Connections Cafe and Eatery

[Disney Analyst]

Watching this makes me miss this even more..This was my go to place..The atmosphere, the first smell of Disney food, and of course the Innoventions loop that echoed differently compared to other areas....But as they say...To each their own..

 

[Cmdr_Crimson]

Again to EACH their own...

 

[HauntedPirate]

Agreed.

The design aesthetic of Connections and Creations should also hold up better to time.

Yes, operating room sterility definitely stands the test of time. Maybe some soothing robotic voice to let you know where you are.

 

[MisterPenguin]

Yes, operating room sterility definitely stands the test of time.

He said aesthetic, not anesthetic!!

 

[HauntedPirate]

O

He said aesthetic, not anesthetic!!

Oh man, I’ve been reading all these posts wrong!

 

[Sir_Cliff]

In case anyone needs a reminder... of how dreadful Electric Umbrella was:

I'm quite positive about Connections and certainly see it as a step up from Electric Umbrella.

I have to say, though, I love the weirdness of Electric Umbrella! The name, the concept, and the interior decorations are so strange and idiosyncratic that they at least added a little personality to the park.

Again, I'm not arguing it was better than Connections at all, but I do kind of miss this era when people were trying to come up with original concepts in the parks that often ended up being so distinctively... odd.

 

[Disney Analyst]

Yes, operating room sterility definitely stands the test of time. Maybe some soothing robotic voice to let you know where you are.

Those are some pretty fancy operating rooms you’ve found yourself in

 

[Centauri Space Station]

You’re talking about nearly a decade of different projects. Those weren’t part of a singular renovation project nor were they part of the Millennium celebration.

Technically JIYI was billed as part of it

 

[Centauri Space Station]

Yes, operating room sterility definitely stands the test of time. Maybe some soothing robotic voice to let you know where you are.

Hmm doesn’t look like any operating room I’ve ever seen.

 

[TikibirdLand]

Those are some pretty fancy operating rooms you’ve found yourself in

You must not have been awake to notice

 

[TikibirdLand]

Hmm doesn’t look like any operating room I’ve ever seen.

The interior is kinda designed to blend into the background. This was the design from the 80's: using neutral colors and blonde woods for interiors. It's designed to offend noone; so, it's designed to impress noone also. I'm glad to see the "pop" of the murals they're doing. Take out the people from the concept art and I think you'd be hard-pressed to identify the location, type of food being served or what's being sold.

 

[HauntedPirate]

When something like a Zombie Mickey mural is your defining design characteristic for a merchandise location, maybe you should re-think your design choices? I mean, nothing says timeless, classic, relevant, and Disney more than bland color choices, some bad Mickey murals, and a sterile design.

"Welcome. To. Creations. Shop. Where. You'll. Find. Some. Disney. Park. Merchandise. On. Our. Shelves."

But I'm sure Connections Cafe & Eatery will be different... I mean, THEZach told us about the flooring!!!

 

[pdude81]

At the end, Electric Umbrella was pretty grimy. If the food was good I could have tolerated that, but I gave it two chances in the last year or two before Covid hit and it was not good either time. Sunshine seasons food was surprisingly good for a generic food court though. I'm looking forward to this new offering and hope it opens up in the next few weeks.

 

[Poseidon Quest]

The murals are interesting and actually might seem like a good fit for Epcot. I hate how the Creations Shop has to plaster Mickey everywhere, but Connections may actually be a thematically appropriate dining location.

 

[UNCgolf]

In case anyone needs a reminder... of how dreadful Electric Umbrella was:

It was awesome, not dreadful! It was as late 80s/early 90s as you can get; like my childhood wrapped up into a dining space. Solely for nostalgia reasons, though -- it was obviously time for an update. Having the upstairs was nice, though, and it seems like they removed that for Connections. I think that's a mistake.

I'm not sure you're right about it holding up better. Design trends always change. While the current trend is pretty bland which seems like it would hold up better, it probably won't. In 15-20 years things will have shifted into another direction and this space will likely look as outdated as Electric Umbrella does now. It's the reason even chain restaurants typically do major design overhauls every couple of decades.

Also, I really like the new murals.

 

[Disney Analyst]

It was awesome, not dreadful! It was as late 80s/early 90s as you can get; like my childhood wrapped up into a dining space. Solely for nostalgia reasons, though -- it was obviously time for an update. Having the upstairs was nice, though, and it seems like they removed that for Connections. I think that's a mistake.

I'm not sure you're right about it holding up better. Design trends always change. While the current trend is pretty bland which seems like it would hold up better, it probably won't. In 15-20 years things will have shifted into another direction and this space will likely look as outdated as Electric Umbrella does now. It's the reason even chain restaurants typically do major design overhauls every couple of decades.

Also, I really like the new murals.

I genuinely believe these types of design will hold up better to time, but I guess we have to wait and see on that one.

 

[UNCgolf]

I genuinely believe these types of design will hold up better to time, but I guess we have to wait and see on that one.

It could absolutely hold up better relatively speaking, but that doesn't mean they won't have to change it. I think it's very unlikely this won't look dated in 20 or so years -- I'm not sure there's a single era of design that's avoided that fate, so there's no real reason to think this will be different.

Those trends/eras often come back around after some time has passed, but there's basically always a period where they're out of style. Some of it is probably just due to general shift, where people want something different than their parents.

 

[jaxonp]

When is this thing opening? Crystal ball me.

 

[vikescaper]

When is this thing opening? Crystal ball me.

My pure guess is in time for Easter but I’m probably way off.

 

[trainplane3]