Not gonna re-litigate Maelstrom/FEA, but I'd rather discuss them as parts of the larger discussion of lost theming and what have you. In that regard, Maelstrom worked well as an introduction to Norwegian culture, especially because you had to take the experience as more than just the boat ride; the time spent in the nighttime village was a vital part of the theme, as was the five minute Spirit of Norway film (which sadly was left to age very badly in ways that Impressions du France and other World Showcase films didn't). It's greatest flaw, I believe, was that it was marketed like an E ticket, as "EPCOT Center's first thrill ride!", rather than the smaller, more intimate experience of "ride -> village -> film" that left a favorable impression on people like me.
That's what extends to the GotG issue: as a standalone attraction I'm sure whatever they're going to put into Energy will be solid, and anything that updates the painfully mid-90s Ellen show is welcome on some level, but Future World functioned best as a unified experience, each attraction sort of bleeding into and informing the next, allowing each pavilion to feel like much more than a brief, isolated experience (also helped by the fact that most of the pavilions had more show spaces in them than just a ride).
It kind of becomes a pattern: you take what was a larger experience and shrink it, but us fans and many casuals are so eager for updates to aging attractions that we're essentially willing to say "ok, better than nothing". I don't think it's at all fair to say that some people are "dense" or what have you about it, as enjoyment of things like theme parks is highly subjective, but I think it's fair to say there's a slight divide between those who are more satisfied with a solid isolated experience and those who would rather have the larger themes of a given area kept consistent...obviously, we'd all ideally like to have both.
And yes, poor DCA TOT
(still glad it's not ours though)
