'll bring energy and exuberance to a corner of the park that needs it.

Ellen is woefully outdated and barely entertaining; I felt that way at least 10 years ago (i.e. the only time I rode it). The previous UoE, while more ambitious, tops Ellen in its outdatedness and dullness. These days, I'd bet a lot of people don't want to sit through a 45-minute glorification of fossil fuels that was originally crafted to boost Exxon's PR.

On that note, so much of Future World was driven by sponsorships, but the pavilions have failed in multiple ways upon losing their sponsors. To me, that says EPCOT Center's mission has failed, and would fail even if resurrected today. The park isn't staying relevant, timeless, and educational without a ton of recurring investment. The sponsors who make that possible dilute the park's forward-looking intent (Wonders of Life felt dated even when it opened) and ultimately fail to stick around (perhaps due to their own lack of imagination - hi Kodak!).

EPCOT Center had a mission and failed to fulfill it, due to the park's lofty ambitions and reliance on external corporate entities. A shift toward anything else will be refreshing, and who knows: maybe the one-two combo of this ride + Mission: SPACE will inspire some visitors to explore aerospace engineering.

I agree with your post. I feel too many folks believe that old EPCOT got it totally right. Yes, it was great but there were an awful lot of serious flaws not the least of which was how the corporate sponsors influenced the message.

I visited EPCOT at age 17, 1 month after it had opened and recall thinking UoE was somehow both dry and not particularly educational. It felt like a PR program. That said, the moving theater and the scale of the production were awesome. The content, unfortunately, never quite lived up to the showmanship.

 

[Incomudro]

It’s only impossible if you aim to be a Best Buy.

You know, I'm old 53 - but if you guys aren't older chronologically - you're older mentally.
It's over.
Disney edu-taining you about the future is over.
It's a different world, people carry these things in their pockets called cell phones.
It's a technology the like of which Epcot couldn't even dream about.
Pictures, videos, movies, music, speaking live to people on video, news and weather from around the world, book your trips, book your flights, get virtual tickets to almost anything (concerts, sports, movies) anywhere.
Want to find out about future tech?
There's an app for that!
Or a facebook page.
Or a website.
The Epcot of the past is done, and it's not coming back.

 

[MisterPenguin]

You know, I'm old 53 - but if you guys aren't older chronologically - you're older mentally.
It's over.
Disney edu-taining you about the future is over.
It's a different world, people carry these things in their pockets called cell phones.
It's a technology the like of which Epcot couldn't even dream about.
Pictures, videos, movies, music, speaking live to people on video, news and weather from around the world, book your trips, book your flights, get virtual tickets to almost anything (concerts, sports, movies) anywhere.
Want to find out about future tech?
There's an app for that!
Or a facebook page.
Or a website.
The Epcot of the past is done, and it's not coming back.

♫ A whole new wooooorrrrlllddd.... ♫

 

[djkidkaz]

I tend to agree. I remember growing up and seeing news broadcasts about vcr's, Walkmans, CD's, telephones in your home with video screens so you could see the other person, personal computers, car phones, etc. the world at that time was really focused and entertained by all these far thinking ideas. People knew about them, joked about them as if they were some sort of science fiction that would never be reality.

When is the last time you saw the news make a big deal about some new form of technology that is going to change the world? Maybe iPhone? And what about before that?

When Epcot opened the world was just in such a different place. I'm sure there are still things Epcot could highlight but none of it seems as exciting as it once did, many years ago.

 

[Hatbox Ghostbuster]

Just because the world we currently live in has technologically advanced itself beyond most of what Epcot "predicted" (minus of course most of Horizons), that doesn't mean that the ideals of the pavilions are outdated and need complete replacement. Energy as an ideal is still VERY much a real facet to our world, and one that could be explored in a unique and original way...rather than oh, throwing in a roller-coaster with some hot-selling movie characters.

 

[Maeryk]

Just because the world we currently live in has technologically advanced itself beyond most of what Epcot "predicted" (minus of course most of Horizons), that doesn't mean that the ideals of the pavilions are outdated and need complete replacement. Energy as an ideal is still VERY much a real facet to our world, and one that could be explored in a unique and original way...rather than oh, throwing in a roller-coaster with some hot-selling movie characters.

Which, if they incorporate it and theme it right, could be a unique and original way to explore, I dunno, energy.

I'm amazed at the tinfoil hats here, who know, from one single concept drawing, that it's a complete abandonment of edutainment, and will suck. You guys are hilarious.

 

[Hatbox Ghostbuster]

Which, if they incorporate it and theme it right, could be a unique and original way to explore, I dunno, energy.

I'm amazed at the tinfoil hats here, who know, from one single concept drawing, that it's a complete abandonment of edutainment, and will suck. You guys are hilarious.

I guess its just hard to imagine being "edutained" by a rollercoaster with a fast talking raccoon. Hey, I'll give them the benefit of the doubt that it would still have something to do with energy...but its a small benefit.

What gets me most though is that they have a perfectly good coaster in that other Disney park with movie characters that could have received some love and change instead....

 

[Hatbox Ghostbuster]

Does anyone know the anticipated ride time for this coaster?
I'm hoping for an experience longer than Tron.

Not sure...but I'm predicting it will be a tad shorter than UoE ever was.

 

[Bocabear]

Excuse me Stewardess...How much exactly is a "Tad"?
In space terms about half a million miles....

 

[Hatbox Ghostbuster]

If true, that's a good thing. It's been a while since I rode UOE but I believe that experience was a fairly long experience especially with Ellen in it. LOL

Well cutting something down from 45 minutes to 3-4 will surely make a lot of people happy.

 

[Maeryk]

Not sure...but I'm predicting it will be a tad shorter than UoE ever was.

Depends on how much they do with the queue, really. They can drop a ton of knowledge on you as you meander towards the ride, and are a captive audience, much like test track used to do.

 

[Hatbox Ghostbuster]

Depends on how much they do with the queue, really. They can drop a ton of knowledge on you as you meander towards the ride, and are a captive audience, much like test track used to do.

Seeing how Disney handled GotG in DCA, I predict there will be plenty of asides and references to Energy throughout this new attraction.

However, none of that makes it the most appropriate fit for UoE's replacement. As I've said before, us "tin foil hats" as you called us, didn't want UoE to stay the same. But we're just against the blatant misplacement of this property. And the even more egregious justification dropped at D23 that "it fits because Peter Quill visited Epcot as a kid."

Look, I have little doubt WDI will pull off a great and thrilling adventure with this. It will surely do what they want and draw more people into Epcot which is a good thing. But I'll just always wish it had gone somewhere else.

 

[Kamikaze]

Not sure...but I'm predicting it will be a tad shorter than UoE ever was.

Thats the safest bet ever.

 

[Kamikaze]

However, none of that makes it the most appropriate fit for UoE's replacement. As I've said before, us "tin foil hats" as you called us, didn't want UoE to stay the same.

There are plenty of people who don't want it to change at all. Some in this very thread.

But we're just against the blatant misplacement of this property. And the even more egregious justification dropped at D23 that "it fits because Peter Quill visited Epcot as a kid."

Until we see otherwise - that was a joke. Not meant to be taken literally. Not 'how it fits'. It was a joke. Thats how he inflected it, like he was just kidding around.

 

[Hatbox Ghostbuster]

There are plenty of people who don't want it to change at all. Some in this very thread.



Until we see otherwise - that was a joke. Not meant to be taken literally. Not 'how it fits'. It was a joke. Thats how he inflected it, like he was just kidding around.

Fair enough on the first point. Don't count me in that camp though. It, like most of Epcot, needed updating.

And I was there...it hardly seemed like a joke. More like a "see, we thought this through!" type of comment. Of course, it could just have been my ire keeping me from interpreting it that way. Ironically, audience reaction to it was very high.

 

[lazyboy97o]

You know, I'm old 53 - but if you guys aren't older chronologically - you're older mentally.
It's over.
Disney edu-taining you about the future is over.
It's a different world, people carry these things in their pockets called cell phones.
It's a technology the like of which Epcot couldn't even dream about.
Pictures, videos, movies, music, speaking live to people on video, news and weather from around the world, book your trips, book your flights, get virtual tickets to almost anything (concerts, sports, movies) anywhere.
Want to find out about future tech?
There's an app for that!
Or a facebook page.
Or a website.
The Epcot of the past is done, and it's not coming back.

There are also several apps for experiencing your favorite movie franchise, so that point fails.

 

[Kamikaze]

And I was there...it hardly seemed like a joke. More like a "see, we thought this through!" type of comment. Of course, it could just have been my ire keeping me from interpreting it that way. Ironically, audience reaction to it was very high.

That would literally be the worst story Disney has ever told. I give them the benefit of the doubt.

 

[Hatbox Ghostbuster]

That would literally be the worst story Disney has ever told. I give them the benefit of the doubt.

You're probably right. It really doesn't strike me that a "I came here as a child" makes for a good backstory to an attraction. Probably just going to be tied into some cutesy on-ride easter-egg moments.

 

[AEfx]

Failed to fulfill it, and it is a mission that is impossible to fulfill in today's world.
It's a different world, and we get our information in different ways.
You can't keep up with it in a theme park.

OMG, someone who gets it.

I try to explain this concept often here, but it usually falls on deaf ears.

The very nature of things like health, energy, etc. - they are just impossible to keep up with in a theme park attraction. This historical aspect of EPCOT Center (WoM, etc.) was one thing as history is (mostly, though not always) history (we are becoming more aware of the realities of things all the time that we once thought much differently about), but the "cutting edge" stuff just doesn't work.

It's not even just "keeping up" with it - but also how politicized and ideological things have become today. They not only would have to make constant changes, but also constant value judgements as to what to include and not.

While I was one of those kids that was inspired by the original EPCOT Center, honestly, the Internet really killed that aspect for future generations. You can learn more about a topic in 30 minutes on the Internet, getting the most current information about pretty much anything. Disney just cannot compete there.

I truly admire the original intent (well, the "original" intent behind the park itself, as we all know the long history before that) - that said, while it was remarkable, it simply was not sustainable.

 

[AEfx]

The ride and building were groundbreaking feats when they were constructed. The Universe of Energy is a classic Epcot attraction. While, yes there was a change in '96 to make the attraction less stale and more approachable to the modern park goer, the attraction is basically the same. Moving theater cars moving around the show building. It will be gone soon and that is a shame.

You hit on a key point - I honestly don't think a lot of people realistically remember the original attraction.

For as much crap as it's gotten over the years, EEA was a definite improvement on the original. Yes, the Ellen AA has always been embarrassingly terrible. Aside from that, though - the video portions - as maligned as they have been by the fan community over the years - just present essentially the same (if not better) information - just in an entertaining way. The original video portions were literally Exxon industrial films. The "wow" was supposed to come from the building, the ride system, and the dinosaur portion.

I haven't yet fully caught up to understand exactly what this GoG project entails, but if it indeed is going to be without the ride system, that's a huge shame.