EPCOT Creations Shop opening this summer

[UNCgolf]

The "shop" part of it not so much, but I honestly don't mind "Creations" as a name and assume that's what people will call it. I imagine the "shop" has been put there just to clarify on maps, etc. what it is. To me, getting upset about the 'shop' part seems like getting upset about Disneyland 'Park'.

I can see why people might find 'Creations' a bit nondescript, but it seems in keeping with the nomenclature of Epcot to me. Certainly more so than MouseGear. It might not be as cool as Centorium, mind you, but then I'm pretty sure if they brought that back it would officially be Centorium Shop!

They're so very specific about including "Shop" every single time they mention it, though, which is why it sounds so ridiculous. All of the Instagram posts etc. would be significantly improved if they simply stopped adding "Shop" after Creations.

 

[sedati]

Sorry some of us can remember when Disney could do theming that didn’t need the crutch of the characters.

And Jurassic Park would do just fine without the dinosaurs I suppose.
Forget EPCOT, look at Disneysea. Both had tremendous budgets and ambition, so why the almost immediate influx of characters?

 

[FigmentsBrightIdeas]

And Jurassic Park would do just fine without the dinosaurs I suppose.
Forget EPCOT, look at Disneysea. Both had tremendous budgets and ambition, so why the almost immediate influx of characters?

He means the ‘film’ characters & stories. Not characters in general. It’s not the same argument. Disney’s created & has been successful in creating more than just iconic movies & tv shows. They use to have the same creativity within their attraction concepts & characters also.. there’s really no excuse as to why they still shouldn’t.

 

[FigmentsBrightIdeas]

And Jurassic Park would do just fine without the dinosaurs I suppose.
Forget EPCOT, look at Disneysea. Both had tremendous budgets and ambition, so why the almost immediate influx of characters?

No kidding you wouldn’t do Jurassic Park without the dinosaurs. It’s a part of it’s original integrity, story, & concept. Not to mention it’s a ‘film’ franchise.. Universal Studios in particular deals with pretty much ‘only’ ‘Film’ based rides. That’s not the same case for parks like EPCOT.

 

[FigmentsBrightIdeas]

look at Disneysea. Both had tremendous budgets and ambition, so why the almost immediate influx of characters?

Well, you have Sindbad’s Storybook Voyage out there and that’s a great example of an original attraction with lovable characters.
Another great example is Mystic Manor at Hong Kong Disneyland..
It’s not neccesarily ‘characters’ that are the problem.. it’s the ‘over’ reliance & usage of Film IP stories & characters as a crutch rather than a genuine tasteful balance of both ‘original’ and ‘film IP’ & a proper fit like in the past.

 

[sedati]

No kidding you wouldn’t do Jurassic Park without the dinosaurs. It’s a part of it’s original integrity, story, & concept. Not to mention it’s a ‘film’ franchise.. Universal Studios in particular deals with pretty much ‘only’ ‘Film’ based rides. That’s not the same case for parks like EPCOT.

I actually meant Jurassic Park as if it were a real place. You go to a place called Jurassic Park, you expect dinosaurs. You go to a place called Walt Disney World...
Again, look at DisneySea. They had Mermaid Lagoon and Arabian Coast, and thought that was enough IP to tide the public over.

 

[sedati]

Well, you have Sindbad’s Storybook Voyage out there and that’s a great example of an original attraction with lovable characters.
Another great example is Mystic Manor at Hong Kong Disneyland..
It’s not neccesarily ‘characters’ that are the problem.. it’s the ‘over’ reliance & usage of Film IP stories & characters as a crutch rather than a genuine tasteful balance of both ‘original’ and ‘film IP’ & a proper fit like in the past.

Sinbad was completely overhauled. They didn't install IP, but maybe they should have as I don't think it's still pulling in what it deserves even with cute tiger and catchy song.

 

[FigmentsBrightIdeas]

I actually meant Jurassic Park as if it were a real place. You go to a place called Jurassic Park, you expect dinosaurs. You go to a place called Walt Disney World...
Again, look at DisneySea. They had Mermaid Lagoon and Arabian Coast, and thought that was enough IP to tide the public over.

Right.. ‘Walt Disney World’… meaning, “a World featuring ‘anything’ created by Disney” .. notice it’s not called “Disney’s Fantasy World”, “Disney Studios Park, or “Disney Movie World”. It’s supposed to be a tribute to Americana as seen in the eyes of Walt Disney.. and there’s a section specifically dedicated to characters & stories of that nature.. ‘Fantasyland’. That & the meet n greet characters.

Again, it’s not neccesarily that Film IP exists within the parks that’s the problem. It’s the continual loss of the balance of original/unique content in the park that ‘should’ be there in favor of more & more Film IP themed rides.. to the point it’s becoming overkill & could possibly be a death knell to true creativity within the parks like there was in the past. That unique creativity is what truly sets Disney apart from the rest of the competition. So it’s a wonder they wouldn’t want to capitalize on that, promote it better, and be the ‘leaders’ of the industry again rather than be Universal copycats..

 

[FigmentsBrightIdeas]

All we want is the balance back that there used to be back in the day. Even if EPCOT has some Film IP based attractions. I’d hope they stay true to being focused on showcasing real world concepts & cultures using the film or characters to compliment those things (rather than detract from it in favor of something strictly focused on fantasy within their own worlds & stories where it doesn’t fit within wherever it’s placed at all), along with having a good balance of park original content & characters that make EPCOT all the more unique from the rest of the parks.

 

[sedati]

All we want is the balance back that there used to be back in the day. Even if EPCOT has some Film IP based attractions. I’d hope they stay true to being focused on showcasing real world concepts & cultures using the film or characters to compliment those things (rather than detract from it in favor of something strictly focused on fantasy within their own worlds & stories), along with having a good balance of park original content & characters that make EPCOT all the more unique from the rest of the parks.

Yes, balance is good. The park was born out of a great imbalance that it has flailed about trying to settle and may never find solid ground.

 

[FigmentsBrightIdeas]

Yes, balance is good. The park was born out of a great imbalance that it has flailed about trying to settle and may never find solid ground.

Only because of upper management looking at Disney through a strictly ‘film studio’ mindset & not as a creative powerhouse capable of creating anything through whatever medium they could imagine. That’s what WED was originally created for… as a way for Disney to create anything in 3 dimensions for the parks or worlds fairs, not simply as an arm only making movie tie-in rides & attractions, shoehorned into places without taking into account the integrity, spirit, & goals of the park or area it’s being placed into.

 

[FigmentsBrightIdeas]

may never find solid ground.

Though I personally believe it will find solid ground once more (once better management comes in)… it’s been done before in the past, so it’s not impossible.

 

[mightynine]

And Jurassic Park would do just fine without the dinosaurs I suppose.
Forget EPCOT, look at Disneysea. Both had tremendous budgets and ambition, so why the almost immediate influx of characters?

No, I would expect a Jurassic Park area to have dinosaurs.

I can’t speak for Tokyo Disneysea, I’ve never been.

But I think this speaks to the heart of the approach - a Disney theme park initially was not themed to “Disney”, but to a certain level of quality to the attractions or property.

Now, thanks to the wonders of vertical integration, there has to be the characters and/or IP everywhere. And if that had been the case since the start, would we have the Haunted Mansion, Big Thunder, or Pirates? Would you have Spaceship Earth or had Body Wars, Horizons, Soarin’? Would we had enjoyed the Great Movie Ride, Expedition Everest or Kilimanjaro Safari (Yeti notwithstanding)?

And for those who think the characters should be everywhere, what does someone who loves Luca get out of a trip? Or Soul? Or Raya?

That’s the point I try to make: I’m not against the idea of the parks being more “Disney” in the Bob’s IP-laden world. But I do have an issue with using it as a shortcut to make the connection in theme park storytelling in any of its forms.

To bring it back down to the Creations Shop level, there’s tons of Epcot IP they could use to theme it, but instead let’s be lazy, make something kinda generic and put Mickey in it to make it Disney.

I’m not saying MouseGear was great - it’s layout made zero sense and it was cluttered and dated.

I guess I just get frustrated because Disney set the bar I’m holding them too.

 

[lazyboy97o]

I actually meant Jurassic Park as if it were a real place. You go to a place called Jurassic Park, you expect dinosaurs. You go to a place called Walt Disney World...
Again, look at DisneySea. They had Mermaid Lagoon and Arabian Coast, and thought that was enough IP to tide the public over.

Was anyone confused Mickey Mouse wasn’t in Frozen?

Yes, balance is good. The park was born out of a great imbalance that it has flailed about trying to settle and may never find solid ground.

The flailing has nothing to do with the lack of characters. Even with EPCOT Center’s high cost, the parks kept Walt Disney Productions profitable while the Studio bled. If anything, the flailing has only increased as executive leadership has demanded more characters.

 

[castlecake2.0]

Right.. ‘Walt Disney World’… meaning, “a World featuring ‘anything’ created by Disney” .. notice it’s not called “Disney’s Fantasy World”, “Disney Studios Park, or “Disney Movie World”. It’s supposed to be a tribute to Americana as seen in the eyes of Walt Disney.. and there’s a section specifically dedicated to characters & stories of that nature.. ‘Fantasyland’. That & the meet n greet characters.

Again, it’s not neccesarily that Film IP exists within the parks that’s the problem. It’s the continual loss of the balance of original/unique content in the park that ‘should’ be there in favor of more & more Film IP themed rides.. to the point it’s becoming overkill & could possibly be a death knell to true creativity within the parks like there was in the past. That unique creativity is what truly sets Disney apart from the rest of the competition. So it’s a wonder they wouldn’t want to capitalize on that, promote it better, and be the ‘leaders’ of the industry again rather than be Universal copycats..

I don’t think the majority of guests would agree. When they come to Disney they’re expecting to see the characters they’ve seen on tv and in movies.

 

[MisterPenguin]

Sorry some of us can remember when Disney could do theming that didn’t need the crutch of the characters.

or when Disney could come up with a ride/attraction without the crutch of an IP.

 

[FigmentsBrightIdeas]

I don’t think the majority of guests would agree. When they come to Disney they’re expecting to see the characters they’ve seen on tv and in movies.

I’d disagree & say it’s a balance. Just think about how many people have gone to Disneyland specifically to see things like Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Caribbean, Matterhorn, Space Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Enchanted Tiki Room, Small World etc. over the years. They come for the quality of the attractions, charm, & attention to detail only Disney can provide. ‘But’ that’s not to say that seeing their favorite characters has never been a draw. They’ve been a draw & mainstay since Disneyland opened in ‘55. ‘However’ it was mainly through meet n greet characters & Fantasyland where they’d see them… and while certainly they were a draw to go. Most folks understood the ‘bigger picture’ going there was that Disneyland was ‘more’ than just a Disney Movie land, but a park with all the qualities & entertainment only Disney was capable of providing & producing.

If not though, I put the blame on current marketing.. as back in the day, even on the Wonderful World (of Color) with Walt Disney when they’d promote Disneyland. The focus was never specifically on their movie characters & stories, it was on the entire experience & anything/everything Disney was working on/creating at the time.

 

[FigmentsBrightIdeas]

View attachment 574672

I’ve seen this before.. Notice the center focus is actually on “creative talent of studio’, not specifically their films in general. It was their ‘creative talent’ of their film studio starting out where they’d be branched/moved to WED to create brand new entertainment for Disneyland, not specifically film based or adaptation rides. Yes, they used as many mediums to promote ‘Disneyland’ as possible. But not use Disneyland solely to market their film characters & stories specifically as the ‘full’ experience.

 

[MisterPenguin]

I’ve seen this before.. Notice the center focus is actually on “creative talent of studio’, not specifically their films in general. It was their ‘creative talent’ of their film studio starting out where they’d be branched/moved to WED to create brand new entertainment for Disneyland, not specifically film based rides. Yes, they used as many mediums to promote ‘Disneyland’ as possible. But not use Disneyland to market their film characters & stories specifically as the full experience.

Notice Walt's almost obsessive devotion to as much synergy as possible.

 

[castlecake2.0]

I’ve seen this before.. Notice the focus is on “creative talent of studio’, not specifically their films in general. It was their ‘creative talent’ of their film studio starting out where they’d be branched/moved to WED to create brand new entertainment for Disneyland, not specifically film based rides. Yes, they used as many mediums to promote ‘Disneyland’ as possible. But not use Disneyland to market their film characters & stories specifically as the full experience.

It says “Creative Talent of Studio Theatrical Films”. Disneyland was always about promoting their films, including the park icon promoting a movie that wouldn’t debut for another four years. Frontierland had Davey Crockett, Adventureland a nod to their true life adventure movies.