News Character Spot, Innoventions and more to close in September

[AVAC Juice]

George Kalogridis was VP of Epcot during the initial waves of it's undoing.

That is a hard fact. Ask yourselves why that is a hard fact to digest?

From EPCOT Center to Epcot 95.

He is now the President of the entire WDW Resort.

Expect nothing more than something less for Epcot.

Envision the Polynesian Village reboot but for Epcot.

 

[ChrisFL]

It IS odd to me that they'd spend a lot of money to demolish large buildings like this as they usually won't do that unless it's for some major IP expansion, that part does give me pause.

 

[ChrisFL]

Fountain of overpriced lattes

 

[AVAC Juice]

We are losing the Fountain of Nations?

I'm thinking of a dueling Starbucks experience with a virtual queue in its place.

You can't spend money if you are in line to spend money. Follow me Team Dis?

 

[The Mom]

I would argue that there are two more: Those who enjoy it for what it is, and those who **** and moan because it's not what it was in 1982.

For the record, I'm not some casual fan. I'm a DVC member and annual passholder. I live about 2 and a half hours from WDW and go roughly 20 days per year. I'm going to miss the fountain and there are other things that I wish were still around. But I'm not going to let it make me bitter like the rest of you all and complain all day.


Mods: Please delete my account. It's time I found a place where people aren't still living in 1982.

The way to delete your account is to just stop posting. Also, don't follow any threads/posters and you won't get any notifications.

 

[HauntedMansionFLA]

That's news to me, too.

@MisterPenguin I checked your rumor tracker and didn’t see anything

 

[*Q*]

Seriously was that comment necessary ? I understand all the nostalgia is kicking in for a lot of posters but we can we stop the snarky remarks.

It’s not so much about nostalgia as it is about wanting quality over extreme mediocrity.

 

[AVAC Juice]

Sorry people. The new Epcot will be straight commerce.

Pay to buy/ play.
Token nostalgia.
Lots of ehh....
Once a 2 day experience folded into a half-day.

 

[*Q*]

I would argue that there are two more: Those who enjoy it for what it is, and those who **** and moan because it's not what it was in 1982.

For the record, I'm not some casual fan. I'm a DVC member and annual passholder. I live about 2 and a half hours from WDW and go roughly 20 days per year. I'm going to miss the fountain and there are other things that I wish were still around. But I'm not going to let it make me bitter like the rest of you all and complain all day.


Mods: Please delete my account. It's time I found a place where people aren't still living in 1982.

“Y’all are stuck in 1982” - the rallying cry of those with a lack of comprehension skills for what the EPCOT devoted actually want to see happen with the park. It’s become a tiresome and exceptionally half-witted insult at this point.

 

[Haymarket2008]

While my love of old school Epcot is intense and unending, I can’t help but be optimistic and trust that it will turn out great. I’m hoping I’m right. Change is good. Sometimes.

 

[ChrisFL]

While my love of old school Epcot is intense and unending, I can’t help but be optimistic and trust that it will turn out great. I’m hoping I’m right. Change is good. Sometimes.

We don't really have any choice. I seriously doubt any "save innoventions" or "save the fountain" campaigns are going to do anything.

I'm looking forward to what will come next, because honestly I've come to accept that we're never getting the older communicore/innoventions stuff back.

 

[AVAC Juice]

While my love of old school Epcot is intense and unending, I can’t help but be optimistic and trust that it will turn out great. I’m hoping I’m right. Change is good. Sometimes.

“Y’all are stuck in 1982” - the rallying cry of those with a lack of comprehension skills for what the EPCOT devoted actually want to see happen with the park. It’s become a tiresome and exceptionally half-witted insult at this point.

I'll cling to my guns, money, EPCOT Center and ancient religion. Thank you.

 

[DreamfinderGuy]

For the record, I'm not some casual fan. I'm a DVC member and annual passholder.

If anyone ever starts trying to make their point like this, it's best to ignore them. Entitled Passholes

 

[Magenta Panther]

Heard something interesting about the proposed beer garden. I still have a few more people to check with, but there may be good news.

The beer will be served by dancing penguins?

 

[yensidtlaw1969]

I would argue that there are two more: Those who enjoy it for what it is, and those who **** and moan because it's not what it was in 1982.

For the record, I'm not some casual fan. I'm a DVC member and annual passholder. I live about 2 and a half hours from WDW and go roughly 20 days per year. I'm going to miss the fountain and there are other things that I wish were still around. But I'm not going to let it make me bitter like the rest of you all and complain all day.


Mods: Please delete my account. It's time I found a place where people aren't still living in 1982.

You'll notice that, for example, no one complains that Animal Kingdom isn't what it was when it opened. That's because the park is pretty inarguably better now than it was then - it's remained largely on the trajectory set at opening while adding new experiences and improving existing ones as time has worn on. I dare you to find a group of people "living in the past" who wish it went back to the way it was in 1998. And the reason those people don't exist is because the park has improved from where it started instead of regressing.

I enjoy myself when I go to Epcot because I go to Walt Disney World to enjoy myself. There are still things to enjoy within the park. But it's a little too dismissive to suggest that people who preferred the park when it was thematically consistent and used cutting edge technology to fuel its massive menu of innovative and exciting attractions are ******** and moaning that the park's theme is muddled and getting muddier and offers fewer attractions each of smaller scale and scope than the company built 30+ years ago and needs to use flavor-of-the-week events to keep the park's numbers up.

The park has been getting worse and not better for a good while. Doesn't mean there's nothing to enjoy about it, but with all the resources the company has now vs 1982 - waaay "in the past" - shouldn't it be the best it's ever been?

 

[disreport]

Wife and I were talking today about it...I really think the biggest loss here will be the Papillon soundtrack. I can’t imagine going to Epcot (outside of Christmas season) and not hearing it.

 

[AVAC Juice]

You'll notice that, for example, no one complains that Animal Kingdom isn't what it was when it opened. That's because the park is pretty inarguably better now than it was then

EPCOT Center was clearllllly the last great park built stateside. Attendance records alone decide that.

MGM, AK and DCA had no place to fall other than up from their opening day 1/2 park designs. I'm sorry.

Epcot has gone the opposite route by the direction of TDO.

 

[BoarderPhreak]

From the looks of things, there's a beer garden going where the fountain is now... Something else international will be flowing in its place.

 

[DreamfinderGuy]

I'm gonna laugh when D23 rolls around and the beer garden turns out to be fake

 

[Kman101]

I'm not one to criticize Disney too much (although they've been making some boneheaded decisions as of late), but what they are doing to Epcot is awful, shortsighted, and stupid. Ruining the bones of a great park to no real benefit.

They could have done something that appealed to contemporary audiences, fit within the theme of the park, and respected its history and past, and paid homage to it while updating it for the 21st century. But instead they decided to tear it all down.

Agreed.

Extremely short-sighted. But my guess is they want the corpse gone so they don't have to deal with it anymore. Which is bizarre because they could easily repurpose them to fill various needs. They're just demoing and then rebuilding certain things that are already there. I need to see what the planned replacement buildings look like. I need a fuller picture. But I'm not liking this. I don't have a fondness for the buildings, truthfully. If they had cut the weeds growing around the windows, gave it an actual nice paintjob and re-imagined the inside ... they could replace the tarps with actual trees or palm trees. Return some water features. It wasn't hard. I wonder if the buildings require a lot of work they'd just rather not do? I mean, they are almost 40 years old.

I'm gonna laugh when D23 rolls around and the beer garden turns out to be fake

We can hope. Unless it's already been deemed fake. I haven't finished reading this thread yet.