Hi all! This is my first thread on the forums, so I figured it better be a good one.
For a while now it has been a hobby of mine to re-design parts of the parks for fun. It is a bit of a release, as it allows me to focus on something I love and approach it in a different way, rather than just scrolling through photos. Please feel free to ask any questions, as I would love to discuss this and your ideas as well. So here we go!
Over the past few months, I have worked to create a new pavilion for EPCOT and to imagine what a possible entrance for the Mary Poppins attraction would look like. This is all from my own head, so no official concept art was used. The new pavilion was based on the country of India, as one of the biggest "wonders of the world" is the Taj Mahal, and I am sure that Indian food would be a huge draw in EPCOT. I have designed it so that the main weenie is the Taj Mahal, placed in the back left corner of the pavilion. The Taj Mahal has fountains and cypress trees in front of it, much like the actual place, and then a small Hindu temple stands at the end of the fountain area. There is already an existing circle in the walkways at EPCOT where this would be located, so the temple is located in the center of that. Off to the right, an open-air Indian marketplace is simulated with awning covered booths and a small building. This area would sell goods and wares from India, like all other respective pavilions do for their countries, and the building would be a place to get food and other delicacies of South Asia.
Towards the back would be -- you've likely guessed it by now -- the "former" World Showplace pavilion, which would be host to many things as it would be integrated into the park for daily use. Part of it, towards the back, would be used for the Mary Poppins attraction. This would be a small dark ride, maybe 2-3 minutes tops, that would follow Mary Poppins and the Banks family around London. The remainder of the pavilion would serve two purposes. One, as the festival space it already is. Disney could still use it to host special events and celebrations whenever they want, and it would still provide ample space to allow for food tastings, RunDisney ceremonies, or 3rd party special events. While not in use for that, the entryway space of the World Showplace would be converted into a meet and greet space for characters representing South Asia. This could include characters from the Jungle Book, possibly Aladdin and Jasmine (if they wanted to move from Morocco), and Mickey and Minnie in traditional Indian attire. This space could also be host to a museum much like is found in Japan, depicting portions of Indian culture and history. It may not be a huge draw for the pavilion, but it would be a permanent use for the 60,000 square foot space.
I decided on the relative empty lot between the United Kingdom and Canada pavilions for a few reasons. First, the pavilions on either side of the lot are constructed to allow for a tree buffer between them and the new pavilion, meaning there would be an easy transition from country to country. Second, the World Showplace pavilion is such a large space that is (arguably) underused, and placing a country in front of it would allow for its constant utilization. Finally, pavilion depth. I was afraid at first that building in front of the World Showplace would limit a pavilion's detail and space, but on the contrary! I found that with the existing green space along the World Showcase Lagoon it gives the India Pavilion plenty of space to prosper. Also, its neighboring United Kingdom is just as shallow as the India Pavilion.
Overall I am extremely happy with the way this turned out. My process started out pretty rocky, with plans to make it an Iceland Pavilion at first. But following some discussion and six sketches of possible pavilions, the design for India stood out as the winner. The India Pavilion would be a welcome addition to the World Showcase, and would mark the first pavilion in over 20 years!
If you would like to see any sketches for other countries, let me know and I can share them as well.
For a while now it has been a hobby of mine to re-design parts of the parks for fun. It is a bit of a release, as it allows me to focus on something I love and approach it in a different way, rather than just scrolling through photos. Please feel free to ask any questions, as I would love to discuss this and your ideas as well. So here we go!
Over the past few months, I have worked to create a new pavilion for EPCOT and to imagine what a possible entrance for the Mary Poppins attraction would look like. This is all from my own head, so no official concept art was used. The new pavilion was based on the country of India, as one of the biggest "wonders of the world" is the Taj Mahal, and I am sure that Indian food would be a huge draw in EPCOT. I have designed it so that the main weenie is the Taj Mahal, placed in the back left corner of the pavilion. The Taj Mahal has fountains and cypress trees in front of it, much like the actual place, and then a small Hindu temple stands at the end of the fountain area. There is already an existing circle in the walkways at EPCOT where this would be located, so the temple is located in the center of that. Off to the right, an open-air Indian marketplace is simulated with awning covered booths and a small building. This area would sell goods and wares from India, like all other respective pavilions do for their countries, and the building would be a place to get food and other delicacies of South Asia.
Towards the back would be -- you've likely guessed it by now -- the "former" World Showplace pavilion, which would be host to many things as it would be integrated into the park for daily use. Part of it, towards the back, would be used for the Mary Poppins attraction. This would be a small dark ride, maybe 2-3 minutes tops, that would follow Mary Poppins and the Banks family around London. The remainder of the pavilion would serve two purposes. One, as the festival space it already is. Disney could still use it to host special events and celebrations whenever they want, and it would still provide ample space to allow for food tastings, RunDisney ceremonies, or 3rd party special events. While not in use for that, the entryway space of the World Showplace would be converted into a meet and greet space for characters representing South Asia. This could include characters from the Jungle Book, possibly Aladdin and Jasmine (if they wanted to move from Morocco), and Mickey and Minnie in traditional Indian attire. This space could also be host to a museum much like is found in Japan, depicting portions of Indian culture and history. It may not be a huge draw for the pavilion, but it would be a permanent use for the 60,000 square foot space.
I decided on the relative empty lot between the United Kingdom and Canada pavilions for a few reasons. First, the pavilions on either side of the lot are constructed to allow for a tree buffer between them and the new pavilion, meaning there would be an easy transition from country to country. Second, the World Showplace pavilion is such a large space that is (arguably) underused, and placing a country in front of it would allow for its constant utilization. Finally, pavilion depth. I was afraid at first that building in front of the World Showplace would limit a pavilion's detail and space, but on the contrary! I found that with the existing green space along the World Showcase Lagoon it gives the India Pavilion plenty of space to prosper. Also, its neighboring United Kingdom is just as shallow as the India Pavilion.
Overall I am extremely happy with the way this turned out. My process started out pretty rocky, with plans to make it an Iceland Pavilion at first. But following some discussion and six sketches of possible pavilions, the design for India stood out as the winner. The India Pavilion would be a welcome addition to the World Showcase, and would mark the first pavilion in over 20 years!
If you would like to see any sketches for other countries, let me know and I can share them as well.
