News Big changes coming to EPCOT's Future World?

MagicHappens1971

MagicHappens1971

Well-Known Member
Monorail view of these interesting new lights
IMG_0761.jpeg
 
Lil Copter Cap

Lil Copter Cap

Well-Known Member
Okay, so I understand investing in a massive lighting package to entice guests to stay well into the evening. And I genuinely believe that during its debut weeks this will be such a wonderful aesthetic to experience (with the idea that World Celebration will be a cohesive musical and visual event that speaks to each other. Almost like an all-encompassing light show.)

But I don't understand how they plan to reinvest with overall upkeep and maintenance. LED and long-lasting light instruments aside, I'm less than optimistic about the longevity of this overhaul. (Separate, but worth mentioning, thought entirely: the EPCOT reimagining has truly been a disaster and the final product will lack a cohesive vision.)

And this is coming from someone who thinks more greenery and landscaping will be a plus.
 
tparris

tparris

Well-Known Member
Lil Copter Cap said:
Okay, so I understand investing in a massive lighting package to entice guests to stay well into the evening. And I genuinely believe that during its debut weeks this will be such a wonderful aesthetic to experience (with the idea that World Celebration will be a cohesive musical and visual event that speaks to each other. Almost like an all-encompassing light show.)

But I don't understand how they plan to reinvest with overall upkeep and maintenance. LED and long-lasting light instruments aside, I'm less than optimistic about the longevity of this overhaul. (Separate, but worth mentioning, thought entirely: the EPCOT reimagining has truly been a disaster and the final product will lack a cohesive vision.)

And this is coming from someone who thinks more greenery and landscaping will be a plus.
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I worry about that too. I’m happy with what we’re getting for the most part (although I’m one of the few who genuinely was really looking forward to the pre-COVID festival center) but I visit EPCOT almost once every week, and every time I’m there I notice something new that either isn’t working, i.e. lights out/working but in the wrong color, blown out area music speakers (in the entrance plaza no less), or just general lack of cleanliness and maintenance such as actual green mildew growing on some of the new vertical light poles along the rose walk pathway near Port of Entry. Not to mention one of the lights that’s broken on SSE is on the front facing the entrance plaza AND it’s been broken for about 14-15 months now. I’m hoping many of these issues will be fixed by the time the majority of the walls come down, but I’m concerned with how much they’ll actually continue to invest in maintenance long term.
 
Bocabear

Bocabear

Well-Known Member
Lil Copter Cap said:
And this is coming from someone who thinks more greenery and landscaping will be a plus.
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I think we all love the idea of more landscaping...it was more landscaping at a cost of the symmetry of the park that had me worried. Obviously they went through a lot of re-starts and redesigns after committing to the project... I am not sure what we will end up with at this point... I sure hope they do plan on keeping it well maintained...at least for the next decade
 
OSUPhantom

OSUPhantom

Well-Known Member
Aesthetically speaking I think the end product will be a dramatic improvement. Outside of the look of Future World though I think this massice overhaul of Epcot has been a disappointment which so many of the promised and needed attractions cancelled. I think they had the right intentions when they started but COVID and other factors really watered down the final product which is unfortunate.
 
J

James Alucobond

Well-Known Member
tparris said:
I worry about that too. I’m happy with what we’re getting for the most part (although I’m one of the few who genuinely was really looking forward to the pre-COVID festival center) but I visit EPCOT almost once every week, and every time I’m there I notice something new that either isn’t working, i.e. lights out/working but in the wrong color, blown out area music speakers (in the entrance plaza no less), or just general lack of cleanliness and maintenance such as actual green mildew growing on some of the new vertical light poles along the rose walk pathway near Port of Entry. Not to mention one of the lights that’s broken on SSE is on the front facing the entrance plaza AND it’s been broken for about 14-15 months now. I’m hoping many of these issues will be fixed by the time the majority of the walls come down, but I’m concerned with how much they’ll actually continue to invest in maintenance long term.
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For the light shows specifically, I think part of the problem is the programming. They have tons of patterns that they run where a light or two having an issue here or there isn't that big of a deal, and they should stick to those. I'm not saying they should skimp on maintenance, but the patterns where it's obvious that something's amiss also tend to be the most visually offensive, like the full-on white starburst that covers the entire globe. If you need 5-6 glitches to justify bringing out the crane, at least program the show to be a bit more forgiving.
 
Mickeynerd17

Mickeynerd17

Well-Known Member
HauntedPirate said:
I expect many “ooh’s” and “ahh’s” from those who think color-changing LED’s are wonderful entertainment.
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It worked in the entrance plaza and Spaceship Earth, at least for me. That's the only modern upgrade that truly feels "EPCOT" to me.

I'm still going to be hurt by the loss of symmetry for many years though. I don't care how empty Innoventions West was and how much concrete there was. There were better ways to improve this area IMHO.

Also, watching this "outdoor stage" venue develop, I'm getting generic 2023 LA outdoor concert vibes. Looks kind-of weird with SSE in the background. Reminds me of my local zoo which did a similar thing at the beginning of its slide into "young adult food and wine festival with zoo exhibits attached."
 
Bocabear

Bocabear

Well-Known Member
OSUPhantom said:
Aesthetically speaking I think the end product will be a dramatic improvement. Outside of the look of Future World though I think this massice overhaul of Epcot has been a disappointment which so many of the promised and needed attractions cancelled. I think they had the right intentions when they started but COVID and other factors really watered down the final product which is unfortunate.
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Future World is a disorganized mess with this overhaul, and to continue to blame the bad planning and crazy decisions on Covid is just wrong... There was a serious lack of leadership and budget to do what they set out to do...Clearly when you spend a year razing a building and then have to rebuild half of it, there were internal problems...but Covid didn't cause every bad decision they have made on this project...
 
Bocabear

Bocabear

Well-Known Member
Mickeynerd17 said:
It worked in the entrance plaza and Spaceship Earth, at least for me. That's the only modern upgrade that truly feels "EPCOT" to me.

I'm still going to be hurt by the loss of symmetry for many years though. I don't care how empty Innoventions West was and how much concrete there was. There were better ways to improve this area IMHO.

Also, watching this "outdoor stage" venue develop, I'm getting generic 2023 LA outdoor concert vibes. Looks kind-of weird with SSE in the background. Reminds me of my local zoo which did a similar thing at the beginning of its slide into "young adult food and wine festival with zoo exhibits attached."
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I agree, the forecourt of Spaceship Earth and the lighting package they added not only look great, they look like they were meant to be there...but they did not have the tech to do it in 1981.
 

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