cookiee_munster
Well-Known Member
I like it, clean modern, fits its purpose. The mural is stunning!
It could do with some plants or something though. real or fake.
It could do with some plants or something though. real or fake.
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Connections Cafe and Eatery
- Thread starter wdwmagic
- Start date
Next Big Thing
Well-Known Member
Lol, this is VERY "mall-ish".
WDWFREAK53
Well-Known Member
I wasn't accusing the CMs of not keeping it clean. I meant dingy in a "not updated and the surfaces/flooring felt old" That will happen with so much foot traffic.
You mean PR things like "the most magical place on earth!"?
Or all those commercials showing that going to WDW will be a child's most cherished memory... ever.
Are commercials for a park supposed to make you cry?
When has Disney ever presented a new attraction as simply satisfactory (even tho, that's all it was)?
Over the top PR is a Disney staple.
Communicora
Premium Member
All of the World's Fair chatter made me think to look for photos from the Dubai Expo, which closed last month.
This rendering of a dining location wouldn't be out of place at Epcot.
The next expo takes place in Osaka, Japan and has a very Epcot theme of Designing Future Society for Our Lives.
This rendering of a dining location wouldn't be out of place at Epcot.
The next expo takes place in Osaka, Japan and has a very Epcot theme of Designing Future Society for Our Lives.
A look at Connections Café and Eatery after dark
Vinnie Mac
Well-Known Member
This really isn't as big of a deal as you're making it out to be.
Vinnie Mac
Well-Known Member
Epcot's lighting at night is as good as it's ever been. I can't wait until the rest of world celebration is opened up and it'll be even better.A look at Connections Café and Eatery after dark
I have to agree. I love the lighting that's been happening.
Some will make some comment about how dumb it is to be impressed by lighting, but I am!
It's a enormous part of the entire atmosphere of Epcot. Always has been for me.
mysto
Well-Known Member
I think the best thing about this is the scale, lots of seating for whatever purpose. The lights are lovely, not quite fiber optics in concrete but hey. I don't know who creates the menu but recent quick service menus and this one have been great.
Airports and malls are huge, and are built with economically sensible methods. Anything built with these methods is going to remind you of a mall and the designers are only going to be able to do so much to change it. The teracotta tiles seen in the breeezeway in a previous photo would be very expensive today in a space measured in acres. They need that money for bonuses or maybe to take twitter public.
Airports and malls are huge, and are built with economically sensible methods. Anything built with these methods is going to remind you of a mall and the designers are only going to be able to do so much to change it. The teracotta tiles seen in the breeezeway in a previous photo would be very expensive today in a space measured in acres. They need that money for bonuses or maybe to take twitter public.
yensidtlaw1969
Well-Known Member
It's sympomatic of a larger problem.
One that's popped up in every major investment Walt Disney World has made for the last 20 years. Some might call that a habit.
But I'm sure things will get better if we just ignore that.
No Name
Well-Known Member
There was a single parks blog article about it. You’re making up this over-promotion by Disney.
FerretAfros
Well-Known Member
Disney did not "damn near create the sleek and modern design style," and to say such is either a complete misread of architectural history or willfully disingenuous. Off the top of my head, here are some well-known structures that fit the mold, built long before Disney's facsimiles in their parks:
1949, Glass House, Philip Johnson
1951, Farnsworth House, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe
1931, Villa Savoye, Le Corbusier
1949, Googie's Coffee Shop, John Lautner
1960, Pan Am Worldport at Idlewild airport (later known as Terminal 3 at JFK), Turano & Gardner
As with nearly everything in the parks, Disney's forward-looking architecture was inspired by other (non-Disney) architecture. This gives the spaces a basis in reality, a visual framework that will be familiar enough to the park guests that they'll quickly recognize and understand the meaning of the buildings.
Googie's Coffee Shop was the namesake of the Googie architectural movement, which is closely associated with midcentury coffee shops, car washes, and bowling alleys; it also heavily influenced the 1967 & 1971 Tomorrowlands, even though tailfins on cars and buildings alike had grown passé by that point. The Communicore buildings can similarly trace their heritage to the pilotis of buildings like Villa Savoye and the glass walls of Glass House and Farnsworth; the round skylight shapes can find influence from Villa Savoye and Farnsworth, and the sweeping overhangs recon back to the Worldport (which, in turn, found influence in Berlin's Tempelhof airport, built in 1934).
If guests had no frame of reference for what a particular structure (say, a European castle or Japanese pagoda) was meant to evoke, the structure in the park would be pointless, as a guest wouldn't know what they're looking at. In order for guests to understand how to interact with a structure, they must have a basic framework of the building typologies used in the park; this works on a macro level (knowing whether a building is a major attraction or a snack bar) as well as a micro one (knowing how to find the building entrance). This long-standing design principle applies to forward-looking buildings just as well as backward-looking ones.
One notable difference between Disney and the outside world is that Disney's buildings tend to stay more "locked" into their design with minimal alterations over time. Where a coffee shop or bowling alley might get renovated every few years to keep up with current trends and tastes, a themed building is meant to evoke a specific era and therefore is less likely to be dramatically altered as the years pass (though contemporary trends influence nearly all aspects of themed design to some degree). The changes to a building in Main Street or Tomorrowland over time are typically far less dramatic than a similar building in the real world. Much like fireworks, steampunk, or animation, Disney did not create the "sleek and modern design style;" they're simply a prominent and accessible example of the style to general audiences in 2022.
Over the top PR may be a Disney staple, but have we ever seen so much (digital) ink spilled over the nuts and bolts of a quick-service eatery? Especially when it's not even the park's top-5 most interestingly designed quick-service restaurants?
Disney has made countless mistakes with the Epcot overhaul, but one of the biggest problems is the constant whittling down of the project's scope. As a result, things like Connections and Journey of Water are being thrust into a spotlight they were never intended for. If the park were a restaurant, this would be equivalent to trying to pass of an appetizer or dessert as the main course.
They're pleasant enough diversions on their own, but Disney is hyping them up as though they're headliners, which they most certainly are not. And given the level of investment (financial, time, and operational impact) that the park overhaul project has had, it's unlikely that it will receive the much-needed substance to resolve its underlying issues any time soon.
Joesixtoe
Well-Known Member
It's a nice get away, relaxing and "connecting" type of atmosphere. The wall art and some of the lighting fixures really helps to break up the sterile(which I like) vibe. It doesn't feel cramped, you can simply get a coffee, sit back and with the giant windows look out at the surrounding Epcot scenery around you. Granted that will be much nicer when the walls come down. I believe this is a giant upgrade to Electric Umbrella, however it's nothing really unique that you can't find in the outside world besides the potential views.
Epcot82Guy
Well-Known Member
The more I'm thinking about this, the more I think this actually may be a huge example of how far awry Epcot went. And, it's a little frustrating for Disney to be hyping this as if they did some masterful thing. They created the problem!
I still think this is a little generic. But, several people have pointed out other great examples of how this is used successfully (the Expo from @Communicora being a particularly good one). My concern here is (ironically) this NOT being more timeless, more Disney, etc. There is absolutely no doubt in my mind this would look horribly dated in 10 years (let alone 20). Just like a hotel lobby, modern spaces should be refreshed no more than every 10 years. And, these spaces seemed to be designed to allow for that.
My issue is Disney has proven they will let spaces sit in Epcot for 20+ years without an update. And, they then pat themselves on the back for doing this innovative transformation. Stargate lasted 12 years and was viewed as long in the tooth then. Electric Umbrella was there OVER 25 YEARS (1994).
The reason I think I'm irritated is because, had these spaces (and all of Epcot) been given attention, we wouldn't have needed all this. And, I bet we wouldn't need to be totally abandoning Epcot's central themes because "popular". Again, I actually think this new space works pretty well for what it is and aligns to Epcot. But, I refuse to give Disney any praise for this great update when it was something 15 years too late. And, with no indication they will learn from those past mistakes.
I still think this is a little generic. But, several people have pointed out other great examples of how this is used successfully (the Expo from @Communicora being a particularly good one). My concern here is (ironically) this NOT being more timeless, more Disney, etc. There is absolutely no doubt in my mind this would look horribly dated in 10 years (let alone 20). Just like a hotel lobby, modern spaces should be refreshed no more than every 10 years. And, these spaces seemed to be designed to allow for that.
My issue is Disney has proven they will let spaces sit in Epcot for 20+ years without an update. And, they then pat themselves on the back for doing this innovative transformation. Stargate lasted 12 years and was viewed as long in the tooth then. Electric Umbrella was there OVER 25 YEARS (1994).
The reason I think I'm irritated is because, had these spaces (and all of Epcot) been given attention, we wouldn't have needed all this. And, I bet we wouldn't need to be totally abandoning Epcot's central themes because "popular". Again, I actually think this new space works pretty well for what it is and aligns to Epcot. But, I refuse to give Disney any praise for this great update when it was something 15 years too late. And, with no indication they will learn from those past mistakes.
Sir_Cliff
Well-Known Member
I honestly don't see the issue here and am not sure how they can win. Some are hammering this quick service restaurant for not being an amazing experience that looks like nowhere else on planet Earth, while others are complaining that they have gone overboard in trying to build up a simple quick service restaurant as something it's not.
In terms of this explanation, sure, it's full of hyperbole as Disney PR almost always is. However, it's not really that disconnected from what they built. They did put a mural around the place showing people from different cultures around the world cultivating and eating food, a little museum of coffee implements from different times and place, and whatever that rolling pin display is supposed to be. The show kitchens do let guests watch food being prepared, and the windows do provide rather lovely views of the gardens outside.
They have to come up with some concept to guide the design, and in this case they seem to have come up with a decent one that you can detect in the space if you look for it but probably goes over the heads of most guests. It also gives the place a name that makes sense and harmonizes with Creations next-door.
I much prefer this kind of 'backstory' that is more conceptual than literal to all the fan fiction they are writing about supposed owners of stores, their families, and friends in other parks. This seems more like the Disney of old than the other type of laboured backstory that modern Imagineers seem to love.
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tcool123
Well-Known Member
Having lunch at Connections Cafe and Eatery right now and Epcot fans will be pleased to know that the background music includes a rendition of Celebrate the Future Hand in Hand from the Millennium Celebration alongside other Epcot themes I couldn’t make out. This doesnt mean that’s the entire background music playlist plenty of it is full of generic upbeat tunes that are nice enough.
Side note the Curry Spice Pizza is delish definitely recommend! The overall ambience is rather nice too with plenty of natural light and colors, the giant mural is also very well done, and the light fixtures in particular are great
Side note the Curry Spice Pizza is delish definitely recommend! The overall ambience is rather nice too with plenty of natural light and colors, the giant mural is also very well done, and the light fixtures in particular are great
Vinnie Mac
Well-Known Member
Looking for music that "sounds like Epcot" has got to be a fun job. It's something I do anyway but getting paid to do it sounds awesome.