A Whole New World: My Vision for a Renovated Walt Disney World

[DisneyManOne]

Mickey's Toontown

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This new land, located on a large tract of land north of the park, right nearby the road CM's travel on to get to the Utilidors (hence the covered tunnel serving as a passage to and from the land), will receive a makeover to make it less county-fair-like and more fantastic- and city-like, dedicated not only to the cartoon shorts of old, but also to the comics of the period and, to a lesser degree, some of the Disney cartoon shows of the 1980s. The features will be made more family- and adult-friendly, and not just kid-friendly, so that there will be more stuff for other people to do, besides just the two houses and roller-coaster from back when the area was Mickey's Toontown Fair.

Once on the other side of the tunnel, you're in a small garden area. In the middle of the garden is a nice new fountain which has both Mickey and Minnie and Donald and Daisy embracing each other in it. Nearby this garden, in the middle of a circular flowerbed, a giant sign is located, bearing the name "Mickey's Toontown". The sign is held up by statues of Mickey and Donald. Step beyond this sign, and you'll find yourself in the heart of Toontown. Immediately to your left, you'll find Goofy's Paint 'n' Playhouse, where you can use Toontone Splat Master paint applicators and help Goofy redecorate his room. These tools are really easy to use! Just point your Splat Master at the wall or furniture you want to paint, and activate! Everyone's efforts together are sure to result in a truly "toony" room!

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Right nearby Goofy's house is Von Drake's House of Genius, the bizarre-looking abode of Professor Ludwig von Drake. Inside, you'll find a multimedia show hosted by Ludwig Von Drake, featuring Audio-Animatronics and special effects (ALA Epcot's Cranium Command). There are two theaters in which the show (lecture) is presented, each one with Von Drake as host and a specific character is used as his particular "guinea pig". Now, one of the two shows is about health, but it's actually unoriginal: a slightly revised version of the old Wonders of Life show, "Goofy About Health". It will be the exact same show as in Epcot, but with Von Drake narrating and him being used instead of the unnamed doctor in the real show. The other show will be an original one about psychology, with Donald Duck.

Von Drake steps out onto the stage and shows off his latest invention: an elaborate machine with various screens on it. He calls it the Thought Scanner. What it does, he says, is it can display one's thoughts onto the screens (in full view of others) and hopefully make them easier to identify, observe, analyze and diagnose. He plans to make someone his guinea pig to try it out... and quickly settles on a stubborn and averagely angry Donald Duck. Using the Thought Scanner, Von Drake hopes to get to the root of Donald's signature short temper. Once the formalities are taken care of, Von Drake flips a switch on the machine and it hums to life. The experiment is underway.

First, they review episodes from Donald's childhood, his respective relationships with his three nephews and Daisy and his many brushes with Pluto, Pete and Chip 'n' Dale (all seen through clips of various Donald shorts displayed on the screens). After that, they next stumble onto the duck's thoughts about Mickey Mouse himself. Of the two, Donald claims that he is the better actor and imagines filling Mickey's big yellow shoes in such roles as Steamboat Willie (complete with a title card spoofing the original one), Fantasia, and The Mickey Mouse Club (complete with a disgruntled Mickey shouting his name over the "Donald Duck Club" theme song).

Von Drake is pleased with the progress they're making, and so begins to ask Donald what he thinks of his other friends. Unfortunately, he can't comprehend a word Donald is saying. When he makes this fact known, Donald gets enraged and throws a big fit, accidentally causing Von Drake's invention to blow a major fuse. Then it hits Von Drake: it's Donald's voice! The reason Donald loses his temper so much is the result of a subconscious emotion of people unable to understand him. Hoping this advice will help cure Donald, Von Drake then proceeds to perform a series of tough aggravation tests on Donald, one of which involving a not-so-subtle reference to It's a Small World, and the results are nothing short of superb. It looks like Donald will be cured for sure... that is, until he receives his VERY expensive bill! As the curtain closes, Von Drake just says with a chuckle, "Well, I guess you can't win 'em all."

The post-show area you're funneled into is called Von Drake Laboratories, which features various hands-on exhibits here. One of the interactivities here is called "What a Character!", a personality test game identical to one of the interactivities of the Sorcerer's Workshop in the Animation area of DCA. Here, Mickey and Donald will ask you a series of questions about yourself and use your answers to said questions to figure out which of the Sensational Six (Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Daisy, Goofy, Pluto) you're most like. Another activity here is called "Sound Off!", where you can add sound effects to a Disney cartoon clip.

On the outskirts of the House of Genius, you'll find Toon Lake, home of Donald's boat, the Miss Daisy. However, the boat is merely just the queue for a new attraction, called Tugboat Donald. (so-called because it's a parody title of the cartoonTugboat Mickey). This is an attraction on Toon Lake, based on an abandoned ride concept dating back to the 1950s. In the book about Disneyland's 50th anniversary, there is a section all about abandoned ride ideas. One of them is a Donald Duck-themed bumper boat ride. A new 21st century version of that ride will finally come into being, not as a bumper boat ride, but as an Aquatopia-style ride. The queue will be Donald's new house, or should I say, houseboat. There will also be an upper level for extended queue, as I'm quite sure this ride will be very popular. Anyway, the ride is followed thus: the vehicles are small tugboats that take you on a wild ride. Your tugboat will twist, turn, backup, spin around in place, all while taking you on a seemingly random trip dodging jagged rocks, spinning whirlpools, and other tugboats. Also, there are interactive water elements with water blasters for guests people-watching to use. Also, Huey, Dewey and Louie are also waiting to nail you, as are the frogs at the end of Goofy's Airport. Speaking of which, some of the ride goes under the tracks of the new roller coaster. The direction your vehicle travels in is not random, of course, but controlled by unseen technology borrowed from Tokyo's Pooh's Hunny Hunt. The movements of the boats are likely to be a bit unpredictable, but the ride is fun for kids and adults alike.

On the other side of the lake is Oswald's Trolley Troubles, a new family coaster, so that grownups as well as kids can ride, too, with or without children. The queue is set in Oswald's new house, where, inside, you can find gag boxes that emit sounds when opened. The ride itself is similarly done like the old Barnstormer, which features zips around turns. But this will be identical to Goofy’s Sky School at Disney California Adventure. In this case, it features hairpin turns at first and plunges like there.

The cars are released from the backyard porch of Oswald's home in batches of two at a time. They are themed to little trolleys. Each car can seat four at a time, so each pair of cars can hold up to a total of eight people. The ride's lift hill is themed toward a giant curved bridge. The peak of the hill provides a good view of Toontown from up there. At the top of the lift, you go through some wild mouse-type hairpin turns, but then drop and go through the regular coaster trek, smashing through part of his house and through a billboard. For the climax of the ride, you go across a lake (which it shares with Tugboat Donald) and splashing across, dodging some strategically placed frogs and fish, both of which spit water at you from the lake as you go by.

Right nearby Oswald's house is Chip 'n' Dale's Treehouse. Unlike its counterparts at Disneyland and Tokyo Disneyland, this one is a Silly Symphony Swings-style ride with acorns as the seats. The swing structure will be in the form of a big tree with Chip 'n' Dale atop. People young and old can soar above the ground on high-flying swings designed like acorns. And the other thing here is that it will be themed to the cartoons we know the chipmunks for, instead of Chip 'n' Dale Rescue Rangers. I'm sure some of us are familiar with that show, but more people are familiar with the cartoons.

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Nearby the treehouse, nestled below the Toontown Hills is Mickey's House, the home of the Big Cheese himself. Mickey's rooms are rigged with fun, and you're welcome to look around. Walk straight through the house and you'll reach the backyard, featuring Pluto's doghouse, and a garden filled with tons of toon-inspired crops. Right nearby is Minnie's House, the home of Mickey's sweetheart. At Minnie's House you're welcome to explore every nook and cranny. Go to the kitchen and look inside the refrigerator. What do you see inside? And what happens when you touch the oven or the dishwasher? Don't forget to toss a coin into the wishing well in the backyard; you'll get to hear a special message from Minnie.

Beyond this neighborhood, you'll soon find yourself in Downtown Toontown, the hustling and bustling city portion of this fun-filled town. The Jolley Trolley is always ready to take guests Downtown Toontown to the Neighborhood and back again. On the border between the two, you'll find the main hangout for all the kids in Toontown—Huey, Dewey & Louie's Roller Derby! This place makes you feel like you're back in the 70's. Disco balls are all over the ceiling and music from the Mickey Mouse Disco CD plays here nonstop. This ride is a bumper car ride, a lot like Tuck n Roll's Drive Em Buggies, but there's a slight twist. Sitting on bleachers watching the guests are Audio-Animatronics of Huey, Dewey, Louie, Morty, Ferdie (Mickey's nephews), Max, PJ and Bobby (the latter two from Goof Troop, as well as A Goofy Movie). As you bump along, they heckle and comment. Just across the way is Scrooge McDuck's Good Time Cafe, a counter service restaurant. Right nearby, in the center of the land, is Toontown City Hall, where you can meet up with Mickey Mouse in person. And who knows? He may strike up a conversation with you (yes, this is where I'm moving the "Talking Mickey" meet-n-greet).

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But Mickey's not the only character you can meet here in Toontown. You can also meet characters like Minnie, Donald, Daisy, Goofy, Pluto, Chip, Dale, Oswald, Scrooge McDuck, Professor von Drake and Huey, Dewey and Louie.

The buildings in Downtown Toontown are a stunning example of... what's the word? ...triggers. For example, there is a match factory right next to a fireworks warehouse, likely to meet at your will. The fireworks factory has a detonator for you to push down. And there is a magnet store right next door to a metals factory, too. The magnet store is actually a real store where you can get Disney-themed fridge magnets. Most of the other buildings resemble the Starland neighborhood. To the left of City Hall is the Toontown Music Company store. The exterior is a building that resembles a blending of both of the palaces of the Isle of Jazz and the Land of Symphony (from the Silly Symphony cartoon Music Land). Inside the store, you can find CDs, sheet music, and all kind of merchandise items related to music. There is even a section where you can mix and burn your very own WDW Forever CDs (not unlike the old DL/WDW Forever CDs you could do from around 1998 to 2001).

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In the center of Downtown Toontown is the Toontown Cab Co., the home of Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin. Hop on board Lenny the Cab (Benny's twin brother), and hit the gas quick, because Roger's beloved wife, Jessica, has been kidnapped by the Weasels. And to cap things off, the Weasels are armed with the Dip (the only thing that can kill a toon), and they're willing to use it to erase Roger (and us) for good. Be careful driving through the wacky streets of Toontown, because the Dip has gotten all over the wheels. When you turn the steering wheel you just might send your cab into a spin. Can you avoid the Dip and get out of there in one piece?

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The adventure exits out into the Gag Factory. A huge gag machine takes up the whole of the Gag Factory shop. And you'll have no problems finding the Toontown Five & Dime; it's got a nickel and dime above its entrance. This is where the Toontown residents get all the equipment to produce their crazy gags and jokes, so you'll be sure to find something wacky! Don't miss the "Wacky Gag-O-Matic" machine that drops toy-filled capsules. What will come out next!?

Finally, there is something here truly significant: a restaurant and the ultimate in character dining: the House of Mouse!

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Outside, the restaurant looks just like the restaurant from the TV show, complete with the big "House of Mouse" sign. The interior is also like the show, with a huge screen and tables themed to that swanky nightclub. The tables all face the screen. Throughout your meal the screen plays various Disney cartoons, and the meals themselves are the same as at Planet Hollywood, but themed to Disney characters, as well as feature options for children, seniors, vegetarians and picky eaters. But the best part is that this area is the new Toontown Hall of Fame, but with more characters and no lines! There are always different characters, so you never know who will come by. All that can be said is that different characters will always come by different tables at random for at least a minute, but no more than three. It's one of the few areas in ALL of WDW where you can be sure of having at least one or two characters come by your table no matter what. Along the sidewalks nearby the House of Mouse (the new name for the residential area) will be a host of Hollywood Walk Of Fame-style stars, each with the names of the Disney characters on them. Step on the stars to trigger some dialogue from them.

Now then, I say we head back through the tunnel and head back to Fantasyland, because there's one more land left in the park: Tomorrowland!

Mickey's Toontown
1) Mickey's House
2) Minnie's House
3) Tugboat Donald
4) Goofy's Paint 'n' Playhouse
5) Oswald's Trolley Troubles
6) Chip n Dale's Treehouse
7) Jolley Trolley
8) Von Drake's House of Genius
9) Huey, Dewey & Louie's Roller Derby
10) Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin

Shopping
1) Gag Factory
2) Toontown Music Company

Dining
1) Scrooge McDuck's Good Time Cafe
2) House of Mouse

 

[orlando678-]

I like this toontown though I think this would be a better fit for Hollywood studios especially with Oswald included

 

[DisneyManOne]

I like this toontown though I think this would be a better fit for Hollywood studios especially with Oswald included

Well, my plans for Hollywood Studios do include a land themed around the 1920's-30's black-and-white shorts. Consider it a predecessor to Toontown. Now then, here's the final land of the Magic Kingdom...

Tomorrowland

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Entering Tomorrowland from the hub of Main Street U.S.A., the guests pass across the bridge connecting to Tomorrowland. A neon, electrified sign reads the land's name. Just beyond the sign a metropolis of futuristic architecture and lighting make up Tomorrowland. The entire land will receive an extensive refurbishment, not just in attractions, but also for the exteriors of the land. What do I mean by that? Well, I think S.W. Wilson of Ideal Buildout put it best...

The 1994 re-do of MK’s Tomorrowland, intended to evoke 1920s/30s pulp Sci-Fi serials like Buck Rogers and Popular Science magazine, introduced a new design style to theme parks, sometimes referred to as ‘Deco-Tech’ (featuring riveted metal plates, glass domes, mechanical palm trees, extra-terrestrial rock formations, etc). I think this re-do was well-conceived and generally well-executed, including the brilliant Avenue of Planets night lighting package, the Astro-Orbitor and one of the best-ever pre-shows featuring the perfectly-programmed and -voiced S.I.R..

One thing that has always vexed me about the 1994 re-do, however, is that once you pass Rockettower Plaza, New Tomorrowland comes to an awkward end, and you’re back in Old Tomorrowland (clearly the land-wide alteration must have seen budget-slashing). There are a few adornments around Cosmic Ray’s (including Sonny Eclipse), but most of the major visual elements (Space Mountain, the majority of the Peoplemover track, Carousel of Progress, the Speedway) remain mostly in the old 1970s style.

Themed lands are like orchestras, and while each section has different instruments making different sounds, they need to be in pitch in order to deliver a pleasing end result. These two styles (Deco-Tech and 1970s Saarinenesque) do not harmonize.

So, with that said, I plan to apply the Deco-Tech architectural styling to the entire land (excepting the iconic Space Mountain). For example, in S.W.'s illustration for an improved Tomorrowland, which you can see below, he applied metallic fins to the rear 2/3 of the Peoplemover. He allso added new spires, domes and other ornamentation to the land’s buildings.

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Moving further into the land, on the left, you'll notice that Stitch's Great Escape has finally been removed. In its place, TRON: The Game Grid is located. I am not necessarily a fan of having too much Disney themes clashing in Tomorrowland, where they may not necessarily make sense, but a Tron attraction would make sense in this space. The attraction consists of guests being transported into the ENCOM Computer System, where the guests seat in a theater-in-the-round domed, rotating, levitating chamber, illuminated with projections and special effects. During the course of the attraction, the Master Control Program forces the guests onto the Game Grid inside of the computer system. An audio-animatronic Tron appears in the ride on numerous occasions. Unlike Stitch's Great Escape, this attraction features no black outs whatsoever, but does feature plenty of spinning and effects. The attraction exits out into the Merchant of Venus store.

Now, I, like many people, believe that Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor does not belong in Tomorrowland, especially with Pixar Place over at DHS. So, in the former space of the attraction, I'd bring back the attraction that replaced it: The Timekeeper.

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Much like how Disney brought Captain EO back after Michael Jackson passed away, I'd bring back this beloved Circle-Vision 360 film to honor Robin Williams, who provided the voice for the titular Timekeeper. In this attraction, Timekeeper sends his droid 9-Eye through time via the time machine at his side. From there, we're transported through time, from the age of the dinosaurs into the future. At one point, we encounter Jules Verne and H.G. Wells and actually transport Jules Verne into the future along with us. This whimsical attraction would be perfect for Tomorrowland, and to me, I don't know why they closed it down in the first place.

Just past The Timekeeper in the right side of the land, Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin is located. The attraction will feature a refurbishment to replace the current vehicles with the much more reliable ones from Disneyland. Plus, I'd also replace all the 2D scenery and targets with 3D ones. The ride's entrance is given a new, grander marquee. The attraction exits out into Store Command, which features merchandise themed around Buzz Lightyear and Toy Story. Just outside of the attraction location, Buzz Lightyear himself hosts meet & greets, alongside the Little Green Men.

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Across the way, on the opposite side of Merchant of Venus is the Auntie Gravity's Galactic Goodies snack location, which serves ice cream, smoothies and and other sorts of snacks. Continuing past the snack location, on the left, is Mickey's Star Traders, which offers Tomorrowland merchandise. Bridging the passageway from Tomorrowland to Fantasyland are two ‘Waterfalls of Light’, an homage to the original spires that once stood at the hub entry of Tomorrowland.

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Back in the center of Tomorrowland is Rockettower Plaza, where the spinning Astro Orbiter is located, looming over the rest of Tomorrowland. At the base of Rockettower Plaza is the Lunching Pad, a counter-service location. The plaza also features conveyor belt ramps up to the Tomorrowland Transit Authority. The Tomorrowland Transit Authority is a pleasant tour of Tomorrowland, along the blue line unit of transit. The tour takes guests above the entrances to many attractions in the land, past a light-cycle race (the old "World of Tron" thing that used to be part of Disneyland's PeopleMover, albeit digitally restored), through Mickey's Star Traders, inside Space Mountain, past Progress City and past Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin. The attraction will also have its 1994-2009 spiel restored, which you can listen to below.

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Continuing on past up north, beyond Rockettower Plaza and next to Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin is INVASION! A Galactic Adventure, a new mildly-thrilling dark ride on the scale of Indiana Jones Adventure or Pirates of the Caribbean. The ride is based on an original story & characters in tune with the land’s setting. Among the visual motifs that connect Tomorrowland are spheres, spires and mocha alien rockwork. Here all these elements combine in what appears to be an ancient alien temple/mysterious structure and a giant spherical artifact that holds the secret to saving or destroying the galaxy.

Since so much of Tomorrowland involves rocket ships/space travel, this would avoid that and focus on other sci-fi elements appropriate to the Buck Rogers-like tropes of this Tomorrowland (e.g., an infinite power source, a doomsday weapon, a wicked alien villain, a heroic rogue, an ancient seeder-species... maybe all of the above!). And like Indy, the actual events that take place during the ride would be variable and form a somewhat loose experience rather than tightly plotted one (Dinosaur), to enhance re-rideability.

Located right next to the attraction, to the right is Walt Disney's Carousel of Progress. The show will try to be updated yet again. But this time, not just the final scene, but the entire show will be updated. In the past, starting from the opening turn-of-the-century scene, the show would take jumps every 20 years, until it ended up with the 1960s. That's how it was at the World's Fair and Disneyland. But after it moved to Florida, the jump from the 1940s to the final scene, allegedly the present day, became bigger and bigger as the years went by. The closing scene was set originally in the 1970s, then the 1980s and then jumped to 2000 when it was updated in 1994.

But now, that all changes. Similar to the show in the past, the show will now have more consistent jumps. It will start off as always at the turn of the century, but then jump every 40 years instead of 20! That's right, after the turn of the 20th century, it jumps to the 1940s, then to the 1980s and then to the 2020s! As such, the script will be revised. On top of that, check out this interesting blurb from Widen Your World's article about the Carousel of Progress.

This new version received a good deal of praise, but truthfully, it was an overhaul that managed to turn the entire focus of the Carousel Of Progress on its head. The attraction had originally been conceived around the idea of progress and looking ahead, and that spirit had remained true even in the more cautious years of the "Now Is The Time" version. Now though, it had become an exercise in self-indulgent nostalgia, as we had to hear Jean Shepherd in each act not simply talk about improvements in electrical products, but to go on about other cultural aspects of the time. On the one hand, it could be interesting to hear him talk about how they were calling sarsaparilla root beer now, but his pedantic discourse on the "Rat Race" at the beginning of Act III seemed like the kind of pretentious social history lesson one could also hear in the revised script to the Hall Of Presidents. And it also didn't help that unlike Rex Allen and Andrew Duggan, who played Fathers who were clear, intelligent voices of authority, Shepherd's Father was something of a bumbling doofus, making asides about how the Wright Brothers would never make it, nor would Lindbergh (not exactly the kind of thing a character in a show celebrating progress should be saying!). And this was a Father to whom no wife would be passively sighing, "Yes, dear." Instead, the Mother was a smart-talking feminist in every act of the show, and to carry political correctness further, that meant the silly Act III idea of using the food mixer to stir paint now had to be Father's instead of Mother's, and then to cap things off in Act IV, we'd be greeted to the sight of Shepherd's father ruining Christmas dinner because of his inability to grasp the finer points of his robot oven. Other changes, like tying each act of the show to a holiday rather than the natural progression of seasons, and renaming daughter Jane as Patricia, seemed merely pointless. Ultimately, while fans of the Carousel who hadn't seen the show since its Disneyland days would find more to like about this version just from the song alone, those who had grown up with the Carousel Of Progress at WDW and first learned of the show through the song, "The Best Time Of Your Life," were the ones who now had reason to feel a bit left out amidst the general nostalgia celebration that surrounded the new version. And in a decade where the Michael Eisner-led management of the Disney corporation seemed determined to stamp out all traces of the things that had made Walt Disney World's first two decades so special to begin with, perhaps that ultimately wasn't too much of a great big beautiful surprise.

I think, based on this review, we should try and fix it up slightly and make the father less of a doofus. For instance, he will not be making the asides about the Wright Bros or Lindbergh.

Plus, once the theater returns to its original position, guests will be able to take a speedramp up to a special new room atop the carousel that looks down upon a brand-new finale: Progress City. Here, John and Sarah describe what it would be like to live the city of the future. Here's a potential script (it starts at the words "Turn to Exit & Progress City"): http://carouselofprogress.tripod.com/gescript2.html

Now then, let's move on. Across from Rockettower Plaza, in the new space given by the Tomorrowland Indy Speedway being removed, I'd like to bring back a beloved classic: If You Had Wings.

I originally had Dreamflight return here, but with the announcement of Eastern Airlines' return, I decided to bring If You Had Wings back instead.

We've all wondered at some point what it's like to fly. We've dreamed about it, we've daydreamed about it, and some have even attempted it (understanding full well that the hospital bill would be very expensive). But if anyone could deliver the experience, it would be the fine folks at Disney. And deliver they did, with a simulated hang-glider ride mixing OMNIMAX technology and a revolutionary motion simulator. But before that, there was If You Had Wings. This beloved (and much-missed) attraction, once again sponsored by recently-revived Eastern Airlines, puts guests on Omnimover vehicles and whisks them into a whimsical journey past exciting destinations, particularly those in the Mexico/Caribbean area (essentially, the ride was one big Eastern Airlines commercial) all ending with an exhilarating speed simulation!

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And to the farthest eastern part of the park, Space Mountain is located. This attraction will also receive a very extensive refurbishment to replace the entire track of the attraction, to model it somewhat as a mixture between the Disneyland track and the Walt Disney World track. The space of the Walt Disney World dome will also allow the track's to be somewhat longer in length. The attraction will feature all new special effects, such as LED stars, new projections, soaring through asteroids, a floating meteor shower and many more effects. The entire lift hill segment will be re-designed to simulate the rocket vehicles ascending towards space, similar to Disneyland's tunnel.

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One building that never sat well with me was the barrel-vaulted arcade plopped in front of the Mountain in 1994. It’s not so much the structure itself, which is okay in isolation, but its oversized-ness and placement. Space Mountain should provide a larger-than-life backdrop to the land and be made to look even bigger than it is (forced perspective). Attaching a large, out-of-scale building to the front side damages that perspective. What I would do is add shorter, more-detailed deco-tech facades that will mark the entrance to SM. There is a large fountain and two reflecting pools in the plaza, befitting a flagship attraction of the park. (Note the WDW Railroad passes through alien rocks like those found at the entry, bringing visual cohesiveness to the land).

Speaking of which, the pointless stage will also be removed from the land, and the former Skyway station/current bathroom area will receive some new theming. The roof of the bathrooms hold giant glass spheres overflowing with colored liquid which also runs through pipes and out of the building into the ground below. These kind of touches add up to be big differentiators in theme parks.

Tomorrowland
1) Astro Orbiter
2) Tomorrowland Transit Authority
3) TRON: The Game Grid
4) The Timekeeper
5) Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin
6) INVASION! A Galactic Adventure
7) Walt Disney's Carousel of Progress
8) If You Had Wings
9) Space Mountain

Shopping
A) Merchant of Venus
B) Mickey's Star Traders
C) Store Command

Dining
A) The Lunching Pad
B) Auntie Gravity's Galactic Goodies

Now then, in the next post I will discuss the entertainment at the park, as well as a special new addition to the Hub. See ya then!

 

[Wikkler]

I feel that with Soarin', Dreamflight isn't needed.

 

[DisneyManOne]

I feel that with Soarin', Dreamflight isn't needed.

Wikkler, despite both rides being themed around flight, they both have different storylines: Soarin' is a hangglider ride over California (or at least it WAS according to how my plans work out...), and Dreamflight takes guests through the history of aviation. To me, there's no real difference between the two.

Now then, let's head back to the Hub to discuss that special addition I was telling you about, as well as take a look at the entertainment here at the Magic Kingdom.

The special addition to the Hub is Walt's. Replacing the rarely-used Tomorrowland Terrace Noodle Station, Walt's serves as the Club 33 of the Magic Kingdom. Florida obviously doesn't have as strong a local crowd as Disneyland, but its attendance levels are so high that this should work just as effectively if altered. I don’t think it should be or have to be as expensive, instead just a cost significant enough to make it exclusive but still something an annual passholder could consider. It would still have an exclusive atmosphere however. The architecture would flow from the style of Main Street with a bit more sophistication, including a rotunda with large windows looking out to the hub. This dining room would have a great view to castle and the nightly fireworks, making this club even more special. This would not be the only room however. The rest of the smaller dining rooms would each be based on a land of the park. I’m basically copying the concept of Walt’s in Disneyland Paris. I definitely feel that people would pay into this club, just looking at all the other special events and opportunities that Disney currently has no problem selling.

Plus, I'd make the building on two different floors. Why? Because when you look at the Plaza Restaurant from the Tomorrowland side of the Hub, you see this...

Being within eyesight of the back of the building just ruins the illusion. The addition of Walt's would surely fix that up perfectly.

Now then, let's discuss the entertainment.

Entertainment​

First of all, there's the new castle show that I mentioned in my post about Fantasyland: Remember the Magic!

This is essentially a new version of the Viva Magic show that used to run at Tokyo Disneyland. Basically, the show is a celebration of the best of Disney, highlighting many moments from some of your favorite Disney films--like "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" from Fantasia, "So This is Love" from Cinderella and "Pink Elephants on Parade" from Dumbo.

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But however, there will be a few changes. First off, the stage will be completely re-modeled. It will lose the smaller stages to allow for set pieces to rise up from the ground. Plus, a second floor will be built below the current stage and a small circular area, much like the one on Tokyo's stage, will be built in the center of the two levels.

As for the show itself, the "Disney Carnivale" song that serves as the beginning and ending of the show will be dropped. Instead, the show will end with "Mickey's Magic Land" and begin with "Remember the Magic", a song that underscored the 25th anniversary parade of the same name. But here, it would most likely be performed in the style here:

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The "Disney Medley" segment will include a brief bit involving Peter Pan and Wendy dancing to "You Can Fly". After the medley, a performance of "Circle of Life" from The Lion King is done. I picture this to be performed in the same style as the Lion King Celebration Parade at Disneyland, albeit fit to fit the stage.

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At the start of the segment, Pride Rock rises from the stage with Simba, dressed similarly like this...

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Simba looks to the heavens as we hear Mufasa's voice: "Simba...a King's time as ruler rises and falls like the sun. Although the sun has set on my time, just remember, that I will always be there to guide you. And now, Simba, it is time for you to take your rightful place in the Circle... the Circle of Life."

From there, performers dressed like animals, alongside stilt-walkers representing giraffes and elephants and drummers fill the stage as the song is performed. Also joining in the festivities are Nala, dressed like in the picture above, as well as Timon, Pumbaa and Rafiki, dressed like this...

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And of course, the song ends with Rafiki lifting Simba and Nala's cub high in the air.

Plus, much like Cinderella's Surprise Celebration, after the show, the characters meet guests at the Hub.

Show Setlist
-"Prologue: Remember the Magic"
-"It All Started with a Mouse"
-"The Sorcerer's Apprentice" (from Fantasia)
-"Disney Medley" (feat. elements of Alice in Wonderland, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Winnie the Pooh, Pinocchio, Peter Pan, Sleeping Beauty and The Jungle Book)
-"Circle of Life" (from The Lion King)
-Medley from Cinderella ("A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes" and "So This is Love")
-"Pink Elephants on Parade" (from Dumbo)
-"Night on Bald Mountain" (from Fantasia)
-"Mickey's Magic Land"

Then, of course, we have the park's daytime parade: Disney's Festival of Fantasy Parade. The parade starts at 3 o' clock, starts in Frontierland and then makes it way down Main Street U.S.A., via the hub access that connects the two lands. This parade is definitely a step up from any of the previous parades that have been in the Magic Kingdom in the past few years. The parades include lavish, beautiful floats, amazing music, a plethora of Disney characters...and did I mention the 32-foot-long fire-breathing dragon?

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However, since the parade celebrates the denizens of Fantasyland, there's one certain character who inhabits the realm that doesn't appear: Winnie the Pooh. With that said, I'd give Pooh his very own float.

The float would be centered around Mr. Sanders (aka the tree Pooh calls home).

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Pooh happily stands outside his house, waving to guests as he passes by. A table completely covered in honey pots stands to the left-hand side of the door. The house rests on a small hill. On the bottom-left side of the hill, Tigger is seen bouncing up and down with glee. On the right side, Piglet sweeps up the leaves as they fly past. Eeyore, Rabbit, Christopher Robin, Owl and Kanga with Roo, lead the way for the float, carrying colorful flying flags. At the back of the float, a giant storybook is open, with an illustration of the rest of the forest.

That's the only change I'd make to this otherwise amazing parade. Now then, at night is when things really get good. In honor of the Magic Kingdom's park-wide renovation, the beloved SpectroMagic will make its triumphant return! The Main Street Electrical Parade, while it is a classic, has been retired again to make way for the return of SpectroMagic, and will be sent back to its original home at Disneyland.

Now, the parade will receive limited refurbishments, while still keeping the same soundtrack and most of the original floats. And I know that some of them have already been demolished, but I don't see why Disney can't simply re-build them. I'm not going to go into full detail with this parade as it is mainly going to be the same as it used to be, with a few additions. Here are the floats.

Introduction to this Magic Night

• Entrance Float with Trumpeteers
• SpectroMagic Entrance Float
• Four Orbs Spectro-Men on Twirly Orbs
• Mickey's Magical Float

The Worlds of Music in the Silly Symphonies

• Music Unit featuring the Genie, Goofy and Chip and Dale

The Wonder of Sleeping Beauty's Garden

• Peacock Float
• The Garden with Flora and Fauna Float
• The Garden with Merryweather, Aurora & Phillip Float

The Whimsy of Winnie the Pooh's Dream World

• Giant Woozle-in-the-Box Unit
• Honey Float
• Heffalump-Baloon-Mobile Unit
• Watering Can Unit

The Fantasy of the Little Mermaid's Ocean

• Giant Swimming Fish Unit
• Bubble Fish Unit (3 Fishes)
• Ursula Unit
• Little Mermaid Unit (Sebastian Float, Ariel and Flounder's Float and King Triton's Royal Chariot)
• Whirly Fish Swimming Pods

The Serene Rivers of Light

• Firefly Lilly Pads
• Princess Tiana and Prince Naveen Float
• Floating Lanterns Unit
• Rapunzel and Flynn Boat with Lanterns Unit

The Imagination of Fantasia

• Fantasia - Spinning Hippo Float
• Fantasia - Fountain with Ostrich's Float
• Fantasia - Flying Horses Float
• Chernabog's Night on Bald Mountain Float

The World of Dreams in a Grand Disney Cavalcade

• Finale Unit (featuring characters from Song of the South, Three Little Pigs, Cinderella and Alice in Wonderland)
• Magical Carousel Float
• Second Finale Unit (Mary Poppins, Peter Pan, Pinocchio and Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs)

Again, it's not very detailed, but that is because a lot of the parade is staying the same, so there won't be much of a difference between this and a former version of it that can be looked up online. However, this revised parade does feature two new float units. The first is The Whimsy of Winnie the Pooh's Dream World. This unit is themed around the “Heffalumps & Woozles” segment of Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day. First up, like the Giant Swimming Fish unit that introduces the Little Mermaid unit, four giant Woozle-in-the-Boxes make their way down the parade route. A mysterious, dream-like version of “On This Magic Night” plays alongside an equally mysterious rendition of "Heffalumps and Woozles". Following them is a giant float made to look like a wave of honey. A giant Heffalump is using his trunk to gulp the honey, but he is slowly bloating as he does it.

Following him is a giant mobile of Heffalump balloons. Multicolored Heffalump balloons spin above the crowds. There are five balloons, each holding a certain Pooh character: Tigger, Piglet, Eeyore, Rabbit and Christopher Robin. Behind the mobile is a giant Heffalump balloon, with Pooh (he will also use LCI) himself inside. After this float is a float where two giant watering cans sprinkle "water" down onto the parade route. This serves as a segue into the Little Mermaid unit.

After the Little Mermaid unit is The Serene Rivers of Light unit. This unit begins when a set of lilly pads, with twinkling fireflies make their way down the parade route. Water ripples spread from the base of the pads. Parade performers simulate twinkling butterflies. Louie, the Alligator and Ray make their way through the pads.

Followed by the small additional section, Princess Tiana and Prince Naveen make their way down the parade route, sitting in a large lily flower. The petals surround the two of them, while the leaves light up in bright, green lights. The petals of the flowers also illuminate with lights, seeming to spread a magic off of them. It appears that the entire flower is being upheld by a watery spout.

Following the Princess and the Frog Unit, the last new additions are placed, the Tangled Unit. The tangled units consists of three units. The first unit consists of a large overhang supported by cornering bars, all made black so that they are dark to see, upholding numerous lanterns suspended from the overhang, glimmering in the darkness. The lanterns hang from all different heights, making them seem as if they are beginning to rise into the sky. At the base of the float, watery waves are simulated through the darkness, by blue wavy lights and a low-setting fog.

The following float features Rapunzel and Flynn in a small boat, just above the blue wavy lights and low fog. The score of "I See the Light" plays. On both side of the float, floating lanterns are located to the sides and above the boat, almost engulfing the scene. This float is followed by an identical float to the first unit of the Tangled section: a float completely consisting of floating lanterns, suspended from an overhang at all different heights. From the looks of the scene coming down the parade route, the entire Tangled unit looks like a stream of floating lanterns descending down upon Main Street, glimmering in the darkness.

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This has been fun, but our day at the Magic Kingdom isn't over yet. In the next post, I'll share with you my ideas for a refurbished version of the park's nightly fireworks spectacular Wishes: A Magical Gathering of Disney Dreams. See ya then!

 

[Twilight_Roxas]

Cool I wonder if you plan to do the holiday versions of both parades, and fireworks?

 

[DisneyManOne]

Cool I wonder if you plan to do the holiday versions of both parades, and fireworks?

I prefer to keep the holiday entertainment the same as it currently is.

 

[Twilight_Roxas]

Because I think the Christmas fireworks should be new with the animated projection mapping for a new fireworks show like Winter Dream in DCA, and Disney Dreams of Christmas but with some new stuff.

 

[DisneyManOne]

Because I think the Christmas fireworks should be new with the animated projection mapping for a new fireworks show like Winter Dream in DCA, and Disney Dreams of Christmas but with some new stuff.

I'd rather not use projections for the Christmas fireworks, and keep the Christmas fireworks the same as they currently are.

And now, at last, we come to the final piece to close out the Magic Kingdom: Wishes: A Magical Gathering of Disney Dreams. This epic fireworks display weaves a tale of the power of dreams, as told by Jiminy Cricket. Throughout the show, you'll re-live the wishes of such characters as Hercules, Aladdin, Snow White, Peter Pan, Pinocchio and more. But beware--villains are threatening to destroy these dreams and bring forth their own wicked wishes. This experience is something that everyone will love and it's a perfect way to end a day at the Magic Kingdom.

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And with that, our tour of the Magic Kingdom has come to an end.

Now, whenever I finish an overview of a park, I'll post a full attraction list, like the one you're about to see. And this symbol right here--FP--will denote which attractions will use the FastPass service (I don't know much about FastPass+, so I'm going by the original FP route for now...)

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Main Street U.S.A.
1) Walt Disney World Railroad
2) Main Street Vehicles
3) Walt Disney: One Man's Dream
4) Main Street Cinema
5) Penny Arcade

Shopping
A) The Emporium
B) Disney Clothiers
C) Greenhouse Flower Shop
D) Main Street Confectionery
E) Main Street Newsstand
F) Harmony Barber Shop
G) Crystal Arts

Dining
A) Tony's Town Square Restaurant
B) Main Street Bakery
C) The Plaza Ice Cream Parlour
D) Casey's Cornery
E) The Plaza Restaurant
F) Crystal Palace

Adventureland
6) Swiss Family Treehouse
7) Legend of the Lion King
8) Walt Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room
9) Jungle Cruise
10) Journey to the Center of the Earth FP
11) The Black Pearl
12) Pirates of the Caribbean

Shopping
A) Island Supply
B) Adventureland Bazaar
C) Zanzibar Trading Company
D) Bwana Bob's
E) Plaza Del Sol Caribe Bazaar

Dining
A) Adventureland Veranda
B) Aloha Isle
C) Sunshine Tree Terrace
D) Tortuga Tavern

Frontierland
13) Splash Mountain FP
14) Big Thunder Mountain Railroad FP
15) Nature's Wonderland
16) Davy Crockett Wilderness Arcade
17) Western River Expedition FP
18) Tom Sawyer Island
19) Rafts to Tom Sawyer Island
20) Davy Crockett Explorer Canoes
21) Country Bear Jamboree
22) Frontierland Shootin' Arcade
23) Diamond Horseshoe Saloon Revue

Shopping
A) The Briar Patch
B) Frontier Trading Post
C) Prairie Outpost & Supply
D) Tumbleweed Traders
E) Big Al's
F) K.A. Bume TNT Company

Dining
A) Pecos Bill's Cafe
B) Golden Oak Outpost
C) Tumbleweed Tavern
D) Aunt Nancy's Ice Cream Parlour
E) The Diamond Horseshoe
F) The Lucky Nugget
G) Mile Long Bar

Liberty Square
24) The Hall of Presidents
25) Liberty Belle Riverboat
26) The Haunted Mansion
27) Mike Fink Keel Boats

Shopping
A) Ye Olde Christmas Shoppe
B) Memento Mori

Dining
A) Liberty Tree Tavern
B) Sleepy Hollow
C) Columbia Harbour House
D) Liberty Square Market

Fantasyland
28) Cinderella Castle
29) Peter Pan's Flight FP
30) "it's a small world"
31) Mickey's PhilharMagic
32) Princess Fairytale Hall FP
33) Cinderella's Golden Carrousel
34) Fairytale Garden
35) The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh FP
36) Seven Dwarfs Mine Train FP
37) Enchanted Tales with Belle
38) Under the Sea: Journey of the Little Mermaid
39) Ariel's Grotto
40) Dumbo the Flying Elephant
41) Casey Jr. Splash and Soak Station
42) The Barnstormer starring The Great Goofini
43) Pete's Silly Sideshow
44) Mickey's Madcap Circus FP
45) Alice in Wonderland
46) Mad Tea Party
47) Bald Mountain FP

Shopping
A) Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique
B) Fantasy Faire
C) Tinker Bell's Treasures
D) Sir Mickey's
E) 100 Acre Goods
F) Bonjour! Village Gifts
G) Big Top Souvenirs

Dining
A) Cinderella's Royal Table
B) Pinocchio Village Haus
C) Storybook Treats
D) Rabbit's Garden
E) Be Our Guest
F) Gaston's Tavern
G) Prince Eric's Village Market
H) Casey Jr. Circus Treats
I) Cheshire Cafe
J) Queen of Hearts Banquet Hall

Tomorrowland
48) Astro Orbiter
49) Tomorrowland Transit Authority
50) TRON: The Game Grid
51) The Timekeeper
52) Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin
53) INVASION! A Galactic Adventure FP
54) Walt Disney's Carousel of Progress
55) If You Had Wings
56) Space Mountain FP

Shopping
A) Merchant of Venus
B) Mickey's Star Traders
C) Store Command

Dining
A) The Lunching Pad
B) Auntie Gravity's Galactic Goodies

Entertainment
--Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom
--Remember the Magic
--Disney's Festival of Fantasy Parade
--SpectroMagic
--Celebrate the Magic
--Wishes: A Magical Gathering of Disney Dreams

In the next post, we'll begin our tour of the next park at WDW: EPCOT Center!

 

[DisneyManOne]

I really think you've done a great job here, and I was waiting until you finished MK to post.
A few thoughts:
1) Have you thought about Philharmagic being randomized? This has come up on the boards several times, and I think it would be grand not knowing what set of movies you would get when you come in.
2) I agree on Dreamflight with Wikkler - it just doesn't fit well in Tomorrowland. I could see it in EPCOT - can't wait to see what you do there. I also would only bring back Timekeeper for a limited run - like EO I'm afraid it would get stale.
3) With the additions to Spectro - nothing for Frozen? Also, with Wishes - are you then removing Fantasmic? Because as you go on with this, it starts to blend Fantasmic, Wishes, and World of Color.

Overall, fantastic. I love reading stuff like this where you can tell there is a lot of thought and love put into it. You really made something very fun and immersive to read.

Thank you very much! And to answer your thoughts:
1) I don't really like the idea of a randomized PhilharMagic that much...
2) Well, that may be true, but I don't see where we could put it in EPCOT.
3) No, there's enough Frozen in the parks as is; no, I won't remove Fantasmic.

Now then, let's move on to the second park of Walt Disney World...

EPCOT Center

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EPCOT Center, which opened on October 1st, 1982, 11 years after the Magic Kingdom opened, is basically a gigantic celebration of what it means to be a member of the human race, with one side of the park celebrating man's scientific and futuristic achievements, and the other celebrating our world's diverse culture. I plan to give EPCOT Center a gigantic renovation to restore the charm and value of the park during its first years.

I believe that, over time, EPCOT Center has become somewhat tarnished, mainly with the shoddy ending to Spaceship Earth, the Seas With Nemo and Friends, Norway receiving a ride based on the highly-overrated Frozen and the current Journey Into Imagination attraction. I plan to restore much of EPCOT Center's former glory back, while also utilizing the best of what Future World already has in store. Imagine a classic Future World, but with all of the exciting features of Mission: SPACE, Soarin' and Test Track and more additions along the way. So, let's get started!

Future World
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Guests enter from the parking lot, arriving at the entrance of EPCOT Center beneath the Monorail Station, having arrived from the station at the Transportation and Ticket Center. The monorail has just arrived at the station, unloading the first large group of guests that day, ready to explore EPCOT Center, the Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow. The guests arrive at the turnstiles of the park, beneath the white and purple overhangs that cover them.

Upon entering into the theme park, guests spot the large, geometrical sphere of Spaceship Earth, the staple attraction for all of EPCOT Center and the entire park's icon. It can be seen from miles away. The Spaceship Earth sphere is just short of two-hundred feet and is one of the most impressive feats of architecture throughout the Walt Disney World Resort. The entire "Leave a Legacy" entrance has been removed, taking away the series of stone epitaphs that have covered Epcot's entrance for over the last decade. In place of the former Leave a Legacy plaques, a new, welcoming entrance will be re-created. The entrance of the park now features the original symbol of EPCOT Center, embedded in silver tiling at the very entrance of the park. Much in the same style as the former Leave a Legacy stones, the silver tiling will consist of the small images of all those who had had their images features on the Leave a Legacy tiles. With this renovation, the guests that had left their "legacy" at the entrance of the park will still have it there, while opening up the entrance and removing the large stones, which obstructed the entrance to the theme park.

In the place of the Leave a Legacy stones, the entrance plaza will be adorned with beautiful trees and grass beds of flowers, very similar to the ones that used to grace the plaza during the park's first years, to create a truly beautiful entrance to the theme park. The tall Spaceship Earth globe rises high over the numerous trees.

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Guests walk through and around the several mazes of trees and flowers, before arriving at a beautiful fountain, just at the entrance of Spaceship Earth. Atop the fountain is a beautiful tall sculpture, adorned with the EPCOT Center logo.

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To the left of the Spaceship Earth plaza is the Wheelchair and Stroller Rental shop. Guests arrive beneath the giant sphere of Spaceship Earth, something that could seem quite daunting; to have something so enormous just feet above you.

Spaceship Earth, which is presented by Siemens, takes you through the historical and cultural progression of the world, showing how the world has evolved through both technology and communication. The attraction dates back to the earliest periods of the cavemen, proceeding through many different eras and civilizations before arriving in the current one in which we live today. A major point that I want to address with the renovation of Spaceship Earth is the actual theme of the attraction. Ever since the 2007 refurbishment, the theme of the attraction has been the evolution of technology and ways to communicate, from the hieroglyphics in Egypt, to the phoenecians developing the alphabet to the dawn of computer systems. The theme of the attraction has always been about the potential of communication, to branch out and to communicate across the world. I believe with the previous renovation, that was an aspect of the theme that was lost. It is not just about ways TO communicate, but rather HOW FAR we can. I want that to be a part of the attraction that is re-touched on.

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Guests arrive at the loading station of Spaceship Earth, where they board their omni-mover vehicle and set off on a journey back through time, to retrace the steps of civilization. At this point, a video screen in the vehicle illuminates, asking the guest to select one of many different languages for the narrator to speak throughout the attraction. As a general point of reference, the entire attraction will undergo several audio and vehicle repairs, to make sure that the attraction not only sounds as best as it could be, but that there is a fluid movement to the attraction, so that it is not as bumpy as it currently is.

Also, the use of the video screen technology is going to be heavily toned-down. The entire descent down of Spaceship Earth will no longer utilize the video screen technology. Instead, the video screen will operate as a timeline as the vehicles travel through the attraction. As the vehicles reach each new era, it will display the approximate year and location on earth of where the events we see in the attraction actually happened in real-time. I know that the addition of video screens is one of the things that many people disliked about the recent refurbishment, so this may be a way to utilize the video screen technology in the attraction, without it being an entire centerpiece, as seen in the finale, which will be completely revised.

But probably most important to the renovation of this classic attraction is a new narration, which will be done by James Earl Jones. I honestly think there's something about his voice that makes it so calming, yet powerful, so I think he'd be perfect to narrate the new Spaceship Earth. Also, many tracks from the previous version of Spaceship Earth will be re-established in this attraction, combining both soundtracks from the current and previous editions of the attraction to create a splendid attraction. The most notable returning sountrack piece would be the arrival at the peak of Spaceship Earth and the entire descent down back to the unloading area, from the previous incarnation of the attraction. It is one of the most fantastic compositions of music in a Disney resort, I think.

Honestly, there is so much I want to say about Spaceship Earth, that it will require its own separate post, complete with ride-through. So, with that, let's move on.

When guests exit the attraction, they arrive at Earth Station, the Guest Relations of EPCOT Center. It's here that guests can set up reservations for some of the high-class restaurants down at World Showcase and get information about the park by using either the WorldKey Information System, or by talking to one of the Cast Members at two desks on opposite sides of the station. This is also the place to reserve your FastPass+ for some of the park's most popular attractions. In certain locations throughout the park will be WorldKey/FastPass+ kiosks, so you can keep track of all your reservations, using your MagicBand to sign in. Above the station, giant screens provide a 30-minute glimpse of all the excitement that EPCOT Center has in store. It should look something like this:​

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Wrapping around the entire Spaceship Earth plaza are a series of shops. Just to the left of the entrance of Spaceship Earth is the Gateway Gifts store, which features a series of EPCOT Center and Spaceship Earth-based merchandise. Continuing to wrap in-front of Spaceship Earth and on the opposite side of the plaza is the Camera Center, which features specialty camera and picture products. Just continuing north up from the plaza, The Art of Disney store is located, featuring many Disney paintings, sketches, sculptures and collectibles.

Just up north, guests will arrive at the main hub of Future World, the Stargate Plaza. Stargate Plaza is centered by the Fountain of Nations, a beautiful, circular fountain, which displays a fountain show every ten minutes. The Pin Central kiosk, stage in front of the Fountain and the purple canopy will be removed. The removal of these things allows more greenery and cleaner views of the park’s natural and man-made elements. This also means that the ponds and canals that surrounded Future World Central when Innoventions was CommuniCore will return.

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Paths lead directly from Spaceship Earth both east and west, allowing easy navigation and traffic flow to the Universe of Energy and The Living Seas. From here, the Stargate Plaza is divided into the two different areas of CommuniCore.

The section about CommuniCore starts at the 28:22 mark.
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CommuniCore is considered to be the Main Street, U.S.A. of EPCOT Center, where all the themes of Future World--energy, meterology, the future, transportation, imagination, agriculture, astrology and marine biology--combine under one roof. The entire CommuniCore complex gives guests the chance to explore innovative ways of living and new ventures of technology. The entire interiors will be remodeled to resemble a somewhat retro-futuristic vibe, with flashy neon colors and lights, while still remaining to be comfortable. Several lounge areas will make their home throughout CommuniCore, offering guests and parents a chance to relax while the rest of the family enjoys the exhibits.

COMMUNICORE EAST
The first exhibit you’ll find here is EPCOT Computer Central, presented by Apple. The main attraction here is Information Superhighway. This show takes place on a second-floor terraced theater that overlooks a cavernous room where some of the park's computers are housed. The show is hosted by Tom Morrow 2.0 (from Innoventions) as he explains the purpose of computers at WDW. The show will even bring back “The Computer Song” from the former Astuter Computer Revue.​

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Elsewhere in Computer Central are interactive displays that are sure to become popular with guests. The most popular is SMRT-1, who could be considered the mascot of CommuniCore. SMRT-1 is a purple and chrome robot set on a rotating pedestal surrounded by telephones, and he invites guests to play along in trivia and guessing games. When your turn comes up, SMRT-1 asks you (in its synthesized voice) to speak your answer loud and clear through the phone. It also spends some time ad-libbing and singing between games: “If I keep this up I might graduate from Solid State.”

Nearby is a re-themed Sum of All Thrills (presented by Raytheon). This is one of the few exhibits that will remain here from Innoventions. Across the hall from EPCOT Computer Central is TravelPort, presented by Delta. A large red globe sits at the entrance, and images of foreign sights are projected from within the globe onto its glass walls. Beyond this, guests can enter booths and play with touch-screen previews of travel destinations around the world.

Further down the quadrant is Hess's Energy Exchange, a vast room full of computerized and three-dimensional displays revolving around the theme of…well, guess. Large metal pinwheels and other gear-heavy apparatuses hang from the ceiling. Down on the floor, guests can pedal bicycles and see the results of their labor measured in watts. Another exhibit allows guests the chance to spin a handle and, based on their speed and dexterity, generate the electricity required to light a bulb in front of them. A large model of an oil rig anchors another corner of the room. There is also a touch-screen video game where guests control the flow of a car through digitized city streets in pursuit of optimum fuel economy.

At the farthest end of the northeast quadrant is the Starlight Terrace, a re-named Electric Umbrella. At night, the whole place glimmers as if it were only lit by stars. The southeast quadrant of CommuniCore East plays host to the Centorium, the largest shop in EPCOT Center. It’s so large, it’s found on two levels. The first floor of the Centorium features a large assortment of EPCOT Center and Disney character merchandise. Items include books, slider puzzles featuring the Future World pavilion logos, stuffed animals, buttons, patches, jewelry, DVDs, CDs, posters, t-shirts, and hats. The second floor of the Centorium can be accessed by a glassed-in elevator. From here, you can look down at the first floor. Items include various electronic gadgets, such as watches, model vehicles, and iPod/iPhone/iPad accessories.

Just down the hall, you’ll find the Electronic Forum, presented by Time Magazine. Inside, you’ll find an auditorium which plays host to the EPCOT Poll. Guests enter the theater and find seats with pushbutton panels on the armrests. A cast member at the front of the room prompts the guests to use these buttons in order to first break the audience down into a group of demographically diverse individuals, and then to register their opinions on a variety of topics (none too controversial). The results are then be displayed on an overhead screen, and often broken down using the demographic statistics to point out disparities in the votes of males and females, children and adults, U.S. residents and international visitors, liberals and conservationists, and so on. You can also use kiosks to vote for “Person of the Year”, and even pick up the latest copy of Time.

COMMUNICORE WEST
The first attraction you’ll find in the northwestern quadrant is the EPCOT Outreach, an educational cul-de-sac where guests can investigate at length any of EPCOT Center's major themes, or other Disney-related information. Graphic displays lined the walls leading up to a counter where a staff of researchers (plus one librarian) attempt to answer queries about Walt Disney World.

The next exhibit, FutureCom, presented by AT&T, is similar to EPCOT Computer Central and Energy Exchange in that it’s a large room filled with interactive exhibits. The theme here is communications technologies, especially those involving phones or phone lines. On the north wall of the room is a sprawling animated diorama called The Age of Information. It was a unique display comprised of stylized wooden sculptures (like those shown here) of varying sizes. FutureCom is also home to the Fountain of Information, another kind of kinetic sculpture. Here objects culled from all fields of communication media are thrown together into a pileup of lights, color and motion. Nearby, a wall-sized electronic map of the U.S.A. illustrates the country's network of phone lines and demonstrates the concept of teleconferencing. A series of yet more games gives some insight on the relationship between phones and computers.

Remaining here from Innoventions are Project: Tomorrow, presented by Siemens, which has moved here because of Earth Station. This exhibit offers many interactive activities. The southwestern quadrant plays host to RoboCircus, which features robots performing feats of precision maneuvering, such as balancing tops along the edge of a samurai sword, and “artistry”: in as much as they would translate a computer's view of guests' faces into souvenir portraits.

For dining, you can check out the Fountainview Espresso and Bakery, hosted by Starbucks. Here, you can dine on classic pastries, sandwiches and even try a bit of Starbucks coffee. You can also dine at Club Cool, where you can sample Cokes from all over the world. But a bit of advice—avoid the Beverly!

Also here is the CommuniCore Character Connection, a re-named Character Spot that will fit in more with the theme of the new CommuniCore. Here, you can meet up with various Disney friends throughout the day. A sign posted outside will list who’s inside.​

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Now, since I'm gonna be dealing with the rest of Future World in later posts, I will save the usual list of attractions, dining and shopping for last, because I want to cover all of the attractions in Future World. So, anyways, in the next post, I'll post my ride-through of the new version of Spaceship Earth. See ya then!​

 

[DisneyManOne]

Is this position of librarian available? At what point do I apply?

I'm sure it is, akayw0718.

But anyways, here's the new script for...

Once inside the time machine vehicles, having chosen the specific language they want to hear the ride in, guests hear this introduction.

MALE ANNOUNCER: On behalf of EPCOT Center and Siemens, welcome aboard Spaceship Earth. Journey with us now as we travel through time to explore the fascinating history of human communication.

The vehicle enters a dark tunnel and rises sharply upward. A starfield appears and we hear soundbites from famous people such as Susan B. Anthony's "We ask equality be guaranteed...", JFK's "Putting a man on the moon," and FDR's famous line, "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself." Along the walls, light surges up colored "wires" towards the top of the tunnel. As we near the top, we see a projection of purplish clouds and an occasional lightning bolt as James Earl Jones begins his narration.

JAMES EARL JONES: Like a grand and miraculous spaceship, our planet has sailed through the universe of time. And for a brief moment, we have been among its many passengers. But where did we come from and where were we going? In the dust from which we were formed, the walls of time have recorded the answers to these questions and so many others. And from the very beginning with our ancestors, we have always wanted to reach out to each other... to bridge the wide gaps between us... to communicate.

Once at the top of the tunnel, images of early human pioneers, men with spears or holding rocks, and mammoths are projected onto a large screen. Every few seconds the images ripple with a wave and then reappear. We then enter a cave and see a Shaman, or medicine man, with a fur cape and antlers on his head. Two men sit around the fire listening to the Shaman. His large shadow is reflected by the fire onto the cave wall. A woman is also listening while working with a fur. On the far right wall, a man and a woman are painting a message on the wall. The drawings are similar to those found in the Salon-Niaux cave in Ariège, France, circa 10,000 B.C. Sounds of animals growling echo through the caves.

Sweeping across a vast, lonely, hostile planet, our early ancestors had set out in every direction, for they were intent on their search for food and shelter. With the development of speech came a very significant answer to survival. Now we could share and learn from one another. On the walls of caves, we inscribed our utmost victories, an increasing proof of our deeds to share with others so they too may greet tomorrow's sun.

Moving into an Egyptian temple, representing 1567 - 1085 B.C., a man on the left is making paper out of papyrus. On the right, next to an elaborate entrance to a building whose archways are decorated with hieroglyphics, a man stands high upon scaffolding carving a ventilation hole near the top of a tower. Further ahead on the left, an Egyptian pharaoh is dictating a message as a scribe copies it onto the new paper. His wife is seated next to him while a servant fans them.

Within a few thousand years, the Egyptians created more walls, each of which covered in the first written form of communication: hieroglyphics, a multifaceted language of symbols and pictures. Now we could release our thoughts from carved walls and set them down on papyrus scrolls, the first form of paper. Pharaohs could now deliver declarations to subjects throughout the land.

In the Phoenician scene, 9th century B.C., two ships meet in the ocean to exchange goods. Another man on the larger ship, behind the smaller ship, holds a rope that is connected to the smaller ship so that both ships stay together. Fog surrounds the ships. Smoke rises from small fires in pots at both ends of the larger ship. To the right of us is a wall showing the ocean going to the horizon and stars above.

Then came the Phoenicians who not only helped institute the first means of trading goods to distant ports of call, but also created the first common alphabet and delivered it from one area of the Mediterranean to another.

Up next on the right is a Grecian school, circa 428 B.C. An elderly man teaches three young scholars.

In the land of ancient Greece, the written word solidified the advent of a new art. The Greeks refined the Phoenician alphabet by adding vowels. Now the written word could be enunciated. With this improvement came philosophy, logic, and mathematics.

Ahead on the left, a young Roman man holds the reins to a two horse-drawn chariot. The man, dressed as if he is in the Roman army, who arrived in the chariot is now exchanging information with another man dressed in a toga. The man holding the reins is standing on the ground with the horses, the army man is standing one step up, and the man in the toga is standing one step up from there on a marble platform. He is between four large columns, two on each side. Smoke rises from two small fires in metal pots/stands on both ends of the scene. In the back is a painted wall showing the streets of Rome. An animated horse-drawn cart with a man riding in it dashes out of one street and off into the distance.

The great Roman Empire intertwined three continents with roads, one of the fastest information highways the world had ever known. No matter what road you took, they all led to and from Rome.

We then see a building in ruins with smoke rising from it. The smell of the burning building fills the air.

Alas, these same roads spelled doom for Rome, thanks to invaders who left Rome and centuries of knowledge in the ashes of the Dark Ages. But all was not lost. Far from the smoldering embers, Jewish and Islamic teachers would not give up the quest for knowledge. As they traveled, they debated ideas and shared new breakthroughs to anyone who would listen.

In the Islamic Empire scene, on the right, four men sit around a table on pillows on the floor discussing topics. One man has two books right next to him and another has a wooden book holder that holds the book open to a specific page. On the left is a library with some books on the shelves. They aren’t stacked full. Two men, one standing, one seated on pillows on an elevated platform, are reading. Standing up high on the balcony on the right is an astronomer looking at the stars through a quadrant, which is an exact replica of the real thing. Further ahead on the left, two Benedictine Monks, 11th and 12th century, are seated at their desks copying text. The one on the right has fallen asleep at the job. His chest rises and falls as he breathes in and out.

In western abbeys, monks toiled endlessly in silent seclusion, copying old books of wisdom and revelations for future generations. At long last, from the depths of the Dark Ages, came the Renaissance and a wonderful new invention, the printing press. Now for all: the printed word.

On the left, two men are working with a large wooden printing press. Johann Gutenberg is studying a piece of paper that just came off the press (1456).

Scientists, scholars and explorers expanded their discoveries into books and essays. Poets, musicians and artists all fanned the flames of the Renaissance, swelling it into a time of priceless works of beauty and majesty.

In Renaissance Italy (1500s), on the right, one man is reading a book to two listeners on the steps. Also, two musicians are playing just beyond in front of a closed doorway. An Italian town can be seen through the columns and arches in the background. On the left, in an artist's studio, we see a man mixing paint, another painting some fruits with a bowl of fruit as a guide, and another chiseling marble to create a statue. Sketches of the female subject are on the wall behind him and to the left of him is a small statue that he also uses as a guide. Further ahead and up on the left, we see Michelangelo painting the Sistine ceiling while lying on his back high upon scaffolding. Below, the stained glass church windows are illuminated with black light. To the right is a conveyance system that allows buckets of paint to be hoisted up the scaffolding to Michelangelo.

On this wave of inspiration, we sail into a bold, new era: an age of amazing inventions and ever-increasing progress in communications, bringing people worldwide together as never before. As our appetite for knowledge and information continued to swell, the world began to shrink.

Now we move into the Age of Invention (19th and 20th centuries). First, we see a large steam-powered printing press by William Bullock in 1863. Just like Gutenberg inspected his printed paper, a man stands in front of the press and inspects a newspaper that was just printed. Nearby, on a street corner, a boy stands with a stack of New York Daily papers calling out to try to sell them.

NEWSPAPER BOY: Extra! Extra! Read all about it! The Civil War is over! Extra! Extra! (note that I have no idea what the paperboy currently shouts, but it'd remain the same.)

On the right, one man is dictating a message and the other is using a telegraph to send the message. Through the window and door behind them, we can see train tracks crossing the plains to the mountains in the distance. On the left is a switchboard that three women, two seated and the third standing, are operating. Behind that are several windows that represent homes and apartments throughout the town. Fiber optic telephone lines stretch from the switchboard across poles to the homes. We can hear conversations coming from the shadows of people in some of the windows. On the right, is a woman in a ticket booth. Above that and also spanning above us is a lighted "Cinema" sign. There are three screens to the left of the booth that show scenes from an old black and white movie about a guy on a runaway trolley ("Stop that trolley!" is one of the captions), Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) and 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954). The screen showing the old movie is surrounded by red curtains and gold trim to look like the fancier theaters of its time. Back on the left is the WDP radio station. WDP is, of course, short for Walt Disney Productions. A man and a woman inside the sound booth are live on the air acting out a story. A man outside the booth is checking sound levels and directing. To the right of that is a radio tower with a red light blinking on top. On the wall behind it is a painting of another radio tower in the distance. Surrounding its red light are drawings of the radio waves spreading from the tower. Just beyond that is a family (mother, father, and daughter) sitting in their living room around the TV. The mother changes the channel using a large, by today's standards, remote control. Three other TVs hang on the wall up behind the family TV. The TVs are playing Ozzie and Harriet, the 1964 NFL Colts vs. Browns Championship Game, Walt Disney introducing an episode of Disney's Wonderful World of Color and Neil Armstrong landing on the moon.

Now we have the ability to connect with everyone anywhere in the world, and then on July 20th, 1969, from somewhere else...

NEIL ARMSTRONG: That's one small step for man...and one giant leap for mankind.

JAMES EARL JONES: Yes, to send a man to the moon, we had to create a new language. A language not spoken by man...but by computer. Following this success, the power of the computer was put in everyone's hands.

Ahead on the left, we see a boy lying on the floor of his typical American room using his computer. He is checking e-mails on his computer that came from a Japanese girl and he is talking to her on his cell phone. Everything he says is translated into Japanese for her to understand and everything she says is translated into English, except once when she says, "Jason, you are one cool dude" in English. The video downloads include a written translation showing both languages. She plays a video clip of her baseball game for him to see. Fiber optics zip from his room up and across the ocean to her room in Japan, showing the transfer of the information. She is sitting on the floor of her home in Japan with a similar computer to the boy's, talking on a similar cell.

KAIKO: Jason, do you want to see my team’s winning run?

JASON: Cool. Launch it over.

KAIKO: Okay, wait...

JASON: Kaiko, it’s you! Excellent! I knew you were a star.

KAIKO: Oh, no...

Missing lines here...

JASON: Yeah, I can see. Hey, check this out!

KAIKO: Launch it over.

JASON: Hold on a second. There...

Missing lines here...

JASON: Wait, wait. Watch this. (hit) Yes!

KAIKO: Oh, Jason. You're master of [ ? ] too.

JASON: You were right. You won the match.

JAMES EARL JONES: The Internet, our new communications system is growing before our very eyes. Spaceship Earth glows with billions of interactions carrying news and information at the very speed of light.

Fiber optic lights then transfer the information to a large sphere representing Earth. We pass through a satellite transmitter that has rays of electric energy fly overhead, representing Internet informatoin jumping from city to city and sometimes across continents to computers. We then enter a tunnel that surrounds us with lights blinking and whirling past. The sounds of jumbled conversations and visuals of words (e-mails) join the music.The rays of energy converage and expand, covering the vehicles, almost as if it is being sucked into this expanse of energy. The video screens begin to illuminate with a series of digits and letters, as if it was being enveloped by a matrix. The vehicles travel down a glittering, illuminated matrix, before arriving at the peak of the attraction.

After 30,000 years of progress, here we are. Verged on the threshold of infinity, we see our world as it truly is: small, silent, fragile, alive, a drifting island in the midnight sky. We are a truly global community, poised to shape the future of this, our Spaceship Earth.

Outer space. Looking in from space, up at the Earth. The entire peak of the attraction features glittering, new fiber-optic stars, as well as projected stars filling the vast space sky. The vehicles then rotate backwards, as they begin their descent back down to earth.

MALE ANNOUNCER: Attention, travelers of time. Please remain seated at all times. Your time machine is rotating backwards for your return back to earth.

As I said earlier, the video screens will no longer be utilized during the finale and much of the current finale will be completely removed. As the vehicles descend down, they proceed through a vast expanse of matrix-y digits and numerals, enveloped in a wash of energy. An instrumental of "Tomorrow's Child" starts up.

JAMES EARL JONES: No longer can physical distance hamper communication. Today, the whole world is just a click or a call away. Our news is their news and vice-versa. We share our hopes and concerns with the whole planet. Today we truly live among people in a Global Neighborhood.

We pass below a large TV screen that displays news clips from around the world. Every 10 seconds or so, the image switches to a different anchor from a different part of the world.

Wondrous new tools will help us learn more about ourselves, each other and the planet we share. We'll find new ways to share our dreams and ideals and create a better for us, today, tomorrow and tomorrow's child.

The lyrics to "Tomorrow's Child" begin to be heard at this point and the song plays throughout the rest of the attraction, even during some upcoming dioramas.

No longer just words, but now images and videos are sent in a flash to every corner of our world. Cellular communications make it possible for us to be on-the-go and connect with others freely. Wireless computers and smart phones give us new information anywhere, any time we need. And as we enter a new century, yet another revolution in communication is upon us as profound as all the progress that has come before. By using our new communication tools to build better bridges between us, we will discover we all share the common bonds of hope and sorrow, dreams and joys.

On the right, we pass clouds, a star field, and an occasional lightning strike. The vehicles, still descending backwards, pass through a futuristic city. Lights below the track our vehicles are on seem to emulate cars speeding by. Giant buildings illuminated with fiber optic lights surround our field of vision. Inside these buildings, we can see various families from across the world all interacting with each other, via computer screen, communicating with it, sending video images from one place to another, establishing the fact that communication is right at our figner tips and therefore, the world as well. The segment displays the easy video transmition from a place like Japan and how it can reach to a family in Canada. The sets feature people from all over the world, communicating with other people across the room.

All these communications are sending information through the network to the vast, fiber optics filled, modern city on the waterfront beyond. Rays of fiber-optics spread away from the city up and over the vehicles, towards the descent of the attraction. As the vehicle continues to ascend down, the vehicle becomes wrapped in a descent of stars, as twinkling, colorful fiber-optics swirl overhead before seemingly dissolving into a series of glittering bulbs, as if fading, just as the vehicles turn around to reveal the unloading station.

Since the dawn of recorded time, communication has transformed our ways of life and changed our world. We now have the ability and the responsibility to build new bridges of acceptance and co-operation between us, to create a better world for our children and ourselves as we continue our astounding voyage on board Spaceship Earth.

MALE ANNOUNCER: Siemens thanks you for traveling with us on Spaceship Earth and look forward to serving you in the future. For a look at today's new technologies, we invite you to visit Project: Tomorrow in CommuniCore West, an exciting world of new ideas and innovations made possible by Siemens ingenuity. When the doors of your vehicle open, please gather your personal belongings, take small children by the hand and step out onto the moving platform up ahead. The platform and your vehicle are traveling at equal speed.

Upon exiting the vehicle, we then proceed down the ramp into Earth Station.

So, what do you guys think? In the next post, we'll continue our tour, exploring the eastern side of Future World.

 

[DinoInstitute]

Thank you very much! And to answer your thoughts:
1) I don't really like the idea of a randomized PhilharMagic that much...
2) Well, that may be true, but I don't see where we could put it in EPCOT.
3) No, there's enough Frozen in the parks as is; no, I won't remove Fantasmic.

Now then, let's move on to the second park of Walt Disney World...

EPCOT Center

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EPCOT Center, which opened on October 1st, 1982, 11 years after the Magic Kingdom opened, is basically a gigantic celebration of what it means to be a member of the human race, with one side of the park celebrating man's scientific and futuristic achievements, and the other celebrating our world's diverse culture. I plan to give EPCOT Center a gigantic renovation to restore the charm and value of the park during its first years.

I believe that, over time, EPCOT Center has become somewhat tarnished, mainly with the shoddy ending to Spaceship Earth, the Seas With Nemo and Friends, Norway receiving a ride based on the highly-overrated Frozen and the current Journey Into Imagination attraction. I plan to restore much of EPCOT Center's former glory back, while also utilizing the best of what Future World already has in store. Imagine a classic Future World, but with all of the exciting features of Mission: SPACE, Soarin' and Test Track and more additions along the way. So, let's get started!

Future World
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Guests enter from the parking lot, arriving at the entrance of EPCOT Center beneath the Monorail Station, having arrived from the station at the Transportation and Ticket Center. The monorail has just arrived at the station, unloading the first large group of guests that day, ready to explore EPCOT Center, the Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow. The guests arrive at the turnstiles of the park, beneath the white and purple overhangs that cover them.

Upon entering into the theme park, guests spot the large, geometrical sphere of Spaceship Earth, the staple attraction for all of EPCOT Center and the entire park's icon. It can be seen from miles away. The Spaceship Earth sphere is just short of two-hundred feet and is one of the most impressive feats of architecture throughout the Walt Disney World Resort. The entire "Leave a Legacy" entrance has been removed, taking away the series of stone epitaphs that have covered Epcot's entrance for over the last decade. In place of the former Leave a Legacy plaques, a new, welcoming entrance will be re-created. The entrance of the park now features the original symbol of EPCOT Center, embedded in silver tiling at the very entrance of the park. Much in the same style as the former Leave a Legacy stones, the silver tiling will consist of the small images of all those who had had their images features on the Leave a Legacy tiles. With this renovation, the guests that had left their "legacy" at the entrance of the park will still have it there, while opening up the entrance and removing the large stones, which obstructed the entrance to the theme park.

In the place of the Leave a Legacy stones, the entrance plaza will be adorned with beautiful trees and grass beds of flowers, very similar to the ones , to create a truly beautiful entrance to the theme park. The tall Spaceship Earth globe rises high over the numerous trees. Guests walk through and around the several mazes of trees and flowers, before arriving at a beautiful fountain, just at the entrance of Spaceship Earth. Atop the fountain is a beautiful tall sculpture, adorned with the EPCOT Center logo.

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To the left of the Spaceship Earth plaza is the Wheelchair and Stroller Rental shop. Guests arrive beneath the giant sphere of Spaceship Earth, something that could seem quite daunting; to have something so enormous just feet above you.

Spaceship Earth, which is presented by Siemens, takes you through the historical and cultural progression of the world, showing how the world has evolved through both technology and communication. The attraction dates back to the earliest periods of the cavemen, proceeding through many different eras and civilizations before arriving in the current one in which we live today. A major point that I want to address with the renovation of Spaceship Earth is the actual theme of the attraction. Ever since the 2007 refurbishment, the theme of the attraction has been the evolution of technology and ways to communicate, from the hieroglyphics in Egypt, to the phoenecians developing the alphabet to the dawn of computer systems. The theme of the attraction has always been about the potential of communication, to branch out and to communicate across the world. I believe with the previous renovation, that was an aspect of the theme that was lost. It is not just about ways TO communicate, but rather HOW FAR we can. I want that to be a part of the attraction that is re-touched on.

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Guests arrive at the loading station of Spaceship Earth, where they board their omni-mover vehicle and set off on a journey back through time, to retrace the steps of civilization. At this point, a video screen in the vehicle illuminates, asking the guest to select one of many different languages for the narrator to speak throughout the attraction. As a general point of reference, the entire attraction will undergo several audio and vehicle repairs, to make sure that the attraction not only sounds as best as it could be, but that there is a fluid movement to the attraction, so that it is not as bumpy as it currently is.

Also, the use of the video screen technology is going to be heavily toned-down. The entire descent down of Spaceship Earth will no longer utilize the video screen technology. Instead, the video screen will operate as a timeline as the vehicles travel through the attraction. As the vehicles reach each new era, it will display the approximate year and location on earth of where the events we see in the attraction actually happened in real-time. I know that the addition of video screens is one of the things that many people disliked about the recent refurbishment, so this may be a way to utilize the video screen technology in the attraction, without it being an entire centerpiece, as seen in the finale, which will be completely revised.

But probably most important to the renovation of this classic attraction is a new narration, which will be done by James Earl Jones. I honestly think there's something about his voice that makes it so calming, yet powerful, so I think he'd be perfect ot narrate the new Spaceship Earth. Also, many tracks from the previous version of Spaceship Earth will be re-established in this attraction, combining both soundtracks from the current and previous editions of the attraction to create a splendid attraction. The most notable returning sountrack piece would be the arrival at the peak of Spaceship Earth and the entire descent down back to the unloading area, from the previous incarnation of the attraction. It is one of the most fantastic compositions of music in a Disney resort, I think.

Honestly, there is so much I want to say about Spaceship Earth, that it will require its own separate post, complete with ride-through. So, with that, let's move on.

When guests exit the attraction, they arrive at Earth Station, the Guest Relations of EPCOT Center. It's here that guests can set up reservations for some of the high-class restaurants down at World Showcase and get information about the park by using either the WorldKey Information System, or by talking to one of the Cast Members at two desks on opposite sides of the station. This is also the place to reserve your FastPass+ for some of the park's most popular attractions. In certain locations throughout the park will be WorldKey/FastPass+ kiosks, so you can keep track of all your reservations, using your MagicBand to sign in. Above the station, giant screens provide a 30-minute glimpse of all the excitement that EPCOT Center has in store. It should look something like this:​

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Wrapping around the entire Spaceship Earth plaza are a series of shops. Just to the left of the entrance of Spaceship Earth is the Gateway Gifts store, which features a series of EPCOT Center and Spaceship Earth-based merchandise. Continuing to wrap in-front of Spaceship Earth and on the opposite side of the plaza is the Camera Center, which features specialty camera and picture products. Just continuing north up from the plaza, The Art of Disney store is located, featuring many Disney paintings, sketches, sculptures and collectibles.

Just up north, guests will arrive at the main hub of Future World, the Stargate Plaza. Stargate Plaza is centered by the Fountain of Nations, a beautiful, circular fountain, which displays a fountain show every ten minutes. The Pin Central kiosk, stage in front of the Fountain and the purple canopy will be removed. The removal of these things allows more greenery and cleaner views of the park’s natural and man-made elements. This also means that the ponds and canals that surrounded Future World Central when Innoventions was CommuniCore will return.

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Paths lead directly from Spaceship Earth both east and west, allowing easy navigation and traffic flow to the Universe of Energy and The Living Seas. From here, the Stargate Plaza is divided into the two different areas of CommuniCore.

The section about CommuniCore starts at the 28:22 mark.
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CommuniCore is considered to be the Main Street, U.S.A. of EPCOT Center, where all the themes of Future World--energy, meterology, the future, transportation, imagination, agriculture, astrology and marine biology--combine under one roof. The entire CommuniCore complex gives guests the chance to explore innovative ways of living and new ventures of technology. The entire interiors will be remodeled to resemble a somewhat retro-futuristic vibe, with flashy neon colors and lights, while still remaining to be comfortable. Several lounge areas will make their home throughout CommuniCore, offering guests and parents a chance to relax while the rest of the family enjoys the exhibits.

COMMUNICORE EAST
The first exhibit you’ll find here is EPCOT Computer Central, presented by Apple. The main attraction here is Information Superhighway. This show takes place on a second-floor terraced theater that overlooks a cavernous room where some of the park's computers are housed. The show is hosted by Tom Morrow 2.0 (from Innoventions) as he explains the purpose of computers at WDW. The show will even bring back “The Computer Song” from the former Astuter Computer Revue.​

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Elsewhere in Computer Central are interactive displays that are sure to become popular with guests. The most popular is SMRT-1, who could be considered the mascot of CommuniCore. SMRT-1 is a purple and chrome robot set on a rotating pedestal surrounded by telephones, and he invites guests to play along in trivia and guessing games. When your turn comes up, SMRT-1 asks you (in its synthesized voice) to speak your answer loud and clear through the phone. It also spends some time ad-libbing and singing between games: “If I keep this up I might graduate from Solid State.”

Nearby is a re-themed Sum of All Thrills (presented by Raytheon). This is one of the few exhibits that will remain here from Innoventions. Across the hall from EPCOT Computer Central is TravelPort, presented by Delta. A large red globe sits at the entrance, and images of foreign sights are projected from within the globe onto its glass walls. Beyond this, guests can enter booths and play with touch-screen previews of travel destinations around the world. Just nearby is the VISION House, presented by Green Builders Media, LLC., also remaining here from Innoventions. This welcoming house features amazing and innovative items that can help turn any home “green”.

Further down the quadrant is Hess's Energy Exchange, a vast room full of computerized and three-dimensional displays revolving around the theme of…well, guess. Large metal pinwheels and other gear-heavy apparatuses hang from the ceiling. Down on the floor, guests can pedal bicycles and see the results of their labor measured in watts. Another exhibit allows guests the chance to spin a handle and, based on their speed and dexterity, generate the electricity required to light a bulb in front of them. A large model of an oil rig anchors another corner of the room. There is also a touch-screen video game where guests control the flow of a car through digitized city streets in pursuit of optimum fuel economy.

At the farthest end of the northeast quadrant is the Starlight Terrace, a re-named Electric Umbrella. At night, the whole place glimmers as if it were only lit by stars. The southeast quadrant of CommuniCore East plays host to the Centorium, the largest shop in EPCOT Center. It’s so large, it’s found on two levels. The first floor of the Centorium features a large assortment of EPCOT Center and Disney character merchandise. Items include books, slider puzzles featuring the Future World pavilion logos, stuffed animals, buttons, patches, jewelry, DVDs, CDs, posters, t-shirts, and hats. The second floor of the Centorium can be accessed by a glassed-in elevator. From here, you can look down at the first floor. Items include various electronic gadgets, such as watches, model vehicles, and iPod/iPhone/iPad accessories.

Just down the hall, you’ll find the Electronic Forum, presented by Time Magazine. Inside, you’ll find an auditorium which plays host to the EPCOT Poll. Guests enter the theater and find seats with pushbutton panels on the armrests. A cast member at the front of the room prompts the guests to use these buttons in order to first break the audience down into a group of demographically diverse individuals, and then to register their opinions on a variety of topics (none too controversial). The results are then be displayed on an overhead screen, and often broken down using the demographic statistics to point out disparities in the votes of males and females, children and adults, U.S. residents and international visitors, liberals and conservationists, and so on. You can also use kiosks to vote for “Person of the Year”, and even pick up the latest copy of Time.

COMMUNICORE WEST
The first attraction you’ll find in the northwestern quadrant is the EPCOT Outreach, an educational cul-de-sac where guests can investigate at length any of EPCOT Center's major themes, or other Disney-related information. Graphic displays lined the walls leading up to a counter where a staff of researchers (plus one librarian) attempt to answer queries about Walt Disney World.

The next exhibit, FutureCom, presented by AT&T, is similar to EPCOT Computer Central and Energy Exchange in that it’s a large room filled with interactive exhibits. The theme here is communications technologies, especially those involving phones or phone lines. On the north wall of the room is a sprawling animated diorama called The Age of Information. It was a unique display comprised of stylized wooden sculptures (like those shown here) of varying sizes. FutureCom is also home to the Fountain of Information, another kind of kinetic sculpture. Here objects culled from all fields of communication media are thrown together into a pileup of lights, color and motion. Nearby, a wall-sized electronic map of the U.S.A. illustrates the country's network of phone lines and demonstrates the concept of teleconferencing. A series of yet more games gives some insight on the relationship between phones and computers.

Remaining here from Innoventions are Project: Tomorrow, presented by Siemens, which has moved here because of Earth Station, as well as Where’s the Fire?, presented by Liberty Mutual and The Great Piggy Bank Adventure, presented by T. Rowe Price. The southwestern quadrant plays host to RoboCircus, which features robots performing feats of precision maneuvering, such as balancing tops along the edge of a samurai sword, and “artistry”: in as much as they would translate a computer's view of guests' faces into souvenir portraits.

For dining, you can check out the Fountainview Espresso and Bakery, hosted by Starbucks. Here, you can dine on classic pastries, sandwiches and even try a bit of Starbucks coffee. You can also dine at Club Cool, where you can sample Cokes from all over the world. But a bit of advice—avoid the Beverly!

Also here is the CommuniCore Character Connection, a re-named Character Spot that will fit in more with the theme of the new CommuniCore. Here, you can meet up with various Disney friends throughout the day. A sign posted outside will list who’s inside.​

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Now, since I'm gonna be dealing with the rest of Future World in later posts, I will save the usual list of attractions, dining and shopping for last, because I want to cover all of the attractions in Future World. So, anyways, in the next post, I'll post my ride-through of the new version of Spaceship Earth. See ya then!​

Absolutely love this, especially what you did with Innoventions! Some people here may know that I really do not like the current Innoventions area at all, and this really sounds like a great refurbishment that I would love.
I have a question, but maybe I missed it here...What happens to the current Guest relations building? I like the concept of Earth Station, really cool. Maybe with the space I would add a little bit of SE merch or a little food area.

 

[DisneyManOne]

Absolutely love this, especially what you did with Innoventions! Some people here may know that I really do not like the current Innoventions area at all, and this really sounds like a great refurbishment that I would love.
I have a question, but maybe I missed it here...What happens to the current Guest relations building? I like the concept of Earth Station, really cool. Maybe with the space I would add a little bit of SE merch or a little food area.

Thank you very much! And well, I'm sure that when Innoventions was CommuniCore originally, the current Guest Relations space must have been part of the space for one of the exhibits, so I guess I'd just leave it open as part of CommuniCore East.

Now then, let's move on...

Future World
continued
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Passing underneath the archways located in-between the Starlight Terrace and Centorium, we find ourselves on the eastern side of Future World. After passing through the archway, guests can spot a small water play area just ahead. The side of future world features elevated plateaus of grass and trees, offering shade from the hot Florida weather. We can see the other Future World pavilions just ahead. We will head to the left and travel through the Future World pavilions in a counter-clockwise motion.

Continuing down to the left, guests will arrive at the Universe of Energy pavilion, presented by Hess.

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The major problem many people have with this ride is the length (45 minutes!). So, what I would do is trim the show down to a more palatable 25-30 minute presentation. I'd get rid of the pre-show concept, and use the pre-show area as a holding area, with a little clock displaying the time till the next show, sort of like what the Living Seas did. As for the major show itself, it will be a brand-new version of the old attraction (the dinosaur sequence will remain), but updated with information on alternative sources of energy (particularly in the admittedly long-running second movie) and with an emphasis on new green technology as a means of keeping the planet safe for future generations.

I'm thinking about the show opening with the Big Bang (using the same CGI Big Bang sequence as Ellen's Energy Adventure), then going straight into the dinosaur sequence, then into the film section. The show will feature wind effects and other sensory effects. The experience will end with footage of energy in motion, set to the pavilion's original theme "Energy (You Make the World Go Round)".

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Continuing around Future World, the guests walk through several tucked away seating areas and shaded tree areas. They come across a ramp, which leads the way upwards to the next pavilion. The former location of the Wonders of Life pavilion has finally been reclaimed by another pavilion to make its home in Future World. The new pavilion is the Wonders of Weather pavilion, presented by GEICO.

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Guests walk up along the ramp leading into the new pavilion. Upon entering the pavilion, guests enter into the large domed building. The pavilion is completely devoted to the weather, as a crystalline ceiling showcases warping clouds. The sides of the pavilion feature mural mosaic pictures of different weather conditions. The rim of the building features several attractions, while the middle of the pavilion features several interact exhibits about the weather, even including one specific exhibit where a guest can actually host their own, live weather forecast news special. The pavilion is themed around the Center for Weather Control, where the pavilion's main attraction, StormRider, takes place. The attraction, which will replace Body Wars, is an intense simulator ride, where it is the guests duty to collect storm data and to destory the vortex of the storm, as per request from a group of scientists needing the data. However, chaos ensues and the guests are in for a wild adventure.

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Replacing Cranium Command is Weather Watch. In this attraction, guests sit in a large theater in the round, where a group of Future World scientists, led by Professor Sirius, use elemental powers in order to conduct the power of the weather. In the attraction, a rain storm occurs, where the audience may actually get wet, as well as a snow storm, as snow falls from the ceilings of the theater in the round. The attraction concludes with a huge tornado funnel cloud appearing in the center of the ringed attraction. As a nod towards history, Buzzy and General Knowledge will make a few cameos.

Replacing the Sensory Fairgrounds are the WeatherWorks, which is as close as you'll ever get to actually riding a cloud! Located in the place of Sensory Fairgrounds, these interactive labs serve as the core educational resource for our EPCOT Center pavilion. Stimulating, mind-boggling, and a heck of a lot of fun all at the same time! The pavilion also features the Storm Struck exhibit, which has been recently moved over from the Innoventions. The 3-D exhibit showcases two houses and how they can withstand the powers of an intense hurricane, if one had prepared more accordingly than the other. The attraction offers guests to distinguish the right choices on how to prepare for a hurricane. The pavilion also features the Winds of Change store, tucked away in the corner of the pavilion, and the Cloud 9 Cafe.

Continuing further down the outline of Future World, we will arrive at the Horizons pavilion, presented by Apple.

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The return of Horizons is great as it bring back a lot of the old, inspirational themes from the original EPCOT Center, as well as bringing the return of an old dark ride into the park. The attraction will take guests into depictions of the future, sort of serving as a sequel to the Carousel of Progress over at the Magic Kingdom. The attraction also showcases the themes of communication, energy, transportation, land, sea and sky and anatomy, all which are depicted in the themes of Future World.

And by the way, don't worry about Mission: SPACE. It will be moved to the western side of Future World, in between The Land and The Seas...but there will be a few new surprises added to it...

To the right of Horizons, guests will come across the final pavilion of the eastern side of Future World, the Test Track pavilion, presented by Chevrolet.

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Test Track is one of Walt Disney World's most popular thrill rides, so I think that, despite the park returning to its original EPCOT Center roots, it should definitely stay. But however, I would get rid of that ugly awning and giant "T" above the entrance. Apart from that, I wouldn't change a thing. On the ride, guests are able to design their own vehicle throughout the queue of the attraction. During the actual ride, with simulated screens and projections, guests appear to be driving the actual car that they had created. The guests are then able to take their vehicle through a series of test runs and procedures in three categories: Capability, Responsiveness and Efficiency, before taking it for a 65-mph streak for the Power test.

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The experience exits out into the Chevrolet Showroom, which allows further exploration of guests’ designs through a variety of interactive activities, photo opportunities, and real Chevrolet cars to explore in a showroom. There is also the Green Light gift shop, selling little "SimCars" and other Test Track-related merchandise.

Nearby Test Track is the Odyssey Center, which offers First Aid and Baby Care, as well as serving as the new home for the Festival Center, and as a new restaurant. The new restaurant, aptly titled Odyssey, offering foods from around the world and providing epic views of World Showcase Lagoon. Leading off past the Oddysey, the path splinters off in two directions. The left leads off to World Showcase, while the right connects back to the rest of Future World and leads back to Centorium. We still have more of Future World to see. We take a brisk walk past nearby World Showcase and past Stargate Plaza and head off to explore the western side of Future World...

...which will be discussed in the next post. See ya then!

 

[DisneyManOne]

Future World
continued
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Continuing on past Test Track and the Oddysey, head off to the west side of Future World, where the final four pavilions are located. An alternate entrance into this side of Future World is another archway, located in-between CommuniCore and the Character Connection. There is a small indoor section of the archway, which features a timeline of the history of EPCOT Center, from its opening, up until this very year, featuring several new additions to the theme park.

The western side of mainly consists of several walkway bridges connecting from one pavilion to another. The bridges are suspended over beautiful, glistening reflecting pools, lined with stones. The walkways are offered covered by tall trees suspended from circular stone holders, which often make for good resting locations as well.

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The first pavilion on the western side of Future World is the Journey Into Imagination pavilion, presented by Nikon. The pavilion looks more fanciful than ever. The lower half of the building is painted in hues of blue and purple, and (thanks to a recent cleaning) the two glass pyramids atop the pavilion shine so bright that even on a cloudy day it becomes necessary to wear sunglasses to observe the structure. The pavilion is home to many imaginative experiences, but by far, the greatest is the adventure the pavilion is named after--Journey Into Imagination!

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That's right--this iconic EPCOT Center attraction has returned to delight a new generation. On-board this adventure, guests meet Dreamfinder and his newest creation: a little purple dragon named Figment. After visiting the DreamPort, where the twosome store all their ideas, guests then proceed through several rooms representing different areas influenced by the imagination such as art, literature, the performing arts and science. Upon exiting the ride, you can go up inside one of the pyramids and explore the ImageWorks, where you can let your imagination run wild through several different exhibits, including the beloved Rainbow Corridor. Just outside of the Journey Into Imagination attraction, to the right, is the Magic Eye Theatre, home to Magic Journeys, a 3D movie that lets guests see the world through the eyes of a child. The film has been digitally restored and given clearer sound.

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With these elements in store to return, the Imagination Pavilion is sure to return to its' former glory, instilling its' way back into our hearts, with Dreamfinder and Figment at the helm.

Located near the theater is the Sparks of Inspiration shop, selling Figment and Dreamfinder merchandise, as well as Nikon cameras. Guests exit outside of the pavilion and are greeted by an array of colorful, "jumping" fountains. The outside of the pavilion even features a recreation of the glass pyramids, as fountain jets shoot upwards towards it, almost creating a rising waterfall. A Figment topiary spins around and around. This garden is a nice place to meet up with Dreamfinder and Figment themselves.

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Guests walk along the rampways leading throughout Future World. The pathway is lined with beautiful rose gardens, flower beds and grass fields. The pathways stretch over large vasts of reflective pools of glistening water beds. Continuing along the rim of the area, the guests will walk back along the flower mural, arriving at the next pavilion of Future World: The Land, presented by Chiquita.

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To the left of the pavilion, along side the ramp, a newly planted flower garden is located, titled The Living Garden. The garden features beautiful plants and trees, as well as wonderful water beds and fountains. Guests take a walk up a ramp leading into the indoor atrium, as a complete balcony surrounding the rim of the building looks down onto the lower floor of the pavilion. The ceiling of the atrium is decorated with a mural designed by Walt Peregoy,

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Hot air balloons hang from overhead, designed to represent the four different seasons throughout the year. Leading to the right, guests will come across Kitchen Kabaret, a show that deals, mostly, with the idea of a proper diet. However, this topic is dealt in a very light tone...because it's portrayed through a big song-and-dance revue, where each of the different food groups sing a little ditty about themselves. Take a look:

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Continuing along the rim of the overhead balcony surrounding the pavilion, guests will comes across the Garden Grill, a rotating, circular restaurant, which also offers a look into the Living With the Land attraction. The restaurant consists of a menu that has many healthy, natural food products that are grown right there at the pavilion, as well as character dining with Mickey, Pluto, Chip and Dale. Right beyond the Garden Grill is an escalator, staircase and elevator, leading down to the lower floor of The Land Pavilion.

The escalator descends down into the sitting courtyard for the Sunshine Seasons quick-service restaurant. The quick-service restaurant features healthy dishes, such as steak and meat entrees, soups, salads and sandwiches, down-home BBQ, cheese platters, vegetable sides and Asian noodle dishes. The quick-service restaurant also features a large array of desserts (mostly pastries and ice cream) and uses most of the food products that they grow here at The Land. A giant fountain sits in the middle of this area.

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The floor is decorated to look like dirt and grass, and going over to the left, the floor starts to look like water. Why? Because that area is home to the Living with the Land boat ride. The attraction will receive a newly revamped version of its' original song, "Listen to the Land". The attraction takes guests through the many agricultural procedures done throughout many different climates, before taking guests into the heart of the attraction, the agricultural plant domes, where guests pass by real growing methods incorporated by The Land, spotting several fruits and vegetables along the way, while also spotting new and innovative ways to advance the growing process of these crops.

On the opposite side of Sunshine Seasons, guests will find the iconic attraction of The Land pavilion, Soarin'. This attraction takes ascends guests into a domed-projection screen, where the simulating experience of flight overwhelms them with light breezes and smells of orange groves and ocean mists. This attraction will now upgrade their projection system to high-definition system to enhance the experience. Soarin' will now be departing flights to all over the world, including a trip over the Golden Gate Bridge, the bustling city metropolises of Japan, the Eiffel Tower, the sacred pyramids of Egypt, the undersea cove of the Great Barrier Reef, the dense Amazon Rainforest, Swiss mountain alps, Big Ben in London, the quaint city of Quebec in Canada (under the light of the Aurora Borealis) and ending with a fantastic flight over the Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World. The attraction is a highlight of all of EPCOT Center and a must-see for anyone visiting Walt Disney World. Just outside of Soarin' is Aviation Court, which sells Soarin' and earthy merchandise.

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After exiting The Land, we head down the ramp and move to the left, where you'll find a re-located Mission: SPACE, presented by HP.​

This majestic pavilion not only moved because of Horizons' return, but also received a new theming. Instead of being themed around a training center, the pavilion now celebrates the leaps and bounds man has made when it came to space exploration. The pavilion's exterior is essentially the same as the epic grandeur pictured above, but once you enter through the giant Mars ball, that's where things start to change a bit.

Once you're inside the building, you find yourselves in the Future World headquarters of Space Station Beta, where researchers are currently working on an incredibly amazing project: the world's first spaceflight to Mars.

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The experience will ultimately stay un-touched, except for a few minor tweaks here and there, and of course, the re-theming from being just a training thing to being on the actual first flight to Mars. The attraction takes you on-board a spaceship, traveling through outer-space, to the distant planet of Mars. After the mission is completed, we're invited to enter Space Station Beta's, well, space station, currently in orbit above Earth. Of course, if you choose not to take the flight to Mars, a set of space pods is located to take you up to Space Station Beta.

The doors to the pod open and we enter the large central hub of the space station. It's a large hall. A huge window at the far end looks out into space. The stars move as we turn through our orbit. The center of the hub features a large round window in the floor surrounded by metal railing that allows us to look down on earth. The area around the window hosts "Mission: Earth"--a series of interactive stations (think Wonders of Life) that teach us about how space exploration helps us learn about earth. Just off the hub is a theater (two auditoriums, alternating the same show) that feature a 3-D experience that deals with the physics of the universe. We go on a virtual voyage though the universe, experiencing both its beauty and its severity. It concludes with a close-up look at a supernova...perhaps TOO CLOSE!! Also here is the re-located Mission: SPACE Race game, where two teams operate as Mission Control to see which spaceship can return to Earth first.

And then there is the Spacewalk. At the preshow we learn how to operate our EVA units. Each unit is suspended from an overhead track on a continuously moving belt. It has a seat and a four-point safety harness. Our feet dangle free. A joystick allows us to control yaw and roll. We can turn completely around or roll completely upside-down. If we want, we can ride backwards facing a friend to share the experience. A moving walk allows us to board and secure ourselves while the units keep moving. The ride circles us around the exterior of the space station. We have views into space (occasionally obstructed by appendages on the exterior of the space station) and into the interior of the space station. We can see some of the public spaces filled with our fellow visitors, and we see other "off limits" spaces we wouldn't otherwise see. These give us a better picture of life on the station.

All the attractions return us to the hub. We can stay as long as we want. There's also a restaurant called Constellations, located on a terrace overlooking the inky blackness of space, as well as the X-2 Rocket store, which features Mission: SPACE and Future World merchandise.

When we are ready to leave, a second set of space pods returns us to Future World. With this new Mission: SPACE pavilion, I plan to give guests a look at space exploration in a way the whole family can enjoy.

Finally, we have The Living Seas pavilion, presented by National Geographic.

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The pavilion has been restored to its original state. While the Nemo overlay has been removed, there are plans to utilize the Finding Nemo franchise elsewhere in the resort, it just will not make its' home at EPCOT Center. Upon entering the building, we enter a small holding area, before entering a small theater, where guests view a short movie about the formation of the oceans entitled The Sea, followed by an elevator ride to the ocean floor aboard a "Hydrolator" (in reality, the floor merely shook and effects in the walls simulated downward motion). Guests then board a "Seacab" and travel through a tunnel and into the aquarium tank. Through large windows on both sides and smaller windows above, we can see the creatures living in the tank. Then the vehicles enter a large circular shaped room and move around three quarters of it.

Now that we've disembarked the seacabs, there are several exhibits to view here in Sea Base Alpha - a prototype underwater research facility.

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There are various displays at the Sea Base like a wave tank, an ocean resource lab and a swimming tube tank, in which a live scuba diver sometimes appear. Scuba divers are also often seen in the aquarium tanks feeding the fish. Sea Base Alpha also features an interactive fish wall aquarium, where guests can touch the fish aquarium in order to feed the fish. One of the more popular exhibits here at the Sea Base is Turtle Talk. The sea-base has been recently testing out a new piece of underwater technology that will revolutionize our study of the oceans, the hydrophone. This technology will actually allow us to speak with various underwater creatures. And they're gonna test it out on Crush, the sea turtle.

For an additional fee, The Living Seas also features DiveQuest, an amazing experience where guests suit up in scuba gear and take a closer look at the deep, underwater sea life. A separate experience also allows guests to be able to swim with dolphins. Guests exit the Living Seas through another set of Hydrolator. Wrapping around the side of the building, guests will find the pleasant Coral Reef restaurant, where guests can dine amongst the beautiful scenery of an underwater setting. It is like dinner under the sea.

Future World
1) Spaceship Earth

• Spaceship Earth
• Earth Station

2) CommuniCore East

• EPCOT Computer Central
• TravelPort
• VISION House
• Energy Exchange
• Electronic Forum

3) CommuniCore West

• EPCOT Outreach
• FutureCom
• Where's the Fire?
• The Great Piggy Bank Adventure
• RoboCircus
• Project: Tomorrow
• CommuniCore Character Connection

4) Universe of Energy
5) Wonders of Weather

• StormRider
• Weather Watch
• StormStruck
• WeatherWorks

6) Horizons
7) Test Track
8) Journey Into Imagination

• Journey Into Imagination
• ImageWorks
• Magic Journeys

9) The Land

• Living with the Land
• Kitchen Kabaret
• Soarin'

10) Mission: SPACE
11) The Living Seas

• Caribbean Coral Reef
• Sea Base Alpha
• Turtle Talk

Shopping
A) Gateway Gifts
B) Camera Center
C) The Art of Disney
D) Centorium
E) Winds of Change
F) Sparks of Inspiration
G) Aviation Court

Dining
A) Starlight Terrace
B) FountainView Espresso & Bakery
C) Club Cool
D) Cloud 9 Cafe
E) Garden Grill
F) Sunshine Seasons
G) Constellations
H) Coral Reef

 

[DisneyManOne]

Well, let's move on to the next area of EPCOT Center...

World Showcase

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Continuing on from the central point of Future World, from Stargate Plaza, guests continue forward until they arrive at World Showcase. World Showcase is centered by the World Showcase Lagoon, which is surrounded by thirteen different countries, representing the world. World Showcase can take guests from country to country in just a quick walk, where they can experience the sights, the food, the cultures, the experience of being able to explore the world, assisted by Cast Members who actually come from their country of origin.

Just continuing north from Future World and arriving at World Showcase Lagoon, directly ahead is the Friendship Cruise landing. The Friendship Cruise boats are a quicker way to travel from country to country, while enjoying a leisurely boat cruise across the World Showcase Lagoon. The boat cruise takes you from the entrance of World Showcase, to Germany and to the United Kingdom. On both sides of the landing docks are two cubical, indoor gift shops aptly titled Port of Entry, which hosts several country-related items, as well as EPCOT Center merchandise. Continuing on to the left of World Showcase, exploring the countries in a clockwise motion, we proceed past a gazebo, surrounded by a rose garden, where Duffy the Disney Bear, appears routinely to host meet & greet appearances. From here, we continue on to the first country in World Showcase, Mexico.

Mexico
Rising around the bend, curbing the corner of World Showcase lagoon, guests can see a rising Aztec, multi-tiered temple, surrounded by dense forests. The temple rises high into the sky, dominating over the rest of the Mexico pavilion.

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Just across from the temple, the Cantina de San Angel Inn restaurant is located, serving excellent Mexican cuisine. The location features both an indoor sit-down restaurant, as well as a quick-service location. The restaurants feature a complete tequila bar and are located right alongside the waters of World Showcase, making it an excellent viewing location for the nighttime fireworks. Attached to the side of the restaurant is the El Ranchito del Norte, which specializes in Mexican knick-knacks and what not.

The colored stone steps leading up to the temple reveal a small seating area, camouflaged in lush foliage. Entrances lead into the temple on both the left and right side of the temple, re-connecting back into the center of the temple, where posters and artifacts align the walls, showcasing the many different facts and activities of Mexico. Inside the center temple room, a cast member can be seen designing colorful ceramic animals. Continuing into the next room, guests find themselves entering into a grand plaza, overlooking a nighttime courtyard of a Mexican fiesta. From the stone balcony overlooking the pavilion, guests see a streaming fountain just below, surrounded by bustling merchandise carts and stores, which is then preceded by a courtyard of tables adorned with flickering candles. Strings of lanterns are draped over the courtyard, as the sky is awash in blue lights. The farthest end of the courtyard reveals a small temple.

From the balcony, descending ramps to the left and the right lead down into the center, courtyard, Plaza de Los Amigos. The Plaza is filled with all sorts of merchandise, from over-sized sombreros, Mexican wines and liquors, ceramic and glass sculptures, blankets and decorations. To the right of the courtyard, another tequila bar is located, tucked away in one of the Mexican building facades. The La Familia Fashions store also features clothes specifically crafted from Mexico.

Just past the bustling carts and stores, guests will find the San Angel Inn, a restaurant which serves fantastic Mexican food by candle-light. The restaurant is located right on the waters outside of a Mexican temple, surrounded by lush foliage. The entire restaurant is quite romantic and simulates being outside, in a nighttime courtyard. To the left, of the restaurant is El Rio del Tiempo (The River of Time), a slow boat ride down the rivers of Mexico, where the guests are taken through the city rivers of Mexico, to experience the life and cultures of its' citizens. Along the journey, guests will experience the occupations, recreation and family life of Mexico, before the boat ride comes to an end in Mexico City, as fireworks shoot off around the guests.

Continuing back outside the stone steps of the Mexican temple, outside of the pavilion, guests will comes across a stone wall with inscribed details. This is often where Donald, Jose and Panchito, otherwise known as The Three Caballeros, host meet & greets. A mariachi band also frequently performs in the area. Stretching beyond the wall, into the dense foliage of a Mexican jungle, guests come across the Aztec Botanical Gardens. The new addition is a beautiful garden, which has seemingly grown around the ruins of a dilapidated Aztec temple. The garden is filled with flowers and plants and is utilized as a relaxing, off-the-beaten path area.

The temple is actually utilized as an attraction facade for the Raging Spirits coaster, an intense coaster formerly located from Tokyo DisneySea, where it will also make its' home at the Mexico pavilion in EPCOT Center. The attraction takes guests through a high-speed adventure through the ruins of an ancient temple, where ancient ceremonial practices had become commonplace. The attraction is quietly tucked away in the corner of the Mexico pavilion, built in tangent with the rest of the pre-existing building, making it quite a surprise to find.

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Continuing north of Mexico, we continue to walk along the banks of the World Showcase Lagoon until we reach Norway.

Norway
Norway was the first pavilion to be added to World Showcase after EPCOT Center had opened in 1982 and this country remains to keep its' original sentiment. Guests walk along the quaint village of a Norweigan town, taking in the quaint cottage-like buildings and architecture. At the entrance of Norway is the great Stave Church Gallery, a small, hidden room, offering quiet solitude to take in a museum of Norweigan artifacts. Plaques around the room display the customs of Norway.

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Just outside of the Stave Church Gallery, on the opposite side of the tall building, Kringla Bakeri Og Kafe, a small bakery, which serves baked specialties from Norway, including fruit pastries, desserts and even ham and apple sandwiches. Just outside of the bakery, in-between the building and the Stave Church Gallery, an area of tables is located, under one of the roofed buildings. The roof above the sitting area is topped with grass running up along the sides of the roof, with planted flowers aligning the roof, creating quite a quaint, almost fairytale appearance.

Just across from the Kringla Bakeri Og Kafe is the Akershus Banquet Hall, a complete sit-down dining experience, where guests are welcomed into a beautiful Norweigan hall, where the delicious food and customs of Norway are shared with the guests. The character dining aspect has been removed.

Continuing through the beautiful village of Norway, just across from Akershus Banquet Hall is the Puffin's Roost, a complete gift shop for everything Norway-related. The gift shop features Norweigan clothes, custom-made in Norway, including heavy winter clothes, to the Maelstrom attraction's merchandise, to fine wines, perfumes and colognes, leading to a room of princess dolls and merchandise. The inside of the shop almost looks like a quaint skiing lodge. Outside of the shop, at the furthest end of the pavilion is a mountain, with a small waterfall cascading down the side of it. A cavern is seen from the mountain and it almost seems as though a boat is about to fall through the cavernous passage, before proceeding to move forwards.

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The waterfall spills into a small lake, surrounded by beautiful planted flowers and trees. A bridge cross over the lake and in front of the waterfall, leading to Norway's staple attraction, Maelstrom. I, like many other people, absolutely despise the idea of a Frozen-based attraction replacing this iconic ride. So, I'd keep Maelstrom here. Besides, I have plans for Frozen somewhere else...

Now, the major problem with Maelstrom is that that it is far too short and really lacks a coherent storyline. I would expand and remake Malestrom into a boat ride centered on Norse mythology. Guests would now sail to Valhalla aboard their Viking ships to the halls of Asgard, the home of the Gods. Once there they will encounter many of the various Norse Gods including Odin (father of the Gods), Thor (the God of thunder), Baldur (the God of peace), Aegir (the God of the sea), Tyr (the God of war), and many others. Things go awry when Loki (the trickster God) fools us into trying to take one of the Golden Apples, the source of the Gods' immortality and perpetual youth. Guest then find themselves in a race to escape Valhalla, fleeing from Idun, Guardian of the Golden Apples, and the Valkyries, warrior maidens on flying horses. This ride would become a true E-ticket attraction with state-of-the-art audio animatronic figures and multiple drops (including the aforementioned waterfall fake-out).

Along the banks of World Showcase, the sounds of Norweigian waterfalls dissipate into the background, as the guests come across the next pavilion in World Showcase.

China
Guests arrive at the many beautifully-adorned and decorated temples of China. The Chinese architecture depicts the beautiful scenery of a Chinese city. The entrance to the China pavilion is highlighted by a tall Chinese red arch, leading the way into a small Chinese water garden, filled with waterfalls and lily pads. Mulan, Shang and Mushu often meet guests in this garden. Straight ahead of the entrance arch of China, leading down a narrow path over the water garden, steps lead up to a grand palace of China.

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Inside of the grand temple, guests will come across Reflections of China. In this experience, guests are welcomed inside of the grand temple. The lobby of the temple is adorned with Chinese artifacts, beautiful sculpting, banners and images depicting the origins of China. Guests are then brought into a round, Circle-Vision theater, where guests are then enveloped in the history, the art, the cultures and the life of what the country of China is. The grand Circle-Vision experience offers a wonderful portrayal of the country of China, teaching the guests more about the country through the colorful portrayal. Attached to the temple, just inside of the lobby, to the left, guests will comes across the House of Whispering Willows. The small room is tucked away in the corner of the Chinese temple and is filled with artifacts and items depicting more of the history of China. The room is filled with Chinese Willow trees.

Just outside of the temple, an alleyway leads to the back end of the pavilion, running in tangent Yong Feng Shangdian store. The store is an extensive shopping plaza, running through the facades of several different China buildings. The Reflections of China attraction also exits through the shop's plaza. The shop features everything from expensive Chinese jewelry and sculptures, to Chinese garments, lanterns and incenses and stuffed animals.

Continuing back up north to the entrance of the China pavilion, on the right, is the Lotus Blossom Cafe, a small cafe area, serving delicious Chinese cuisine. Located further down the ramp, just after the entrance archway is the Nine Dragons restaurant, which offers an extensive selection of Chinese dishes in a beautiful, relaxing setting.

Continuing along the shores of the World Showcase Lagoon, we arrive at the newest pavilion to find its' home at World Showcase.

Russia
The Russia pavilion is the newest pavilion to arrive at World Showcase, taking up the former location of the "Outpost" area, which had been a pretty blatant area of World Showcase for quite some time. While some had speculated that the area was suppose to serve as Africa, now that Disney's Animal Kingdom has its' own version of Africa, this makes for a perfect location to fit a new country into the skyline of World Showcase and I thought that Russia would be a perfect fit, the architecture, the food, the weather, the culture, I'm surprised that it never made it into the final cut of the actual World Showcase.

Guests will find themselves in a beautiful city of Russia, adorned with several buildings, which create a pleasant entrance into the new pavilion. At the entrance of the Russia pavilion, guests will find the St. Petersburg Gifts location on the left and the Pirozhki Bakery on the right. While the St. Petersburg gift store showcases Russian-based merchandise, the Pirozhki Bakery offers pies, turnovers, as well as many other pastries, as well as some hot entrees as well, such as soups and meat dishes. The quaint village entrance of Russia is lined with streetlamps and ivy-crawled buildings.

However, the quaint entrance of Russia goes unnoticed by the grand, dominant Saint Basil's Cathedral, a structure unlike any other. The cathedral is made up almost to look like a castle, adorned in pink and green highlights, utilizing a staggered, layered design. The cathedral's towers lead to numerous colored, orbed turrets, depicting the grandeur and style of Russia. The cathedral spouts nine domed turrets and two spires. The cathedral is awash with vivid modern colors. The entire castle is quite different than anything in all of Walt Disney World and could very well steal the show from the other pavilions in World Showcase. Saint Basil's Cathedral utilizes forced perspective to make the cathedral appear to be taller than it actually is. However, the cathedral is still quite tall, looming over World Showcase lagoon at approximately one hundred and twenty feet.

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Inside of the cathedral is a completely different experience. The Bells of Change attraction is located within the cathedral, offering a beautiful, artistic and historical depiction of the country of Russia. The tour of the castle takes guests from room to room of the castle, each room having completely ornate, beautiful designs, as each room inspires more knowledge and history of Russia. Many room actual depict and are recreated from the actual Cathedral is Russia. The cathedral also features a wonderful restaurant, called Trinity, receiving its' name from the Cathedral's original name as "The Trinity Church". The restaurant consists of three large rooms in the upper portions of the cathedral, offering guests a birds eye view of the Russian pavilion below, as they enjoy their three course meal. The rooms are as beautifully decorated as ever.

Continuing to the left and right around the Cathedral are more Russian village buildings, as forested trees emerge from behind a few of them. One of these buildings is a replica of the Mariinsky Theatre, one of Russia's famed concert halls. Inside, you'll find a stylized dark ride centered around Stravinsky's famed ballet The Firebird.

The queue goes through the lobby of a ballet studio, where it is evident that they are currently practicing the Firebird. The next room seems to be the sets and costumes workshop. Around the room are flats of trees and smaller set pieces, including a sleigh just like the ride vehicle. The queues pass under a tree branch of one of the set pieces and we find ourselves right in the story. We are in a snowy forest clearing with the load area ahead of us. This room is large and tall with realistic backgrounds, the trees of the forest acting as the only division between load and the first scene, making this a grand sized room. Behind the wall straight ahead are the rest of the scenes isolated from this room. I should say now that I have taken some creative liberties with the original Firebird story.

The vehicles resemble small sleighs seating 3 per row with 2 rows. It pulls away and turns left between the snowy trees. This attraction has a style like the attraction Sinbad's Storybook Voyage at TDS. Its slightly cartoony and stylized, but very detailed which makes sense for a fantasy based story. After turning left, our narrator begins telling the story of Ivan and firebird. On the right we pass Ivan about to climb through a cave opening as our narrator introduces us to him and his journey. Forward, on the left, we see Ivan looking at the magical gardens he has stumbled upon. On the ground to the right, we see a rather large footprint and hear a birds call, which our narrator says belongs to the magical firebird. We pass through a cave, hearing struggles, and immediately find the firebird on the other side. This is a large and beautiful figure, flapping its wings attempting to fly away as Ivan stands in awe. Around the corner we find the bird in flight, hovering over Ivan who has a lasso in his hands. Our narrator tells us that Ivan captured the beautiful bird, but that the bird made a deal for its freedom. Ivan gets a magic feather and the promise to help him if needed, while Ivan must do something for the bird in return. The next scene we see the bird sitting freely next to Ivan, with a large feather in Ivan’s hand. The narrator says that Ivan continued his journey through the gardens with his new magic feather.

Around the corner we find a group of 13 princesses dancing, with Ivan watching from the trees. They are captive to the evil King the narrator says, but Ivan is in love with one of them, so he will try to get her freedom. On the right, we see Ivan pleading with the King on his throne, but the King soundly refuses. At this point Ivan remembers he has the feather so he calls on the firebirds magic. The firebird makes all the Kings subject dance, which we see in the next large scene, filled with dancing figures, the firebird sitting on the cliff side watching. But the dancing makes everyone tired, including the King, causing everyone to fall into a deep sleep. Ivan must do the favor for the firebird, and steals a magic egg sitting by the Kings throne, which is the source of his power. We pass through a small cave to a scene of Ivan breaking the egg, causing the King to become powerless. Around the corner, we see Ivan and the princess together, going off into the sunset while the Firebird sits on a tree, bowing at us as we pass. Everything ended happy our narrator tells us as we reach the unload area. We leave the sleigh, and exit back out into the square. In a secluded garden nearby the concert hall, you'll find a park-exclusive meet & greet with Ivan, the princess and an interactive animatronic Firebird.

Continuing around the corner of World Showcase the guests will then arrive at Germany,

Germany
The pavilion of Germany consists mainly of many different shops, with some restaurants tucked in here and there. Just on the outskirts of the pavilion is a beautiful wishing well, where Snow White often meets guests. Upon entering the pavilion, to the right is the Das Kaufhaus store, which specifically sells crystal and glass figures, artwork and other types of merchandise. Surrounding the front of the pavilion is a nice relaxing area of trees and benches, which also make a great location to view the nighttime fireworks.

Guests find themselves in a quaint village of Germany, just at the base of a clocktower. Every hour, on the hour, the clock comes to life, as a series of gizmos and figures appear from within the clock's frame, creating in the midst of the town. The clock comes to life in a wonderfully animated scene, including several different moving gadgets and figures. The German village surrounds a beautiful fountain. On the left corner of the town is Karamell-Küche, a wonderful bakery, offering all sorts of treats. The bakery specializes in caramel sweets, from everything to caramel and vanilla cupcakes, chocolate cookies with caramel frosting, brownies, cupcakes and wonderful other snacks.

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Passing through the sweet shop, guests will come across Die Weihnachts Ecke, a store completely devoted to Christmas items, featuring many different ornaments and Christmas merchandise. Through this store, guests will then be able to come across Weinkeller, a location that features a variety of different German wines and alcohols, where guests can purchase and even partake in their own wine tasting. Through the wine room, guests will then be able to reach the Kunstarbeit in Kristall store, which features more art work pieces and figures made completely out of glass.

All of these stores appear on the left hand side of the Germany pavilion. On the right side of the pavilion, the Volkskunst store can be located, offering many different Germany-based merchandise, from clothes, to yodeling attire, to sports equipment and working clocks. The store is also attached to the Der Teddybar store, which sells Disney Princess and teddy bear merchandise. On the farthest back end of the Germany pavilion, guests will find the sit-down Biergarten restaurant in the clocktower structure. Sommerfest has great German dishes, where guests can dine while being entertained by a quartet of yodelers. The location also features a quick-service location, consisting of mainly hot dogs and pretzels.

Right nearby Biergarten, you'll find the entrance to the Rhine River Cruise attraction. According to the Walt Disney Company's 1976 annual report, the Rhine River Cruise was to be “... a cruise down Germany's most famous rivers– the Rhine, the Tauber, the Ruhr and the Isar. Detailed miniatures of famous landmarks will also be seen, including one of the Cologne Cathedral.” While a majority of the show building was never actually constructed, the load and unload area of the ride would have been located next to the entrance to the Biergarten restaurant. Today, this area is hidden behind a giant mural depicting the German countryside.

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My version of the ride would be along the lines of what was originally planned and similar in style to the boat ride in Mexico. The ride features a dramatic score comprised of music from some of Germany’s greatest composers including Bach, Beethoven, Brahms, Mozart, and Wagner. Guests sail past scenes of some of Germany’s most enduring landmarks such as the Neuschwanstein castle, the Brandenburg Gate, the Cathedral of Cologne, and the Schwarzwald (Black Forest).

We continue to walk north out of Germany. We walk past a diorama of a small town, as a series of two trains weave their way through the town, passing in-between the village houses and tunnels. We have almost reached the halfway point of the World Showcase Lagoon, but we have one more pavilion to proceed through before we reach the halfway point.

Italy
Guests arrive in the quaint city square of a Roman city. It looks quite majestic and beautiful. In the forefront of the pavilion, there are two landings jutting out onto the Lagoon, the two, connected by a pair of twin bridges. The landings display a set of fountains. In-between the bridge landings and tunnelways, several canal boats can be seen on a nearby dock, making it seem as though the landings really are floating over the canals of Venice.

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Back up north, guests will arrive in the Italian courtyard. To the left, guests will come across Enoteca Castallo, an Italian shop, which specializes in clothes, perfurmes and ceramic art pieces. Just across the courtyard, guests will come across Il Bel Cristallo and La Bottega Italiana, one being a wine location, offering a variety of wines to the guests and the other a chocolte store, offering some of the finest chocolate sweets and candies from Italy. Outside of the two stores, a small seating area is located, which also happens to be a perfect location for guests to have a wine tasting.

The courtyard often becomes host to a series of performances from three different sources: Sergio the mime, a troupe of flag-wavers known as Sbandieratori di Sansepolcro, as well as the World Showcase Players. That's right--they're back! This troupe of players go around World Showcase to tell their butchered versions of classic tales from the country. In the UK, they perform King Arthur & the Holy Grail as well as A Christmas Carol during the holidays, they perform Cyrano de Bergerac in France, and here in Italy, they perform Romeo and... well, just watch and see.

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Tucked away in the corner behind one of the shops is a stairway leading up to one of the upper levels of the buildings. This location is often served as a meet & greet location for Pinocchio and Gepetto.

The back end of the Italian pavilion is reserved exclusively for some of the best restaurants in EPCOT Center. Guests come across a beautiful fountain area. Just past the fountain, to the left, is the Tutto Italia restaurant, which offers some of the best pasta, salad and italian dishes. At the farthest back end of the Italy pavilion, guests will come across the Via Napoli pavilion. This newest restaurant to the Italy pavilion is a great pizzeria, utilizing three different oven burnersm to create some of the finest dishes, transporting the flavors of Italy to their guests. The restaurant features a large sitting area, as well as a quaint outdoor seating location, offering wonderful views of the fireworks at nighttime.

At the farthest back end of the pavilion, in between Via Napoli and Tutto Italia is a small passageway, hidden under arches of sprawled ivy. The pathway opens to the new Meraviglie dell'Italia attraction. Italy, like Germany, was also supposed to have a boat ride. This one was to be a gondola ride through various Italian scenes. Even though World Showcase is already heavy on boat rides, I think this idea is too good to pass up and there is something about gondolas themselves that would add extra allure to the attraction and make it somewhat unique. Guests enter the attraction by first walking through a replica of ancient Roman ruins along the lines of what one would see today if walking through the Forum in Rome.

Guests then board their gondolas and travel through scenes from some of Italy’s best-known cities, including Venice, Milan, Florence, Pisa, Rome, and Naples, and encounter some of the country’s most enduring landmarks. Nearby the exit of the attraction, guests will find the Gelataria, a bakery that offers a wide assortment of gelato as well as numerous pastries, such as biscotti, cannoli, and zeppole.

And that's where we'll stop for now. Stay tuned as we continue making our way around World Showcase with even more changes and additions.

 

[Twilight_Roxas]

For the UK how about a Doctor Who attraction? Plus if the body pavillion returns they could bring back Cranium Command with Pixar's upcoming film Inside Out.

 

[DisneyManOne]

For the UK how about a Doctor Who attraction? Plus if the body pavillion returns they could bring back Cranium Command with Pixar's upcoming film Inside Out.

1. According to Inside the Magic, BBC has already given "Doctor Who" rights to a new Paramount park being built in England.
2. In these plans, Wonders of Life has become Wonders of Weather.

Now that that's cleared up, let's move on.

World Showcase
continued
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Continuing on from Italy, we arrive at the heart of World Showcase, exactly symmetrical to where we first entered World Showcase. From across the vast World Showcase Lagoon, one could just make out the border-line buildings of Future World and the Spaceship Earth globe. This location is the home of...

The American Adventure

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When entering into The American Adventure, guests feel as though they are entering into the colonial era of American history. The buildings are adorned in brick layering, with white finishings. Oak trees planted about create a serene vista for the American pavilion. The pavilion is similar to the Liberty Square land over at the Magic Kingdom, as they share the same theme.

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Just to the left of the entrance of the pavilion, guests will find an alcove planted with trees, where characters most notably Song of the South, Lilo & Stitch, Pocahontas and The Princess and the Frog (all of which are set in America) often host meet & greet appearances. Just across from the main plaza of the pavilion, guests will find the America Gardens Theater, an amphitheater-style theater, which is host to several events such as the Eat to the Beat concert series during the Food and Wine Festival and the Candlelight Processional during the Holiday season. Most of the time, the theater is specifically used solely for special event purposes.

On the side of the America Gardens Theater, guests will be able to find what appears to be a landing dock, reminscient of the earlier settlements of the pilgrims' arrival to America. The dock makes way to the new addition of the Mayflower ship, the ship upon the pilgrims had sailed, upon reaching America. The ship, while immobile, offers guests a great view of World Showcase, while including several interactive elements, on which guests can discover.

Across from the theater is the main plaza of the pavilion. At certain points throughout the day, a Colonial-era fife and drum corps perform. The entrance of the plaza features two small buildings, making up the Fife & Drum Tavern, featuring food items, such as turkey legs, funnel cakes and fried ice cream. The area also features a few small carts featuring merchandise. The plaza then proceeds to open up before a beautiful fountain, centering the pavilion, showcasing the main building, which overlooks all of World Showcase. Occasionally, a colonial marching troop makes their way through the pavilion. The left section of the building features the Liberty Inn, a quick-service colonial restaurant. I would completely reinvent this restaurant into more of a food court-style eatery with divided into different sections each highlighting a different part of the country. There would be a New England section offering various seafood dishes, a Louisiana section featuring jambalaya and gumbo, a Southern Barbecue section with ribs, grilled chicken, a pulled pork, and a Hawaiian section offering dishes with a tropical flare. To the right side of the main building features the Heritage House Gifts store, which features American-based merchandise, such as t-shirts from many different city, hats and colonial props and some of America's favorite candy treats.

The main center of the building showcases,The American Adventure , the world's largest audio-animatronic show. Guests proceed into a beautiful, colonial domed lobby, where the Voices of Liberty, America's own singing group, often sings a number of old American classics. Paintings around the room showcase the many different eras of American civilization. In a small side passage to the right, guests will find the National Treasures Exhibit, which features actual artifacts from previous historical figures, such as Martin Luther King, Will Rodgers and Mark Twain.

When the American Adventure show is ready to commence, guests then proceed up a grand staircase through the Hall of Flags, featuring flags from all of the states of America. They then proceed through the upper level of the lobby, where they can glance down into the previous lobby section. Guests are then brought into the main theater, where they witness one of the most moving and influential attractions of the Resort. The attraction utilizes complete sets and an entire audio-animatronic cast. The show is hosted and narrated by Benjamin Franklin and Mark Twain, bringing guests back through the trials and hardships of settling pilgrims, to the age of the revolutionary war, the dawn of progress and technology, leading up to the grand conclusion of modern society, with Benjamin Franklin and Mark Twain atop the Statue of Liberty, all set to "Golden Dream", one of the several musical themes that is heard throughout Epcot.

Continuing down along the lagoon of World Showcase, guests will then come across the next pavilion.

Japan

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Guests find themselves in a beautiful city, designed to recreate the wonderful and beautiful setting of an older Japanese building. To the left, a tall building is located, where a troop of Japanese drummers often showcase their drumming talent. Just beyond the building is a beautiful Japanese garden, featuring beautiful flowers, cascading waterfalls and real fish. Bridges lead across the garden at the summit of a small hill, where the Yakitori House quick-service restaurant is located. The restaurant is truly inspired to appear just as it would in Japan. It seems as though it is something out of an anime movie, which is essentially what the entire pavilion feels like. The restaurant also features a small outdoor sitting area on the other side of the restaurant.

Across from the this half of the Japan pavilion, across the main courtyard, guests will come across the Mitsukoshi building, a complete Japanese store, one of the biggest in EPCOT Center. These store features everything from kimonos, Japanese t-shirts, headdresses, jeweley, selections of bowls, bonsai plants, paper fans, lanterns and a great deal of Japanese wines, candies and other sweets. One could probably spend hours in this store, as there is so much to see. The store wraps around the complete right side of the pavilion, leading to the back and heading towards the front of the pavilion.

At the exit of the gift shop, still in the main Mitsukoshi building, guests will then be able to find the Bijutsu-Kan Gallery: Featuring the Art of Great Beasts. The quiet gallery almost feels like a small museum, offering guests a relaxing exhibit, where they can re-collect a history of art and sculptures of the usage of beasts and other great beings in the history of Japanese folklore.

Back in the main center of the pavilion, a staircase leads up to the second story of the Mitsukoshi building, which leads its' way up to the Teppan-Edo, a fantastic sit-down restaurant, where guests sit around a stove top, as a chef prepares Japanese dishes right before them. It is both an entertaining and delicious experience. The experience also offers great vistas of all of EPCOT Center and proves to be one of the best restaurants in the entire park. I was just there a couple of months back and it is definitely a great experience and is well worth it.

Standing at the far back of the pavilion is the hulking structure of Mount Fuji. One can argue that Disney already has enough mountain-themed rollercoasters, but each one has its own unique theming, details, and identity. I am envisioning this coaster to be along the lines of the Matterhorn at Disneyland or Big Thunder Mountain at Magic Kingdom in terms of both the ride experience and thrill level. Guests would travel both inside and outside the mountain from its base to the snowy summit, passing through caves, past waterfalls, and even narrowly escaping an avalanche.

Another attraction located here is Bullet Train Pass. With this attraction, guests would feel as though they were entering into the car of a train only the windows would be replaced with high-definition screens that would display beautiful images of the Japanese countryside. Guests would travel past some of Japan’s amazing natural wonders, some of its most enduring landmarks, and into several of its best-known cities. The compartment itself would lurch and shake to simulate the feel of movement, but the experience would not have the same thrill level of other simulator attractions, such as Star Tours. With these two additions, the Japan pavilion would be able to offer something for everyone.

We then proceed out of Japan and towards the next country in the World Showcase.

Morocco

Guests find themselves walking amongst the beautiful, orantely designed buildings of Morocco with its' grand archways and beautiful architecture. Tall, turret-like building stretch into the sky. The place is somewhat designed to be similar to a maze, with several buildings revealing passageways, connecting location to location. Morrocan artisan's actually came from their country to EPCOT Center to match the pavilion detail to detail. Koutoubia Minaret, a replica of an ancient prayer temple, stands guard at the entrance of the pavilion. Just on the borders of the World Showcase Lagoon, guests will find Souk Al Magreb, a merchandise cart which features hand-crafted brass merchandise. Also on the border of the lagoon is the Spice Road Table, which offers small plates and an interesting wine list featuring bottles from throughout the Mediterranean region.

A fountain is located in the center courtyard of the pavilion. The fountain leads to the Medina, which stands for "Old City". Here, guests will find the Marketplace in the Medina, where guests can come across hand woven baskets, wallets, bags, hats and carpets. After passing through a small chamber, featuring a fountain, guests will find the Brass Bazaar attached to the Marketplace. The Brass Bazaar features decorative plates, pots, serving sets, wooden collectibles and even lamps. Pointed archway buildings and swirling patterns adorn the passageways from building to building, featuring wooden, plaster and tiled accents.

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The passageway leads towards the back of the Moroccan city, where guests will find an entryway into one of the buildings. Inside the building, a magic lamp, the same one seen in Aladdin, rests on a mantle. The room is filled with large, luxurious pillows. This is a common location for Aladdin, Jasmine and the Genie to host Meet & Greet appearances. The passageway then connects back to the Tangier Traders merchandise store, which is a complete clothing store, offering garments, woven belts, shoes and other styles of Morrocan clothing. The store is also attached to the Tangierine Cafe, which operates as a quick-service restaurant in Morocco, while also featuring a very nice dessert display, as well.

At the farthest back corner of the pavilion, guests will find Marrakesh, a nice sit-down restaurant, where guests feel as though they are completely surrounded by the feelings of Moroccos through the flavor of their food, their customs and their fantastic hospitality service. Also at the far back of the pavilion is a brand-new attraction.

I thought it would be best, as a way of balancing the attractions in World Showcase, to have something that would appeal more to children and therefore looked at Moroccan folktales for inspiration. One of the most popular pieces of literature in the Arab world is One Thousand and One Nights (more commonly known as Arabian Nights). This is a collection of various stories and tales that, while they did not originate in Morocco, are reflective of the country’s culture and history.

It would be extremely tempting to put an Aladdin attraction in Morocco since it is one of the stories found in Arabian Nights, but I do not feel that World Showcase is the proper venue. Another popular tale from Arabian Nights is the Seven Voyages of Sindbad and this has actually been made into an attraction at Tokyo Disney Sea called Sindbad's Seven Voyages.

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Sindbad's Seven Voyages lies somewhere in between these two, taking the fanciful, make-believe feel of Small World and the swashbuckling adventure of Pirates and coming up with an entirely new attraction that is as memorable as its famous predecessors.

Along your journey you will visit busy Far East towns, discover vast stores of treasure, encounter mermaids, caravans, some decidedly unfriendly ape men, and a gigantic genie that is definitely not to be confused with the one from Disney's Aladdin. Wonderful Arabian-themed music enhances the atmosphere throughout your voyage. While the boat itself moves slowly, the pacing of this attraction is perfect, and you will be enthralled with the fantasy world that surrounds you as you drift from one adventure to the next.

This attraction features a cast of hundreds of animatronic characters that tell the tale of Sinbad. Walt Disney envisioned Audio-Animatronics as a way to bring cartoon characters to three-dimensional life, and that vision has never been more fully realized than in Sinbad's Seven Voyages. The characters are beautifully conceived, and appear as though they were taken right from the pages of a storybook. What really sets them apart though is their remarkably fluid animation. It is eerie how lifelike their movements are, and they really have to be seen to be believed.

We continue around the bend of the World Showcase until we come across the next pavilion.

France

The buildings her recollect the era of a beautiful French city-scape. A canal-like passage through France is much like France's Seine. Upon entering into the country, guests will come across a small alcove of trees, where guests can often meet Belle and the Beast from Beauty and the Beast. Just past the alcove, a few carts sell delicious home-made French crepes, as well as some other delicious treats at Monsieur Paul. The stone walls that barricade the World Showcase lagoon showcase canvasses of French artistry and artwork. In this area, artists are located to draw portraits and sillhouettes of guests.

France features several kiosks, that often puntuate the streets of Paris. Marie, Toulouse and Berlioz from The Aristocats host meet & greets within the area. The smell of a nearby bakery seems to run through the area. You can see that the French building expand towards the back of the pavilion, towards a large, somewhat grander building, before taking an offset to the left, continuing up a small alleyway. From behind the larger building at the back end of the courtyard, guests can see the grand Eiffel Tower, stretching high into the sky. The Eiffel Tower utilizes the technique of forced perspective to make it appear larger than it actually is.

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To the left, the first building that guests will come across is luxurious Les Chefs de France, which features some of the finest French cuisine that you could find in Florida. The restaurant establishes itself in a beautiful setting.

Continuing up through the plaza towards the top of the pavilion, guests walk along a beauitful fountain, before arriving at the Arcade, a mall of different shops, including the Plume Et Palette, La Signature and L'esprit de Provence. All of these shops offer wonderful French items that could only be found from within the country. At Plume Et Palette and La Signature, guests can be able to sample and purchase a display of numerous perfumes and colognes from the country. L'esprit offers displays of dinnerware and kitchen accessories. On the opposite side of the string of shops is a small rose garden, where Princess Aurora and Cinderella often meet guests.

Back in the main courtyard of the pavilion, to the left, a small alleyway leads to the farthest back point of the pavilion. However, directly ahead, guests will find Impressions de France, which is showcased in the Palais du Cinema, a theater in which the guests can witness a break-taking eighteen minute film sequence about the beauty, landscape, foods and cultures of France. The film features beautiful estates, vineyards in harvest time, beautiful harbors, the French Alps and a view of the Eiffel Tower. The entire experience is enhanced by a wonderfully composed score of French classical music, as well as a 200 degree screen that wipes across the entire front and sides of the theater.

The attraction exits out into the Souvenirs de France store, which features everything from Eiffel Tower statues and shirts to CDs and gifts themed to the artwork of several French artists. Just outside of the shop, to the right, guests will find the Boulangerie Patisserie, a wonderful bakery in the pavilion, located amongst the other themed buildings in the Paris city. The bakery features delectable treats, some of them include turnovers, parfaits, sandwiches and pot pies, amongst other things. There is a quaint small sitting area just outside of the bakery. Just across from the bakery is Les Vins de France, a wonderful wine shop, where guests can hold their own wine tasting. The alleyway proceeds to lead further down, back into the main plaza of France.

International Gateway

Continuing on from the France pavilion, guests cross a bridge, leading over World Showcase Lagoon and proceeding out of the France pavilion. Here, guests enter the International Gateway. While the International Gateway is not an actual "land" in the park, it still does serve some vital purpose. To the right, there is a staircase descending down into a tiered landing, which offers fantastic views of the Illuminations fireworks. To the left, guests will come across the Gateway Gifts and World Traveler stores, which feature EPCOT Center and World Showcase merchandise. From here, there is an actual EXIT out of the park, which is connected to the Boardwalk, Swan and Dolphin, and Yacht and Beach Club Resorts. The path also offers a quick brisk walk to the entrance of Disney's Hollywood Studios.

Further on along the pavilion, guests will arrive at the entrance to the United Kingdom.

The United Kingdom

The United Kingdom takes guests to the beautiful city-scape of a London square and then to the edge of a canal on a rural countryside, all within the realm of a contained bustling city street. The streets are framed by London buildings, which perfectly capture the elegance and charm of England. The buildings receive their architectural styles from English Tudor, Georgian and English Victorian style characteristics. While there is no major attraction in the pavilion, it does feature nearly half a dozen shops and a pub that serves a fantastic selection of beers.

As soon as you enter the pavilion, a thatched roof cottage will be just on the left, amidst the other English buildings in the area. In front of the cottage, Mary Poppins and Alice both host meet & greet appearances. Inside of the cottage which was inspired by William Shakespeare's wife, guests will find the Tea Caddy. The cottage features a fireplace, amongst the beams. The shop stocks a wide variety of English teas, teapots, china and biscuits. Just next to the Tea Caddy is The Queen's Table, which offers a wonderful display of perfumes, soaps and other fragrances.

The pathway then empties out into the Rose and Crown Pub, which is a fantastic restaurant that serves wonderful England-inspired dishes. The restaurant also operates at a basic pub, which serves some great alcoholic drinks. To the side of the restaurant, the quick-service location Yorkshire Country Fish Shop serves a limited list of items from the Rose and Crown. Just before the restaurant, guests will find a pair of faux telephone booths, identical to those that could be found around the United Kingdom.

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Connecting back into the main plaza of the English town, guests will then come across the Crown and Crest. The exterior of the shop is beautiful, almost like something out of the days of King Arthur. The store is adorned with bright banners, a fireplace and gallant crossed swords, depicting a fanciful scene in the store. Here, guests can purchase mugs, limited chess sets, and stamp sets. Through a small passage, guests will come across the Sportsman Shoppe. This store features clothing wear and accessories that are centered around British local events, from Wimbledon tennis attire, to golfing accessories and Rugby shirts.

Outside of the shops, there is a lovely English courtyard, decorated with fanciful garden and flower motifs. In the courtyard, a band called the British Invasion plays daily, belting out the tunes of the Beatles. At the back end of the pavilion, guests will find one last store, the Toy Soldier, which features a nice selection of British toys, as rather as an extensive gift selection from Winnie the Pooh and the gang from the Hundred Acre Wood. In this store, a separate room features meet & greets with Winnie the Pooh and Tigger, amongst other Winnie the Pooh characters.

At the far back of the courtyard is a brand-new attraction. I would introduce an attraction centered around a popular Disney movie, but one which has its roots firmly in English culture. Mary Poppins was a series of children’s books written by English author P.L. Travers that was then adapted into a musical film by Disney in 1964. The movie to this day continues to be one of the most beloved of all Disney movies and features an assortment of memorable songs written by the venerable Sherman Brothers. Its combination of music, fantasy, and beautiful scenery make it the perfect candidate for a dark-ride style attraction, something that the United Kingdom pavilion desperately needs.

This is...Mary Poppins' Jolly Holiday. Credit to the guy behind the Conceptual Theme Park Planning blog for this epic ride idea!

The attraction façade is a replica of 17 Cherry Tree Lane, home to the Banks Family. The queue begins by winding through the bottom floor of the house before exiting a side door into an elegant garden, still inside the showbuilding. For high traffic times, the overflow queue would run on the sidewalk on the exterior of the showbuilding. A note here about queues: I really am not good at designing them. Queues are surprisingly difficult to design, at least for me. It’s hard to find the balance between straight switchbacks and winding queues. Also I spend significantly less amount of time on them than attraction plans. So basically, if a queue looks a little funny, just ignore it, that’s not the real point. End sidebar. From there, the standby and wheelchair offshoot queue and the fastpass queue reach the distribution point, where a cast member directs guests to one of 21 loading areas, each corresponding with a row of the ride vehicle. In front of the guests in line is a garden door with a chalk drawing of a carousel in the style of the Jolly Holiday scene in the movie. When it is time to load, the door opens for the guests to see the actual carousel in the middle of the loading room. Guests are literally walking into the scene from Mary Poppins at this point. Guests follow a chalk line drawing to find their correct row on the carousel to load.

The ride vehicle is train of 21 pods including 11 bench seat vehicles that seat 3, and 10 carousel horse vehicles that seat 2 on 2 horses. The train when circled resembles a carousel and is able to cross over its own track, possibly meaning it is a wire guided track. The actual track floor is sunk below show scene level so that the floor of the vehicles is at the same height as the scenes. It really is supposed to feel like you carousel just unraveled and is traveling through the park.

Each of the 21 pods has its own independent base that are connected below rider floor level. In order to allow the train to form a circle rotated in both directions and a straight line, the floors of each pod must be able to slide above and below each other, so all the horse pods have a lower floor.

After load is completed, scene 1 begins in the load room. The carousel starts to spin while you hear Mary Poppins and Bert talking, inviting you to visit them in the park. Then, after 2 complete revolutions, the carousel suddenly breaks away and travels through a garden gate into scene 2. The carousel now travels through the park scene straight from the movie, created with both animatronics and projections all while Jolly Holiday is playing. The carousel continues and makes a complete circle around a smaller carousel featuring Mary Poppins and Bert animatronics for a segment of dialogue and then continues on to the final circle of this scene. Scene 3 is the Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious segment. The carousel makes multiple revolutions around this circle surrounded by projection surfaces during the song. Then the carousel continues on into a new environment, the rooftops of London for scene 4, Step in Time. The carousel makes 2 consecutive complete circles surrounded by rooftops of projected dancing chimney sweeps. Last, the carousel passes by Mary and Bert sitting on the rooftops, waving goodbye. The carousel pulls into the unload station in linear form.

We then continue on to the second newest pavilion of World Showcase.

Egypt

We arrive in the sand-swept ruins of the great deserts of Egypt. This new pavilion will take the former place of the Canada building that was only ever utilized during the Food and Wine Festival. This new pavilion will make up its' new home in Epcot and will be centered by a grand pyramid, which dominates over the rest of the pavilion. Sand floors are sketched into the pavement of the pavilion. A wooden bridge suspends over the land, as a part of the World Showcase Lagoon runs throughout the Egyptian sands, simulating a serene Nile River, as tall strings of grass appear from the waterbeds of the river.

In the center of the pavilion, guests will find the Egyptian Marketplace, which is a bustling metropolis of activity. The Marketplace features several stores and the Cairo Cafe quick-service restaurant, which offers a splendid selection of Egyptian-style foods. Egyptian cuisine is know for its kababs, meat and vegetables that are grilled on skewers. The concept for this restaurant would be that diners walk through an area designed to look like a market and select different types of meat, vegetables, spices, and sauces they want on their kababs. Diners then take their ingredients to a large open fire pit where a chef will place the ingredients they have chosen onto a skewer and they can watch as the kababs are prepared over the open fire. There's also a bakery featuring a large selection of breads, which form the backbone of Egyptian cuisine, as well as numerous Egyptian pastries. The bakery would offer a variety of different sandwiches and guests would have the opportunity to select which type of bread on which they would like to have their sandwich. Within the Marketplace, the Cairo Jewelers store is located, featuring a great supply of wonderfuly jewelery and fragrance items. Attached to Cairo Jewelers is the Ancient Artifacts store, which sells all different sorts of material and merchandise from Egypt, including clothing, wooden sculptures, ancient tablets and incenses.

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From here, the guests are then led along a sand road, adorned with ancient columns, destoyed after years and years of decay. The stone columns line the way to a grand pyramid, where the Great Pyramid of Anubis is located. The pyramid is host to this new E-Ticket attraction, which takes guests through the pyramid to gather the knowledge of the facts and myths of the worlds of Egypt and more-so, what lies beneath the the deepest chambers of this sacred pyramid. While the attraction is somewhat of a mild thrill ride, probably comparable to either Test Track or Dinosaur, this is not a scary attraction, there are no Zombies or demons chasing after the guests, much opposed to Universal's Revenge of the Mummy attraction, rather this adventure offers guests a once in a life-time journey to explore the secrets of a pyramid, lost to the world for hundreds of years. The inside of the pyramid also features King Tut's, a sit-down restaurant inside one of the lavish treasure chambers of the pyramid.

The sand bottoms of the Egyptian landscape soon gives way to a rockier landscape.

Canada

We have reached the final country in all of World Showcase, which connects back to the entry point to Future World.

This country celebrates the United States' neighbor to the north. The country features a rocky landscape, leading past a set of totem poles. Arriving just beyond, at the top of a wooden staircase leading to the upper section of the pavilion, guests will be able to find Northwest Mercantile and La Boutique des Provinces. Northwest Mercantile features Candian apparel, as well as plush toys, lanterns, maple syrup and other Canadian-themed collectibles. La Boutique des Provinces is located inside of Hotel du Canada, a large recreation of the Canadian hotel, and features items crafted by Canadian artists.

Down the steps and leading to the right, guests will find a small pathway, wrapping down a lovely garden area, right beside a babbling brook and a cascading waterfall. Here, guests are then brought to Le Cellier Steakhouse, one of the finest Steakhouses in Florida. The restaurant features great entrees, a relaxing atmosphere and a great selection of desserts. However, because this restaurant is one of the most popular in all of the resort, landing a specific reservation here cane be somewhat tedious.

Just north of Le Cellier Steakhouse, guests will walk along the rushing waterfalls of the Canadian Rocky Mountains. The mountainous range stretch a vast way, leading guests to the farthest point of the pavilion, where they are then brought to O Canada!, an eighteen minute motion picture presentation, hosted by Martin Short. The complete 360 degree Circle-Vision theater portrays the Canadian country's splendor, from prairies and plains, shorelines and rivers and untouched snowfields. The film takes guests along a journey through many of Canada's cities, such as Montreal and Quebec, before ending the presentation with a trip by Niagra Falls.

At the far back of the pavilion, you'll find a new attraction: Grizzly River Run.

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This new version of the DCA ride takese guests on a thrilling journey through the rapids of the Canadian Rockies, encountering native plants and wildlife, such as audio-animatronic moose, black bears, beavers, and bobcats, in addition to waterfalls, whirlpools, and geysers. Indeed, the appearance of Grizzly River Run is an apt comparison for what this ride experience would be like.

From here, the pathway connects back to the center point of World Showcase and Future World.

World Showcase
1) Mexico

• El Rio del Tiempo
• Raging Spirits

2) Norway

• Maelstrom

3) China

• Reflections of China

4) Russia

• The Bells of Change
• The Firebird

5) Germany

• Rhine River Cruise

6) Italy

• Meraviglie dell'Italia

7) The American Adventure
8) Japan

• Mount Fuji
• Bullet Train Pass

9) Morocco

• Sindbad's Seven Voyages

10) France

• Impressions de France

11) United Kingdom

• Mary Poppins' Jolly Holiday

12) Egypt

• The Great Pyramid of Anubis

13) Canada

• O'Canada!
• Grizzly River Run

Shopping
A) Port of Entry
B) El Ranchito del Norte
C) Plaza de Los Amigos
D) La Familia Fashions
E) The Puffin's Roost
F) Yong Feng Shangdian
G) St. Petersburg Gifts
H) Das Kaufhaus
I) Die Weihnachts Ecke
J) Weinkeller
K) Kunstarbeit in Kristall
L) Volkskunst
M) Der Teddybar
N) Enoteca Castallo
O) Il Bel Cristallo
P) La Bottega Italiana
Q) Heritage House Gifts
R) Mitsukoshi
S) Souk Al Magreb
T) Marketplace in Medina
U) Brass Bazaar
V) Tangier Traders
W) Plume Et Palette
X) La Signature
Y) L'esprit de Provence
Z) Souvenirs de France
AA) Les Vins de France
BB) Gateway Gifts
CC) World Traveler
DD) Tea Caddy
EE) The Queen's Table
FF) Crown and Crest
GG) Sportsman Shoppe
HH) Toy Soldier
II) Cairo Jewelers
JJ) Ancient Artifacts
KK) Northwest Mercantile
LL) La Boutique des Provinces

Dining
A) El Cantina del San Angel
B) San Angel Inn
C) Kringla Bakeri Og Kafe
D) Akershus Banquet Hall
E) Lotus Blossom Cafe
F) Nine Dragons
H) Pirozhki Bakery
I) Trinity
J) Sommerfest
K) Biergarten
L) Karamell-Kuche
M) Tutto Italia
N) Via Napoli
O) Gelateria
P) Liberty Inn
Q) Fife and Drum Tavern
R) Teppan Edo
S) Yokitori House
T) Spice Road Table
U) Tangerine Cafe
V) Marrakesh
W) Monsieur Paul
X) Boulangerie Patisserie
Y) Les Chefs de France
Z) Rose and Crown Pub
AA) Yorkshire Country Fish Shop
BB) Cairo Cafe
CC) Egyptian Bakery
DD) King Tut's
EE) Le Cellier

In the final post about EPCOT Center, I'll go over the entertainment found every day. See ya then!

 

[orlando678-]

I'm not that fund of having Sinbad here cause it should be unique in Tokyo and also it doesn't really fit there. Maybe you can create some kind of ride that is similar to this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fata_Morgana_(Efteling)

 

[DisneyManOne]

I'm not that fund of having Sinbad here cause it should be unique in Tokyo and also it doesn't really fit there. Maybe you can create some kind of ride that is similar to this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fata_Morgana_(Efteling)

Sinbad is from the 1000 Arabian Nights tales, so I'm sure it fits in with Morocco.

Now then, here's the last part of EPCOT Center...

Entertainment​

The major change in entertainment will be to bring back what is considered to be Disney's greatest parade: Tapestry of Nations!

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The procession will be pretty much unchanged. The parade will make two runs throughout the day: one in the afternoon, and one in the evening, just before IllumiNations.

Plus, serving as a pre-show to IllumiNations will be a new projection show called Voices of Tomorrow.

This show is basically a musical illustration of the vision and purpose of EPCOT Center. The arrangement contains all the history of the concept from the City of Walt’s time to the Center of not-too-long ago and Park of today concluding with an orchestral finale symbolizing nothing less than the dreams of its future. Most of the show takes place on Spaceship Earth, as various clips are projected onto the grand sphere—Walt’s description of EPCOT, the park opening, and various other things. In fact, here’s a video featuring the song, which I think will give you some inspiration for the show:

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And finally, of course, we have the insanely epic IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth. I really do enjoy IllumiNations and I feel as though it fits Epcot perfectly. The show is going to remain the same as it is, with minor technical work being done on things such as the fountains, barges and fireworks. I think that IllumiNations perfectly reflects the themes of Epcot, featuring great segments and a moving score which has almost become a staple soundtrack to the park.

Future World
1) Spaceship Earth

• Spaceship Earth
• Earth Station

2) CommuniCore East

• EPCOT Computer Central
• TravelPort
• VISION House
• Energy Exchange
• Electronic Forum

3) CommuniCore West

• EPCOT Outreach
• FutureCom
• Where's the Fire?
• The Great Piggy Bank Adventure
• RoboCircus
• Project: Tomorrow
• CommuniCore Character Connection

4) Universe of Energy
5) Wonders of Weather

• StormRider FP
• Weather Watch
• StormStruck
• WeatherWorks

6) Horizons FP
7) Test Track FP
8) Journey Into Imagination

• Journey Into Imagination FP
• ImageWorks
• Magic Journeys

9) The Land

• Living with the Land
• Kitchen Kabaret
• Soarin' FP

10) Mission: SPACE FP
11) The Living Seas

• Caribbean Coral Reef
• Sea Base Alpha
• Turtle Talk

Shopping
A) Gateway Gifts
B) Camera Center
C) The Art of Disney
D) Centorium
E) Winds of Change
F) Sparks of Inspiration
G) Aviation Court

Dining
A) Starlight Terrace
B) FountainView Espresso & Bakery
C) Club Cool
D) Cloud 9 Cafe
E) Garden Grill
F) Sunshine Seasons
G) Constellations
H) Coral Reef

World Showcase
12) Mexico

• El Rio del Tiempo
• Raging Spirits FP

13) Norway

• Maelstrom FP

14) China

• Reflections of China

15) Russia

• The Bells of Change
• The Firebird

16) Germany

• Rhine River Cruise

17) Italy

• Meraviglie dell'Italia

18) The American Adventure
19) Japan

• Mount Fuji FP
• Bullet Train Pass

20) Morocco

• Sindbad's Seven Voyages

21) France

• Impressions de France

22) United Kingdom

• Mary Poppins' Jolly Holiday FP

23) Egypt

• The Great Pyramid of Anubis

24) Canada

• O'Canada!
• Grizzly River Run FP

Shopping
A) Port of Entry
B) El Ranchito del Norte
C) Plaza de Los Amigos
D) La Familia Fashions
E) The Puffin's Roost
F) Yong Feng Shangdian
G) St. Petersburg Gifts
H) Das Kaufhaus
I) Die Weihnachts Ecke
J) Weinkeller
K) Kunstarbeit in Kristall
L) Volkskunst
M) Der Teddybar
N) Enoteca Castallo
O) Il Bel Cristallo
P) La Bottega Italiana
Q) Heritage House Gifts
R) Mitsukoshi
S) Souk Al Magreb
T) Marketplace in Medina
U) Brass Bazaar
V) Tangier Traders
W) Plume Et Palette
X) La Signature
Y) L'esprit de Provence
Z) Souvenirs de France
AA) Les Vins de France
BB) Gateway Gifts
CC) World Traveler
DD) Tea Caddy
EE) The Queen's Table
FF) Crown and Crest
GG) Sportsman Shoppe
HH) Toy Soldier
II) Cairo Jewelers
JJ) Ancient Artifacts
KK) Northwest Mercantile
LL) La Boutique des Provinces

Dining
A) El Cantina del San Angel
B) San Angel Inn
C) Kringla Bakeri Og Kafe
D) Akershus Banquet Hall
E) Lotus Blossom Cafe
F) Nine Dragons
H) Pirozhki Bakery
I) Trinity
J) Sommerfest
K) Biergarten
L) Karamell-Kuche
M) Tutto Italia
N) Via Napoli
O) Gelateria
P) Liberty Inn
Q) Fife and Drum Tavern
R) Teppan Edo
S) Yokitori House
T) Spice Road Table
U) Tangerine Cafe
V) Marrakesh
W) Monsieur Paul
X) Boulangerie Patisserie
Y) Les Chefs de France
Z) Rose and Crown Pub
AA) Yorkshire Country Fish Shop
BB) Cairo Cafe
CC) Egyptian Bakery
DD) King Tut's
EE) Le Cellier

Entertainment

• Future Corps Band
• JAMMitors
• Mariachi Cobre
• Jeweled Dragon Acrobats
• Biergarten Band
• Sergio the Mime
• Sbandieratori di Sansepolcro
• World Showcase Players
• Spirit of America Fife & Drum Corps
• Matsuriza
• Marrakesh Entertainment
• Serveur Amusant
• British Revolution
• The Paul McKenna Band
• The Hat Lady at the Rose & Crown Pub
• Tapestry of Nations
• Voices of Tomorrow
• IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth

So, in conclusion of EPCOT Center, this park has been completey renovated, along with the Magic Kingdom. With the park's name reverting back to the original, a new entrance, complete renovations to Spaceship Earth and the Imagination Pavilion, the return of The Living Seas and Horizons, a new pavilion for Future World, two new pavilions for World Showcase, amongst several other additions made to almost all of the pavilions, I believe that EPCOT Center has become a much stronger park and has established itself as the way it was originally intended to be: a real-world experience where guests could learn about communication, the world, the wonders of nature, the sky and sea and to unlock imagination. While the park had originally suffered for being an "educational" park, yes, education is intertwined with this park, but now, additions like Soarin', Test Track, StormRider, Mission: SPACE, Journey Into Imagination, Raging Spirits, the Pyramid of Anubis, amongst so many other things in the park help repel against the idea of the park just being educational. This is the perfect mix of educational and entertainment without having to commercialize the park into being too "dumbed down" or "cartoonish". I believe that this park is strong now and has so much more to offer, but still reflects on all of the eras of Epcot that we have come to know and love.

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If you thought this was a lot, the Studios will be unrecognizable...

 

[orlando678-]

Fata Morgana is something different maybe watch the ride on YouTube. Sinbad would be greater if it would be more realistic ride.