EPCOT Creations Shop opening this summer

[lazyboy97o]

I don’t think the majority of guests would agree. When they come to Disney they’re expecting to see the characters they’ve seen on tv and in movies.

And yet they made the Nondescript Roller Coster Themed Like India or Whatever a better return on investment than pretty much everything since.

Notice the focus is on “creative talent of studio’, not specifically their films in general. It was their ‘creative talent’ of their film studio starting out where they’d moved to Disneyland to create brand new entertainmen, not always film based rides. Yes, they used as many mediums to promote Disneyland as possible. But not Disneyland to market their film characters & stories specifically.

This graphic was also first created after a lawsuit regarding Walt Disney Productions relationship with WED Enterprises. It reassures people who invested in a movie studio that the movie studio is still important while it’s main man was becoming more distracted by other endeavors. All one has to do is look at what Disney actually built and was planning to build to see that WED was not very concerned with the movies that were being produced.

 

[castlecake2.0]

And yet they made the Nondescript Roller Coster Themed Like India or Whatever a better return on investment than pretty much everything since.


This graphic was also first created after a lawsuit regarding Walt Disney Productions relationship with WED Enterprises. It reassures people who invested in a movie studio that the movie studio is still important while it’s main man was becoming more distracted by other endeavors. All one has to do is look at what Disney actually built and was planning to build to see that WED was not very concerned with the movies that were being produced.

I’m not saying EVERYTHING has to be tied to an IP, but working in the parks, specifically Epcot, no one is asking how to get to Impressions de France, they want characters. I agree, there should be both options, but 80/20 to IP is probably what most guests are looking for.

 

[lazyboy97o]

It says “Creative Talent of Studio Theatrical Films”. Disneyland was always about promoting their films, including the park icon promoting a movie that wouldn’t debut for another four years. Frontierland had Davey Crockett, Adventureland a nod to their true life adventure movies.

The park always had a castle. It wasn’t placed there specifically for Sleeping Beauty. That naming came very, very late. For a good chunk of time it was just Fantasyland Castle, a term that was even occasionally used after the name Sleeping Beauty Castle was selected and the park opened.

Davy Crockett was a hit segment on Disneyland.

Even once being named True Life Adventureland, the land was aligned to a genre. It wasn’t based on any one specific film. Beyond the name that was not used, there is really no connection. The True Life Adventure films that had been released up until the summer of 1955 weren’t about the sort of places seen in Adventureland.

 

[FigmentsBrightIdeas]

I’m not saying EVERYTHING has to be tied to an IP, but working in the parks, specifically Epcot, no one is asking how to get to Impressions de France, they want characters. I agree, there should be both options, but 80/20 to IP is probably what most guests are looking for.

They may not be asking where Impressions de France is. But I would bet you a large majority of people are trying to find where each country or ‘Soarin’ or ‘Test Track’ is. Or if we’re talking in the 80s & 90s, bet you there’d be plenty of people asking where ‘Journey Into Imagination’, ‘The ImageWorks’ or ‘where the Figment & Dreamfinder ride is’. That or where ‘Body Wars’ or ‘Spaceship Earth’ is. Same goes for ‘Pirates’, ‘Space Mountain, or ‘Haunted Mansion’ at the Magic Kingdom.

Not everyone only looks to find only their favorite characters though a large percentage do.
In essence what they’re really looking for is what’s advertised as a ‘must do’ experience. And well.. if not well advertised or marketed… people aren’t going to see those things & realize how fun or exciting they are.

 

[Thelazer]

Would have been amazing if they would have built up, a revised exploration area.
Much like your current day kids / science museums have.

 

[FigmentsBrightIdeas]

Notice Walt's almost obsessive devotion to as much synergy as possible.

Yes, the synergy between creative talent & marketing for ‘Disneyland’.

It says “Creative Talent of Studio Theatrical Films”. Disneyland was always about promoting their films, including the park icon promoting a movie that wouldn’t debut for another four years. Frontierland had Davey Crockett, Adventureland a nod to their true life adventure movies.

’Creative Talent’ of Studio Theatrical Films (meaning the team of people, artists, set designers, etc. who worked on them)… not ‘Characters & Stories’ of Studio Theatrical Films

And of course they had some film IP based things there. Nobody’s denying that. What we are saying though is there was more balance and originally the Film IP stuff wasn’t the full/main focus they had on Disneyland when they promoted it back then.

 

[FigmentsBrightIdeas]

Would have been amazing if they would have built up, a revised exploration area.
Much like your current day kids / science museums have.

That’s in essence what the Play Pavilion is supposed be an answer to. Though I’d argue it was a poor choice of placement (replacing the Wonders of Life pavilion of all things, in a time we actually need it for better health awareness), has poor theming in relation to what EPCOT’s mission is (well ‘was’ in today’s scenario) and a poor decision of them to completely discard the Communicore space entirely for that type of concept. They could’ve just updated and managed that area better than they did later in it’s Innoventions years in the mid-late 2000s/2010s.

Same could be said for how they massively downgraded the ImageWorks: Creative Playground area to that downstairs spot at the Imagination pavilion and instead use the original upstairs area for a DVC lounge. No reason you couldn’t have put maybe a small DVC lounge up there (around where the main atrium is) while keeping the ImageWorks & it’s areas/activities opened overall while updating them accordingly. But yeah..

 

[castlecake2.0]

They may not be asking where Impressions de France is. But I would bet you a large majority of people are trying to find where each country or ‘Soarin’ or ‘Test Track’ is. Or if we’re talking in the 80s & 90s, bet you there’d be plenty of people asking where ‘Journey Into Imagination’, ‘The ImageWorks’ or ‘where the Figment & Dreamfinder ride is’. That or where ‘Body Wars’ or ‘Spaceship Earth’ is. Same goes for ‘Pirates’, ‘Space Mountain, or ‘Haunted Mansion’ at the Magic Kingdom.

Not everyone only looks to find only their favorite characters though a large percentage do.
In essence what they’re really looking for is what’s advertised as a ‘must do’ experience. And well.. if not well advertised or marketed… people aren’t going to see those things & realize how fun or exciting they are.

We disagree, and that’s fine! I respect your opinion and points you bring up I do wish more people and guests would enjoy what Epcot was supposed to be.

 

[FigmentsBrightIdeas]

We disagree, and that’s fine! I respect your opinion and points you bring up I do wish more people and guests would enjoy what Epcot was supposed to be.

Thanks & I agree, though I personally put the blame more on upper management’s decisions, their limitations they’re putting on WDI below, & the lack of proper marketing than on the guests. The guests are simply relying on only what they’ve seen & are familiar with in the scenario you’ve brought up on looking for things specifically themed to film IP stories & characters.
Though in the scenarios I brought up before; even with that in mind.. the reason attractions like Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Caribbean, It’s a Small World, Spaceship Earth, Journey Into Imagination (Original), Carousel of Progress, Enchanted Tiki Room, Country Bear Jamboree, etc. became so popular to begin with was because people simply had the expectation of ‘Disney = High Quality’, they’d would see them & then fall in love with them afterwards. They didn’t always have to have a previous connection or familiarity with said thing to enjoy it.

I believe there could be a much better balance between the two atm, Particuarly when it comes to the execution of the attractions without compromising the park’s original integrity & mission. I also believe if the park original concepts & characters were simply marketed & merchandised better & had more exposure in place. People would be more prone to having the expectations they had for Disneyland back in the 50s & 60s. In realizing it was much more than just “I get to see & experience my favorite characters & stories from my favorite movies & shows here!”.

 

[sedati]

Only because of upper management looking at Disney through a strictly ‘film studio’ mindset & not as a creative powerhouse capable of creating anything through whatever medium they could imagine. That’s what WED was originally created for… as a way for Disney to create anything in 3 dimensions for the parks or worlds fairs, not simply as an arm only making movie tie-in rides & attractions, shoehorned into places without taking into account the integrity, spirit, & goals of the park or area it’s being placed into.

You're describing blue-sky concepts. That's never gone away, and never been implemented without comprimise. This is a business. Sponsors paid for attractions and influenced their design and vetoed concepts. Disney can still design and build anything in 3-dimensions, but the bigger the dream, the bigger the risk, the more the need for financial certainty. I don't see it as a film studio mindset, but corporate synergy and Disney has become big enough that it should be able to flex all its arms and get results without having to call up Monsanto and the like. That doesn't have to mean characters. Disney has National Geographic and I'd love to see more of that implemented into EPCOT. But they also have a very popular brand that is chock full of fictional scientists that is used in the real world to get kids excited about STEM education.

 

[HauntedPirate]

I honestly can’t believe this sentence made it through the PR vortex.

Nothing boldly announces a neighborhood like the color of a popcorn kiosk! Poor trash cans just get left out.

It likely came from the PR vortex.

 

[lazyboy97o]

You're describing blue-sky concepts. That's never gone away, and never been implemented without comprimise. This is a business. Sponsors paid for attractions and influenced their design and vetoed concepts. Disney can still design and build anything in 3-dimensions, but the bigger the dream, the bigger the risk, the more the need for financial certainty. I don't see it as a film studio mindset, but corporate synergy and Disney has become big enough that it should be able to flex all its arms and get results without having to call up Monsanto and the like. That doesn't have to mean characters. Disney has National Geographic and I'd love to see more of that implemented into EPCOT. But they also have a very popular brand that is chock full of fictional scientists that is used in the real world to get kids excited about STEM education.

The franchise mandate came in the wake of the success of the Nondescript Coaster. It had nothing to do with risk and business. It was just personal preference.

 

[HauntedPirate]

The franchise mandate came in the wake of the success of the Nondescript Coaster. It had nothing to do with risk and business. It was just personal preference.

Aka. Ego. “I bought some stuff, we need to leverage it everywhere.”

 

[michmousefan]

Any thoughts on what this area is? It appears to parallel the curve of the building. Is it infrastructure for lighting? Plantings? Something else? Is it some kind of a path?

 

[mightynine]

View attachment 574672

What, Disney tries to leverage as much as they can across their different avenues? This isn’t even a gotcha post, I know that. My point is that the company has shown it can do more and try harder, but now frequently takes the easy road.

Maybe one day you’ll do more on this board than just copy and paste what others post and think that makes you an expert or an insider.

 

[MisterPenguin]

Any thoughts on what this area is? It appears to parallel the curve of the building. Is it infrastructure for lighting? Plantings? Something else? Is it some kind of a path?
View attachment 574679

Journey of Merchandise featuring Aladdin.

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[G00fyDad]

Any thoughts on what this area is? It appears to parallel the curve of the building. Is it infrastructure for lighting? Plantings? Something else? Is it some kind of a path?
View attachment 574679

Possibly the area to house control boxes for LED sidewalk lighting? (total guess)

 

[FigmentsBrightIdeas]

Journey of Merchandise featuring Aladdin.

.​

‘A Whole New World of Merchandise: An Aladdin Shopping Experience’ you mean

 

[Haymarket2008]

Any thoughts on what this area is? It appears to parallel the curve of the building. Is it infrastructure for lighting? Plantings? Something else? Is it some kind of a path?
View attachment 574679

That appears to be the foundations for planters. The concept art seems to indicate it.

​

 

[michmousefan]

That appears to be the foundations for planters. The concept art seems to indicate it.

Well, I recall Chapek making the joke about trees at his D23 thing... so yep, perhaps that's it. I'd imagine they would want to have *something* planted so when you look out of those expansive giant windows from the store, you see some green rather than the brown dirt fest that you would see now...