News 'Awesome Planet' coming to The Land pavilion

sedati

Well-Known Member
Sometimes I wonder if it was the kids who “didn’t like” EPCOT (even though the park had more visitors back then).
Kids can find amusement and wonder in the littlest of things. EPCOT Center was full of amazing environments to take in like the Land, Imagination, SSE’s 180 top, and giant dinosaurs, just to name a few. Kids I knew thought EPCOT was amazing.
I think in some situations it was the less curious adults who “didn’t like” the park.
While mileage certainly varied, I don't think I know anyone who "didn't like" Epcot Center on their first visit. I think the issue for the masses, and possibly for the very concept of edutainment, is repeatability.

How many times can you learn a thing?

Epcot presented a curriculum locked in time. Its lessons never progressed. In a way, to revisit the park was like repeating a grade- something the less curious may be inclined to do.

Certainly there was great areas of immersion and storytelling- the hallmarks of any great theme park. That's why we could tolerate hearing about the invention of the wheel multiple times- not because the progression of foot to boat to animal to wheel was so mind-blowing and beyond the understanding of the common guest.

Going forward, I think the focus should stay on wonder while pushing further into experience. Several of the original attractions had depictions of the Space Shuttle taking off, but it was decades until they put me in the cockpit and blasted me off into space.

Lastly, I'll say for a family like mine, there was a bit of a turnoff for the World Showcase portion as it seemed much of the "learning" to be done was to be done through shops and restaurants. Certainly the first go around it was great to be surrounded by the architecture and the foreign cast-members, but on later trips I know my parents just thought it was a place to spend more money, something they weren't too "curious" about doing on what for us was already an expensive trip.
 
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PorterRedkey

Well-Known Member
While mileage certainly varied, I don't think I know anyone who "didn't like" Epcot Center on their first visit. I think the issue for the masses, and possibly for the very concept of edutainment, is repeatability.

How many times can you learn a thing?

Epcot presented a curriculum locked in time. Its lessons never progressed. In a way, to revisit the park was like repeating a grade- something the less curious may be inclined to do.

Certainly there was great areas of immersion and storytelling- the hallmarks of any great theme park. That's why we could tolerate hearing about the invention of the wheel multiple times- not because the progression of foot to boat to animal to wheel was so mind-blowing and beyond the understanding of the common guest.

Going forward, I think the focus should stay on wonder while pushing further into experience. Several of the original attractions had depictions of the Space Shuttle taking off, but it was decades until they put me in the cockpit and let me blast off.

Lastly, I'll say for a family like mine, there was a bit of a turnoff to the World Showcase portion as it seemed much of the "learning" to be done was to be done through shops and restaurants. Certainly the first go around it was great to be surrounded by the architecture and the foreign cast-members, but on later trips I know my parents just thought it was a place to spend more money, something they weren't too "curious" about doing on what for us was always seemed an expensive trip.
You make a lot of good points, but repeatability was never a problem with me since I would only get to visit every few years. Maybe that was a problem for Floridians, I don’t know. Although when I worked at EPCOT center in the early 90’s, I found myself riding the FW attractions over and over again. I found the repeatability coming from all the details. The rides were long and I would find new details every ride.


The “lessons” may have been locked in time, but at least the lessons were thought provoking and hopeful. SSE has been mostly about communication, do people not ride it because they already have learned about communication? No, because they want to go into the big ball, smell Rome burning and marvel at our Spaceship Earth floating in the vastness of space. Of course, part of the “stale” messages was due to lack of proper refurbs.

I can only speak for myself, but the learning aspect was not a big aspect for me on the rides except Listen to the Land . I did enjoy Backstage Magic and all of Comunicore which was all about educational exhibits. That pavilion and WS were where the edutainment became more about education. I admit as younger man, with the exception of Maelstrom and AA, I didn’t spend a lot of time in WS.

I would say Epcot Center’s Future World was like an aquarium, people don’t go there to learn, they go to see the pretty fish. They may be educated along the way, but it is less about the information, but how that information is presented.

Sure UoE and to some extent The Living Seas had movies that educated. However, UoE had Radok screens for the pre-show (amazing), a moving theater (OMG), Dino diorama (How did they transport me to the past?), a really boring movie about oil (😐), and a great finale with lasers and mirrors!

The Living Seas, relied on intro movies, but then you traveled far down below the seas in hydrolators, were transported via Sea cabs, and then traveled through the water while fish swam all around you. All of this leading to a Seabase you could explore. You can learn along the way but that is an adventure!

You referenced WoM and to me that pavilion was the least original. It was very similar to SSE except with speed tunnels and a future city for an ending. I wish I could still ride WoM, there were a lot of great gags in the ride and Fun to be Free was fantastic. However, I agree it needed to change, maybe not to TT, but understand why that happened. At least TT had an innovative ride system.

The other FW attractions Imagination, Horizons, and Wonders were all unique enough to have lived on for many years. They only needed to have been given the proper attention and budget.

I do agree that any additions should focus on wonder as I think all great attractions are. Show me something I can’t see anywhere else. In the 80’s that place was EPCOT CENTER.
 

marni1971

Park History nut
Premium Member
I've only skimmed the thread but do we have an expected opening estimate?
I think Martin said this summer? Or was it next summer? I don’t really remember
Dunno. Nothing Disney said indicates when. And no insider has said when, AFAIK.
with the signs already up in the pavilion it can't be too far off I would think.
It was green lit fairly recently. It would depend how fast they can stick it all together.
 

PorterRedkey

Well-Known Member
It was green lit fairly recently. It would depend how fast they can stick it all together.

Has any of the filming begun or will this mostly be pieced together from the Disney Nature series? What about the ILM "space scenes"? I would have thought some production work would have already begun, but if it was greenlit recently maybe not.
 

build_it

Well-Known Member
I'll get shot for this comment.... but I have always thought Wall-E would be an IP tie that could work very well in LWTL. Focus it on creating a world we don't have to leave due to lack of vegetation & food, and how we can help Wall-E with new food production, urban farming, and other new tech. Give us a couple of cute animatronics in the light up picture areas and video areas. Could be a great update for the ride.
 

HMF

Well-Known Member
I'll get shot for this comment.... but I have always thought Wall-E would be an IP tie that could work very well in LWTL. Focus it on creating a world we don't have to leave due to lack of vegetation & food, and how we can help Wall-E with new food production, urban farming, and other new tech. Give us a couple of cute animatronics in the light up picture areas and video areas. Could be a great update for the ride.
I would rather have LWTL IP free.
 

DreamfinderGuy

Well-Known Member
Sounds like the wall carpet is getting removed, as it was rumored to be before
CB615344-EE4D-4CAF-BA3E-FF424B07742F.jpeg

 

HauntedMansionFLA

Well-Known Member
So let me get this straight - as of now, an IP free (mostly) Soarin', an IP free Harvest Theater attraction and an IP-free Living with the Land?

Wow.
Ill
What I'm saying is, if they were to remove the carpets, they would've placed the tarps on the entry arch, to completely block the view.

Right now the tarps are in the middle of the wall carpet
They would block it completely - it wouldn’t be good Disney show.
 

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