Epcot in China?

[SosoDude]

I'm listening to Glen Beck on the radio right now and he is talking about spending some time ( discussing and giving input) with some Disney imagineers who have been in China working on an EPCOT style "city of tomorrow" for Shanghai. The discussion got derailed into about construction time in America and not much more info, but this is the first I've heard if this. If someone wants to hear the limited discussion, it was today, Friday, April 21 at 10:35 ( central time ). Maybe someone can pull up a stream on this audio.

 

[GiveMeTheMusic]

I'm listening to Glen Beck on the radio right now and he is talking about spending some time ( discussing and giving input) with some Disney imagineers who have been in China working on an EPCOT style "city of tomorrow" for Shanghai. The discussion got derailed into about construction time in America and not much more info, but this is the first I've heard if this. If someone wants to hear the limited discussion, it was today, Friday, April 21 at 10:35 ( central time ). Maybe someone can pull up a stream on this audio.

While I'm not sure I believe Glenn Beck would be involved in such a project, it would make sense for SDL's 2nd gate to include a World Showcase-style area, as Soaring has proven to be wildly popular since the Chinese populace as a whole is either unable to travel outside of China or just haven't done so yet.

 

[Hakunamatata]

Problem is they would get the Chinese approved interpretation of the rest of the world.

 

[Bob]

Problem is they would get the Chinese approved interpretation of the rest of the world.

Their WS would consist of China, North Korea, Cuba, Venezuela and Bolivia.

Fortunately everyone would be more than used to standing in long lines for food & drink.

 

[SosoDude]

I miss a liitle of the conversation because of a short phone call. I'm trying to find a podcast of todays show so I can report anything else said about Disney

 

[SosoDude]

Here is a link to the audio from today.

http://www.glennbeck.com/audio/

Scroll down to 4/21/17 hour 3. The part about Beck and imagineers is at around the half way point. I understand Glenn is not everyones cup of tea, but he says he has the opportunity to brainstorm with imagineers about a project in China. He says some of it is Disney related and some is not. Basically, China has enlisted Disney to help with an actual "City of Tomorrow " like Walt's original idea for EPCOT. Just thought it would be interesting for everyone on this forum.

 

[Travel Junkie]

Problem is they would get the Chinese approved interpretation of the rest of the world.

As opposed to Epcot which is the American approved interpretation of the world. American history is told through the prism of our ideology as well.

Having recently returned from China the number of misconceptions about China is staggering.

It makes sense that China would want to build an actual EPCOT style city. They are very forward thinking.

 

[Hakunamatata]

It makes sense that China would want to build an actual EPCOT style city. They are very forward thinking.

So thats what its called.

 

[No Name]

Epcot is a concept that involves a lot of control, not so much independence or privacy, futuristic technology, and naturally, progressive ideals. Maybe more like utopian ideals. A seperate kind of government was created in preperation for the planned Epcot in Florida.

If it's a theme park type of thing, like Epcot Center, well, that involves thongs such as cultural unity and world appreciation.

Withoit getting into a political argument, my point is, Glenn Beck is almost the polar opposite of all of that. I cannot, for the life of me, see why he is being asked to discuss, and similarly, what he would like about this project. Maybe he's being called in to provide a counter viewpoint (in that case, I can understand)?

He would be one of my last choices, not because I don't like him, but because I don't think he fits any Epcot project at all... theme park, city, or other.

 

[DDLand]

Thanks for sharing this!

There are a Mountain of unknowns about this anecdote. The first unknown is the definition of "Imagineer." We use it as an individual working for the entity Walt Disney Imagineering. That's the textbook definition. Problems emerge when you layer on a multitude contractors, advisors, and other third party entities. You can have a ton of people working with Walt Disney Imagineering without actually working for the Walt Disney Company. That means a certain company may be working for Disney while also working on nonDisney projects. Could these be people who have worked on Shanghai Disneyland as contractors but also other Chinese projects unrelated to Disney? We don't know. Then there's the whole thing about "once an Imagineer always an Imagineer." These people could be former employees of WDI who are now working on non Disney projects in China (a huge source of capital) but completely devoid of ties to The Walt Disney Company.

That muddies the water considerably.

The way he was talking did strongly promote the idea -in fact even said- that it was Disney involved.

I have 5 theories on what this could be:
1) Beck is misunderstanding something.
2) Disney has considerable land holdings around Shanghai Disneyland; it wouldn't be far fetched for them to do real estate development around the park. Some sort of futuristic development isn't out of the realm of imagination.
3) Outside Shanghai Disneyland, there is considerable zoning for commercial and other uses. While this wouldn't technically be "Disney," Shanghai Tourism Zone may be contracting with known master planners and maybe even WDI to develop new properties.
4) I once read Villages Nature could come to Orlando (bleh) and Shanghai. This is a hotel/residential/water park development that Disney has a joint venture in at DLP. While technically not a "city of the future," it does push green living forward and looks awesome doing it. Not out of the question.
5) This is a brand new complex that Disney and Shanghai are building to lead the world to a brighter future- honestly call me extremely skeptical.


Apparently something is happening. Better to have a heads up than not! There's also the old rumblings Park two would be Epcot, but that seems more doubtful and does not match up with what Beck said.

Shanghai Disneyland's development will be interesting to watch! Disney actually has a research lab in Shanghai studying things like Urban development, effects of urbanization on the environment, etc. I wonder if he's confusing this with an actual build.

Epcot is a concept that involves a lot of control, not so much independence or privacy, futuristic technology, and naturally, progressive ideals. Maybe more like utopian ideals. A seperate kind of government was created in preperation for the planned Epcot in Florida.

If it's a theme park type of thing, like Epcot Center, well, that involves thongs such as cultural unity and world appreciation.

Withoit getting into a political argument, my point is, Glenn Beck is almost the polar opposite of all of that. I cannot, for the life of me, see why he is being asked to discuss, and similarly, what he would like about this project. Maybe he's being called in to provide a counter viewpoint (in that case, I can understand)?

He would be one of my last choices, not because I don't like him, but because I don't think he fits any Epcot project at all... theme park, city, or other.

Interestingly, the government of RCID was designed to be completely uninvolved as possible. EPCOT was to be driven by Corporate America's innovation, drive for a better Tomorrow, and continual change. Private property would belong to corporations.

As I've said in the past, the best way to describe EPCOT would be Semi-Corporatist.

Beck is an interesting fellow who seemed to want to be Walt Disney. Build a media empire, produce incredible content, and make a timeless family brand. That was his stated ambition. Non too unambitious! He's obviously failed to do that, but his love of Walt Disney is well known. He actually purchased the 1950s Disneyland Pitch with all the original concept art and descriptions. It made waves in the Disney fan community (how I know about his Disney love).

Seems like anyone can get connections to WDI!

 

[No Name]

Thanks for sharing this!

There are a Mountain of unknowns about this anecdote. The first unknown is the definition of "Imagineer." We use it as an individual working for the entity Walt Disney Imagineering. That's the textbook definition. Problems emerge when you layer on a multitude contractors, advisors, and other third party entities. You can have a ton of people working with Walt Disney Imagineering without actually working for the Walt Disney Company. That means a certain company may be working for Disney while also working on nonDisney projects. Could these be people who have worked on Shanghai Disneyland as contractors but also other Chinese projects unrelated to Disney? We don't know. Then there's the whole thing about "once an Imagineer always an Imagineer." These people could be former employees of WDI who are now working on non Disney projects in China (a huge source of capital) but completely devoid of ties to The Walt Disney Company.

That muddies the water considerably.

The way he was talking did strongly promote the idea -in fact even said- that it was Disney involved.

I have 5 theories on what this could be:
1) Beck is misunderstanding something.
2) Disney has considerable land holdings around Shanghai Disneyland; it wouldn't be far fetched for them to do real estate development around the park. Some sort of futuristic development isn't out of the realm of imagination.
3) Outside Shanghai Disneyland, there is considerable zoning for commercial and other uses. While this wouldn't technically be "Disney," Shanghai Tourism Zone may be contracting with known master planners and maybe even WDI to develop new properties.
4) I once read Villages Nature could come to Orlando (bleh) and Shanghai. This is a hotel/residential/water park development that Disney has a joint venture in at DLP. While technically not a "city of the future," it does push green living forward and looks awesome doing it. Not out of the question.
5) This is a brand new complex that Disney and Shanghai are building to lead the world to a brighter future- honestly call me extremely skeptical.


Apparently something is happening. Better to have a heads up than not! There's also the old rumblings Park two would be Epcot, but that seems more doubtful and does not match up with what Beck said.

Shanghai Disneyland's development will be interesting to watch! Disney actually has a research lab in Shanghai studying things like Urban development, effects of urbanization on the environment, etc. I wonder if he's confusing this with an actual build.


Interestingly, the government of RCID was designed to be completely uninvolved as possible. EPCOT was to be driven by Corporate America's innovation, drive for a better Tomorrow, and continual change. Private property would belong to corporations.

As I've said in the past, the best way to describe EPCOT would be Semi-Corporatist.

Beck is an interesting fellow who seemed to want to be Walt Disney. Build a media empire, produce incredible content, and make a timeless family brand. That was his stated ambition. Non too unambitious! He's obviously failed to do that, but his love of Walt Disney is well known. He actually purchased the 1950s Disneyland Pitch with all the original concept art and descriptions. It made waves in the Disney fan community (how I know about his Disney love).

Seems like anyone can get connections to WDI!

Thanks for sharing this!

There are a Mountain of unknowns about this anecdote. The first unknown is the definition of "Imagineer." We use it as an individual working for the entity Walt Disney Imagineering. That's the textbook definition. Problems emerge when you layer on a multitude contractors, advisors, and other third party entities. You can have a ton of people working with Walt Disney Imagineering without actually working for the Walt Disney Company. That means a certain company may be working for Disney while also working on nonDisney projects. Could these be people who have worked on Shanghai Disneyland as contractors but also other Chinese projects unrelated to Disney? We don't know. Then there's the whole thing about "once an Imagineer always an Imagineer." These people could be former employees of WDI who are now working on non Disney projects in China (a huge source of capital) but completely devoid of ties to The Walt Disney Company.

That muddies the water considerably.

The way he was talking did strongly promote the idea -in fact even said- that it was Disney involved.

I have 5 theories on what this could be:
1) Beck is misunderstanding something.
2) Disney has considerable land holdings around Shanghai Disneyland; it wouldn't be far fetched for them to do real estate development around the park. Some sort of futuristic development isn't out of the realm of imagination.
3) Outside Shanghai Disneyland, there is considerable zoning for commercial and other uses. While this wouldn't technically be "Disney," Shanghai Tourism Zone may be contracting with known master planners and maybe even WDI to develop new properties.
4) I once read Villages Nature could come to Orlando (bleh) and Shanghai. This is a hotel/residential/water park development that Disney has a joint venture in at DLP. While technically not a "city of the future," it does push green living forward and looks awesome doing it. Not out of the question.
5) This is a brand new complex that Disney and Shanghai are building to lead the world to a brighter future- honestly call me extremely skeptical.


Apparently something is happening. Better to have a heads up than not! There's also the old rumblings Park two would be Epcot, but that seems more doubtful and does not match up with what Beck said.

Shanghai Disneyland's development will be interesting to watch! Disney actually has a research lab in Shanghai studying things like Urban development, effects of urbanization on the environment, etc. I wonder if he's confusing this with an actual build.


Interestingly, the government of RCID was designed to be completely uninvolved as possible. EPCOT was to be driven by Corporate America's innovation, drive for a better Tomorrow, and continual change. Private property would belong to corporations.

As I've said in the past, the best way to describe EPCOT would be Semi-Corporatist.

Beck is an interesting fellow who seemed to want to be Walt Disney. Build a media empire, produce incredible content, and make a timeless family brand. That was his stated ambition. Non too unambitious! He's obviously failed to do that, but his love of Walt Disney is well known. He actually purchased the 1950s Disneyland Pitch with all the original concept art and descriptions. It made waves in the Disney fan community (how I know about his Disney love).

Seems like anyone can get connections to WDI!

Thanks. I realize I don't know Glenn Beck well enough to have made such assumptions. On a very basic level, I don't see how he meshes well with Epcot, or with Disney, but maybe he likes the idea and admires Walt and the company for reasons I can't understand. I can't figure out what goes on in his mind, and that's not an insult, just the reality of life.

Okay, fine, that's a total insult. So I'll amend my last line to say "He would be one of my last choices, mainly because I don't like him."

But I am very interested and excited to see what comes out of this.

And Villages Nature looks great. But I can't imagine they need Glenn Beck to help with a future one of those. Center Parcs, the main company behind it, now has about 27 resorts with at least 6 in planning or under construction (though none in China), so they seem to be doing just fine on their own. Not sure what, if any, influence Disney even had on Villages Nature, except maybe choosing an English-looking name?

 

[indianajack]

Beck is a big Disney fan with a media platform, hence money and power the Disney corporation has to abide and appease. And Disney would do the same if Anderson Cooper, Rachel Maddow, etc. were fans requesting an audience with Imagineering. I'm sure the Imagineers nod their head and smile politely in front of Beck, just as they would if any super fan were "discussing projects" with them.

That said, an Epcot-style park with a Future World and World Showcase makes perfect sense for China. It is a forward looking country with a history of great contributions to science and technology, and a citizenry curious about and going out into the world.

 

[Robbiem]

I can see a revised EPCOT, maybe based on the abandoned westcot plans from Anaheim with a bit of Disneysea thrown in making a good second gate, international travel is a very aspirational thing in china & plenty of international companies would want to advertise their wares to the local population. Similarly there are plenty of Chinese companies who want to show they are big players in the worlds of technology to sponsor future world attractions

 

[tirian]

As opposed to Epcot which is the American approved interpretation of the world. American history is told through the prism of our ideology as well.

Having recently returned from China the number of misconceptions about China is staggering.

It makes sense that China would want to build an actual EPCOT style city. They are very forward thinking.

Don't they pull down their pants and pee at will?!

 

[tirian]

Thanks. I realize I don't know Glenn Beck well enough to have made such assumptions. On a very basic level, I don't see how he meshes well with Epcot, or with Disney, but maybe he likes the idea and admires Walt and the company for reasons I can't understand. I can't figure out what goes on in his mind, and that's not an insult, just the reality of life.

Okay, fine, that's a total insult. So I'll amend my last line to say "He would be one of my last choices, mainly because I don't like him."

But I am very interested and excited to see what comes out of this.

And Villages Nature looks great. But I can't imagine they need Glenn Beck to help with a future one of those. Center Parcs, the main company behind it, now has about 27 resorts with at least 6 in planning or under construction (though none in China), so they seem to be doing just fine on their own. Not sure what, if any, influence Disney even had on Villages Nature, except maybe choosing an English-looking name?

Beck is closer to Walt's ideology than most of today's fans realize. (Btw, I'm not a huge fan of Beck; I'm just pointing out that people forget how incredibly right-wing Walt himself was.)