EPCOT: Project Renaissance

[comics101]

“If we can bring together the technical know-how of American industry and the creative imagination of the Disney organization, I believe we can build a community that more people will talk about and come to look at than any other area in the world.” – Walt Disney

What is EPCOT? Disney once referred to the park as “Walt Disney’s greatest dream.” It’s opening marked “The Dawn of a New Disney Era,” and showed the world that the theme park concept pioneered by Walt and his Imagineers can be so much more than places fantasy and amusement—they can be centers of learning, monuments to understanding, and symbols of hope.

With the middle of the 21st Century fast approaching, The Walt Disney Company faces a choice: Does it allow EPCOT to become an ordinary theme park with attractions that, while fun, could be found at any amusement resort around the world? Or does it embrace Walt Disney’s final dream? Does the company use EPCOT to inspire a world mired in cynicism and gloom? Does Disney reinvent and reinforce the EPCOT-brand and use it to create a new line of features and products that enable people from all over the world to learn and grow? Does EPCOT become the symbol of hope that it was once intended to be?

When redesigning EPCOT for the 21st Century, the park’s path forward can be found in EPCOT Center’s dedication, presented by former Walt Disney Productions Chairman and Chief Executive Officer E. Cardon Walker:

EPCOT is inspired by Walt Disney’s creative vision. Here, human achievements are celebrated through imagination, wonders of enterprise and concepts of a future that promises new and exciting benefits for all.
May EPCOT Center entertain, inform and inspire and, above all, may it instill a new sense of belief and pride in man’s ability to shape a world that offers hope to people everywhere.

E. Cardon Walker
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
Walt Disney Productions
October 24, 1982

There are 4 key principles offered in EPCOT Center’s dedication upon which the new EPCOT should be built:

• Entertain
• Inform
• Inspire
• Offer hope

With a focus on these principles, the park’s goal becomes clear, and its theme is reestablished. In the coming days and weeks, the EPCOT of my imagination will come to life in 3 phases. As we explore the park, please keep in mind that current EPCOT plans have no bearing on my own—this is purely a blue sky/”what if” project—cost is not a factor, nor are the desires of current Disney management/branding practices.

Before beginning, a quick note on the use of IP at EPCOT:
I have never been an EPCOT Center-purist. While EPCOT should be a place of hope and inspiration, it is also a Disney theme park, and the use of Disney characters and properties is natural. With that said, the IP included in the EPCOT of my imagination is used because it enhances the park’s overall theme and helps to accomplish its mission. There won’t be princesses featured in “World Nature,” or a trip through the galaxy with a group of misfit super heroes in “World Discovery.” At EPCOT, IP is only used when it can either entertain, inform, inspire, or offer hope.

So, without further ado, allow me to present the EPCOT Renaissance!

~PHASE 1~
Dreamers Plaza

Figure 1 The never-built WestCOT VenturePort shares much in common with EPCOT's Dreamers Plaza

The park’s entrance plaza is redesigned to celebrate civilization’s progress through mankind’s 12,000+ year journey. Gone is the sterile, cold concrete design of the current entrance plaza. Guests now enter through a lush and vibrant oasis, full of water features and rockwork. Throughout Dreamer’s Plaza, tributes to some of the world’s most significant historical leaders, inventors, and innovators are featured; “Dreamers and Doers,” as Walt liked to call them.

Who exactly is chosen for the tributes found in Dreamer’s Plaza? While specific names are listed, most prominent are a series of statues lining the outside edge of the plaza that are dedicated to the characteristics of the dreamers represented (similar to the 12 statues found in The American Adventure Theatre).

Some traits include:

• Communication
• Dedication
• Discipline
• Empathy
• Focus
• Integrity
• Resilience
• Vision

Although statues and busts of specific dreamers can be found throughout the area, the tributes to the men and women Dreamer’s Plaza is dedicated to are largely represented by paving stones and plaques, in a manner similar to Inventor’s Circle between what was Innoventions West and Imagination:

Figure 2 Inventor's Circle, courtesy of BlogMickey.com

The original EPCOT Center entrance fountain in front of Spaceship Earth is removed, replaced with a statue depicting Walt Disney from a scene in his 1966 E.P.C.O.T. film. A pond and garden surround the base of the statue.

Figure 3 The image on which Walt's EPCOT statue is based.

As mentioned previously, much of the concrete that composed the original structures of EPCOT’s Entrance Plaza are removed, replaced with sleek white structures intertwined with rockwork and nature. Indeed, many of the structures have been built into the new entrance’s rocky terrain. In addition to the tribute plaques and stones mentioned above, as guests explore the caverns and crevices of the entrance, they can find names and images carved into the stone.

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To be continued...

 

[MickeyMouse10]

I wish that the people running the company could remember this. Epcot is supposed to be more than just "a run of the mill" theme park.

 

[DisneyManOne]

I've been updating my own EPCOT ideas, as I intend to do a "final" Mirror Walt Disney World next year to mark one year since the big 5-0. I still intend to keep a few IPs in there (Ratatouille stays in France, for example), but I still want to stay true to EPCOT (as a park)'s original intent. I even intend to include the new World Celebration, World Discovery and World Nature districts, but with more of a feng shui aspect; with each district containing four pavilions each. Do you think this would help the districts, aesthetically?

 

[comics101]

I've been updating my own EPCOT ideas, as I intend to do a "final" Mirror Walt Disney World next year to mark one year since the big 5-0. I still intend to keep a few IPs in there (Ratatouille stays in France, for example), but I still want to stay true to EPCOT (as a park)'s original intent. I even intend to include the new World Celebration, World Discovery and World Nature districts, but with more of a feng shui aspect; with each district containing four pavilions each. Do you think this would help the districts, aesthetically?

It is entirely possible that you're able to organize World's Celebration, Discovery, and Nature in a way that I would like. I'm definitely interested in seeing the end result of your re-imagining of the park.

Personally, I really dislike the asymmetrical manner in which Imagineers are changing what once was Future World. From the demolition of Innoventions West, to the ways in which the "new" lands are divided, to the towering GOTG warehouse--all of this makes EPCOT appear very lopsided and off.
Additionally, the "new" lands feel arbitrary--it's pretty obvious that Disney built the attractions first, and then attempted to draw lines around them in an effort to create a semblance of a cohesive theme. That's not really how theme parks should be developed though--the theme of an area should be determined first, then the attractions that make up that area can be determined based upon that theme.

Until the debut of World's Celebration, Discovery, and Nature, each pavilion acted as its own "land." Future World very loosely tied the pavilions together into a greater concept, but by and large, Imagination had very little to do with Energy, which really didn't relate well to Health. "Future World" was a showcase for the themes that each individual pavilion were built on.


Ultimately, I suppose this is a long-winded way of saying that, yes, I do think arranging the lands so that 4 pavilions are in each section would help the feel of the park, and I'm certainly interested in seeing your feng shui idea brought to life.

 

[comics101]

What to do with Future World?
Disney’s desire to move the park away from being about the future is understandable, from an investment standpoint. Technology and culture change at a faster rate than construction equipment moves, and what once felt “futuristic” and modern can quickly become dated and stale.

With that said, dividing Future World into 3 separate lands is a convoluted solution to a rather easy-to-solve problem. World’s Celebration, Discovery, and Nature ruin the simplicity and elegance of Future World’s design by creating arbitrary lines that have very little actual meaning or definition. What do comic books, video games, space travel, and transportation have to do with Discovery? How does one get Celebration out of Moana, a beer garden, and the Imagination Institute?

Instead of drawing lines through the park in an attempt to unify pavilions that have little in common, the new EPCOT will embrace the “World’s Fair” aesthetic of Future World, and the park will continue to be a showcase for ideas and real-world concepts. In the EPCOT of my imagination, Future World becomes Discovery World, a place of knowledge and scientific advancement; where human achievement is celebrated and where the dreamers of tomorrow are equipped to change the world today.

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More to come...

 

[comics101]

As guests pass beneath Spaceship Earth towards Discovery World’s center, the forest of Dreamers Plaza give way to lush gardens more contained and cultivated. The rockwork in this area is less cavernous and no longer towers over guests.

The area formerly known as Innoventions Plaza has made way for VenturePort, a name borrowed from Disneyland’s WestCOT.

But why VenturePort? What exactly does this new name mean for the park?
To better understand that, let’s look to the definitions of the two words composing the name of EPCOT’s new land:

Venture –
1: to go somewhere that is unknown, dangerous, etc
3: Destiny, fortune, or change
(Source: Merriam-Webster)

Port –
Noun (1) 2a: a harbor town or city where ships may take on or discharge cargo
Noun (2) 5: a hardware interface by which a computer is connected to another device (such as a printer, a mouse, or another computer)
(Source: Merriam-Webster)

Thus, the name VenturePort is chosen to represent the center of the new EPCOT because it is here that the park's visitors begin their adventure into "the unknowns" of Discovery World. At VenturePort, guests shop and dine before departing for their day of discovery at EPCOT. Additionally, all roads from VenturePort lead to a place where guests discover Mankind’s destiny; where they gain knowledge and realize their ability to determine the direction of our world. Lastly, VenturePort is the “hardware” connecting EPCOT’s themes into one coherent whole.

In addition to the lush, new garden-scapes that make up VenturePort, the concrete of all 4 Communicore/Innoventions buildings have been removed, and in their place stand several new structures, each sleek and white, and each appearing to have been synthesized with the environment surrounding them.

In place of Innoventions northwest (the building closest to SSE/The Seas) stands two new structures, modeled after the villa concept seen in Figure 1 and in Figure 2, designed for an area near Seville, Spain.

Figure 1: Futuristic Villa concept designed by Mohanad Albasha

Figure 2: Futuristic villa concept designed by Mohanad Albasha, from the rear.

The smaller of the two structures stands nearest to SSE and houses EPCOT’s new Starbucks location. Dubbed “The Experimental Prototype CAFÉ of Tomorrow,” this location is an homage to Walt’s original EPCOT City. Everything about the new Starbucks hearkens back to Walt’s EPCOT plans—even the shape of the structure; round—EPCOT City was radial and based entirely on a hub and spoke layout. The circle theme continues inside of "EPCafeOT", with the shape of the counter, the light fixtures, the tables, etc. Inside, concept art of Walt's city fills the walls along with quotes detailing the wonders that E.P.C.O.T. could have been.

The larger of the two structures is home to the EPCOT Character Expo. Themed as a quasi-futuristic science fair, here guests can meet science-based Disney characters like Wall-E and EVE, Baymax and Hiro, and Ludwig Von Drake. In the queue area, Tom Morrow 3.0 (based on Innoventions’ former mascot, Tom Morrow 2.0) welcomes guests to the Expo and keeps them entertained as they wait to meet their favorite characters.

At the EPCOT Character Expo, guests expecting to find a series of run-of-the-mill meet and greets are sure to be surprised upon discovering that at the Character Expo, the magic of EPCOT brings characters to life.

• Wall-E and EVE are a part of Disney's Living Character Initiative; they're animatronics that can interact with guests, as seen in Figure 3 and Figure 4. In an ideal world, they'd be durable enough to allow guests to touch and hug them, however I'm not sure whether or not the technology exists to withstand such wear and tear.
• Baymax and Hiro provide guests a special demonstration of a new technology that Hiro has been developing.
• With Ludwig Von Drake, guests join a science experiment gone bonkers. This particular M&G is essentially an interactive special effects showstopper. Drake too is able to interact with guests, as he can talk like Mickey used to in the Town Square theatre.

Figure 3: Propmaker Mike Senna posing with his working replicas of Wall-E and EVE for Adam Savage's 'Tested:'
(Side note: See 'Tested's' interview with Senna here.)

Figure 4: A family poses with Senna's Wall-E and EVE replicas at a Bonita Valley Community Church event.


***Important to note is that the above images do not represent the actual size of VenturePort's new buildings. Obviously they would need to be much larger in order to accommodate the number of guests visiting EPCOT every day. The images are merely meant to suggest the overall style and aesthetic of VenturePort.

 

[comics101]

Taking the spot of Innoventions southwest (once occupied by the Fountainview Café) is an all new version of Walt Disney’s Carousel of Progress, relocated from the Magic Kingdom and upgraded for the 21st Century. The basic premise of the show remains, however the show now opens in the 1920’s, with each scene’s setting occurring 30 years after the previous scene; Act 2 occurs during the 1950’s, while Act 3 takes place in the 1980’s. As the theatre rotates to the show’s finale room, the curtains rise to reveal a brief clip of Walt’s EPCOT film:

“But the most exciting, by far the most important part of our Florida project—in fact, the heart of everything we’ll be doing in Disney World—will be our experimental prototype city of tomorrow. We call it E.P.C.O.T.; Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow.” – Walt Disney

The screen then rises, revealing the Carousel family enjoying each other’s company in a retro-future living room at Christmas. Through the window behind them stands the 30-story Cosmopolitan Hotel planned for E.P.C.O.T.’s center. The family would discuss the many wonders and joys found in Walt’s “living blueprint of the future” before challenging the audience create their own Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow.

Aesthetically, the Carousel pavilion continues the sleek, white color scheme discussed in the previous post. The building itself is composed of many different circles, similar to the Clamart Children’s Library seen in Figure 1 and in Figure 2, located in Clamart, France.

Figure 1: The Clamart Children’s Library, designed by architects of the Artelier de Montrouge architecture agency.

Figure 2: An architectural rendering of Clamart's Children's Library.

The circular buildings are surrounded by a semi-circular garden and water features, maintaining the symmetry of Discovery World’s center.

I think I'd like to see Discovery World's premier restaurant located on a second-level within the pavilion, however I'm not exactly sure what it's theme/name would be. Maybe something like, "The Overlook Restaurant"--something that gives the impression of offering amazing, 360 degree views of EPCOT.

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To be continued...

 

[DisneyManOne]

Taking the spot of Innoventions southwest (once occupied by the Fountainview Café) is an all new version of Walt Disney’s Carousel of Progress, relocated from the Magic Kingdom and upgraded for the 21st Century. The basic premise of the show remains, however the show now opens in the 1920’s, with each scene’s setting occurring 30 years after the previous scene; Act 2 occurs during the 1950’s, while Act 3 takes place in the 1980’s. As the theatre rotates to the show’s finale room, the curtains rise to reveal a brief clip of Walt’s EPCOT film:

“But the most exciting, by far the most important part of our Florida project—in fact, the heart of everything we’ll be doing in Disney World—will be our experimental prototype city of tomorrow. We call it E.P.C.O.T.; Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow.” – Walt Disney

The screen then rises, revealing the Carousel family enjoying each other’s company in a retro-future living room at Christmas. Through the window behind them stands the 30-story Cosmopolitan Hotel planned for E.P.C.O.T.’s center. The family would discuss the many wonders and joys found in Walt’s “living blueprint of the future” before challenging the audience create their own Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow.

Aesthetically, the Carousel pavilion continues the sleek, white color scheme discussed in the previous post. The building itself is composed of many different circles, similar to the Clamart Children’s Library seen in Figure 1 and in Figure 2, located in Clamart, France.

View attachment 599355
Figure 1: The Clamart Children’s Library, designed by architects of the Artelier de Montrouge architecture agency.

View attachment 599356
Figure 2: An architectural rendering of Clamart's Children's Library.

The circular buildings are surrounded by a semi-circular garden and water features, maintaining the symmetry of Discovery World’s center.

I think I'd like to see Discovery World's premier restaurant located on a second-level within the pavilion, however I'm not exactly sure what it's theme/name would be. Maybe something like, "The Overlook Restaurant"--something that gives the impression of offering amazing, 360 degree views of EPCOT.

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To be continued...

I really like the idea of moving Carousel of Progress to the center of EPCOT. However, part of me wonders what could be done if a new version of Horizons opened in the center of EPCOT instead. In my idea, this would replace the southeastern quadrant of Innoventions (Mouse Gear), and be updated biannually to keep in date with the various advances not only in technology, but in how life is lived. Also, I feel that since Horizons was basically an amalgamation of all of Future World's themes, I feel that its placement in the center of Future World -- or rather, Discovery World -- would be all the more fitting, instead of just having it be off to the side.

Oh, and as for what replaces Horizons in its original space in my ideas -- well, basically, the original concept for what would become Mission: SPACE, complete with repurposed Horizons building and giant space station.

 

[comics101]

I really like the idea of moving Carousel of Progress to the center of EPCOT. However, part of me wonders what could be done if a new version of Horizons opened in the center of EPCOT instead. In my idea, this would replace the southeastern quadrant of Innoventions (Mouse Gear), and be updated biannually to keep in date with the various advances not only in technology, but in how life is lived. Also, I feel that since Horizons was basically an amalgamation of all of Future World's themes, I feel that its placement in the center of Future World -- or rather, Discovery World -- would be all the more fitting, instead of just having it be off to the side.

Oh, and as for what replaces Horizons in its original space in my ideas -- well, basically, the original concept for what would become Mission: SPACE, complete with repurposed Horizons building and giant space station.

Actually, it's interesting that you mention this--initially, I toyed with converting the Carousel of Progress into a sort of quasi-Horizons, where each scene takes place during a different "future that never was." The new version of the attraction would have been called something like, "The Carousel of Futures," or "The Carousel of Yesterday's Tomorrow."

In this version, Father would present all the wonders of the future that the Carousel Family inhabited as if they had actually come to pass. I imagined an 1890's Jules Verne future, a 1920's Art Deco future, a 1950's Jetsons-style future, a 1980's "Back to the Future"-style future, and the finale remaining largely the same as described in the post above, taking place in Walt's EPCOT city.

Ultimately, I decided to move away from this concept due to changing Future World into Discovery World. I wanted to pay tribute to the 1964 World's Fair and the World's Fair atmosphere that EPCOT was built upon.


As for what will become of Mission: Space/the Space Pavilion? I'll save that for a later post...

 

[comics101]

As guests make their way to the former home of Innoventions East, they’ll find a massive new structure home to several different attractions. Modeled after a house designed by the Russian design firm Niko Architect (seen in Figure 1), the structure rises out of an artificial hill, emphasizing EPCOT’s new garden environment and the importance of finding the right balance between nature and industry. With walls composed almost entirely of glass and a roof full of skylights, natural light floods the interior of the northeast VenturePort building in a way that was never allowed at Innoventions.

Figure 1: A Moscow house designed by Russian design firm Niko Architect.

Open and airy on the inside, the interior looks something like a futuristic mall, as seen in Figure 2. The bulk of the first floor is taken up by EPCOT’s new flagship store, the Discovertorium. Here, guests find not only Disney-based merchandise, but also a new line of EPCOT products designed to inspire children and adults to discover the wonders of science and of the universe. Also occupying space on the first floor is the iCreamery, a new ice cream parlor designed in coordination with Apple, where guests use iPads (and Siri) to place their orders. The tables at the iCreamery are custom giant iPads that allow guests to learn and play while enjoying their frozen treat.

Figure 2: A rendering of an expansion to the 360 Mall in Kuwait, designed by architectural firm CallisonRTKL.

Two attractions are found on the second story of “VenturePort northeast:” Club Cool by Coca Cola and The Walt Disney Imagineering Labs. Club Cool is essentially unchanged from its current incarnation, while The Walt Disney Imagineering Labs is a new attraction full of interactive exhibits on the design and science of the attractions of Disney Parks. At the WDI labs, guests encounter interactive displays on Story & Theme, Layout & Landscape, Physics, Engineering, and Animatronics. By the end of their experience, guests will have created their own attractions, characters, and more! In addition, through the magic of Virtual Reality, guests will have the opportunity to experience their attraction as though it actually exists in one of Disney's Parks around the world.

 

[comics101]

Replacing MouseGear and the buildings of Innoventions “southeast” are the TED Talks Forum, an interactive exhibit space created in partnership with TED Conferences LLC, and Bot’s Diner, EPCOT’s newest quick service eatery. The TED Talks Forum offers guests the opportunity to learn from the world’s foremost experts in various fields of science, culture, and academics. At stations throughout the exhibit space, TED Talks are presented with supplemental information and videos that include step-by-step instructions for various crafts, projects, and life experiences.

In addition to the VenturePort exhibit space, The Walt Disney Company, EPCOT, and TED Conferences LLC are proud to announce that the park is becoming home to one of the largest TED Conferences in the world: The EPCOT TEDFest. An annual event, during TEDFest the TED Talks Forum exhibits make way for the construction of a TED Theater (Figure 1) in which scientists, professors, students, business leaders, and topical experts from around the world share ideas and discoveries with each other and guests in an open exchange of thought and information.

Figure 1: The Ted Theater. Designed by Rockwell Group for TED's 30th Anniversary at the Vancouver Convention Centre, the temporary theater was created to be constructed in 5-days and dismantled in 3.

Next to the TED Talks Forum sits Bot’s Diner, Discovery World’s new quick service location. Themed as a roadside diner and full of retro-future googie design elements, Bot’s Diner is the most unique of all of the buildings at VenturePort. Complete with a black and white checkered floor and a silver, linoleum-lined countertop, what make’s Bot’s unique isn’t its retro décor or its food, but its waitstaff, which is comprised entirely of Robots. The robots follow magnetic strips in the floor which guide them to the correct table, seen in Figure 2. In addition to robot servers, guests can take a peek into “the kitchen” to see a a group of robotic chefs “preparing their food” (Figure 3).

Figure 2: The robot staff of Harbin, China's "Robot Restaurant."

Figure 3: A robotic chef prepares food for diners at Foodom in Guangzhou, China, the first fully-robotic restaurant in the world. At EPCOT, to save on costs, robotic chefs only appear to be preparing guest's food.

As mentioned previously, Bot’s Diner will bring a googie diner aesthetic to VenturePort. While the structure will still largely be white, a series of neon blue and pink lights will bring a splash of color to the area, particularly at night. The same is true of the interior; bright neon lights will bring color to the walls of the diner, similar to the design of the diner interior by Denny Busyet in Figure 4 and in Figure 5's "Diner Vibes" by ashe101ashe on Reddit.

Figure 4: "Cocktails And Dreams" by Denny Busyet. Originally posted to Dribbble.

Figure 5: "Diner Vibes" by ashe101ashe. Originally shared on Reddit.
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To be continued...

 

[comics101]

Before departing VenturePort for the rest of EPCOT’s Discovery World, the final feature to discuss is the all-new Fountain of Nations. The fountain is given a state-of-the-art upgrade that could only be achieved by Walt Disney Imagineering. **Using the “water curtain” that debuted at New York City's LaGuardia Airport in late-2020 as inspiration (see Figures 1 and 2), EPCOT’s new Fountain of Nations will be able to create various geometric shapes (stars, circles, squares) within sheets of water that are shot into the air, all to a brand-new musical score. At dusk, the fountain show takes on an entirely new dimension, as it becomes a quasi-World of Color-like production, with a series of multi-colored lights illuminating the streams of water as they burst into the sky, along with various images and video clips projected onto water screens.

**Important to note, the "water curtain" at LaGuardia Airport streams water from the ceiling, while EPCOT's new Fountain of Nations will shoot water from a fountain located on the ground. I have no idea if this technology exists just yet, but I imagine it is something that WDI would have to create from whole-cloth.

In addition to the new show, the Fountain of Nation's aesthetics are also changing to better fit VenturePort's new theming. The fountain itself will now be perfectly round, rather than in the shape of an oval. A silver orb sits at its center, from which a single beam of water is shot into the air. Black marble forms the base of the fountain, as well as the area surrounding it, creating a viewing area from which guests can watch the show. When the fountain show is not running, the water inside of the fountain swirls clockwise, creating a massive vortex surrounding the orb. The vortex, of course, ceases its rotation shortly before shows begin playing. Hopefully in the near future, I'll have time to take pencil to paper and sketch out a better idea of the Fountain of Nations' new appearance.

Figure 1: LaGuardia Airport's new water feature, located in Terminal B, projecting a Tyrannosaurus Rex onto the water.

Figure 2: The sorts of geometric shapes and swirls that can be created by LaGuardia Airport's water feature.

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More to come...

 

[MickeyMouse10]

Great job, I love the idea for your robot restaurant. It's similar to the one I had in another Epcot thread.

 

[comics101]

As VenturePort continues take shape, two other projects have begun construction during "Phase One" of EPCOT's Renaissance; one in the recently rechristened Discovery World and one in World Showcase.

In Discovery World, a new adventure is about to begin at the former home of The Universe of Energy--though one that doesn't include a walking-tree and wise-cracking raccoon. Instead, Ellen's Energy Adventure has been closed to make room for Cosmos: A Journey through the Universe. Hosted by astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson and based on his hit National Geographic specials Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey and Cosmos: Possible Worlds, Cosmos: A Journey through the Universe takes elements of The Universe of Energy and combines them with Soarin’ to create a massive multi-sensory dark ride unlike anything Disney has ever done before.

Figure 1: An advertisement for Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey, hosted by astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson.

While I have a rough concept of what the attraction should be, I’m light on specifics. In part that’s because much of the ride would need to be designed alongside deGrasse Tyson and is somewhat dependent on the story that he wants to tell. Regardless, on Cosmos, guests will be present for the very moment that the Big Bang occurs and will experience (via time lapse thanks to deGrasse Tyson’s Ship of Imagination) the very creation of the universe. Imagine witnessing the beginning of time right before your eyes; the very explosion of energy that brought about the creation of everything that surrounds you. That sounds rather thrilling, doesn’t it? Not thrilling in a cheap, carnie/roller coaster way, but thrilling in a way that only Disney can create—or at least, in a way that Disney used to be able to create. The hope is that with Cosmos: A Journey through the Universe, WDI proves to guests and the world that theme park rides don’t have to take riders' breath away using g-force and can instead leave one speechless through beauty and awe.

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To be continued...

 

[MickeyMouse10]

Sounds great, what current Disney execs don't get is you can still "Entertain and Educate". This is the true meaning and theme of Epcot that they've seemed to forgotten.

 

[comics101]

Sounds great, what current Disney execs don't get is you can still "Entertain and Educate". This is the true meaning and theme of Epcot that they've seemed to forgotten.

Totally agree, you and I are 100% on the same page. Entertain, inform, inspire, and offer hope: the core elements of EPCOT's theme was beautifully laid out by E. Cardon Walker and should be adhered to today. Those four principles are what make EPCOT, EPCOT!

Edit: And we old-school EPCOT Center fans need to understand that it's okay to achieve those core elements through the use of established IP, such as Wall-E and others that I'll introduce to pavilions in the coming days and weeks. What's important is that those elements shine through the attractions created for the park. That's what the current direction of EPCOT is missing and why, upon its completion in 2022/2023, the park will feel muddled and lost, much like Disney's Hollywood Studios.

 

[comics101]

Meanwhile, in World Showcase, walls have sprouted up around The Outpost and the great pyramids of Giza have begun to rise in its place. That’s right, the latest addition to EPCOT’s World Showcase is the Arab Republic of Egypt: home of the world’s first great empire; bridge between old world and new.

Much like the Morocco pavilion, Egypt is composed of a variety of courtyards and market streets that crisscross one another, creating the illusion of depth and beckoning guests further inside. Upon entry, guests are transported to the hustle and bustle of a marketplace based on present-day Cairo and Alexandria. A variety of boutique shopping experiences and stands line the interior of the pavilion, composed largely of goods and souvenirs native to Egypt. Two restaurants, one full-service, the other quick-service, serve a variety of delicacies commonly found in Egypt (and similar to that of other nations found along the Mediterranean and in the Middle East). Also located in the marketplace area is a museum from which ancient mummies and artifacts can be displayed. Connected to the museum is a theater, which plays An Ancient Legacy, an 8-minute film exploring the history of Egypt and the importance of the nation’s contributions to our world today.

The pavilion’s major draw, its dark ride, is called Journey to the Afterlife. Located towards the back of the pavilion, guests enter the queue through the gateway of two ancient pylons. Winding their way through the ruins of ancient Egypt, guests eventually find a rickety boat dock on the banks of the Nile River. Once boarded, the boat transports guests past scenes and dioramas depicting a Pharaoh’s ascension to Aaru, the heavenly paradise of the Egyptian god Osiris.

Figure 1: An example of what the boats guests board might look like on "Journey to the Afterlife."

The attraction begins as guests float down the Nile towards several ancient structures—the great pyramids of Giza looming large in the background. Slowly, as boats pass the ruins, hieroglyphics detailing the mummification process begin to come to life, and a narrator’s voice fills the room and explains the significance of mummification in Ancient Egyptian life. Continuing on, guests notice that the ruins begin to change appearance. No longer are the structures surrounding guests ruinous; instead they have become new again, as guests are transported more than 3,000 years into the past, to an era when Egypt ruled the earth.

It’s a period of mourning for the people of Egypt as they have discovered the death of their great and powerful Pharaoh (a fact established through narration). After passing a scene depicting a funeral processional, guests enter a temple and discover priests and embalmers preparing the pharaoh’s body for mummification. From here, guests join the spirit of the Pharaoh as he makes his way through his tomb and to Aaru on his Journey to the Afterlife. They’ll witness chambers full of treasures and gold, pass a series of traps and snares designed to capture evil spirits (and grave robbers), and even greet the Egyptian gods that guard the path to eternal life.

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To be continued...

 

[DisneyManOne]

I honestly think one could get a similarly-educational experience while still maintaining the roller-coaster aspect. The Cosmic Rewind concept still intrigues me, and I feel that if the energy themes were applied to that coaster, you'd get a stronger experience. Then again, in my own ideas, World of Motion stays open, so a need for a big thrill ride to draw attention over to that side of the park would be more appreciated there.

 

[Mickeynerd17]

The Cosmic Rewind concept still intrigues me, and I feel that if the energy themes were applied to that coaster, you'd get a stronger experience.

My thoughts exactly! The backwards launch could be a "big bang" sequence with a rush through energy particles in the main building. Not sure how the preshows would factor into that but it would be a really cool idea!

 

[comics101]

I honestly think one could get a similarly-educational experience while still maintaining the roller-coaster aspect. The Cosmic Rewind concept still intrigues me, and I feel that if the energy themes were applied to that coaster, you'd get a stronger experience. Then again, in my own ideas, World of Motion stays open, so a need for a big thrill ride to draw attention over to that side of the park would be more appreciated there.

My thoughts exactly! The backwards launch could be a "big bang" sequence with a rush through energy particles in the main building. Not sure how the preshows would factor into that but it would be a really cool idea!

I think that's a super fair point, and you're both right in saying that a roller coaster could fit the "education/discovery" theme that's been established for this thread's version of EPCOT. I so wish that instead of Cosmic Rewind, WDI had pursued an Energy-themed coaster, or even a "Big Bang" roller coaster--it could have been incredible, particularly given how amazing the effects and show scenes used for Cosmic Rewind are likely to be. I have little doubt GOTG: CR will be a great attraction, it's just in the wrong park.

With all of that said, there is a myth persisting amongst Disney fans that claims that the original EPCOT Center was too focused on "edutainment" and was therefore boring; that it failed to inspire the general public and was therefore a failure. I reject this myth. If the original EPCOT Center truly was as boring as these fans claim, then how is it that EPCOT Center continues to live on in the hearts and minds of her fans? Think about it: what other theme park has as large and devoted a fanbase as the original EPCOT Center? Which other theme park exists in which attractions that closed more than two decades ago are still as beloved as The World of Motion, the original Journey into Imagination, and Horizons? Shoot, I suspect that if tomorrow, Disney announced that next years D23 Expo were going to focus exclusively on EPCOT Center, it would be the most widely attended D23 Expo thus far--that's really saying something, given that one could argue that EPCOT Center as it was originally conceived ceased to exist beginning in 1994.

Anyway, my point is that while I agree with both of you regarding the idea of an educational roller coaster being possible, I also want to prove that a slow-moving, science-based attraction along the lines of what opened during the EPCOT Center-era can find massive success today. Disney doesn't need to construct a roller coaster to thrill the masses. All Disney needs is to use a bit of imagination and innovation and they can create a masterpiece the likes of which the theme park world has never known.

EDIT: I should also note that I have plans to introduce a roller coaster to EPCOT, and will be posting those ideas in the very near future. The coaster is intended to be a part of Phase 1 of the Renaissance Project--actually, depending on how the work day shapes up, I might be posting them as soon as this afternoon (December 8).

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Side note: @DisneyManOne, when will you be sharing your ideas for your vision of Epcot? I know that you've got the "Mirror Walt Disney World" thread, but I was wondering if you were planning on posting a separate project dedicated exclusively to the park.

Also, just want to thank you guys commenting and reading. I really appreciate your thoughts and ideas--I don't get to discuss theme parks/Imagineering very often, and am grateful that there's a community of fans out there in internet-land that's as passionate about this stuff as I am. It's fun!