Bob Chapek was not sparing when he mentioned storytelling in some of the upcoming plans for Epcot. Spaceship Earth is going to be about storytelling and the Human Experience? I think that’s a huge mistake. Whether it’s about communication or not it should always be about progress. Then we have a Story Telling Fountain. Is this Epcot or storyland, I hope these plans get halted real quick.
I’d rather have storytelling as a theme than what Future World’s theme is now. I like to call it ‘Shambled Mess Circa 1995 with a Potpourri of Your Parents’ Stylin’ 80s Decor.’
Epcot is in desperate need of a revamp. It just is. And wishing it’d revert to its 1980s self, like many on the board seem to want, isn’t realistic, nor, dare I say... progressive. I was pleasantly surprised by their ideas for the 3 various areas and am looking forward to more cohesiveness.
I’m a bit leery of their plans for Spaceship Earth but it, too, is incredibly outdated and in need of a redo. It can’t end with discovering the internet forever. I think the idea of ‘Story’ is much more timeless and certainly a theme universal to mankind. ‘Story’ has pushed us forward and inspired us to soar.
How many tales of flight existed before the Wright Brothers took off in their plane? Jules Verne dreamed of a journey to the moon long before we made it happen. Storytelling has existed since the dawn of man. The oral tradition was the first way we communicated with one another. Art, Music, all those “Humanities” can easily be viewed in the context of Story.
So all that said, it seems to me that Story is pretty good thematically and much more easily kept up with than say... thinking we would be living in floating cities by now a la Horizons.
Why can’t Story be progressive, if presented in the right way? Stories are a way we present our hopes for and thoughts about the future, as well as a way to explore our past, hopefully learning from it as we go.
And hey, I’ll give the Story Telling Fountains a chance. I’m interested to hear what it has to say about water and what we need to do to keep our water supply healthy for the future.
I get it. Change is hard. But I think you’re viewing things way too narrowly. You don’t have to love what’s coming but I’d suggest trying to keep an open mind. Regardless, the plans aren’t going to be reversed. That is reality. For Epcot to stay relevant, it needs help and a vision... for the future.
