News D23 Expo 2019

Kman101

Kman101

Well-Known Member
Would have been a better transition to go from MSEP to talking about a Night Parade for Magic Kingdom (or a significant investment in MSEP to bring it up to par, but no, of course not). But of course not. Wasn't expecting it but still ... feels like they just threw in Magic Happens for DL, which could have very easily been a blog post followed by a Disney Parks YouTube video of Jordan Fisher singing. LOL. I was so embarrassed watching the entire duration of this panel.

I also bet DL fanboys are furious Tomorrowland wasn't mentioned. They all expected it. I assumed it would be too soon for anything and it is. We've had paint and 'work' going on for years now in our Tomorrowland and they still haven't talked about it really, apart from TRON. (And Stitch remains a meet and greet)

I would love to not complain but this was just such a horrible presentation all the way around. Did they set Chapek up for failure? lol
 
H

Hula Popper

Well-Known Member
xdan0920 said:
I do wonder, if you like all this, what did you think of Epcot before
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I for one don't think being okay with the new direction and liking what EPCOT used to be are mutually exclusive.

Of course, many people have strong emotional attachments to what EPCOT used to be when they were young. Most people have strong emotional attachments to things they grew up with. There has been change with areas and people and other things that always makes me sad when I see it and think back.

But it's been nearly 40 years since EPCOT opened. The idea and execution of a theme park devoted to learning about the world we live in, including other cultures, was great and a great complement to the Magic Kingdom, and the eventual Hollywood Studios. But the world has changed so much since then. Knowledge of the world around us and other cultures is more accessible than ever given the internet, travel, educational exchange programs, and various other technological advancements.

As the world changed, EPCOT didn't, and grew stale and decayed. Future World has been depressing to see of late. And yes, Disney could have done much more to prevent EPCOT, and particularly Future World from its decay, by investing more to stay fresh and ahead and forward looking, but it didn't. So we're left with what is there now and what can be done going forward.

World Showcase from what it seems, will remain a place to experience different cultures. Some may want that area to be barren of Disney IP, and that's an understandable preference. There's no need for Mary Poppins to experience UK culture or for the Ratatouille and Beauty and the Beast movies to experience French culture. But others will appreciate that some of the pavilions will offer some IP related attractions and entertainment that relate to those pavilions in addition to traditional World Showcase experiences. Those of you who do not care for those IP oriented experiences can skip them and enjoy the rest.

As for Future World, nothing about it signified future any more. Changing the theme to the Discovery, Celebration, and Nature neighborhoods, at least will give refresh and revive the park while maintaining a relationship to exploring human nature, the natural world, and space and technology. I understand that many would prefer that this change not be executed with and rely on IP, and I'd generally prefer the same. You don't need Guardians of the Galaxy to explore space. You don't need Moana and Nemo to explore the water, the oceans, and sea life.

But while relying on IP would not be what I would choose, I'm still generally looking forward to the changes and think they will be a significant improvement over the EPCOT experience of today and the past several years. The images of the new entrance plaza, Celebration Pavilion, Dreamer's Point, and landscaping and walkways look great, and such a welcome change from the bland, decrepit, and concrete Future World of today. The new Space restaurant looks amazing. The new Canada and China films look good, and while I haven't seen much on it, the Awesome Planet film seems consistent with learning about and appreciating the world around us.

It's a new and changed EPCOT for a new and changed world. The old EPCOT from years ago was great, but it's been gone for some time and wasn't ever coming back. Is it sad? Yes. But that's the way life and the world that EPCOT taught about is--full of change, decay, and rebirths. But there's at least enough of a connection to the themes of human culture and the human condition, nature, and exploration, and not so much IP dominance, to distinguish it from the Castle parks and the movie themed parks, and to remain unique among US theme parks.
 
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britain

britain

Well-Known Member
Disappointed with lack of anything we didn't already know.

But they have the EPCOT tone right. Some IP additions fit better than others, but the overall confidence in the presentation, the fonts, the labels, the neighborhood names...

They all feel like they are made by people who legitimately like EPCOT. Not embarrassed by it (which a lot of the 1990's-2000's additions felt like).
 
monothingie

monothingie

Nakatomi Plaza Christmas Eve 1988. Never Forget.
Premium Member
So to surmise D23:

  • Everything we promised the year before is going to be late.
  • SWGE is the best thing we have ever done and it is perfect with no problems at all.
  • We're destroying Epcot, but hey you can get really really drunk there even easier now.
  • Some Marry Poppins thing that not even they understand is coming soon
  • New Boat
  • New Island
  • New circus
  • Nothing for DAK and MK
  • Lots of price increases coming (Ok they didn't say that, but we know it)
 
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Kman101

Kman101

Well-Known Member
UNCgolf said:
Based on the rest of the presentation, I can't imagine they would be worried about how a carousel would go over. They announced a partnership to sell official Disney stuff at Target and people cheered wildly.
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lol, true. I just think they'd hype an actual dark ride. JMO. But all of these presentations were a mess with lots of buzzwords, sizzle reels and audience cheers for cupcakes.
 
Ponderer

Ponderer

Well-Known Member
britain said:
Disappointed with lack of anything we didn't already know.

But they have the EPCOT tone right. Some IP additions fit better than others, but the overall confidence in the presentation, the fonts, the labels, the neighborhood names...

They all feel like they are made by people who legitimately like EPCOT. Not embarrassed by it (which a lot of the 1990's-2000's additions felt like).
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Right. I'll take everything today over the damn magic wand and cursive text additions to SE. In a heartbeat.
 
PorterRedkey

PorterRedkey

Well-Known Member
Magic Happens - Moana
Magic Happens- Moana.jpg
 
Kman101

Kman101

Well-Known Member
Cmdr_Crimson said:
No....More of an advertisement Break.....But, sadly we couldn't hit the Skip button so, we had to suffer.
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I think putting mini Disney Stores into Target is a brilliant idea. And I can't believe I said that. But I did. (I'm waiting for the jokes that it's not going into Wal-Mart ... I've also thought mini-Toys r Us stores should go into Wal Mart ... anywho ...)

However ... the presentation was tacky, the "store" looks lifeless and generic (they made sure to throw in INSTAGRAMMABLE because that's who they design for now) and it was entirely out of place. They need separate presentations for merchandise, the cruise line and the parks, IMO. I get why the cram it all together but it doesn't work.
 

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