EPCOT New Play Pavilion to replace Epcot's Wonders of Life

[eliza61nyc]

People don't know what they want...the genius of Disney is they created the want.. They gave people new ways to dream.
NOW they seem to be giving people what they want as opposed to creating new ideas...

lol oh the horror, a business actually giving the customer what they want. So basically we are ignorant people with too much money, to realize that we should hate the direction Disney is developing because we aren't longing for the by gone days. We couldn't possible know what we want.

 

[lazyboy97o]

lol oh the horror, a business actually giving the customer what they want. So basically we are all stupid people with too much money to realize that we should hate Epcot because we aren't longing for the by gone days. We couldn't possible know what we want.

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Then what is the point of a creative professional?

 

[Missing20K]

lol oh the horror, a business actually giving the customer what they want. So basically we are ignorant people with too much money, to realize that we should hate the direction Disney is developing because we aren't longing for the by gone days. We couldn't possible know what we want.

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Thank heavens some guy decided he was tired of all the dirty amusement and trolley parks and went about creating a new industry that not a single consumer would have asked for or even knew they wanted.

 

[HauntedPirate]

I have to repeat the same argument over and over again when people inevitably gripe about changes to Epcot.

Disney wouldn't be making changes if the original concept was as successful as the diehard fans assume it was. None of these decisions are being made just to spite you.

You look at the 1982 park and see something like perfection. Others see a bunch of very similar slow-moving dark and boat rides with animatronics, no thrill rides, films which repeat the same "our spirit is our people" motif and a lot of corporate advertising masquerading as attractions.

No one saw the 1982 EPCOT Center as "something like perfection". And no thrill rides?!?!?!?! Why did they even build it?????

You can keep repeating the same argument over and over again. You'll keep being wrong, though, because it's a flawed argument.

 

[DreamfinderGuy]

No one saw the 1982 EPCOT Center as "something like perfection".

Speak for yourself dude

 

[HauntedPirate]

Speak for yourself dude

Horizons wasn't completed until 1983 Plus SSE needed an update that didn't happen until 1986. Late 80's/early 90's EPCOT, maybe after 94's refurb of SSE, now you're talking.

 

[DreamfinderGuy]

Horizons wasn't completed until 1983 Plus SSE needed an update that didn't happen until 1986. Late 80's/early 90's EPCOT, maybe up to the 94 refurb of SSE, now you're talking.

EPCOT Center generally speaking hit it’s peak in 1994. (Besides how they screwed up The Land) However I’d take ‘82 over the present any day of the week.

 

[brihow]

And Kong’s a wonderfully themed addition.

Kong is a TERRIBLY themed attraction with a well-enough themed queue. The attraction is a video tunnel with a monkey head at the end.

 

[LaughingGravy]

We are at a point where the destination itself is so crowded, almost anything they do will sell out, with a few exceptions.
A lot of it is due to the vast number of rooms and hotels they added to the resort without adding appropriate capacity to the parks and then cutting a lot of the water activities due to alligators and bacteria.
River Country was doable if you were staying at a monorail resort. Do that in the morning and then do Epcot or MK in the afternoon/evening.
The existing water parks are too far away to justify the time spent away from the parks, so you kind of need to dedicate a whole day to do them.
Not everything needs to be justified as "it's a business", thus the up-charges for hours that used to be included and ridiculous parking fees, especially for those staying on site.
There used to be more altruistic motives in creating something new and exciting and people will come.
That was what Carousel of Progress, Space Mountain, the Haunted Mansion, Pirates, and the whole all encompassing resort with Bay Lake and water sports were all about. EPCOT Center did this through the huge variety of attractions, including all the different types of attractions in Future World.
I think they are doing that with the new gondolas and Star Wars land, though. I am glad Epcot is getting a re-work.

 

[SteamboatJoe]

They could update the park and still stay true to its original spirit. They've just chosen not to and it's not because it is a failing theme. In fact, I don't think the core concept is flawed or unacceptable to the market. Children's museum and science centers flourish throughout the country. It's the implementation, presentation, and upkeep of the theme that has been the problem. That and it doesn't jive with the goals of the accounting, marketing, and merchandising teams....the same types of people that gave us DCA 1.0.

 

[lazyboy97o]

They could update the park and still stay true to it's original spirit. They've just chosen not to and it's not because it is a failing theme. In fact, I don't think the core concept is flawed or unacceptable to the market. Children's museum and science centers flourish throughout the country. It's the implementation, presentation, and upkeep of the theme that has been the problem. That and it doesn't jive with the goals of the accounting, marketing, and merchandising teams....the same types of people that gave us DCA 1.0.

If EPCOT Center was such a failure they wouldn’t be wrapping the new Epcot in its imagery. EPCOT Center clearly has a cultural identity and very strong brand aweness that Disney intends to use.

 

[SteamboatJoe]

lol oh the horror, a business actually giving the customer what they want. So basically we are ignorant people with too much money, to realize that we should hate the direction Disney is developing because we aren't longing for the by gone days. We couldn't possible know what we want.

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“If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses.”

While Henry Ford may or may not have said those lines, he, like other creative visionaries, clearly believed in that line of thinking.

 

[SteamboatJoe]

If EPCOT Center was such a failure they wouldn’t be wrapping the new Epcot in its imagery. EPCOT Center clearly has a cultural identity and very strong brand aweness that Disney intends to use.

Agreed, I didn't mean to imply it was a failing theme. Poor writing on my part.

 

[lazyboy97o]

Agreed, I didn't mean to imply it was a failing theme. Poor writing on my part.

I was agreeing to you. Just pointing out that this supposed failure is the face of the new Epcot. It makes no marketing sense to use a failed brand for your new one.

 

[SteamboatJoe]

I was agreeing to you. Just pointing out that this supposed failure is the face of the new Epcot. It makes no marketing sense to use a failed brand for your new one.

Gotcha. Yes, that was my line of thinking. The continuous utilization of Figment, the upcoming interim IllumiNations replacement show celebrating EPCOT Center, and the 35th anniversary merchandise a while back are also a good examples to support this point.

 

[Kman101]

Huh - ok. Truthfully -- and I say this as someone who hates the movie Avatar -- I prefer FoP to Forbidden Journey. Same for my husband and my kids.

I find Journey a touch overrated. But hey we all like what we like

 

[Bocabear]

lol oh the horror, a business actually giving the customer what they want. So basically we are ignorant people with too much money, to realize that we should hate the direction Disney is developing because we aren't longing for the by gone days. We couldn't possible know what we want.

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Wow did you take that the wrong direction....

 

[Ladybat]

New Play Pavilion to replace Epcot's Wonder of Life

Disney has announced details of a new pavilion to open in time for the 50th anniversary of Walt Disney World Resort

www.wdwmagic.com

It seems to me that Disney is phasing out dark rides which is very sad for me as I always loved them the best. They butchered Horizons, Universe of Energy, and Journey Into Imagination. In 1993 those rides were some of the most fantastic WDW experiences that were ever made along with the dark rides of the Magic Kingdom.

 

[Missing20K]

If EPCOT Center was such a failure they wouldn’t be wrapping the new Epcot in its imagery. EPCOT Center clearly has a cultural identity and very strong brand aweness that Disney intends to use exploit.

FTFY.

But in all seriousness, I find using all of the old EPCOT Center imagery absurd when there is a giant, hideous box housing a coaster about a movie in the park. It's a play to nostalgia and not in a good, or more importantly, coherent manner. Quite frankly, I find it to be a slap in the face of the more ardent fans of the product. Reminds me of Iger's tweet about Captiva Marvel and the 50 Rides.

 

[TwilightZone]

I'm not sure where this idea comes from that because of the Internet, there's no use in having attractions that are educational (and of course also hopefully entertaining). It's not like having the Internet gives you instant understanding of historical trends and possible future innovations. In fact a lot of people are eager to escape the garbage on the internet and find inspiration and coherence in the world. More than ever, in fact, given how divided, anxious and chaotic things seem right now.

With the right leader, Epcot could really seize this moment to be something completely unique, building on their past successes but innovating new ways to reach people in a noisy world. There really is a hunger out there for inspiration, for making the world a hopeful and coherent place. But that leader is not in charge of Epcot.

My thinking is, thanks to internet, you now know that a science museum is less expensive than epcot. Same learning experiences, cheaper price.

Of course, I also believe another problem with epcot is that most of the stuff taught can be found in your middle school or high school classroom. If you are going to teach something, make it something you can't find in a classroom.