“EPCOT”’s New Name

bryanfze55

bryanfze55

Well-Known Member
lazyboy97o said:
A random assortment of the best themed rides is still an amusement park. A theme park is defined at the “neighborhood” level.
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But Disney is creating new neighborhoods at the park. GotG will be in the World Discovery neighborhood, where the theme is science and technology. If an effort is made to theme the ride to science and technology, I don’t see how it doesn’t “fit.”

I don’t think this is the best they could’ve done, but it’s better than what we have. Epcot has basically just been a place to shop and eat for too long now. Frankly, when I’m spending $100+ per person to get in, I expect something more than that.
 
KBLovedDisney

KBLovedDisney

Well-Known Member
Heppenheimer said:
How about "HIDAIL"? "Horizons Is Dead, Accept It Land".
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the-land-before-time-ill-be-with-you.gif


Right in the feels, dude. Right in the feels.😭
 
Animaniac93-98

Animaniac93-98

Well-Known Member
Ravenclaw78 said:
And the new Epcot will be divided into several "neighborhoods", each built around a central theme.
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The contents of those neighborhoods will be largely the same as now, with the umbrella labels being deliberately vague like "Discovery".

It's all labels, without substance. That's the point of this thread specifically, that the "EPCOT" name does not reflect what the park is now.
 
Animaniac93-98

Animaniac93-98

Well-Known Member
bryanfze55 said:
But Disney is creating new neighborhoods at the park. GotG will be in the World Discovery neighborhood, where the theme is science and technology. If an effort is made to theme the ride to science and technology, I don’t see how it doesn’t “fit.”
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GotG is not about science and discovery. It's about a bunch of foul-mouthed misfits saving the day and adventuring. The pseudo-science of their spaceships and world is background dressing, not a call to action or an education on how things work.

The effort to connect the property with Epcot is half-hearted and tacked-on, much like the design of the ride's show building.
 
R

Ravenclaw78

Well-Known Member
Animaniac93-98 said:
The contents of those neighborhoods will be largely the same as now, with the umbrella labels being deliberately vague like "Discovery".

It's all labels, without substance. That's the point of this thread specifically, that the "EPCOT" name does not reflect what the park is now.
Click to expand...
"EPCOT" or "Epcot Center", as a theme park name, never meant anything in the first place. It was a label they slapped onto the park after Walt died so they could claim it had some spiritual connection to him, but the park hardly represented the Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow in any way. I don't see the new names as any more vague than "Future World", either. What you're really bemoaning is the replacement of edutainment with fantasy entertainment, which is a ship that sailed years ago, and there's nothing inherent about the name Epcot that defines the theme of the park.
 
Animaniac93-98

Animaniac93-98

Well-Known Member
Ravenclaw78 said:
"EPCOT" or "Epcot Center", as a theme park name, never meant anything in the first place. It was a label they slapped onto the park after Walt died so they could claim it had some spiritual connection to him, but the park hardly represented the Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow in any way. I don't see the new names as any more vague than "Future World", either.
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So why keep the name EPCOT at all? Why break up Future World and give it new names if it never meant anything to begin with?

The park going forward is deliberately trying to mimic visual elements of the original EPCOT Center. It wants to be associated with the EPCOT of the past. Could it be that there is some name recognition and value attached to it after decades of use and tens of millions of visitors?
 
bryanfze55

bryanfze55

Well-Known Member
Ravenclaw78 said:
"EPCOT" or "Epcot Center", as a theme park name, never meant anything in the first place. It was a label they slapped onto the park after Walt died so they could claim it had some spiritual connection to him, but the park hardly represented the Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow in any way. I don't see the new names as any more vague than "Future World", either. What you're really bemoaning is the replacement of edutainment with fantasy entertainment, which is a ship that sailed years ago, and there's nothing inherent about the name Epcot that defines the theme of the park.
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This is the essence of it. I don’t see how a Future World that contains Test Track, Mission: Space, and Spaceship Earth embodies the spirit of Walt’s vision for EPCOT any more or less than a Future World that just so happens to contain those same attractions plus Guardians of the Galaxy.

Test Track is not edutainment. Mission: SPACE is not edutainment. Spaceship Earth is, but that ride is staying. I can understand lamenting “classic” EPCOT, but I cant say I really understand the defense of it in its current state.
 
Animaniac93-98

Animaniac93-98

Well-Known Member
bryanfze55 said:
This is the essence of it. I don’t see how a Future World that contains Test Track, Mission: Space, and Spaceship Earth embodies the spirit of Walt’s vision for EPCOT any more or less than a Future World that just so happens to contain those same attractions plus Guardians of the Galaxy.

Test Track is not edutainment. Mission: SPACE is not edutainment. Spaceship Earth is, but that ride is staying. I can understand lamenting “classic” EPCOT, but I cant say I really understand the defense of it in its current state.
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No one is defending current EPCOT.

People are disappointed that instead of doing something bold with the concept, they're throwing in the towel and just adding more Disney character rides like they would at any other of their theme parks.

At the very least, Test Track, Mission: Space and Soarin' are all popular without being associated with any movie tie-in. More attractions like those would at least differentiate the park from anything with "studios" in its name.
 
R

Ravenclaw78

Well-Known Member
Animaniac93-98 said:
So why keep the name EPCOT at all? Why break up Future World and give it new names if it never meant anything to begin with?

The park going forward is deliberately trying to mimic visual elements of the original EPCOT Center. It wants to be associated with the EPCOT of the past. Could it be that there is some name recognition and value attached to it after decades of use and tens of millions of visitors?
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Of course there's name recognition and value attached to the names EPCOT and Epcot Center. Nobody's arguing that there isn't. But changing the themes of the park doesn't somehow invalidate the name, because the name was never the theme.
 
RobWDW1971

RobWDW1971

Well-Known Member
bryanfze55 said:
This is the essence of it. I don’t see how a Future World that contains Test Track, Mission: Space, and Spaceship Earth embodies the spirit of Walt’s vision for EPCOT any more or less than a Future World that just so happens to contain those same attractions plus Guardians of the Galaxy.

Test Track is not edutainment. Mission: SPACE is not edutainment. Spaceship Earth is, but that ride is staying. I can understand lamenting “classic” EPCOT, but I cant say I really understand the defense of it in its current state.
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I don’t see anybody making the argument that Epcot should stay as it is forever. The argument is that whether changes and investment should be under a cohesive theme or just a series of random IP attractions. This argument of “anything is better than what’s there today” or “anything is better than nothing” is not relevant to the discussion. Everybody wants new and exciting attractions in Epcot (and every park).

If they want to build IP attractions without a larger cohesive theme for the park, that is their choice. Just don’t insult our intelligence by pretending there is a theme and then doubling down on the cynicism of using the retro Epcot logos

Be bold enough to create either a new theme and name or just admit there isn’t one and move on.

It’s like keeping the name California Adventure and then building The Collector’s outer space museum. If you’ve given up on the creative concept of the park, fine, change the name.
 
R

Ravenclaw78

Well-Known Member
RobWDW1971 said:
It’s like keeping the name California Adventure and then building The Collector’s outer space museum. If you’ve given up on the creative concept of the park, fine, change the name.
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I don't get the obsession over the theming of the Guardians of the Galaxy rides. Radiator Springs never had anything to do with California either, and predated the reskin of ToT by years.
 
RobWDW1971

RobWDW1971

Well-Known Member
Ravenclaw78 said:
Of course there's name recognition and value attached to the names EPCOT and Epcot Center. Nobody's arguing that there isn't. But changing the themes of the park doesn't somehow invalidate the name, because the name was never the theme.
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I’m not sure if you visited the park in the 80’s, but the name very much represented the park’s theme of a World’s Fair - the technology of tomorrow coupled with the countries around the world, similar to the 1964 Worlds Fair.

Future World’s cohesive theme was about man’s quest for a better life through technology - Spaceship Earth, Universe of Energy, Horizons, World of Motion, Living Seas, and the Land 100% fit that cohesive theme

Later attractions like Body Wars, Test Track, and Mission:Space still kept to the theme of mans use of technology for better living and exploration, all without IP.

That’s what differentiated Epcot from the other parks.

Guardians roller coasters, Moana water areas, Nemo ride telling the Finding Nemo story, and giant sky bars could be at any park around the world.
 

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