News Big changes coming to EPCOT's Future World?

[Father Robinson]

The new neighborhood names are missing the word "of". Alternatively, if we're going to go with a vague name for the center area (World Celebration), I'd prefer World Expo.

I'd prefer EPCOT Center. Nothing would be more fitting and more tribute to the original name and concept of the park. They totally missed the mark on that one in my opinion. I also wish they could've just went with Discovery World for the name. Timeless, subtle, classy and nonspecific.

 

[DisneyNittany]

A lot of us agree the model has changed. The appeal of a public showcase with corporations footing the bill for displays has long gone.

What we don’t agree with is spending ridiculous amounts of money to remove perfectly good buildings for a bar and a splash pad waterfall. Innoventions West (the building) could easily have been repurposed for everything the cubicle dwellers think the park needs - plus more - with plenty of space left for the waterfall walk through by Seas. It could have even been better between Seas and Land.

The money saved could have gone towards other areas of the park still crying out for help. Corporate would still get its requisite additions. And the parks fabric would have been retained. It could even have been the best it’s been since 1993.

As a somewhat newer fan of the Disney Parks, therefore one that never experienced EPCOT Center, do you have any particular articles or posts from either Imagineers or Armchair Imagineers (or yourself) on how Epcot could have been continuously updated while keeping it's sense and purpose?

The EPCOT Center nostalgia and love is very interesting to me, again as someone who never was able to experience it, so I'd be very interested to see realistic articles/posts/videos/etc. on it, if available.

 

[JIMINYCR]

I like the look of the proposed Walt statue. Throughout these many past years weve griped about how Walts name, prominence, vision and influence has been disappearing and almost totally forgotten. We had One Mans Dream to wander through and remember who started it all and whose parks these were. A small attraction placed on a side street in DHS was very little honor given this man who should have had more prominence in WDW. I for one will welcome another statue memorializing Walt in Epcot or anywhere else. It will maybe give guests some pause to think about and appreciate the things he accomplished and gave to us. Yes, the Disney we have now is far from the Disney we once had and want, but thank God Walt will not be forgotten. A statue is the least Disney big wigs can come up with?

 

[HauntedPirate]

I like the look of the proposed Walt statue. Throughout these many past years weve griped about how Walts name, prominence, vision and influence has been disappearing and almost totally forgotten. We had One Mans Dream to wander through and remember who started it all and whose parks these were. A small attraction placed on a side street in DHS was very little honor given this man who should have had more prominence in WDW. I for one will welcome another statue memorializing Walt in Epcot or anywhere else. It will maybe give guests some pause to think about and appreciate the things he accomplished and gave to us. Yes, the Disney we have now is far from the Disney we once had and want, but thank God Walt will not be forgotten. A statue is the least Disney big wigs can come up with?

A statue is the best current management can come up with. Walt and his name are used almost exclusively to justify changes to the parks and to attempt to placate long-time fans.

 

[Texas84]

yeah I'm not really trying to dissuade you. I appreciate your passion.
no sure what the difficult thing is, but its sure not easy to come up with a popular attraction - judging from all the complaining around here for almost every new idea they come up with.

SpaceX would have been a natural fit, glad you agree with me.

But business has changed now. These companies don't have time to play patty cake with Disney. Going into Epcot takes an enormous commitment, and has the 'insiders' and uber official experts around here will tell you Disney doesn't make it very attractive and wants too much control.

It's not about trying to tamper anyone's passion, you can go out and dream all you like.
I prefer to accept the reality.

BTW, SpaceX is planning a resort near their launch site at Boca Chica, Texas. Maybe they will have a simulator.

 

[Mac Tonight]

"Walt Disney" is the company's best IP.

 

[MisterPenguin]

"Walt Disney" is the company's best IP.

Indeed. Iger talked about the "Disney brand" a lot. Survey after survey, the Disney name brings up only good feelings in most people and it is so widely recognized.

"Disney" and "Walt Disney" slapped on everything (that doesn't hurt the brand) is just good business.

That's why (almost?) all the resorts got the "Disney's" prefix added to them.

EPCOT is not just some off-brand park that happens to be on WDW property, it is a **DISNEY** park... look, here's a statue of Walt himself.

Wouldn't be surprised to see the park's name changed someday to "Disney's EPCOT Park."

 

[Mac Tonight]

Indeed. Iger talked about the "Disney brand" a lot. Survey after survey, the Disney name brings up only good feelings in most people and it is so widely recognized.

"Disney" and "Walt Disney" slapped on everything (that doesn't hurt the brand) is just good business.

That's why (almost?) all the resorts got the "Disney's" prefix added to them.

EPCOT is not just some off-brand park that happens to be on WDW property, it is a **DISNEY** park... look, here's a statue of Walt himself.

Wouldn't be surprised to see the park's name changed someday to "Disney's EPCOT Park."

We didn't need any more proof that the decision makers don't understand what they have in Epcot, but never let it be said that they're not trying.

 

[jeanericuser001]

The only question now is what sort of things will people secretly attire on poor Walt Disney for a quick selfie. hehe

 

[_caleb]

Wouldn't be surprised to see the park's name changed someday to "Disney's EPCOT Park."

Question is, would it be "Disney's Epcot," or "Disney Epcot" (without the apostrophe, like "Disney California Adventure")?

 

[FigmentFan82]

"Walt Disney" is the company's best IP.

Yeah in Neal Gabler's book it talked about how Walt literally had a deal with his own company to leverage the use of his name and himself. Walt was the OG IP

 

[marni1971]

As a somewhat newer fan of the Disney Parks, therefore one that never experienced EPCOT Center, do you have any particular articles or posts from either Imagineers or Armchair Imagineers (or yourself) on how Epcot could have been continuously updated while keeping it's sense and purpose?

The EPCOT Center nostalgia and love is very interesting to me, again as someone who never was able to experience it, so I'd be very interested to see realistic articles/posts/videos/etc. on it, if available.

Simple answer - money. But the model of corporations paying was dying. Futureworld in particular was designed, and needed, to be updated every decade. They did it once in the mid to late 90s but even by then companies were pulling out and Disney didn’t have the appetite to do it theirselves.

It also needed a will not to go cheap and not to go for the easiest route. And to walk the fine balance between boring and interesting.

The third problem ironically was technical progress. You can now pull a piece of glass out of your pocket and see all about fossil fuels or learn about the latest hardware. Innoventions tried to adjust in its latter years by swerving more to experiences that couldn’t be seen on a phone or at home but it was possibly too little too late.

The forth is society in general. Attention spans have shrunk. People in general want more stuff and want it now, and then immediately move onto the next time. In a way we’re conditioned to a faster pace of life and in experiencing any given thing. All in my humble opinion of course.

 

[Thelazer]

Keep the fountain in the middle, add a 2nd floor outdoor "party deck" to the existing communicore structures.
Problem solved.

 

[trainplane3]

Keep the fountain in the middle, add a 2nd floor outdoor "party deck" to the existing communicore structures.
Problem solved.

Too easy. Not Instagrammable enough. Need tiny shiny building. Zach will save Epcot thanks to how deep in to Chapek Epcot's history he is.

 

[MrPromey]

The forth is society in general. Attention spans have shrunk. People in general want more stuff and want it now, and then immediately move onto the next time. In a way we’re conditioned to a faster pace of life and in experiencing any given thing. All in my humble opinion of course.

Ironically, with limited tiered faspasses and fewer attractions all featuring shorter run-times than ever, people may want more stuff and want it now but what they're getting is less stuff with 60-90 minute waits, instead.

 

[Haymarket2008]

So what is the new plan? Everything moving forward except for the Festival Center (as originally planned) and the Spaceship Earth exit is scaled back?

Also won't SSE need to close in order to facilitate construction on Dreamer's Point?

Anyone??

 

[MrPromey]

So what is the new plan? Everything moving forward except for the Festival Center (as originally planned) and the Spaceship Earth exit is scaled back?

Also won't SSE need to close in order to facilitate construction on Dreamer's Point?

Anyone??

SSE was a major attraction redo - not just a new exit but yeah, not happening in the foreseeable future. Festival Center seems to be scrapped, Play pavilion is now on hold, the Mary Poppins attraction appears to be scrapped, and the whole right side of central Future World where everything is being torn down is now in question.

It sounds like they seem to be continuing to go through, at least in name, with what they said they were going to do in the central area (minus the festival center) but since they only spoke about it in the vaguest of terms to begin with, most of us will never know if anything was scaled back or changed here although that appears likely since they left themselves a ton of wiggle-room by not clearly defining what these experiences would really be.

 

[HauntedPirate]

Too easy. Not Instagrammable enough. Need tiny shiny building. Zach will save Epcot thanks to how deep in to Chapek Epcot's history he is.

He wore an Epcot shirt, he gets it!!!

 

[J4546]

they shoulda pushed the sse redo through. I feel like its gonna be a long and messy process to update it that will close the entire center of the park....again. do it now while its already closed and a mess. I woulda put the postponed mickey and minnie rr in California DL and put that money toward sse redo.

 

[Sharon&Susan]

they shoulda pushed the sse redo through. I feel like its gonna be a long and messy process to update it that will close the entire center of the park....again. do it now while its already closed and a mess. I woulda put the postponed mickey and minnie rr in California DL and put that money toward sse redo.

If you're going to move that budgetary cash for a big new D/E Ticket in one park to a refurb in another park, it'd make more sense to revamp a ride that needs it (like Imagination) rather than SSE which other than a few cheesy lines is good how it is right now.