Guardians of the Galaxy coming to Energy Pavilion at Epcot

[Phil12]

I thought they were going to reuse the energy building but now that may not be the case?

I think the confusion on this issue stems from the use of GotG. The IP is big enough so that it can be spread around. Each superhero could have his or her own attraction. It's possible that Rocket Raccoon might be the star of an attraction in the old Universe of Energy ride while Groot could star as the new building superintendent over at the ToT in DHS.

 

[dizneycrazy09]

I think several people on the forum said that Ratatouille is not in the cards for Epcot at this point in time.

 

[KingOfEpicocity]

I am sure they would never do anything to change Spaceship Earth....

Hey we still had SSE.

 

[flynnibus]

I wonder if Disney intentionally lets the parks get really bad, so people will be thrilled by whatever they decide to throw into them.

Well the joke in the muppets preshow was not by accident and that is 25+ years old

 

[marni1971]

I think the confusion on this issue stems from the use of GotG. The IP is big enough so that it can be spread around. Each superhero could have his or her own attraction. It's possible that Rocket Raccoon might be the star of an attraction in the old Universe of Energy ride while Groot could star as the new building superintendent over at the ToT in DHS.

Now you just sound silly.

Tower is staying Tower themed.

 

[dm11]

Well, it certainly looks like this topic is causing a lot of emotional responses, both positive and negative.

I really think that the major issue here is what (if anything) Disney has in mind for Epcot in the long run. We can debate merits of specific attractions, be it FEA or GotG, or overall vision for WS or FW retrospectively but I do not think it makes sense to frame that discussion in context of how the new attractions fit with original theme/concept of EPCOT Center. It is no more and has not been for a long time. What we had over the last decade or so is a stale park that neither had world class attractions (with a few notable exceptions) or good cohesive theme in FW part. To be honest, current Epcot is in as much need of an overhaul as DHS, if not more.

I haven’t seen it yet, but based on videos and comments here, it sounds to me like FEA is a very nice ride. Comments from insiders on GotG leave me under impression that it has potential to be really nice too and perhaps even better (and for full disclosure I am one of few people who actually enjoy UOE and ride it on every visit). So, from pure attraction/ride point of view, so far I am happy with this direction. As for theming/cohesiveness it sounds like it is too early to tell.

It is apparent we are moving away from the old concept (which is dead anyway) but it is not clear yet to which end. Future will tell

 

[marni1971]

I really think that the major issue here is what (if anything) Disney has in mind for Epcot in the long run.

Seems to be Tomorrowland meets a more mature Fantasyland.

 

[flynnibus]

Now you just sound silly.

Tower is staying Tower themed.

A kitten dies eveytime you acknowledge him....

 

[rioriz]

A kitten dies eveytime you acknowledge him....

It is his way of exercising patience...

 

[flynnibus]

I'll say it again... A reboot of Epcot is fine... But just reboot the damn thing and get on with it.

The fact the park has ran for 20+ years with that festering corpse in the middle of future world is reason enough.

The good news as I see it is Disney has given up it seems on the old model of 'we do nothing until we find a sponsor to pay for it all'. They've finally put their big boy pants on - now they need to execute on a grand plan... Not just sprinkling stuff around to make it seem like there is life.

Reboot DHS... Reboot EPCOT

Git'r done!

 

[flynnibus]

It is his way of exercising patience...

Seems like the old monks who would flog themselves as part of their faith.

It just keeps the rats alive

 

[Sped2424]

Guardians in WOL? When Inside out could actually save and make that pavilion work. Why?

 

[Magic Feather]

With all the new happenings, these lyrics become ever more true to the situation;


With the stillness of the night
there comes a time to understand
to reach out and touch tomorrow
take the future in our hand


We can see a new horizon
built on all that we have done
and our dreams begin another
thousand circles 'round the sun


We go on
to the joy and through the tears
We go on
to discover new frontiers
Moving on
with the current of the years
We go on
moving forward, now as one
Moving on
with a spirit born to run
Ever on
with each rising sun


To a new day
We go on


We go on

 

[dm11]

Seems to be Tomorrowland meets a more mature Fantasyland.

Is it your impression that they do have a master plan? Or that these changes are relatively random, addressing tactical, short-term problems?

And I fully understand if you can't answer this but would really appreciate if you can

 

[danlb_2000]

Guardians in WOL? When Inside out could actually save and make that pavilion work. Why?

Inside Out could go other places, like Imagination. WOL is just a shell of a building, anything can fit in there.

 

[GoofGoof]

Wow, this is a lot to digest at once. It makes me sad to see another original EPCOT pavilion potentially gone

I think we all saw the writing on the wall that IP based updates were coming. I am not a huge fan of the idea of losing the Energy pavilion to GoTG but it's better than ruining ToT. I'm with the majority of you that I hate to see EPCOT move further from its original theme and purpose. I am playing the devil's advocate a little here, but I just wonder if the average public isn't a little less enthusiastic about original EPCOT. Energy was a 45 minute ride/show. People today are accustomed to 6 second vine videos and 140 character tweets. In the 80s we read newspapers and watched 12 rounds of boxing or a 4 hour baseball game. I'm not sure people have the attention span to "sit through" a 45 minute experience. The most popular new rides being built down the street involve fast motions, visual and audio overload and lots of action. We all wanted Disney to answer Universal's challenge, unfortunately for EPCOT they were not going to do it with educational and slow moving omni-movers or 45 minute rides. Be careful what you wish for.

What I'm still having a hard time envisioning is the overall theme of the front half of the park now. If they are keeping the Land, Sea, SSE, TT and possibly Imagination the same will these new additions be more GoTG teach us about energy or will it just be a GoTG ride that could just as easily be in DHS or some other park (similar to Frozen).

 

[Sped2424]

Inside Out could go other places, like Imagination. WOL is just a shell of a building, anything can fit in there.

Of course it could. But why should it? Wonders of Life and inside out actually share enough when it comes to the intention that resurrecting that pavilion with said film would at least work in a good way rather than this or Inside out killing imagination.

 

[hopemax]

So as I'm still catching up on this thread. I am wondering if pivoting from the future which quickly becomes dated and costs a lot of money to keep relevant, to hot IP of the moment is really an improvement from Disney or shareholders perspective. While it's easier for an animated picture to become beloved and withstand the test of time, the same can not really be said for the live-action movies. Actors age, and you are reminded of how far in the past a film was made when you see them then vs now. Digital technology, music choices, hairstyles, costumes etc. They all can end up making a project feel old vs timeless.

If we had a park of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Davy Crockett, the Mouseketeers, Spin & Marty, Haley Mills characters, Honey, I Shrunk the Audience franchise, and the other most popular live action films, despite it's original success people wouldn't be lining up around the block, because people have moved on. Or take a look at the comments thrown Universal's way about their IP lineup. Shrek was HUGE and now it's dated and worth snickering about. Mummy was successful, but now it feels so 2001. Terminator 2 vs a geriatric Schwarzeneggar. GotG has a shelf life, even if we don't know what it is. Given the fact that Disney feels like they have to wait until something is already a success to put it in a theme park, and given their construction timelines, it seems like this strategy has them chasing their own tail just as much as "the future" did. By the time this project gets built, it's even closer to the point of irrelevancy. Same for just about every IP they could use, people will always be asking themselves, why isn't there X here "hot project of the moment" and laugh at Y "movie that has hot 15 years ago." Yeah, you might sell a lot of toys for the first 3 years, but not nearly as much as it will cost to refresh it with the next hot movie.

 

[rd805]

Let's try a different approach here. Please defend for me how a Guardians of the Galaxy attraction fits into the theme of Future World at Epcot.

It very much seems to me that you don't have a very good grasp on the concept of themed design.

How about the fact that WDW is on a steady crash course of DECLINE?

 

[danlb_2000]

Of course it could. But why should it? Wonders of Life and inside out actually share enough when it comes to the intention that resurrecting that pavilion with said film would at least work in a good way rather than this or Inside out killing imagination.

But you are making the connection based on what the building used to be, not any tangible property of the building that makes is particularly suitable to a health related theme. Imagination died a long time ago, as did the Imagination pavilion.