News Big changes coming to EPCOT's Future World?

[DisneyGentlemanV2.0]

Im scared with how accessible he looks. People are going to do all sorts of stupid things for tiktok with that.

Not trying to be indelicate, but the squatting pose just doesn't do it for me.

 

[DisneyGentlemanV2.0]

Think of them as just more national pavilions...

View attachment 603232

Genius!

 

[MisterPenguin]

Those new island nations.

Trinitron and Tataco.

Stargatos

Iredland

SingIPore

Martin's Pique

 

[comics101]

The issue I have is from Mexico to China when you looks across the lagoon there is no way you don’t notice the Swalphin, and they do not fit the style of world showcase and I find it jarring. The big blue building for the most part disappears into the sky and is much easier to ignore, and I’d rather it be go away blue than themed to something that takes away attention from SSE. I don’t mind MG architecture, I’m pretty much surrounded by it in Celebration. I just don’t like MG architecture when it’s towering over 1890s France. I also hate the the giant blue soarin hanger behind Canada, that could have been hidden with a built up berm and trees. I think, like mentioned above, Epcot suffers from its vastness and flatness which makes it difficult to hide certain things from different angles.

The blue warehouse just doesn’t disappear for me the way it does for you. I wish the blue paint helped it blend in with the sky better than it does, but I just can’t help but see it whenever I look over that way in the park.

While I don’t disagree with you over the Soarin’ buildings, I think I’m more apt to forgive its presence because it isn’t nearly as tall or as imposing as the Gravity building. Yeah, you can see the Soarin’ show building from Canada, but that’s pretty much the only place you can see it. That doesn’t excuse the other point you made though—Disney should have hidden it better with a berm of trees/additional rockwork.

 

[comics101]

I see what you're saying. I think the big problem I have is at least Swolphin (and Tower for that matter) are on stage locations themselves. I totally see what you are saying, and they are brash. No questions asked.

Aside from having been there longer (desensitized), they aren't back stage buildings. They are places to go, and places I love and associate as WDW locations. The thing I loved about Disney was how hidden those things always seemed. It wasn't perfect at all, but it felt like they always tried (absent things like the Skyway). There is no reason to see this box. I know it's "needed" but it makes this harder to swallow for me. And no amount of blue paint can fix that.

I remember when there was an uproar about the unfinished side of Everest, which they then fixed. This just feels very poorly placed and jarring for an attraction that doesn't even fit it's location's story to begin with.

Yes! I second everything you stated here.

 

[Marc Davis Fan]

Regarding visible show buildings like GotG:CR...

Why don't they ever just put in a line of (well made) tall fake trees, exactly like what they sometimes turn cell towers into? When those are done well, your eye passes right over them.

GotG:CR might be successfully made to look like it's just a hill with trees (especially if there were shorter ones off the sides).

The back of Pandora show buildings could be hidden from the bus road in a cinch.

Even the back of Galaxy's Edge could be hidden by some additional "trees" between it and world drive.

I know this isn't perfect, and sometimes it wouldn't work, but it would probably quite often be a lot better than visible show buildings...

 

[lazyboy97o]

Regarding visible show buildings like GotG:CR...

Why don't they ever just put in a line of (well made) tall fake trees, exactly like what they sometimes turn cell towers into? When those are done well, your eye passes right over them.

GotG:CR might be successfully made to look like it's just a hill with trees (especially if there were shorter ones off the sides).

The back of Pandora show buildings could be hidden from the bus road in a cinch.

Even the back of Galaxy's Edge could be hidden by some additional "trees" between it and world drive.

I know this isn't perfect, and sometimes it wouldn't work, but it would probably quite often be a lot better than visible show buildings...

A lot of those fake tree cell phone towers don’t look great and do stand out. What really makes them stand out is when they are taller than all of the nearby trees. Huge fake trees would stand out.

 

[castlecake2.0]

Regarding visible show buildings like GotG:CR...

Why don't they ever just put in a line of (well made) tall fake trees, exactly like what they sometimes turn cell towers into? When those are done well, your eye passes right over them.

GotG:CR might be successfully made to look like it's just a hill with trees (especially if there were shorter ones off the sides).

The back of Pandora show buildings could be hidden from the bus road in a cinch.

Even the back of Galaxy's Edge could be hidden by some additional "trees" between it and world drive.

I know this isn't perfect, and sometimes it wouldn't work, but it would probably quite often be a lot better than visible show buildings...

I think they’re planting a berm of trees around GOTG. The other two areas you mentioned also had trees planted around them, they just haven’t grown enough to hide everything yet, but I’ve already noticed a difference in how they’re hiding more of Pandora.

ETA a photo of the berm behind Pandora

 

[James Alucobond]

Huge fake trees would stand out.

Especially in a conspicuously cubic cluster.

It's also more effort than simply making it look like a finished building rather than a warehouse, which is all it really needs. It just has to look clean and intentional from the monorail, the parking lot, and World Showcase. Nothing utterly spectacular necessary, just something modern that doesn't compete much with Spaceship Earth.

 

[sedati]

From Bioreconstruct, here (to me) is an equally heinous blue box (formerly beige, and perhaps soon to be again). Why is this here? Why does everything flanking Spaceship Earth look like backstage? Nothing about this building is a good as the view would be in its absence.

 

[ImperfectPixie]

I see what you're saying. I think the big problem I have is at least Swolphin (and Tower for that matter) are on stage locations themselves. I totally see what you are saying, and they are brash. No questions asked.

Aside from having been there longer (desensitized), they aren't back stage buildings. They are places to go, and places I love and associate as WDW locations. The thing I loved about Disney was how hidden those things always seemed. It wasn't perfect at all, but it felt like they always tried (absent things like the Skyway). There is no reason to see this box. I know it's "needed" but it makes this harder to swallow for me. And no amount of blue paint can fix that.

I remember when there was an uproar about the unfinished side of Everest, which they then fixed. This just feels very poorly placed and jarring for an attraction that doesn't even fit it's location's story to begin with.

Seeing the Swolphin is part of visiting Disney for us...we'd miss it if it were gone.

 

[Epcot82Guy]

Seeing the Swolphin is part of visiting Disney for us...we'd miss it if it were gone.

I can't say that personally. I love those hotels and have stayed there often. But they are sight line problems for Epcot. However, I wish it would have been viewed as a mistake to learn from vs. an open door to do things that are more jarring because "people don't care".

I hate to think what MK built and designed in 2021 would look like.

 

[ImperfectPixie]

I can't say that personally. I love those hotels and have stayed there often. But they are sight line problems for Epcot. However, I wish it would have been viewed as a mistake to learn from vs. an open door to do things that are more jarring because "people don't care".

I hate to think what MK built and designed in 2021 would look like.

I don't see them as that much of an issue because (as someone else said) they're architecturally interesting, and you would see other real-world buildings if you were in any of the real countries featured in World Showcase. The un-themed blue boxes, on the other hand just bring to mind industrial warehouses.

 

[Epcot82Guy]

I don't see them as that much of an issue because (as someone else said) they're architecturally interesting, and you would see other real-world buildings if you were in any of the real countries featured in World Showcase. The un-themed blue boxes, on the other hand just bring to mind industrial warehouses.

I think it's because it brings you out of the place setting. Much like the Harbor Blvd. Hotels and DCA. But I agree there's a part of me that likes them because it makes me think about that area, which I greatly like.
The Big Blue Box brings no positive feelings, as you said. At best it's a non-thing. At worst, it pulls you out of the fantasy of GotG, since you clearly see where you are going. Much like it would be if they took the berms and facades and landscaping off Mansion, Pirates, Splash, etc. Hiding the show building (even in plain sight) is important.

 

[lazyboy97o]

I can't say that personally. I love those hotels and have stayed there often. But they are sight line problems for Epcot. However, I wish it would have been viewed as a mistake to learn from vs. an open door to do things that are more jarring because "people don't care".

I hate to think what MK built and designed in 2021 would look like.

For awhile their visual intrusion was considered a mistake.

We sort of know what it would look like, see Shanghai Disneyland.

 

[castlecake2.0]

I think it's because it brings you out of the place setting. Much like the Harbor Blvd. Hotels and DCA. But I agree there's a part of me that likes them because it makes me think about that area, which I greatly like.
The Big Blue Box brings no positive feelings, as you said. At best it's a non-thing. At worst, it pulls you out of the fantasy of GotG, since you clearly see where you are going. Much like it would be if they took the berms and facades and landscaping off Mansion, Pirates, Splash, etc. Hiding the show building (even in plain sight) is important.

The gravity building is actually very well hidden from World Discovery, it’s only from the parking lot and World Showcase that it’s really visible. Hopefully it’s enough to help people disconnect their memory of possibly seeing the building from elsewhere by the time they are closer to the actual pavilion.

 

[castlecake2.0]

@MisterPenguin did you do a mock up at one point of the gravity building if it were themed like at DCA?

 

[Marc Davis Fan]

A lot of those fake tree cell phone towers don’t look great and do stand out. What really makes them stand out is when they are taller than all of the nearby trees. Huge fake trees would stand out.

I agree, and that's why I added "well-made." The ones you're describing are the poorly-made and/or badly-placed. You generally don't notice the well-made and properly-placed ones. An example is the "Tinkerbell landing tower" at Disneyland. That's actually what got me thinking about this. It took many visits and intentional looking for me to even notice that there was a fake tree in that "grove" next to Big Thunder. It's very unlikely that most guests ever notice it. And even that one could've been made better still. I'm not saying this is the same situation as that one "tree," I'm only saying that they can be done well.

I think they’re planting a berm of trees around GOTG. The other two areas you mentioned also had trees planted around them, they just haven’t grown enough to hide everything yet, but I’ve already noticed a difference in how they’re hiding more of Pandora.

ETA a photo of the berm behind Pandora View attachment 603450

Yes re: Pandora and Galaxy's Edge. I was going to mention the trees/bamboo next to Pandora. I agree, Pandora already looks much better. I think Galaxy's Edge needed more from the outset (e.g., the fake trees), considering how bad it was bound to look for several years.

Especially in a conspicuously cubic cluster.

Right, they shouldn't be in a cubic cluster. That's why I mentioned "especially if there were shorter ones off the sides." I was imagining a well-designed/well-placed "grove." It wouldn't even need to hide the building completely, but rather just be something in the foreground.

 

[UNCgolf]

@MisterPenguin did you do a mock up at one point of the gravity building if it were themed like at DCA?

That would probably be worse than the blue box because of how much it would distract from Spaceship Earth.

The best solution would be to not build an attraction that requires a gigantic box of that height. They could have done any number of other things.

 

[HauntedPirate]

The gravity building is actually very well hidden from World Discovery, it’s only from the parking lot and World Showcase that it’s really visible.

So it’s only visible from (arguably) 66% of the park, which thus makes it acceptable?