My goodness, people sure have gotten cynical around here. Why do some people think that to love something, you have to love every single thing about it. If you complain about anything, clearly you don't love it and should never go back
I agree with the original post. Epcot was and is far more than Disney characters. That's not to say characters can't have their place there. In fact, I really enjoyed when the "main" characters (ie Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy, etc) represented the WS pavilions in traditional garb. But even as a kid I liked that Epcot was mostly its own entity outside of Disney animation. But I was one of those kids that actually liked edutainment. I'm disappointed in the choice to use characters in the permanent Illuminations replacement. If done correctly, it could be a nice show. But considering Disney's recent choices, particularly IP, I have a bad feeling I will be underwhelmed. I have a feeling they will mostly focus on more recent hits that will become outdated quickly instead of classics that have proven themselves. I could be wrong, and I hope I'm actually impressed with it. But if it's another Happily Ever After (which, unpopular opinion, I do not like at all) it will be a skip for me.
Epcot Forever on the other hand sounds quite delightful and actually slightly softened the blow of losing ROE for me.
As for the Illuminations haters...yes the technology doesn't quite match up to other shows. It is 20 years old after all. When it debuted though, it was an absolute marvel. A nighttime spectacular unlike any other at WDW. And it told a story...a beautiful story that celebrated the new millennium and the coming together of people around the globe to celebrate our future. A story that told us, deep down, we are all one. Of course, that was pre-9/11. To me the show became even more important and impactful after that. I feel like in the current world with its polarizing politics the story has lost something. Maybe on a personal level I felt more sense of hope in 1999 as a naive high schooler than I do now as a 30-something adult. I don't know. But what I do know is that, especially under current management, I don't expect any show in the near future to stir my emotions like ROE has for the past 20 years. And I for one will miss that.
