Epcot rumor per Jim Hill...

[marni1971]

Anything that could be shared like other lost concepts you've posted?

A fully blown, modern day version of the original. Reclaim the original track. New AAs. Modern effects. A modern ride system.

There was a proposal to have load and unload in the Magic Eye theatre, having the ride use all the ground floor of the pavilion. I don't know how far the feasibility study for this went though. Seems like a stretch. This was circa 2007-8.

 

[DznyRktekt]

A fully blown, modern day version of the original. Reclaim the original track. New AAs. Modern effects. A modern ride system.

There was a proposal to have load and unload in the Magic Eye theatre, having the ride use all the ground floor of the pavilion. I don't know how far the feasibility study for this went though. Seems like a stretch. This was circa 2007-8.

And yet the decision was made to do nothing and we are still left with skunk smell to inspire our imaginations.

 

[JenniferS]

Low cost solution to get Mary Poppins into the UK pavilion- have a cast member dress up as the Bird Woman, designate a bench for her, and have her sing 'Feed the Birds' at different hours. Then she could sell bird seed, and the proceeds could go to endangered bird life protection or something.

I'm pretty sure Disney is doing everything they can to discourage feeding the wildlife in and around the parks and resorts.

The birds are cheeky enough. Some are downright aggressive.

 

[2351metalcloud]

Anyone notice that the conversation is veering toward the premise of inserting IPs into WS? What happened to the consternation over GOTG in FW where that IP didn't fit the theme? I'm conflicted. On the one hand, FW needs some love especially Energy and Imagination. I don't really know what is the best thing there. On the other hand, I want WS to be more about the countries than IPs. I didn't mind character M&Gs so much and Three Callaberos is so old, I never really thought of it as an IP. But once Frozen was put in, the precedent was really set. Now it's all about what is the best IP to shoehorn into a specific country pavilion. Sigh. . .

Nowadays, people can easily find HD videos on the internet of people exploring the same places. You can even find plenty of guided tours on the internet of places on the World Showcase. It might not be long before you can experience walking around these places in HD 360 videos using VR sets. It can be hard to compete with someone being easily able to see a huge real place on video with a small themed area of land.

There isn't quite the same competition with imaginary places like an Alice in Wonderland area, a futuristic area or an area with currently copyrighted characters. Although, there are futuristic video games that can be very immersive and can even use VR technology.

 

[Haymarket2008]

A fully blown, modern day version of the original. Reclaim the original track. New AAs. Modern effects. A modern ride system.

There was a proposal to have load and unload in the Magic Eye theatre, having the ride use all the ground floor of the pavilion. I don't know how far the feasibility study for this went though. Seems like a stretch. This was circa 2007-8.

That is....both amazing and depressing to hear. One day...

 

[2351metalcloud]

Seems like balancing out the World Showcase on the opposite side is what would bring relief...spread the crowds out rather than concentrate them in one area... I would think a new attraction in the Canada/UK/France area would make more sense... if giving crowd relief is the goal....and there are no rides on that side to close ...so it would be an actual addition to the roster....

This would have already happened if they had built an attraction at Canada involving the movie Brother Bear. Or of course if they just made up something new for a ride near there.

Coco is an unproven IP. There's no way they'd do a full gutting for it. Plus, part of this rumor is the 2017 timeline.

They also have Gigantic coming out which is said to take place in Spain during the Age of Exploration according to Wikipedia:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gigantic_(2018_film)

There's also the tv show Sofia the First and the tv show Elena of Avalor. I guess they could find a way to work one of those or more than one of them into the area if they want. It might be easier to do for some than others.

The day they ever consider touching American Adventure, I will riot at Team Disney/Celebration/and I would even fly out to Anaheim

Well they had a 'National Treasures' section there and made movies called 'National Treasure'.

 

[Figments Friend]

What a great story! Would LOVE to see a picture of the marble mazes...

I have a photo of the small version he has on display in his home, but not scanned or uploaded anywhere for sharing at the moment.
I will make a mental note to pull it out and try to get it up here.



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[cheezbat]

He had his ideas. Ready to go as a swansong.

Dear Walt Disney company...build THIS.

You will finally hear the end of the Imagination complaints and you'll have another ride/pavillion actually helping spread out capacity.

Epcot needs this. Badly. For once do something your fans will very much appreciate, instead of further destroying this park.

Thank you.

 

[Figments Friend]

Last year I had the immense pleasure of meeting up with Tony at the D23 Expo.
We talked about the Original 'Journey' and how sorely it is missed.
I also told him there are thousands of people eagerly awaiting the return of a imaginative 'Imagination Pavilion'.
I am sure he has heard all of this before, but his response was insightful.

He told me that the recent success of the 'Figment' comic series got the attention of the big wigs in Burbank.
They were up until that point clueless as to how popular Dreamfinder was and how much interest there seemed to be in that old Attraction.

Of course, us die hard EPCOT Center fans have be aware of this for three decades....but Burbank is 3,000 miles away from Orlando.
So they were fairly unaware of how important those characters were and the Original Attraction they were featured in.
They were equally unaware of how sorely missed they are and the long term desire for a return in some imaginative form at the Pavilion in Florida.

The success of the comic series defeninately brought these characters and the concept they came from to their attention.
Wether of not that is acted upon has yet to be seen.

Tony also said that its up to US, the fans of the Original Attraction, to let Burbank hear loud and clear that we want them back in a refreshed Pavilion.
The comic series helped, but they need to keep getting the message that this is something the public wants and they could benefit from by building.

So let me' have it, ya'all!
Stop complaining about the lousy current version and take some steps to make your voice heard that you want improvements!

We all know plans exist...and good ones at that.
We know certain parties within the Company are wanting to do this.
Burbank needs further convincing before anything moves forward.

All it takes is a nudge more to make it happen.
Anything is possible, but you have to help make it happen.



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[Mike S]

Last year I had the immense pleasure of meeting up with Tony at the D23 Expo.
We talked about the Original 'Journey' and how sorely it is missed.
I also told him there are thousands of people eagerly awaiting the return of a imaginative 'Imagination Pavilion'.
I am sure he has heard all of this before, but his response was insightful.

He told me that the recent success of the 'Figment' comic series got the attention of the big wigs in Burbank.
They were up until that point clueless as to how popular Dreamfinder was and how much interest there seemed to be in that old Attraction.

Of course, us die hard EPCOT Center fans have be aware of this for three decades....but Burbank is 3,000 miles away from Orlando.
So they were fairly unaware of how important those characters and that Attraction was to millions of Park goers.
They were equally unaware of how missed they are and the long time desire for a return in some imaginative form in Florida.

The success of the comic series defeninately brought these characters and the concept they came from to their attention.
Wether of not that is acted upon has yet to be seen.

Tony also said that its up to US, the fans of the Original Attraction, to let Burbank hear loud and clear that we want them back in a refreshed Pavilion.
The comic series helped, but they need to keep getting the message that this is something the public wants and they could benefit from by building.

So let me' have it, ya'all!
Stop complaining about the lousy current version and take some steps to make your voice heard that you want improvements!

We all know plans exist...and good ones at that.
We know certain parties within the Company are wanting to do this.
Burbank needs further convincing before anything moves forward.

All it takes is a nudge more to make it happen.
Anything is possible, but you have to help make it happen.



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Start something like you did for Epcot's 25th and I'll be right there with you

 

[ABQ]

All it takes is a nudge more to make it happen.

-

So one little spark?

 

[Figments Friend]

What a great story! Would LOVE to see a picture of the marble mazes...

Here is a photo of the small version Tony made when he was a teenager.
Made out of wood peices, glass marbles, and a lot of clever thinking.

A few years later he made a large five foot version, and that is the one he brought with him to WED that faithful interview day.



-

 

[PorterRedkey]

A fully blown, modern day version of the original. Reclaim the original track. New AAs. Modern effects. A modern ride system.

There was a proposal to have load and unload in the Magic Eye theatre, having the ride use all the ground floor of the pavilion. I don't know how far the feasibility study for this went though. Seems like a stretch. This was circa 2007-8.

PLEASE! TDO PLEASE DO THIS!
Mr. Baxter needs to be involved with this "re-imagination" of the pavilion.

I am all for losing the 3-D theater. That was cool in the 80/90's but, is dated now. I can see a 3-D movie any day of the week thanks to James Cameron and Avatar.

 

[majortom1981]

Last year I had the immense pleasure of meeting up with Tony at the D23 Expo.
We talked about the Original 'Journey' and how sorely it is missed.
I also told him there are thousands of people eagerly awaiting the return of a imaginative 'Imagination Pavilion'.
I am sure he has heard all of this before, but his response was insightful.

He told me that the recent success of the 'Figment' comic series got the attention of the big wigs in Burbank.
They were up until that point clueless as to how popular Dreamfinder was and how much interest there seemed to be in that old Attraction.

Of course, us die hard EPCOT Center fans have be aware of this for three decades....but Burbank is 3,000 miles away from Orlando.
So they were fairly unaware of how important those characters were and the Original Attraction they were featured in.
They were equally unaware of how sorely missed they are and the long term desire for a return in some imaginative form at the Pavilion in Florida.

The success of the comic series defeninately brought these characters and the concept they came from to their attention.
Wether of not that is acted upon has yet to be seen.

Tony also said that its up to US, the fans of the Original Attraction, to let Burbank hear loud and clear that we want them back in a refreshed Pavilion.
The comic series helped, but they need to keep getting the message that this is something the public wants and they could benefit from by building.

So let me' have it, ya'all!
Stop complaining about the lousy current version and take some steps to make your voice heard that you want improvements!

We all know plans exist...and good ones at that.
We know certain parties within the Company are wanting to do this.
Burbank needs further convincing before anything moves forward.

All it takes is a nudge more to make it happen.
Anything is possible, but you have to help make it happen.



-

Heck feel they are missing out on a great opportunity to make a dreamfinder and figment kids show on disney junior. You would be able to get a bigger following going starting with toddlers, and elementary school kids and their parents. Then redo the ride with the new popularity it has.

 

[Figments Friend]

i am holding out for the live action fantasy film.



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[Bocabear]

Last year I had the immense pleasure of meeting up with Tony at the D23 Expo.
We talked about the Original 'Journey' and how sorely it is missed.
I also told him there are thousands of people eagerly awaiting the return of a imaginative 'Imagination Pavilion'.
I am sure he has heard all of this before, but his response was insightful.

He told me that the recent success of the 'Figment' comic series got the attention of the big wigs in Burbank.
They were up until that point clueless as to how popular Dreamfinder was and how much interest there seemed to be in that old Attraction.

Of course, us die hard EPCOT Center fans have be aware of this for three decades....but Burbank is 3,000 miles away from Orlando.
So they were fairly unaware of how important those characters were and the Original Attraction they were featured in.
They were equally unaware of how sorely missed they are and the long term desire for a return in some imaginative form at the Pavilion in Florida.

The success of the comic series defeninately brought these characters and the concept they came from to their attention.
Wether of not that is acted upon has yet to be seen.

Tony also said that its up to US, the fans of the Original Attraction, to let Burbank hear loud and clear that we want them back in a refreshed Pavilion.
The comic series helped, but they need to keep getting the message that this is something the public wants and they could benefit from by building.

So let me' have it, ya'all!
Stop complaining about the lousy current version and take some steps to make your voice heard that you want improvements!

We all know plans exist...and good ones at that.
We know certain parties within the Company are wanting to do this.
Burbank needs further convincing before anything moves forward.

All it takes is a nudge more to make it happen.
Anything is possible, but you have to help make it happen.



-

How do we make this happen? Do we need to send letters? Emails? Who do we send them to? How do we "nudge" Burbank? I would love to know and get a campaign started...

 

[Bocabear]

Here is a photo of the small version Tony made when he was a teenager.
Made out of wood peices, glass marbles, and a lot of clever thinking.

A few years later he made a large five foot version, and that is the one he brought with him to WED that faithful interview day.



-

Thanks for posting this. Wow very nice work...

 

[RoysCabin]

Thinking about something I wrote in another EPCOT related thread, and given some of the logistical issues surrounding things like the queue area for Frozen, it's kind of funny to consider that outside of American Adventure World Showcase simply wasn't constructed with big E-tickets in mind, given the density of the pavilions, the general lack of cover from the elements should a line snake out too far, the size of a number of the show buildings, etc.

Combine this with the fact that EPCOT still draws strong numbers despite its relative dearth of actual ride-based attractions nowadays (at least ride based attractions that actually draw anybody in, looking at you most of current Future World), and there's a part of me that hopes that, should attractions be added to some of the pavilions that may not currently have them, they don't feel compelled to go for big blockbusters on most of them. That doesn't mean I'd want a lack of effort, but looking back at Maelstrom, I kind of wonder if part of what hurt it over time was that it was often presented like an E-ticket when it really wasn't built that way. I'd want to see care and effort put into any future attractions, but there's something to be said for smaller, more intimate experiences that don't necessarily require hour long waits. As EPCOT already handles large crowds, such rides could do a pretty good job of simply spreading the load out from the few rides that do draw major lines.

 

[Figments Friend]

How do we make this happen? Do we need to send letters? Emails? Who do we send them to? How do we "nudge" Burbank? I would love to know and get a campaign started...

Uppers at Burbank.
Upper management at WDW would not hurt either.
I don't have a current list, but I know that info is out there on this very Forum.
I'm on my way out for today, so cannot do a quick search at the moment.


I find actual letters work best, mailed with a postage stamp.
E-mails tend to be ignored, rarely forwarded ( except in extreme cases ), and don't make as quite an impact.
The fartherest they may go is getting a generic response from a cubicle worker.

All letters should be addressed to a actual person to increase your chance of being heard, and not just a general address.
Keep you message polite, straight forward, and to the point.
Express the reasons for why you feel this is important and how they, the Company, could benefit.

Go for it!


I have sent two letters over the last few years, both were responded to directly and personally.
One was sent to the VP of Epcot and two days later I received a call from him while I was at work.
We talked for about 20/25 minutes about the 'Epcot problem'.
The other was a letter to WDI and that also was responded to by a well known personality.

Let's not forget to mention the EPCOT 25th rally started by yours truly, right here in this Forum in 2007.
Thanks to some partners who collaborated together to help make it happen, that 'message' from the fans went all the way to the top and resulted in a complete turnaround.

One person, with a group of dedicated people behind them, can make a real difference.
But you need that 'one person' to start it off.....and get the ball rolling.


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[Brer Panther]

A petition probably wouldn't hurt, either.