Well guys, another month (and then some) has passed, so I figured it's time to provide everyone with another update on EPCOT's Project Renaissance. While information regarding new additions to Discovery World and World Showcase are forthcoming, I wanted to change my post on The Cyberspace pavilion to provide more details. That update is below.
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Upon its reopening, when guests approach what once was the golden dome housing
Body Wars and
Cranium Command, they’ll instead discover a light blue dome now known as
The Cyberspace: a brand-new pavilion dedicated to the mysteries and wonders of the World Wide Web. Hosted by Wreck-it Ralph and Vanellope, The Cyberspace is heavily influenced by
Ralph Breaks the Internet, and is sort of an IP dumping ground for the park (not unlike the upcoming
Play Pavilion).
Entering the pavilion, guests find themselves at EPCOT Computer Central (ECC), where they are informed that they are going to be “digitized.” They are funneled into DigiPods, transformed into pure information, and sent rocketing into the ECC’s Wi-Fi router. From there, guests can explore the excitement of the World Wide Web, replicated as a train terminal located within an internet city (see
Figure 2).
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The DigiPods work exactly as the Resistance Transport does in Rise of the Resistance’s preshow.
Figure 1: Entering the pavilion, guests find themselves inside at EPCOT Computer Central (resembling the internet router from 'Ralph Breaks the Internet'), and are led by Ralph and Vanellope to DigiPods that take them to the Internet World.
Much like the EPCOT’s future
Play Pavilion, The Cyberspace features a variety of exhibits and games for guests to explore and enjoy. Though most of the exhibits are based on Disney properties such as
The Incredibles or
Big Hero 6, the pavilion also features shows and activities sponsored by various Social Media and computer companies such as Facebook and Apple. Perhaps an exhibit sponsored by Facebook stresses Social Media etiquette, while Apple provides information on Apple Fitness+ and the ways in which technology can assist with exercise.
Figure 2: Concept art depicting the terminal / hub where Ralph and Vanellope first arrive at the Internet provides an example of what the pavilion's interior will look like.
At the pavilion’s center stands ‘The Search Bar,’ hosted by fictional search engine
KnowsMore. Here, an LCI KnowsMore animatronic interacts with and greets guests, always trying to complete their sentences and search queries. Additionally, as guests make their way through the pavilion, they’ll encounter Spamley and his gang of Pop Up Advertisers, which randomly appear and troll guests with memes, advertisements, etc.
Figures 3 & 4: KnowsMore and Spamley are two of the LCI animatronic figures that populate the pavilion and interact with guests.
Three “major” attractions (one B-ticket, a C-ticket, and an E-ticket) are found within the Cyberspace pavilion, including 1)
The Disney Princess Academy, 2)
Ralph Tours the Internet and 3)
Tron Lightcycle Power Race. The entrance to each attraction is marked by a separate “marquee” within the larger Internet Terminal (similar to the image seen in
Figure 5).
Figure 5: Each attraction features its own entrance within the larger pavilion, marked by a "marquee" unique to the franchise upon which the attraction is based. Think the Animation Building at Disney's California Adventure.
The Disney Princess Academy
Located underneath a pink castle-marquee, the B-ticket,
Disney Princess Academy, is an interactive show hosted by an animatronic Vanellope in which she helps the Princesses find “Happily Ever After” outside of their fairytale worlds.
Ralph Tours the Internet
A C-ticket dark ride, guests enter
Ralph Tours the Internet through a monorail station (as seen in
Play Pavilion concept art) and join Ralph/Vanellope on a tour through Internet City. Vehicles are made up of 4 cars, seating 2-3 across—with each train of cars designed to look like mini-monorails.
Tron Lightcycle Power Race
Finally, moving out of the Magic Kingdom and into EPCOT comes the park's first ever roller coaster:
Tron Lightcycle Power Race. Located beneath a marquee designed to resemble Flynn’s Arcade from the
Tron movies, this upgraded version of the Shanghai Disney/Magic Kingdom ride features two dueling coaster tracks—one side blue, the other yellow—each battling one another in a race that could mean life or death.
Unlike current versions of the roller coaster, the new
Tron features no outdoor segments; the entire ride is located within a show building to maintain the illusion of being inside “The Grid.” To hide the massive show building required for the new attraction (*cough* unlike Cosmic Rewind *cough*) , half of the coaster will actually be located underground in a massive basement. The upper portion of the show building will feature a canopy similar to the show buildings in SDL and MK, albeit slightly modified to blend with the light blue dome of The Cyberspace pavilion. At night, the dome and canopy glow, filtering through various shades of purple and blue lights.
I wish I had the time to post on a more regular basis, but as the new year begins, things are getting busier than ever!