Bob Chapek Confirms Disney Will Overhaul Epcot

larryz

larryz

I'm Just A Tourist!
Premium Member
MisterPenguin said:
Well... original EPCOT was IP driven... by the corporate sponsors. Without them, would any of those big edutainment rides have been built?

Then there was the issue of upkeep. Showcases of modern technology grow stale and outdated. The World Fairs which EPCOT was emulating takes care of that by breaking down and re-opening every five to ten years later with new sponsors and brand new attractions featuring the brand new technological edge. Did anyone planning EPCOT also plan to scrap the attractions and build new ones in their places every 10 years like World Fairs do? Did they really think those pavilions were good to go for the next 50 years?

Or did anyone think that a sponsor would want to pay the sponsorship cost for 10, 20, 50 years? Or that the sponsor would have the cash to do so? Or even continue to exist (sorry, Kodak). Or pony up for expensive refurbs and updates?

Are there sponsors beating down the doors of Disney looking to pay a hundred million dollars for an edutainment attraction so they can put their name on it? Is Apple looking to create and sponsor a Personal Tech Pavilion (one that they'd have to update every 18 months)? Is Amazon looking to create and sponsor an Economics of Trade Pavilion?

And if sponsors aren't sponsoring them... then Disney has to sponsor the attractions. And if Disney's doing the sponsoring... well, they have a product to advertise... their established IPs.
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And yet -- look at what a company like Mitsukoshi has done in WS... I know people who go to Epcot just to shop there.

lazyboy97o said:
And yet EPCOT Center attracted a crowd and made money...
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Yeah, but that's only 'cause it's paid off and completely depreciated.
 
FullSailDan

FullSailDan

Well-Known Member
larryz said:
I know people who go to Epcot just to shop there.
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I used to be one of them, today it can be easier/cheaper to amazon some of that stuff but I miss out on getting to use my Japanese. I still go once a month just to check out whats in stock. Funnily enough, we spent a while searching online for some of the dinnerware pieces they sell. Turns out theres like one distributor for most of it in the US and they focus on restaurant supply. So Mitsukoshi in the Japan pavillion turns out to not be a bad deal at all if you don't want a set of 400 and you want specific pieces.
 
epcotWSC

epcotWSC

Well-Known Member
Honestly, you don't need a ride to showcase new technology. Just make a huge Apple Store type environment for people to go in and browse the latest technology along with prototypes of future technology. It's something where you can easily swap out pieces and have companies sponsor it since they'd get millions of eyes on their products every year. Let people learn about these things, how they work, what they do, etc. Have interactive videos, let people use some of these things in a hands on kind of way. So much stuff you can do without spending a lot of money or having to do a big overhaul every few years. In fact you can easily just swap out for new stuff every year or less.
 
trainplane3

trainplane3

Well-Known Member
epcotWSC said:
Honestly, you don't need a ride to showcase new technology. Just make a huge Apple Store type environment for people to go in and browse the latest technology along with prototypes of future technology. It's something where you can easily swap out pieces and have companies sponsor it since they'd get millions of eyes on their products every year. Let people learn about these things, how they work, what they do, etc. Have interactive videos, let people use some of these things in a hands on kind of way. So much stuff you can do without spending a lot of money or having to do a big overhaul every few years. In fact you can easily just swap out for new stuff every year or less.
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So like Comunnicore/Innoventions?

Plus a ride is more attractive to people and it keeps a flow versus having a bunch of people packing into a small space trying to play with each piece of tech.
Edit: Flashbacks of waiting to play a Dreamcast. And then being pulled away after after a minute because my parents were in a rush. Still kinda want one so obviously that bit of marketing worked.
 
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Timothy_Q

Timothy_Q

Well-Known Member
epcotWSC said:
Honestly, you don't need a ride to showcase new technology. Just make a huge Apple Store type environment for people to go in and browse the latest technology along with prototypes of future technology. It's something where you can easily swap out pieces and have companies sponsor it since they'd get millions of eyes on their products every year. Let people learn about these things, how they work, what they do, etc. Have interactive videos, let people use some of these things in a hands on kind of way. So much stuff you can do without spending a lot of money or having to do a big overhaul every few years. In fact you can easily just swap out for new stuff every year or less.
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Were you intentionally describing Innoventions?
 
Kman101

Kman101

Well-Known Member
jensenrick said:
Very true! But again, these "ideas" of his seem to be, "knock this over, then put a bandaid over here." Someone needs to show him in the dictionary what "overhaul" means.
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Bandaids are what they've been doing for a long time with Epcot. There never seems to be a real plan. Bandaids from 1994-2007 are why Future World is such a mess. And it seems to be more of the same.

I just want the entrance more open and the tombstones gone. Can't they get moving on that one already ;) lol
 
HauntedPirate

HauntedPirate

Park nostalgist
Premium Member
Kman101 said:
Bandaids are what they've been doing for a long time with Epcot. There never seems to be a real plan. Bandaids from 1994-2007 2020 are why Future World is such a mess. And it seems to be more of the same.

I just want the entrance more open and the tombstones gone. Can't they get moving on that one already ;) lol
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FTFY ;)

I'm also counting down the days until the tombstones can be removed from the entrance plaza. Such a downgrade from what was there. The original prisms and lighting on the water feature were just spectacular.
 
GlacierGlacier

GlacierGlacier

Well-Known Member
atighe42 said:
A year and a half after an official announcement and still no Future World spine movement......goodness....
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It was a blue-sky announcement.

More of a "hey, we're going to do this" thing. No concrete plans were in place at the time, and don't appear to have any in place right now either.

Insiders have said the current plan/goal is around 20/21/22, but it's varying widlly and getting further away each year as they haven't formalized any plans.
 
TOCPE82

TOCPE82

Well-Known Member
HauntedPirate said:
FTFY ;)

I'm also counting down the days until the tombstones can be removed from the entrance plaza. Such a downgrade from what was there. The original prisms and lighting on the water feature were just spectacular.
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HauntedPirate said:
FTFY ;)

I'm also counting down the days until the tombstones can be removed from the entrance plaza. Such a downgrade from what was there. The original prisms and lighting on the water feature were just spectacular.
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I hate them so much. My roommate on my CP worked at the front end of EPCOT and had to sell them. The phrase " Leave a Legacy makes me want to put my fist through a wall" may have been uttered.
 
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Tayoboy

Tayoboy

Well-Known Member
In the Parks
Yes
trainplane3 said:
So like Comunnicore/Innoventions?

Plus a ride is more attractive to people and it keeps a flow versus having a bunch of people packing into a small space trying to play with each piece of tech.
Edit: Flashbacks of waiting to play a Dreamcast. And then being pulled away after after a minute because my parents were in a rush. Still kinda want one so obviously that bit of marketing worked.
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Honestly, if they maybe used some space for a dark ride and some for exhibition space, and added the peoplemover that was planned, it could make communicore/innoventions really interesting.
 
RSoxNo1

RSoxNo1

Well-Known Member
montyz81 said:
"Disney CEO Bob Iger Says Spending Billions on Theme Parks Is a No-Brainer"
I think Imagination will get there. It may not be what we "originalists" think is right, but I am sure just about all ignored rides will be updated in the next 5 years.
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Took him 9 years to make that decision though. Evidently he didn't have a brain for the first 9 years of his reign.
 
jt04

jt04

Well-Known Member
RSoxNo1 said:
Took him 9 years to make that decision though. Evidently he didn't have a brain for the first 9 years of his reign.
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To be fair, previously they were spending billions on aquisitions, the film division, Imagineering design work and necessary infrastructure especially at WDW. Horse before the cart. And they still might not have enough hotel rooms.

I look at additions to the parks as icing on the cake 🎂

You probably shouldn't add the icing to the cake batter before baking the cake. I made a new metaphor.
 
RSoxNo1

RSoxNo1

Well-Known Member
jt04 said:
To be fair, previously they were spending billions on aquisitions, the film division, Imagineering design work and necessary infrastructure especially at WDW. Horse before the cart. And they still might not have enough hotel rooms.

I look at additions to the parks as icing on the cake 🎂

You probably shouldn't add the icing to the cake batter before baking the cake. I made a new metaphor.
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Iger and Rasulo erroneously thought they were operating in a mature market and Potter partially convinced them otherwise. The infrastructure project was fueling that mature market mentality in hopes of better optimizing park operations and getting more money out of each guest. These were missteps and need to be recognized as such.

By no means would I have made the best decisions for the parks, but I was against Next Gen from the outset and if you gave me a $2 billion headstart (Next Gen cost) I could have made better park decisions than Iger and Co made over the last 13 years. This wouldn't have been Monday morning quarterbacking either, Next Gen was largely condemned from the start.
 
jt04

jt04

Well-Known Member
RSoxNo1 said:
Iger and Rasulo erroneously thought they were operating in a mature market and Potter partially convinced them otherwise. The infrastructure project was fueling that mature market mentality in hopes of better optimizing park operations and getting more money out of each guest. These were missteps and need to be recognized as such.

By no means would I have made the best decisions for the parks, but I was against Next Gen from the outset and if you gave me a $2 billion headstart (Next Gen cost) I could have made better park decisions than Iger and Co made over the last 13 years. This wouldn't have been Monday morning quarterbacking either, Next Gen was largely condemned from the start.
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I would agree but not sure Iger was given a choice on NextGen. And they do sell a ton of Magicbands.

Whatever research firm or firms were selling that the Orlando tourism and leisure market had matured probably doesn't get much work from the mouse at least.

Iger isn't perfect but he is well respected by the business industry and investment community.
 

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