ford91exploder
Resident Curmudgeon
EPCOT WAS AMAZING and it took less time to build than 7DMT!!!!!
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A really great post on the state of Epcot
- Thread starter tissandtully
- Start date
EPCOT WAS AMAZING and it took less time to build than 7DMT!!!!!
ItlngrlBella
Well-Known Member
As I read the article I lost count on how many times I stood up and gave a "AMEN!" "Hallelujah!" and "PREACH!" Agreed on all of it except IaSW - guy is overly PC and the ride was created in the opposite spirit of his overly PC opinion.
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sshindel
The Epcot Manifesto
I agree with the article, well written from a good point of view and an honest voice.
I don't however quite think that IaSW is somehow mind-blowingly racist, but that's a nitpick.
ford91exploder
Resident Curmudgeon
IaSW is a product of it's times and lets face it stereotypes reign supreme through the entire ride, However it was done at the behest of the UN and overall the message is a good one still 60 some odd years later.
sshindel
The Epcot Manifesto
I think that the intent is so clearly anti-racist that it counteracts any stereotypes.
Which is basically what you said.
ford91exploder
Resident Curmudgeon
Yes exactly no matter what we look like we all share a very small world.
Marc Davis Fan
Well-Known Member
For those of you who visited EPCOT Center in its prime, what was it like to walk through / stand in Future World's central plaza? Was it visually arresting, peaceful, exciting?
I'm always wanted to try to get a feel of what that central area was like before the pin station, the purple tarps/poles, Mouse Gear, Electric Umbrella, etc. Right now it feels like the aesthetically weakest area in all of WDW.
I'm always wanted to try to get a feel of what that central area was like before the pin station, the purple tarps/poles, Mouse Gear, Electric Umbrella, etc. Right now it feels like the aesthetically weakest area in all of WDW.
articos
Well-Known Member
It was very pretty and park-like, with a peaceful atmosphere - there was a gentle roar of the fountain waters and the atmospheric music, unless there was a show going on on the fountain stage or in the air. CommuniCore was (is) mostly glass, so you were surrounded by a stately, majestic, open-feeling piece of architecture with gentle sweeping curves, reminding you of a university or a graceful modern public building that felt very futuristic but not stark or cold. Everywhere you looked were modern touches - futuristic signage, silent sliding glass doors, custom lighting, hidden speakers. The concrete was spotless and felt continuous, instead of broken up, making the plaza feel large and spacious. The benches, drinking fountains and planters were molded to emulate the shapes of the buildings. The uniforms were reminiscent of Star Trek or a futuristic tv show. There was a lot more open space, planting and water back then, but the planting did not block CommuniCore or look overgrown. Very different from today.
Marc Davis Fan
Well-Known Member
PhotoDave219
Well-Known Member
..... alas.... The public and the fanbase as a whole is so desperate for new attractions/rides/experiences.... everything do is viewed as a home run.
This entire article can be applied property wide, the systemic failures of Epcot are simply a microcosm of the larger issues when it comes to Parks and Resorts.
articos
Well-Known Member
You're welcome. If you look up Martin's ultimate tribute video to Spaceship Earth 86 and CommuniCore on youTube, about 20-30 mins in there are some nice video shots of the original plaza and buildings.
Sadly, no matter how many articles like this are published, there will always be people here who feel that it can all be fixed by throwing characters and IP's into every corner of the park.
xdan0920
Think for yourselfer
That line made me cringe as well. The ride is so overtly anti-racism, that it made me cringe to think someone could read it as racist.
ford91exploder
Resident Curmudgeon
Visit a college campus these days and you will not wonder why this is the case
montyz81
Well-Known Member
This is the main issue with what has happened to EPCOT Center. Back in the day, I remember many media outlets asking, "What is it?; Is it a worlds fair?; Is it a park about technology? There isn't anything for kids to do. There aren't any Disney rides or characters" I really believe that Eisner felt that pressure as he took the helm back in 1984. So as the years progressed, more characters showed up and rides and exhibits with education were dumbed down or removed completely (See Communicore progression to current day Innoventions). The problem here is that we as fans see the issues with Epcot, but I suspect that the general public does not since the attendance numbers have stayed steady or have gone up every year. At 11 million people visiting this park alone each year, why would management think they need to fast track any kind of overhaul? The park is a conundrum, it is well attended but has some of the most stale rides in all of Disney Parks and Resorts. I hope that if the rumors are true about another Epcot in Asia being planned, that the current Epcot gets to upgrade along with the building of that new park.
jt04
Well-Known Member
100% correct. Which is why it needs to evolve and be reimagined.
Ironic that it's biggest fans can't see that.
The original truly was amazing. But the idea is obsolete as a theme park concept. Rapid technological change and globalization, including the internet, killed it.
Nemo14
Well-Known Member
One thing that differs so much to me now between the way it was and the way it is now is the pace of experiencing the attractions. In Future World, every pavilion had not just a ride, but really neat things to see and do throughout the building. We always planned for at least a full day at Future World and the same for World Showcase, and even then we'd feel reluctant to leave at the end of the night. It saddens me so much to see it now as just a race from one fast pass to the next.
Atomicmickey
Well-Known Member
Original EPCOT is very high on my list, maybe at the top, of places I would visit again
if I could go back in time in my life. It was a wonder in every way.
The Magic Kingdom is wish fulfillment in a fantasy setting. EPCOT in its heyday showed us what we
could be, a world that might be. And while you were there, it was like being in that world.
The wonders of science, the spirit of cooperation, the limitless bounds of imagination.
It was so inspiring, and community-building. You'd think we could do anything together.
I wept openly several times at the staggering beauty of the conception when I was there.
When I'm there, now, I'm grasping for the remnants of that. They are there to be found, but
not in the same way. I'm not sure it's possible any more. Science has unfairly become a political
football, the world is much more fearful and xenophobic than it was, the wonders of the future
have been distilled down to a phone, and corporations have become untrustworthy monoliths.
We are beyond being fascinated by technology and automation, and have become suspicious,
even fearful of it. Finally, our expectations are so high now that we are inevitably disappointed.
Why can't we teleport, yet? Where's my 300MPG flying car? How come Cancer is still a thing?
Why do I have to swipe my credit card twice, and this darn computer seems slower every day.
Why is Netflix hitching, and where's my diet and muscle magic pill? We want it all, and we
want it now, not the promise of some far flung future.
I still believe in what EPCOT showed us, but the challenges that Imagineers would face in
reinventing that futurist spirit would be daunting indeed.
That said, I would like to see them try. It could be glorious.
if I could go back in time in my life. It was a wonder in every way.
The Magic Kingdom is wish fulfillment in a fantasy setting. EPCOT in its heyday showed us what we
could be, a world that might be. And while you were there, it was like being in that world.
The wonders of science, the spirit of cooperation, the limitless bounds of imagination.
It was so inspiring, and community-building. You'd think we could do anything together.
I wept openly several times at the staggering beauty of the conception when I was there.
When I'm there, now, I'm grasping for the remnants of that. They are there to be found, but
not in the same way. I'm not sure it's possible any more. Science has unfairly become a political
football, the world is much more fearful and xenophobic than it was, the wonders of the future
have been distilled down to a phone, and corporations have become untrustworthy monoliths.
We are beyond being fascinated by technology and automation, and have become suspicious,
even fearful of it. Finally, our expectations are so high now that we are inevitably disappointed.
Why can't we teleport, yet? Where's my 300MPG flying car? How come Cancer is still a thing?
Why do I have to swipe my credit card twice, and this darn computer seems slower every day.
Why is Netflix hitching, and where's my diet and muscle magic pill? We want it all, and we
want it now, not the promise of some far flung future.
I still believe in what EPCOT showed us, but the challenges that Imagineers would face in
reinventing that futurist spirit would be daunting indeed.
That said, I would like to see them try. It could be glorious.