Imagineer Tom Fitzgerald takes over the creative direction of Epcot

[flyerjab]

Egos aside, if Mr. Fitzgerald and the Powers That Be want to move FW in a right and positive direction into the future, they should bring in Neil Degrasse Tyson to help as a consultant. He is in the spotlight at the moment and could do wonders in terms of story design for some of the rides. Imagine what he could do in terms of the edutainment value alone. He is a recognizable name and someone people identify with and I just think that this would make perfect sense.

 

[CDavid]

Egos aside, if Mr. Fitzgerald and the Powers That Be want to move FW in a right and positive direction into the future, they should bring in Neil Degrasse Tyson to help as a consultant. He is in the spotlight at the moment and could do wonders in terms of story design for some of the rides. Imagine what he could do in terms of the edutainment value alone. He is a recognizable name and someone people identify with and I just think that this would make perfect sense.

Uh, I don't think so. A major Disney character very, very close to Mickey would suddenly disappear without a trace, never to be heard from again. Children everywhere would be devastated.

Seriously, his input might be somewhat useful on a proper space pavilion (there's far more wondrous elements to space exploration than just spinning people til they puke!), but otherwise I'm not sure I see the connection (agriculture, imagination). Disney - and Epcot in particular - has historically done better without the presence (or too much influence) of a named celebrity.

 

[JohnD]

That's my job. To throw some reality in to things.

I am getting a very hard sales job by multiple folks that this is a good thing. But they haven't given me reasons to feel that way ...

Understood. Just giving you a hard time. One can only hope a change in leadership will lead to good things so I'm optimistic. But you're correct it's not proof of anything.

 

[lazyboy97o]

Uh, I don't think so. A major Disney character very, very close to Mickey would suddenly disappear without a trace, never to be heard from again. Children everywhere would be devastated.

Seriously, his input might be somewhat useful on a proper space pavilion (there's far more wondrous elements to space exploration than just spinning people til they puke!), but otherwise I'm not sure I see the connection (agriculture, imagination). Disney - and Epcot in particular - has historically done better without the presence (or too much influence) of a named celebrity.

Tyson speaks a lot on the need to rekindle our curiosity. Ray Bradbury was never mentioned by name in Spaceship Earth, but was still consulted.

 

[MerlinTheGoat]

I've always been very sad that we never got Carl Sagan to narrate a classic EPCOT attraction. And never will now, unless they use some of his archived voice clips (which i'd be cool with mixed in with other narration provided it fits properly).

I'd be more than interested in a Neil deGrasse Tyson narration for a ride though, it wouldn't be any different than pretty much everyone who narration Spaceship Earth since its inception. I'd hardly call him a "celebrity" in the traditional sense at all, he has more of a heavy science background rather than being noted as a celebrity. Unlike the others who have narrated SSE for example who were generally either celebrities, journalists or both. I haven't watched any of the new Cosmos episodes yet, but i've been meaning to. I have seen other shows presented by him however and liked Tyson in them. I'd like to see him do something for EPCOT with some talented imagineers behind it (even if some of the militant creationists get ed off).

 

[NoChesterHester]

If there was ever a time that we actually need an Epcot it is now.

The positive vision of the future from the 80's and 90's is missing from society.

This disillusioned cynical society could use a park that focuses on the positive aspects of the future and where we are going rather than this constant dystopian concept of a bleak and horrible future.

I have hope. It is all I have.

 

[Omnispace]

Egos aside, if Mr. Fitzgerald and the Powers That Be want to move FW in a right and positive direction into the future, they should bring in Neil Degrasse Tyson to help as a consultant. He is in the spotlight at the moment and could do wonders in terms of story design for some of the rides. Imagine what he could do in terms of the edutainment value alone. He is a recognizable name and someone people identify with and I just think that this would make perfect sense.

And bring in Syd Mead for design direction in Future World. He did some amazing concept styling recently in Elysium and definitely grasps the "achievable future" look without being slavish to trends.

 

[EPCOTCenterLover]

That desire has been there for years. Well, I should say the desire to do something at Epcot. That something hasn't always been....umm...great.

As for putting Fitz in charge.....
I'm skeptical, and will remain so until I see something positive happen. He doesn't have my trust.

Tom's love of screens scares me for this re-magineering of Epcot.

 

[Kman101]

People are using screens as to why they aren't looking forward to him but we have no indication, even with his history, what he'll do. And since when did screens become this horrible thing? Because certain people say they are?

And Epcot is the one park where I can see screens used in a way that could make sense. Do I want ALL rides to be screen based? No.

Doesn't Mystic Manor use screens? Ratatouille's new ride? They also have show pieces. Let's relax and see what he brings (if he's able to even do anything! lol). I'm also sort of asking about those two because I haven't wanted to spoil myself on them before I can experience them, hopefully sometime in the future.

 

[flyerjab]

Tyson speaks a lot on the need to rekindle our curiosity. Ray Bradbury was never mentioned by name in Spaceship Earth, but was still consulted.

Like, like, like this post a lot. I remember watching the original Carl Sagan Cosmos when I was a kid and I was enthralled. It even made me forget for an hour on Sunday night that school was the next morning (and that was tough to do).

After watching the re-imagining of Cosmos with Neil, after the first episode concluded and he had walked through the entire cosmic calendar concept, I thought to myself that this would make an interesting basis for a Space Pavilion at EPCOT. The new ship that he "travels" in on the new show also got me to thinking of how neat it would be to have a ride based on that concept. I don't necessarily condone redoing the entire FW based off of his ideas, but to have a Neil Degrasse Tyson Space Pavilion people-mover attraction could be amazing. And I think that if you want to help create some buzz for EPCOT, his name recognition certainly would help.

 

[RSoxNo1]

It has become very obvious that TDO (and likely Burbank) view the park as the actual WDW successor to Pleasure Island minus the clubs but with more dining, more drinking and more retail.

Wow... spot on.

 

[RSoxNo1]

BTW, this makes me seriously wonder what Eric Jacobson's job status is. He is up there in years (but not as old at Tom and Joe) and makes a very healthy salary.

EPCOT was just taken from his portfolio and, some would have us believe this means the park is in for a creative renaissance ... if they mean a third Food and Wine festival then they are probably right!

But poor Eric now has two parks directly under him: MK and TPFKaTD-MGMS.

MK is just finishing a major project and, beyond a new night show that seems to have a 2016 date for a debut, there doesn't appear like anything is coming. They don't need him to redesign the Hub. They don't have intentions of adding anything of substance for the foreseeable future.

And the Studios, well, the only thing seemingly happening there is Star Wars at some nebulous date, years from now. You also have Trowbridge and Mangum on the payroll to deal with that, both also making nice salaries.

What is Eric going to do to keep busy? How is he needed?

I would not at all be surprised to see Eric out of the company VERY soon.

That's unfortunate, to my knowledge he has been exempt from the politics within Imagineering and has a pretty strong attraction resume.

 

[RSoxNo1]

Kathy is actually based in Florida while the rest are still in California -- right?

She's still in California.

 

[RSoxNo1]

Egos aside, if Mr. Fitzgerald and the Powers That Be want to move FW in a right and positive direction into the future, they should bring in Neil Degrasse Tyson to help as a consultant. He is in the spotlight at the moment and could do wonders in terms of story design for some of the rides. Imagine what he could do in terms of the edutainment value alone. He is a recognizable name and someone people identify with and I just think that this would make perfect sense.

Many people have been saying Neil Degrasse Tyson or Michio Kaku (spelling?) should definitely be consulted in some capacity for a while now.

 

[note2001]

People are using screens as to why they aren't looking forward to him but we have no indication, even with his history, what he'll do. And since when did screens become this horrible thing? Because certain people say they are?

And Epcot is the one park where I can see screens used in a way that could make sense. Do I want ALL rides to be screen based? No.

Doesn't Mystic Manor use screens? Ratatouille's new ride? They also have show pieces. Let's relax and see what he brings (if he's able to even do anything! lol). I'm also sort of asking about those two because I haven't wanted to spoil myself on them before I can experience them, hopefully sometime in the future.

This is what I was wondering. EPCOT FW is supposed to be about the future, not today's reality. It makes it a bit odd to have us ride through 3D versions of tomorrow. When expensive 3D scenes are made, they stay put so long they become outdated and we end up with Tomorrowland's yesterday's tomorrow. Theme park enthusiasts, you need to face it, Disney does screens, projections, and even new animatronic/projection displays very well, and they keep innovating new methods. (I hear Disney has a little side business in film that they are well known in ) These will work well in Future World and are relatively easy to update as technology progresses (it just takes a team effort to watch over and make sure they don't become outdated.)

I'd like to see more computer-based entertainment in FW that would blend the Magic band technology with the entertainment. As of right now, every family that goes into Disney comes out of there with the same experience: Crowds, lines, overpriced food, and the same exact ride everyone else rode. (Please, don't tell me how many ride combos StarTours has, it keeps playing the same 3 over and over)

No excuses now Disney, you can identify each and every person wearing an active MB and tailor the experience to them. Screens and similar displays are easy to modify with a few simple AI algorithms to make it seem like it's identified and is interacting with the guest.

 

[RSoxNo1]

Can someone explain to me the Tom Fitzgerald hate? I hear talk of screens, but what has he been behind that was screen heavy?

 

[sshindel]

I'd just love to see some actual proof that they really plan to do anything at all with Epcot. They put someone new in charge of imagineering, sure, but does that amount to drawing a bunch of sketches for attractions that will never be built because they will never receive funding?

 

[ScorpionX]

I blame Meg.

 

[George]

I'd just love to see some actual proof that they really plan to do anything at all with Epcot. They put someone new in charge of imagineering, sure, but does that amount to drawing a bunch of sketches for attractions that will never be built because they will never receive funding?

A fear of mine, but not my biggest. I really would like some indication of the direction they are going. I will await news and try not to think about it in the mean time. I will say this - the park could get MUCH worse. I just want some indication of what will happen. In the mean time, lots of Tums and various deep breathing exercises should help keep the demons of my deepest fears at bay.

 

[the.dreamfinder]

If someone like Tim Delaney was in charge of this rumored "reimagining" I would feel a lot better. After all, he created the initial version of what would become Mission:Sapce which is supposedly awesome.