News Big changes coming to EPCOT's Future World?

[MisterPenguin]

I think I liked National Geographic much more when it meant something better than "infomercial."

They made it very clear -- very, very clear -- they were hired to put this together.

They didn't want to diminish their brand.

It's like an artist taking a gig to do graphic art for a commercial billboard. They gotta pay the rent.

 

[HauntedPirate]

I agree about the silliness of the names, but there is distinct music being played in each "neighborhood." It is very similar sounding by design, but it is arranged differently.

Then what’s the point if the music is very similar? It all sounded the same when I was there in February. And what I heard I did not care for one whit. But then I’m someone who came of age where each pavilion had a theme, its own unique music, and the park as a whole was greater than the sum of its parts.

 

[DisCOT_97]

I agree about the silliness of the names, but there is distinct music being played in each "neighborhood." It is very similar sounding by design, but it is arranged differently.

The area music in World Celebration, Nature and Discovery is the same. They play the same score and one or two instruments are switched in certain parts but it is mostly identical to everywhere else in the front of the park.

 

[tparris]

The area music in World Celebration, Nature and Discovery is the same. They play the same score and one or two instruments are switched in certain parts but it is mostly identical to everywhere else in the front of the park.

Some of the variations are actually quite different in terms of instrumentation

 

[Fox&Hound]

I still argue if they had added more rides when they redid epcot the whole central plaza makeover would be better accepted. If they had redone Imagination and knocked it out of the park and added Poppins- then people would be largely happy with what they created.

 

[Chef idea Mickey`=]

You can certainly tell how everyone working at Disney is scheming to cancel Walt.

Then why a statue of him explain..

 

[Chef idea Mickey`=]

I still argue if they had added more rides when they redid epcot the whole central plaza makeover would be better accepted. If they had redone Imagination and knocked it out of the park and added Poppins- then people would be largely happy with what they created.

Yes, but would still be disappointed that 5 year walls on the center would become what it's become which is too underwhelming for such long wait.. vs Epcot built entirely impressive in less time! lol

 

[Chef idea Mickey`=]

Calling it now in a few years when they realize how silly and illogical the “neighborhoods” are, they’ll just slap Discovery World on the whole front half of the park. And by the way, if these are indeed separate lands, why are they all playing the same area loop? Shouldn’t each neighborhood have distinct music? I’ll tell you why. The new names have zero purpose.

Discovery World (future world)
and World Discovery Showcase (world showcase)

 

[MisterPenguin]

Then why a statue of him explain..

A few years ago, some reported that high up execs at WDC wanted to 'cancel Walt' because he was 'problematic.' This would entail removing all mentions of "Walt" and then, presumably, moving on to remove "Disney" and all images of Walt.

Perhaps there were a few who had this extreme idea. However, at the same time, the mentions of Walt were only increasing and have continued to increase substantially. If there were those who wanted this to happen, they had no power in TWDC to make it happen.

So much for that 'rumor.'

But maybe it wasn't a real rumor at all, but a little something to stir the pot as Disney content and experiences were being 'updated.'

But there were quite a few who wholeheartedly believed it to be true based on.... whispers.

 

[CJR]

Still would've been better to call it all World Celebration, or World Festival, rather than the three 'neighborhoods,' IMO.

View attachment 801835

Notice that they STILL add WoL (I am no longer going to call it Play!) in this?

 

[Cmdr_Crimson]

The area music in World Celebration, Nature and Discovery is the same. They play the same score and one or two instruments are switched in certain parts but it is mostly identical to everywhere else in the front of the park.

This played throughout the entire Future World areas since 1994...


Yet , there was an alternative that hardly did...

 

[Cmdr_Crimson]

Still would've been better to call it all World Celebration, or World Festival, rather than the three 'neighborhoods,' IMO.

View attachment 801835

Notice that they STILL add WoL (I am no longer going to call it Play!) in this?

It STILL, WILL, And ALWAYS be Future World to me...Like how Willis Tower is still Sears Tower to us who live here in the Chicagoland area.

 

[V_L_Raptor]

This played throughout the entire Future World areas since 1994...


Yet , there was an alternative that hardly did...

While you could hear this from almost anywhere in FW, individual pavilions did have their own exterior music loops until whatever Pinar Toprak was trying to evoke came along. (The change seemed most jarring outside of the Land pavilion.)

 

[MisterPenguin]

It STILL, WILL, And ALWAYS be Future World to me...Like how Willis Tower is still Sears Tower to us who live here in the Chicagoland area.

I know how you feel. I still and always will call the Chicagoland the Council of the Three Fires.

 

[Cmdr_Crimson]

While you could hear this from almost anywhere in FW, individual pavilions did have their own exterior music loops until whatever Pinar Toprak was trying to evoke came along. (The change seemed most jarring outside of the Land pavilion.)

You'd think the idea was try to transition and keep everything In sync with the front entrance loop and flow through the rest of the park....

 

[V_L_Raptor]

You'd think the idea was try to transition and keep everything In sync with the front entrance loop and flow through the rest of the park....

Depends on how high the volume is on everything. If one track overpowers the rest, the whole area seems smaller. If the volume is low enough that you hear each pavilion's music as you approach it, there's a certain sense of space created that doesn't exist when they're heavy handed with the audio.

 

[DCLcruiser]

The neighborhoods were really unnecessary as there are pavilions. There aren't random rides scattered around requiring "lands,", unless you count Moana. Future World wasn't the best name either as much of the area wasn't related to the future.

 

[James Alucobond]

The neighborhoods were really unnecessary as there are pavilions. There aren't random rides scattered around requiring "lands,", unless you count Moana. Future World wasn't the best name either as much of the area wasn't related to the future.

I actually think a south-east-west organization is sensible since Future World east and Future World west were always really geographically disconnected. However, they really biffed it with the amorphous World Celebration intruding awkwardly on both. They didn't make good use of the pre-existing boundaries that it felt like they were attempting to respond to with the redesign.

 

[HauntedPirate]

A few years ago, some reported that high up execs at WDC wanted to 'cancel Walt' because he was 'problematic.' This would entail removing all mentions of "Walt" and then, presumably, moving on to remove "Disney" and all images of Walt.

Perhaps there were a few who had this extreme idea. However, at the same time, the mentions of Walt were only increasing and have continued to increase substantially. If there were those who wanted this to happen, they had no power in TWDC to make it happen.

So much for that 'rumor.'

But maybe it wasn't a real rumor at all, but a little something to stir the pot as Disney content and experiences were being 'updated.'

But there were quite a few who wholeheartedly believed it to be true based on.... whispers.

IIRC - and I admit it's been a while since this was a thing and my memory may be a bit fuzzy on this - a few of the posters I trust confirmed there were some in the upper levels of TWDC management that wanted to get rid of Walt and make "Disney" a brand name with no connection to anything or anyone real. They were not, thankfully, in positions of power where they could make it happen, nor could they convince others to get on board with them. But from what I remember reading, it was not just whispers in the wind.

To circle this back to the topic - However you perceive the Walt statue they had created for the center spine, the company still finds value in keeping one of the company's founders image around in the parks.

 

[michmousefan]

Kind of surprised that they just sort of paid scant attention to Space 220... maybe because it's essentially a "pay to experience" destination?