epcot changing?

[Marco226]

If Epcot is getting an overhaul, I hope Disney still tries to make it a learning environment for people to discover new things instead of just throwing popular IPs in people's faces. I think there would be a larger interest in edutainment if Disney tried harder.The problem, though, is that people can learn about whatever they want at whatever time thanks to mobile devices. SO.. I think a new way of edutainment is needed in order to create greater enthusiasm again for the park.

Instead of learning about just 'what' we think the future holds for us and what food and drinks are found in different countries, I think it would be better to learn more about the 'why' and the 'how' along with it.

Like:
Why is it important to make vehicles that are aerodynamic and fuel efficient? Why is it important to explore other planets? Why is the ocean so important to us? Why are we looking at dinosaurs? Why do we need to know about how communication has evolved over the millenias? Why do people in other cultures do the things they do and make the food they eat? Why is Frozen in Norway?? (It's a great ride btw)

I think the Colortopia thing in Innoventions does a great job of explaining the 'why' and 'how' while at the same time providing simple and fun interaction to make people interested. By getting people involved like that, it gives the participants something new to learn and provides an experience that they can't get from a mobile device. Sitting in a chair or seat and watching a movie or reading signs posted on the side that people may not even see is not how to go about edutainment anymore. This is a theme park that people are paying a lot of money for, and people want fun.

Some other great examples are Turtle Talk, the touchscreen interaction at Test Track, Soarin' and LwtL, and the ending of Spaceship Earth, but again, WHY is it important to learn about and see those things?

The video game stuff at the end of SSE and M:S are fun for little kids, but I think they can do a better job of teaching why and how instead of just looking cool and showing off the technology involved. Because, well, people who like video games have them at home and can play those (better) games when they get back. People are paying to experience things that they can't get at home, so I think those video game stuff need to be better executed to teach more in creative new ways that can't be experienced at home.

So, my biggest concern is how the 'why' and 'how' can be used in creative new ways to create a new edutainment experience in Epcot if these revamp rumors are true. Using IPs is fine by me, but there has to be a purpose. I don't know how Guardians of the Galaxy is going to be used if it's true about them coming, so I don't know what to say about it yet. Nemo, however.. well, watching a watered down rehash of Finding Nemo does absolutely nothing except make little kids go "ooo pretty colors". Yes, the technology of the cartoon characters reflected against the tank of real fish is awesome, but why is this here and why am I looking at it? To make me interested in marine life? Well, tell me why I need to be interested.. Tell me why we need to care.

By explaining the why, Disney can create a park for everyone. The awesome technology and IPs can create fun attractions for kids and teens while the more mature audience will also be entertained by being in a place that stimulates thought and expands their horizons.

Horizons.. omg I miss that ride..

 

[wdisney9000]

You chose to post a picture of someones mom/grandmom/wife... doing their job

Did you just assume her orientation as a wife, mother or grandmother? She may very well be transgender. For shame. Why are you being so cruel and insensitive? How dare you bully her in such a fasion!!!! #triggered

 

[World_Showcase_Lover007]

I imagine if they surveyed a first-time WDW guest, their response would be, "There is a Future World in Epcot?"

 

[GhostHost1000]

If the question is, is Epcot changing?... the answer is... yes

 

[Goofyernmost]

I do not understand why Bus drivers are belittled so much on here..
It comes off to me as a type of Bullying... I really would like to see this end.
If I were a bus driver, and jumped on this web site to catch up on some rumors, began to read this, I would be so angry (hurt).
Does the shoe fit every driver?
I get it that sometimes they may say things they may think are true, but so do many CM's.
Many/most bus drivers I have come across are some of the Greatest Employees on property..

I wouldn't take it to seriously. The drivers hear things and they report back in real time about the things they heard. That has formed a bit of a joking situation, because at one point people used to feel that if a Bus Driver said it then it was going to happen. I don't think the bus drivers would be all hurt about it, but, the riders like hearing stuff from them and most are intelligent enough not to take it as gospel. If anyone gave it a seconds thought they would realize that it is unlikely that any driver would have first hand knowledge of what is planned by upper management.

The key thing to remember is that they are not deliberately lying, they are thinking that they are passing off some interesting information and that it won't always be right. Most of the comments are not mean or nasty, they are just sarcastic and having a little fun. It was never seriously meant as an insult to the drivers, but, to the guests that believed if they heard it from a driver they had some dependable insider information.

 

[The Empress Lilly]

If they use future world as a marvel themed area it wouldn't be the end of the world. I'm all for non IP driven rides but this is something I definitely could get on board with since a) I'm a marvel fanboy (though love DC as well) b) want Disney to finally make Epcot great again (trump reference on point). If they don't shoehorn attractions and actually let them make sense to the purpose of future world then it would be an excellent addition. That's if we could get the rights to use certain characters for the area, but that's another issue all together. A future world built around characters like Ant Man, Vision, Ultron, Stark industries, etc would highlight scientific future projects and how they are being used today. Obviously Iron Man wouldn't be able to be used but this could be the answer we are looking for to finally bring future world back to what it once was.

Wish the superhero fascination were projected onto Legoland or something. Or on an empty parking lot somewhere. Why would Superhero / Barbie / Angry Birds fans want to take over what is left of the dignity of our precious EPCOT, the most magnificent and unique theme park ever build? We EPCOT fans for our turn don't clamour for Figment as a new Avenger. Or for Spiderman to stop fighting crime and start a new career reciting the different sources of energy.

 

[The Empress Lilly]

I do not understand why Bus drivers are belittled so much on here..
It comes off to me as a type of Bullying... I really would like to see this end.
If I were a bus driver, and jumped on this web site to catch up on some rumors, began to read this, I would be so angry (hurt).
Does the shoe fit every driver?
I get it that sometimes they may say things they may think are true, but so do many CM's.
Many/most bus drivers I have come across are some of the Greatest Employees on property..

I heard from a bus driver they are preparing a class action against this and other sites for defamation and hate speech.

 

[marni1971]

honestly i loved the bare bones concrete look of 1982 epcot

And we don't even have that anymore.

 

[Bocabear]

And we don't even have that anymore.

it is a shame...it was majestic... truly. I am afraid the new overly landscaped version is going to be even more of a cluttered mess with no real sense of structure... Hiding the buildings with landscaping will not solve the park's problems...but will make the park more difficult to navigate while hiding the epic grandeur that was the architects original intention...

 

[wdisney9000]

b) want Disney to finally make Epcot great again

But it wont make Epcot great again. It would just be a new fantasy park, entirely residing under the name Epcot. I completely understand why people want to see more super heroes, and they should be able to, just not at the expense of Epcot loosing its identity as a theme park with its own distinction.

but this could be the answer we are looking for to finally bring future world back to what it once was.

It will never be "what it once was", especially with comic book characters. And Ill be the first to admit that the original FW could be greatly improved upon, but again, it doesnt have to be super heroes. Parks like Epcot and Animal Kingdom make visiting the MK more enjoyable because they bring balance. And likewise, MK makes Epcot or AK better because it allows for a slight break from the fantasy while still providing entertainment.

I dont fault people for wanting to see their favorite Marvel characters. Im excited for the Marvel fans who have been waiting for some good attractions with the characters. But people MUST realize that just because Epcot needs some updating and new attractions does not mean that Marvel is the answer just because Tony Stark was a scientist, or Captain America is a tree huger. I wanted more Star Wars attractions for 15 years, but if they had announced they were slamming them into Epcot, I would have been disappointed.

Im looking forward to the new season of The Walking Dead. Im hoping they will breathe some new life into the show. I also love West World, so does that automatically mean that they should do a mash up because there are slight tie ins that could somewhat support a narrative?

 

[NothingRhymeswithOrange]

But it wont make Epcot great again. It would just be a new fantasy park, entirely residing under the name Epcot. I completely understand why people want to see more super heroes, and they should be able to, just not at the expense of Epcot loosing its identity as a theme park with its own distinction.

It will never be "what it once was", especially with comic book characters. And Ill be the first to admit that the original FW could be greatly improved upon, but again, it doesnt have to be super heroes. Parks like Epcot and Animal Kingdom make visiting the MK more enjoyable because they bring balance. And likewise, MK makes Epcot or AK better because it allows for a slight break from the fantasy while still providing entertainment.

I dont fault people for wanting to see their favorite Marvel characters. Im excited for the Marvel fans who have been waiting for some good attractions with the characters. But people MUST realize that just because Epcot needs some updating and new attractions does not mean that Marvel is the answer just because Tony Stark was a scientist, or Captain America is a tree huger. I wanted more Star Wars attractions for 15 years, but if they had announced they were slamming them into Epcot, I would have been disappointed.

Im looking forward to the new season of The Walking Dead. Im hoping they will breathe some new life into the show. I also love West World, so does that automatically mean that they should do a mash up because there are slight tie ins that could somewhat support a narrative?

I understand what you are saying and yes, you do make good points. I've said it before and I will say it again, that I would like to see FW be redone without using IPs. But with the current direction that Disney is going with, IPs are what is driving new expansion in the parks. This would be a great opportunity to have the edutainment that Epcot is known for, all while being able to use IPs that actually make sense to the topics being spoken about. Robotics, micro organisms, time, space... all things that can use a Marvel character to drive the ride and make customers want to ride them. Disney fanatics would go on just about anything new at the moment in WDW because new attractions are so far and few between, but someone who is visiting the park for the first time or on the fence about coming back to WDW because they were "just there a year or two ago" would be driven to ride these rides because there are MARVEL characters attached to them.

Millennials are driven by whats hot NOW, and Marvel is just that, and will be for years to come. Superheroes will never go out of fashion, never go outdated, never disappear. Disney knows this, which is why Marvel was purchased. This is the never ending argument on these forums and I am sure this will spark another debate about how Marvel shouldn't be in Epcot. Looking at it in an unbiased way, it actually does make sense to include Marvel characters in Epcot, especially if they can use them for edutainment purposes.

 

[Princess Leia]

Millennials are driven by whats hot NOW, and Marvel is just that, and will be for years to come. Superheroes will never go out of fashion, never go outdated, never disappear. Disney knows this, which is why Marvel was purchased. This is the never ending argument on these forums and I am sure this will spark another debate about how Marvel shouldn't be in Epcot. Looking at it in an unbiased way, it actually does make sense to include Marvel characters in Epcot, especially if they can use them for edutainment purposes.

As a fellow millennial (who is always feeling like she has to defend her entire generation), I have to disagree a little? I grew up watching classic, older movies (seriously, my mom would take me the local university's theater to watch silent films on Sundays- some of which were not entirely appropriate for a 6 year old), and I can appreciate older things. That being said, I am a huge Marvel fan. Like you said, whether or not it should be in Epcot is an entirely separate story, but for an edutainment purpose, it's possible (if they can use the correct characters for the right reasons).
My first trip to Disney was in 1995. I don't really remember much of it since I wasn't even 3 1/2 when I went (my sister, on the other hand, has no memory since she was 17 months old). Epcot had already changed, and I can't tell you if we rode the original Journey Into Imagination. I don't know if we rode Horizons on our next trip. Or if I was ever on the World of Motion or SeaBase Alpha or the original Energy.
While my family loves Epcot, we always gravitated towards the World Showcase over Future World. FW was always like a holding pen for us. We just wanted to get to the other side of the park. I've mentioned this on other threads, but my mom has a bit of a back problem from her cheerleading days, and she also gets motion sickness. Growing up, I was always afraid that I'd get sick too, so I never went on a lot of the fast rides until my last trip (and I still didn't do all of them). My dad and sister would ride Test Track (he did Mission Space solo on one trip as well), and I'd hang out with my mom. We'd skip other attractions due to them being outdated (again, I honestly do not know if I ever stepped foot on any form of the Imagination ride- my sister and I have Figment stocking caps from the 90s that I remember my dad buying, but I also remember not knowing who the heck Figment was).
Epcot needs to update itself, but not isolate a base. It needs more edutainment attraction that aren't thrill rides. Or just more quality attractions. If they finally put some TLC into the park (update Imagination again, fix/change Energy, update Mission:Space, add rides and countries to WS), it would be a classic park. Bringing in some Marvel IP might not be the worst thing, if it is done correctly. I'm not saying that the entire FW needs to change into MarvelLand, but there are probably some IPs that could tastefully be incorporated.

 

[wdisney9000]

You make valid points as well, and I dont disagree that it would have people excited. But as you mentioned, ANYTHING right now would get people excited.

IPs are what is driving new expansion in the parks.

New expansions dont exactly create longevity, just something new.

Millennials are driven by whats hot NOW, and Marvel is just that, and will be for years to come.

Exactly, and catering to those millenials and giving them whats "hot and new" will only create a desire for them to want more "hot and new" within a year or two. So the end result would have millenial customers upset within a few years because Disney is not building a Dr Strange attraction or whatever other character is new. And also consider that just because Marvel is hot right now, does not mean Disney wont over saturate the market and kill the hype.

Looking at it in an unbiased way, it actually does make sense to include Marvel characters in Epcot, especially if they can use them for edutainment purposes.

It always comes back to the fact that it would require using fantasy. Disney has 2 parks already dedicated to that (MK and HS). Why water it down any more. Just because its easy? Just because the characters are recognizable? That doesnt exactly make it the best choice.

 

[NothingRhymeswithOrange]

Exactly, and catering to those millenials and giving them whats "hot and new" will only create a desire for them to want more "hot and new" within a year or two. So the end result would have millenial customers upset within a few years because Disney is not building a Dr Strange attraction or whatever other character is new. And also consider that just because Marvel is hot right now, does not mean Disney wont over saturate the market and kill the hype.

This point is one many people make and one that I really cannot wrap my head around. Marvel isn't an IP that will go away or fade out. Marvel has been around for decades, has a huge following globally, and is something that everyone can relate to. This isn't Stitch or something to that effect that will eventually get old. We are talking about comic book characters that have been around since the 60s/70s.

 

[The Empress Lilly]

Millennials are driven by whats hot NOW, and Marvel is just that, and will be for years to come. Superheroes will never go out of fashion, never go outdated, never disappear.

So is the argument for turning FW into Superhero McPlayland that millennials want them, or because every generation wants them because they are never outdated? And because they are hot NOW, or because they are always in fashion?

 

[Bocabear]

They go in and out of fashion in the general populace, but always popular with their fan base... Seems like 20 years ago you did not hear much about them being that hot a comodity...not that they didn't have fans in general, but it was not at the top of the list...
They are hot now...

 

[NothingRhymeswithOrange]

So is the argument for turning FW into Superhero McPlayland that millennials want them, or because every generation wants them because they are never outdated? And because they are hot NOW, or because they are always in fashion?

Superhero McPlayland is a little much, but my point is this does all of the following

a) This caters to the next generation of disney goers
b) This appeals to not only them but to everyone since this is a product that has been around for decades
c) This is an IP that is not only hot now, but has been for years and still will be for years to come
d) Most importantly, this is an IP that can be used in conjunction with the edutainment rides Epcot is known for

These are characters that 20 years from now people will still know who they are, just like Star Wars, classic Disney characters, etc.

 

[jhendrix]

I don't think it's the Millennial generation that is the one which is looking at what is "hot NOW." Millennials are more focused on quality. That sometimes (more often than not, actually) means something old, something that has already stood the test of time. Superheroes, however, do fit the bill because they have stood the test of time.

I believe it was the Baby Boomer generation which has been studied to be the first generation to embrace what's "hot now" in pop culture. And, appropriately, it's the Baby Boomers who are now in power at Disney.

 

[Spencerrr]

I really don't think EPCOT's issues is millennials...

 

[Bocabear]

I thinkit is Wall Street