Ellen's voice is back in the ride... but her animatronic is probably gone for good.

[WondersOfLife]

Disney Imagineers simply have to put their heads together and really think about what they want Epcot to be.
The front of Epcot is supposed to be a land of the future and it was somewhat futuristic and advanced in approach back when it opened 30 years ago, but now it has become a land of pavilions and environmental things.

I never thought of EPCOT as a look into the future, despite the name.. I considered Future World like a small copy of the worlds fair with attractions that demonstrated how things work. Universe of Energy focuses on how Energy works, the land focused on how the land works. The Seas focused on how the seas worked. Spaceship Earth is a history ride explaining how communication has evolved and how that works. World of Motion focused on how transportation worked. Test Track focuses on how cars work. Mission: Space focuses on how space training works. Wonders of Life focused on how life and health worked.

The only exception within this park would honestly have to be Horizons.. and to be honest, what it did was combine all of the other pavilions at the time into one big attraction showing how we could advance those ideas forward into the future.

But other than that, I've always seen EPCOT as a "how stuff works" park. This is just my opinion, though.

 

[WondersOfLife]

Ellen spends a week at Universal Orlando on her show every year, I'm surprised Disney didn't take her out of the ride years ago

Ellen also is the voice of Dory in Finding Nemo, though. She's also given many people trips to Disney World on her show. So it's not like she doesn't exist on a big scale in the Disney area as well

 

[marni1971]

And now I need to get back to ploughing through 2 hours of footage from DHS One Mans Dream and assembling it in story order.

You know. Just in case.

 

[SteamBoat6092]

Horizons was literally demolished to the ground. Do you mean Wonders of Life?

Whoops I did ='] embarrassing on my part haha.

 

[ChrisFL]

I never thought of EPCOT as a look into the future, despite the name.. I considered Future World like a small copy of the worlds fair with attractions that demonstrated how things work. Universe of Energy focuses on how Energy works, the land focused on how the land works. The Seas focused on how the seas worked. Spaceship Earth is a history ride explaining how communication has evolved and how that works. World of Motion focused on how transportation worked. Test Track focuses on how cars work. Mission: Space focuses on how space training works. Wonders of Life focused on how life and health worked.

The only exception within this park would honestly have to be Horizons.. and to be honest, what it did was combine all of the other pavilions at the time into one big attraction showing how we could advance those ideas forward into the future.

But other than that, I've always seen EPCOT as a "how stuff works" park. This is just my opinion, though.

I can understand that. I think some of the attractions like World of Motion and Spaceship Earth were designed to give us history/present, then show us the future, and Horizons did the same thing, but Horizons went into details, where the other attractions were much more abstract. There was also a lot of futuristic technology presented though.

AT&T specifically showed a lot of things that we now know as the internet. There were a lot of computers, touch screens, interactive CG stuff, like the one where you make your own rollercoaster. Video-conferencing where you can make reservations in Epcot with someone located in California (!!), the Astuter Computer Revue/Backstage Magic showed how the park worked with the newest technologies, SMART-1 was a robot you could talk to on the phone....etc. etc. etc.

 

[Horizons1]

Give me six months and 20 million.

Peanuts.

Pfft. Absurd. Things can't be done in WDW in any less time than 3 years, at the very least.

 

[ItlngrlBella]

If you go to the parks please take pictures and videos of these things and tweet out #disneymagic or some such. If you know if Disney is trying to get a # trending tag it to that.

^^^brilliant! Or tag #disneyside along with #pleasefixthis

 

[Fox&Hound]

I still think future world and Tomorrowland need to play Rock Paper Scissors and one of them gets a future theme and the other has to find something else. There is a lot of redundancy in theme between the two parks which makes both feel out of place. Disney struggles with maintaining a future vibe so maybe it's time to go in another direction.

Down the road, I seriously see them adding more animated connections to EPCOT until they are forced to rename the park. They did it twice with DHS, it could happen.

 

[ItlngrlBella]

I never thought of EPCOT as a look into the future, despite the name.. I considered Future World like a small copy of the worlds fair with attractions that demonstrated how things work. Universe of Energy focuses on how Energy works, the land focused on how the land works. The Seas focused on how the seas worked. Spaceship Earth is a history ride explaining how communication has evolved and how that works. World of Motion focused on how transportation worked. Test Track focuses on how cars work. Mission: Space focuses on how space training works. Wonders of Life focused on how life and health worked.

The only exception within this park would honestly have to be Horizons.. and to be honest, what it did was combine all of the other pavilions at the time into one big attraction showing how we could advance those ideas forward into the future.

But other than that, I've always seen EPCOT as a "how stuff works" park. This is just my opinion, though.

^^^ I feel exactly the same way the way I viewed the park as a kid. As an adult I know see it as... "Here are how these things work back in the 80's"... as explained by Nemo, a daytime talk show host, etc...

 

[Ulysses McGill]

I rode Universe of Energy for the first time since the late 80s earlier this year and had to fight off sleep. That said, it was weird to sit on a ride celebrating outdated technology that was only "cutting-edge" nearly 20 years ago. It needs a major, major makeover in the worst way.

 

[misterID]

My brother went to EPCOT the other day and said, "man, doesn't it seem like they kind of left it to rot?" But then again, we're totally getting a brand new Frozen ride.... Sort of... And the incredible brainstorming session produced a way of adding something new, without actually adding an attraction, for relatively cheap. Great job guys!

 

[DDLand]

But again, I think you're too quick to gloss over the fact that costs are much higher on maintaining aging parks,

Yeah, that's why Disneyland at 60 years and Tokyo Disneyland at 32 years are in awful shape.

Oh wait...

 

[ChrisFL]

I still think future world and Tomorrowland need to play Rock Paper Scissors and one of them gets a future theme and the other has to find something else. There is a lot of redundancy in theme between the two parks which makes both feel out of place. Disney struggles with maintaining a future vibe so maybe it's time to go in another direction.

Down the road, I seriously see them adding more animated connections to EPCOT until they are forced to rename the park. They did it twice with DHS, it could happen.

I somewhat disagree...after the 1994 Tomorrowland refurb, it was clearly designed to be retro-future, and it's entirely supposed to be fictional.

Yes, I think the original intent of Tomorrowland as a concept was the same as Future World, but it's been changed to more sci-fi future, whereas Future World was more like the "future that can/will be"

 

[Cmdr_Crimson]

My brother went to EPCOT the other day and said, "man, doesn't it seem like they kind of left it to rot?" But then again, we're totally getting a brand new Frozen ride.... Sort of... And the incredible brainstorming session produced a way of adding something new, without actually adding an attraction, for relatively cheap. Great job guys!

 

[aladdin2007]

Part of the reason for that may well be because most of the folks who were around at WED -WDI back in the day who created EPCOT Center are no longer around.
Either by their own hand, the Grim Reapers hand, forced *retirement*, or outright purging....most of the Imagineers who had a major hand in the project are gone.
A few remain, but they are too few and far between now.

The younger generation that is currently employed may be aware of and respect EPCOT*s past, but they are likely focused on other projects.
We have to always keep in mind that WDI only works on things that are perceived by the Company as *needed*.
WDI may well wish to *fix* some issues ( such as the Imagination Pavilion) but unless they are allowed by the Corporate purse holders nothing will happen.
I am aware of a few areas they are dying to *fix*....but to date they have been held back.
So it has more to do with the current Company*s focus (or lack of...) that drives what gets done and what does not.

EPCOT has not really been a important focus area for the Company for some time now, as we all can plainly see.
The forward thinking, thought provoking concepts that used to be proudly showcased there have now been replaced with primarily generic or insipid fodder for the masses.
The entire focus was lost years ago, but once in a while there is a slight glimmer of hope when a throwback to EPCOT*s previous spirit is seen through the thickening veil of mediocrity.

-

Well said.....sadly they see Epcot as a "festival park" now only caring about merch and drink and food sales, in TDO's eyes anyway. Hopefully Imagineering and Burbank view it a bit differently, and or are starting to wake up.

 

[TP2000]

Disney Imagineers simply have to put their heads together and really think about what they want Epcot to be.

It's no coincidence and a telling big signal, that a lot of people at WDI do not get EPCOT Center.

This latest cheap cop-out at Universe of Energy is not Imagineering's fault. They can only do what they are given the money to do. The money WDI gets comes from the local executive team responsible for the property. Thus, DCA got a 1 Billion Dollar Extreme Makeover because Team Disney Anaheim executives built a business case for it and lobbied Burbank for that cash.

Team Disney Orlando doesn't want to spend the money, and the TDO building is apparently led by senior executives who either don't care or don't even know what state most of their property is in. I would bet two churros that most senior execs in Orlando haven't ridden Energy in years, if not a decade or more. It's up to them to fund the projects they want to fund, and build a business case to present to Burbank for bigger project budgets like helping Epcot out of its miserable slump it's in. Those Orlando execs would argue back "Hey, we're doing the Frozen ride in Norway! And we repainted Future World last year. And we are building a third Soarin' theater. We're spending money on Epcot! And Avatarland too!"

It's not Imagineering's fault that Energy looks like it does. It's the fault of the people who work in this building...

Team Disney Orlando - Hi George! (Not attached to a theme park, but plenty of parking)

How often do you think the execs in this building actually schedule time to get in their company cars, drive over to a WDW theme park, schlep through the heat and humidity and crowds, and go on an old ride like Universe of Energy??? I would bet that very, very rarely ever happens.

Plans exist. They just won't spend the money. Again.

Bingo!

 

[Bairstow]

It's not Imagineering's fault that Energy looks like it does. It's the fault of the people who work in this building, and no one else.

We are more to blame than anyone at Disney is.

 

[marni1971]

Exactly.

To an executive who doesn't actually go to the park things have never been better.

 

[Animaniac93-98]

At the Edible Product Community Of Tasting the only thing that matters to guests and management is food and beverage.

Rides? Who cares when you got a Tequila bar waiting for you! And if you're still bored you can always drop $200 on a wine and dine tour.

Remember what Horizons taught us: "if you can drink it, then you should do it!"

 

[misterID]

We are more to blame than anyone at Disney is.

Yes, but would the attendance look like without the parkhopper. EPCOT enjoys how limited the other parks are, f&w, and I would really like to know how many visits come from annual PH.