Is Epcot about to get some love?

[MichWolv]

Epcot obviously need's an update. I know many people here are before my time,but I think that Epcot's Future World need's to become an actual future world like it was in 82. I really think that even though learning is fun and Epcot is, people my age hate it because it is still simi stuck in the 90's. I call for a major overhaul of Future World and the only thing that stay's is Spaceship Earth , Mission Space , and Test Track 2.0

And this is some of the problem Disney has in dealing with Future World. Mission: Space is a fun ride, and I like it, but many of us who remember the Epcot Center of the late 80s/early 90s would say it isn't an Epcot attraction. To us, Epcot is for experiences, not just rides. Horizons was an experience. M:S is a ride, although a good one.

So, I'll agree with your major overhaul. But Living with the Land stays. Spaceship Earth stays but gets is descent finished. Test Track 2.0 sounds like it might be heading back towards an experience, so ill give it a shot. M:S would go. Energy should retain its grandeur and scope, but be overhauled to be serious again. Move the dinosaurs to Dinoland and use that space for several animatronic show scenes. Nemo/Seas needs to have some focus put back on the actual fish. Soarin stays awaiting its new film that should "move" the attraction to World Showcase (new entryway to same theater). A new movie and show come to the Land. Imagination gets a whole new ride that ends a spiral moving ramp up to the second floor where we put what we just saw into use ourselves. Give us a weather pavilion with Stormrider and Aquatopia from TDS, plus an exhibit floor with weather-related interactive elements.

Of course, that's a lot to wish for.

 

[SirNim]

OK, here's my diagnosis.

Future World needs unity. It needs to be unified.

That's all that's really changed since opening day, in very broad terms. All the pavilions used to share a set of unified logos and typefaces. They shared a unified style. They were all like different manifestations of the same vision, the vision of a brighter future. A brighter future in which man peacefully and resourcefully maintained a relationship with the oceans and the land, an imaginative future where creativity and out-of-the-box thinking reigned, in which transportation was no longer simply about fast cars but about sustainable mass-transit, in which people could choose to live wherever they wanted, be it space, farm, or undersea, a future where medicine advanced faster than Superman (i.e. a speeding bullet), and where energy was being cultivated through renewable means. It was all one future!

But now it seems so disorganized and messy and uncertain. Nemo, right off the bat, completely shuts down the message of humanity's relationship with the sea. Even though it's a "shallow" overlay (jajaja), the Nemo characters' presence makes the pavilion a non-starter, right off the bat.

The Land is actually kind of OK. I just wish the Soarin' movie wasn't such a flagrant manifestation of cheapness vis-a-vis being confined to the California Republic.

Imagination? Trainwreck.

Test Track Presented by Chevrolet? The Tron styling is going to be nice and sorta EPCOT Center-ish retro... but in that same cheap way where you know it's just an overlay to a very narrowly-focused attraction that is a flagrant advertisement for automobile transport.

Mission: SPACE? Compared with Horizons? Kind of a train wreck.

Universe of Energy? I like the show. I think it's good. And not just because I too was once a bonafide JEOPARDY! contestant.

Spaceship Earth? The descent is simply unbecoming. And the new narration is hit-and-miss.

The unity that made Future World so great is just no longer there. Neither is the "Unity Logo," the interlocking rings that were supposed to symbolize Epcot's unity. Bring back the unity, and you bring back the greatness.

It's as simple as making sure that from here on out, each new attraction in FW supports the other attractions there. They should support each other, reference each other. They should share a similar typographical and iconographical style. Each FW pavilion shouldn't be a mishmash hodgepodge circus maximus of different futuristic motifs. Each pavilion should share design motifs, and attractions should share a similar voice, point of view, and perspective.

It's not that hard.

 

[Hyperion]

OK, here's my diagnosis.

Future World needs unity. It needs to be unified.

That's all that's really changed since opening day, in very broad terms. All the pavilions used to share a set of unified logos and typefaces. They shared a unified style. They were all like different manifestations of the same vision, the vision of a brighter future. A brighter future in which man peacefully and resourcefully maintained a relationship with the oceans and the land, an imaginative future where creativity and out-of-the-box thinking reigned, in which transportation was no longer simply about fast cars but about sustainable mass-transit, in which people could choose to live wherever they wanted, be it space, farm, or undersea, a future where medicine advanced faster than Superman (i.e. a speeding bullet), and where energy was being cultivated through renewable means. It was all one future!

But now it seems so disorganized and messy and uncertain. Nemo, right off the bat, completely shuts down the message of humanity's relationship with the sea. Even though it's a "shallow" overlay (jajaja), the Nemo characters' presence makes the pavilion a non-starter, right off the bat.

The Land is actually kind of OK. I just wish the Soarin' movie wasn't such a flagrant manifestation of cheapness vis-a-vis being confined to the California Republic.

Imagination? Trainwreck.

Test Track Presented by Chevrolet? The Tron styling is going to be nice and sorta EPCOT Center-ish retro... but in that same cheap way where you know it's just an overlay to a very narrowly-focused attraction that is a flagrant advertisement for automobile transport.

Mission: SPACE? Compared with Horizons? Kind of a train wreck.

Universe of Energy? I like the show. I think it's good. And not just because I too was once a bonafide JEOPARDY! contestant.

Spaceship Earth? The descent is simply unbecoming. And the new narration is hit-and-miss.

The unity that made Future World so great is just no longer there. Neither is the "Unity Logo," the interlocking rings that were supposed to symbolize Epcot's unity. Bring back the unity, and you bring back the greatness.

It's as simple as making sure that from here on out, each new attraction in FW supports the other attractions there. They should support each other, reference each other. They should share a similar typographical and iconographical style. Each FW pavilion shouldn't be a mishmash hodgepodge circus maximus of different futuristic motifs. Each pavilion should share design motifs, and attractions should share a similar voice, point of view, and perspective.

It's not that hard.

Wow, what incredibly succinct, articulated, educated points you just made SirNim. You hit it smack dab on the proverbial nose! I hope those in control of making decisions in the corporation can come to see the light. BRAVO!!!

 

[ScorpionX]

First of all it would be nice if they would clean it up asthetically, time to get rid of all the poles and triangle panels, wires etc across innoventions plaza, the graveyard at the entrance, and lose the ugly scrap metal canopy over testtrack. One plus is they did finally clean up the Land in the front.

Since when did they clean up the Land's entrance plaza?

 

[aladdin2007]

Since when did they clean up the Land's entrance plaza?

As of last month they finally cleared out all the grown over unkept plants etc and redid the landscaping/features in the front. It looks so much better. You can actually see more of the building again.

 

[jjharvpro]

The more I go, the more I fall in love with Epcot. Like DHS, I LOVE the park, though it is indeed in an identity crisis. Even still though, while walking up to, under, and past SSE, there still is that future vibe (add in Fountain of Nations and its music and the combo is perfect).

Many of the ideas posted here so far I've thoroughly agreed with. I love the retro stuff, but I think soon it'll be time to let Figment go. At least the attraction. Figment should stay -- merch, references, etc. Also, whoever said Apple's sponsoring -- that idea is SO GREAT. Little things have been added here and there that add to the future vibe (i.e. directional signs, the electronic wait time board, etc.). They are small additions, but they are definitely in the step in the right direction.

 

[juniorthomas]

OK, here's my diagnosis.

Future World needs unity. It needs to be unified.

That's all that's really changed since opening day, in very broad terms. All the pavilions used to share a set of unified logos and typefaces. They shared a unified style. They were all like different manifestations of the same vision, the vision of a brighter future. A brighter future in which man peacefully and resourcefully maintained a relationship with the oceans and the land, an imaginative future where creativity and out-of-the-box thinking reigned, in which transportation was no longer simply about fast cars but about sustainable mass-transit, in which people could choose to live wherever they wanted, be it space, farm, or undersea, a future where medicine advanced faster than Superman (i.e. a speeding bullet), and where energy was being cultivated through renewable means. It was all one future!

But now it seems so disorganized and messy and uncertain. Nemo, right off the bat, completely shuts down the message of humanity's relationship with the sea. Even though it's a "shallow" overlay (jajaja), the Nemo characters' presence makes the pavilion a non-starter, right off the bat.

The Land is actually kind of OK. I just wish the Soarin' movie wasn't such a flagrant manifestation of cheapness vis-a-vis being confined to the California Republic.

Imagination? Trainwreck.

Test Track Presented by Chevrolet? The Tron styling is going to be nice and sorta EPCOT Center-ish retro... but in that same cheap way where you know it's just an overlay to a very narrowly-focused attraction that is a flagrant advertisement for automobile transport.

Mission: SPACE? Compared with Horizons? Kind of a train wreck.

Universe of Energy? I like the show. I think it's good. And not just because I too was once a bonafide JEOPARDY! contestant.

Spaceship Earth? The descent is simply unbecoming. And the new narration is hit-and-miss.

The unity that made Future World so great is just no longer there. Neither is the "Unity Logo," the interlocking rings that were supposed to symbolize Epcot's unity. Bring back the unity, and you bring back the greatness.

It's as simple as making sure that from here on out, each new attraction in FW supports the other attractions there. They should support each other, reference each other. They should share a similar typographical and iconographical style. Each FW pavilion shouldn't be a mishmash hodgepodge circus maximus of different futuristic motifs. Each pavilion should share design motifs, and attractions should share a similar voice, point of view, and perspective.

It's not that hard.

Well some part of it must be difficult, since they haven't been able to accomplish any of that yet.

 

[The MaD Hatter]

My Blue Sky idea for Epcot is to develop a 7-year plan, where over the course of 7 years, one-by-one, each of the pavilions in Future World is closed for a lengthy refurb/re-do. They've already started this with Test Track. Ideally, I would like to see the removal of everything Nemo from The Living Seas, an update to Universe of Energy, Imagination v. 4 with new 3D movie next door, new Soarin' film and at least one additional theater built (two new theaters would be even better), a new show in the Circle of Life theater, spruce up Mission: Space (don't see them replacing this anytime soon), raze Wonders of Life and build Horizons 2.0 (yeah, I know it will never happen), overhaul Innovations to focus on future technology not talking piggy banks, and add new narration and descent for Spaceship Earth.

 

[jklakeview]

When I think of Disney I think of Magic Kingdom, but when I think about what I miss in Disney it's always EPCOT. I truly love the music you hear, the landscaping, the bridges, the water, and the incredible photos you can get there. EPCOT is strange in some ways though. I remember as a 9 year old HATING the park. There felt like there was NOTHING to do there. I don't think a 9 year old would feel that way today and that's a good thing. With Soarin', Mission Space, and Test Track, disney has managed to keep the children happy. The problem is that they did it at the expense of the adults. This to me is an easy fix. All they have to do is to go back to some of their roots without a complete overhaul. I don't think it needs a rollercoaster and any thrill rides. What it needs is to remember some of it's roots. I for one would be happy with the SSE old ending or even an ending where they show off some of the ideas from that video. By now they should have been able to see the popular choices of the computer program and should be able to show them off. I'd be happy see the house of the future, a robot picking out my close, a car that flies for you. By doing this, they could be fixing SSE and honoring Horizons. I am fine with Ellen's Universe of Energy. Fine with the land building, except lets put the "Food Rocks" show (or something like that) in the Lion King Circle of Life Theater. This again would battle obesity (which Disney loves) and be something for the entire family. With the new anamotrinics this could be incredible. Finally, just put the imagination pavilion back to how it was. Talk about an easy fix. I think EVERYONE would be happy with this.

 

[scout68]

Experimental
Prototype
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Twentyearsago

 

[Todd H]

Mission: SPACE needs to go IMO

I LOVE Mission Space! Probably one of my favorite rides at WDW.

 

[cynic710]

my honest opinion? the future caught up to future world. I like what an above poster said about recreating the unity of the pavillions, with similar logos and whatnot, but what really needs to happen is future world needs to convey the future again. Its like watching back to the future 2, with the imagination behind what 2015 would look like (instant pizza and flying cars), and now knowing what 2015 will actually look like. They need to capture the future again, they are in the business of possessing the greatest imagination in the world, run with it!

test track could be chevy of the future, why does it have to be so current?

spaceship earth needs to rediscover its roots, and really follow the story.

imagination needs to also find its roots.

mission space has promise, and it is currently a fun ride, but the story can be so much more as an attraction, heck, why not a roller coaster?

ellens ride is good when your 2 year old takes a nap and your legs are tired.

the empty pavillions are just waiting for a new future.

soarin is fun, but there is a whole world outside of california, time to explore it.

the land is always pleasant.

nemo just needs to go, turn that into a 20k under the sea theme and incorperate the aquarium as findings from the travels of your submarine.


bring the future back to future world, introduce us to the next future, because the one intended originally has arrived.

 

[TropicalFig8]

To quote Danny Kayne from the opening TV special:
"Is it just another amusement park? Nooooo."

Like people have said, Epcot was about the experience of the attraction, not just riding it.

 

[asianway]

My Blue Sky idea for Epcot is to develop a 7-year plan, where over the course of 7 years, one-by-one, each of the pavilions in Future World is closed for a lengthy refurb/re-do. They've already started this with Test Track. Ideally, I would like to see the removal of everything Nemo from The Living Seas, an update to Universe of Energy, Imagination v. 4 with new 3D movie next door, new Soarin' film and at least one additional theater built (two new theaters would be even better), a new show in the Circle of Life theater, spruce up Mission: Space (don't see them replacing this anytime soon), raze Wonders of Life and build Horizons 2.0 (yeah, I know it will never happen), overhaul Innovations to focus on future technology not talking piggy banks, and add new narration and descent for Spaceship Earth.

I think if you did the rest, you really wouldn't need to add capacity at Soarin as you now have draws elsewhere and restored lost capacity. Good thoughts all around!

 

[InsiderImagine]

Since you are bringing up some new Epcot info, would you address what you posted last year? What happened to these plans?

These plans fizzled like everything else. Was actually really excited about these plans....I'm sure another insider can share them with you.

 

[Alektronic]

These plans fizzled like everything else. Was actually really excited about these plans....I'm sure another insider can share them with you.

Or another pretend insider who pretends to know what they are talking about?

 

[JEANYLASER]

Test Track 2.0 will be awesome! I hope to Update the Universe of Energy and new sponsor as well!

 

[baymenxpac]

I LOVE Mission Space! Probably one of my favorite rides at WDW.

i'm sure some people would agree with you. i don't hate it or anything, but here's where disney dropped the ball:

they took a beloved attraction that epitomized the essence and the spirit of the park. arguably, it was the latter half of EPCOT's 1-2 combination alongside spaceship earth. and they turned it from a ride anyone could enjoy that boasted the potential to spark the dreams of new frontiers in riders of all ages to a simulator that builds to one big, cheap thrill.

does it feel cool to experience 0 Gs? i guess. although i can say i haven't felt it in a while, because my last four trips, no one wanted to ride with me because it made each person i was there with feel varying forms of claustrophobia/dizziness.

it's just such a shell of everything that once stood on that land. and i'm not criticizing you for liking mission: space. but in my humble opinion, it's a microcosm of everything that went wrong with EPCOT from the late '90s until now.

 

[Pixiedustmaker]

I'll believe it when I see it. The only "love" Epcot fans have gotten in a long, long time is retro merchandise. It's going to take a lot more then a Test Track refurb to fix Future Worlds's problems.

Epcot has changed over the years, some for better, some for worse. While I love the old World of Motion, if this ride was kept in place as is, some people would probably complain about how dated it was, so they added Test Track. Not sure that Future World has some many "problems" as some people believe, though I wish they would put in a new pavilion at the old Wonders of Life pavilion, and the ending for SSE needs to be fixed, and they need to make some minor improvements regarding shade.

Anyway, attendance-wise Epcot is doing very well, it had about 10.8 million visitors last year, behind only Disneyland and Magic Kingdom in the U.S., plus Epcot has a lot of revenue from dining. The past couple of years, DHS and AK have averaged about 9.6 million guests each, give or take.

But then again, MK averages about 17 million, and Fantasyland was expanded in part because of how crowded the area gets during peak times.

 

[Pixiedustmaker]

With DHS all but confirmed to get a large expansion and Avatar somewhere out there in the ether, I'd say EPCOT is the odd man out. Mostly because I don't think current Disney leadership really knows how to handle the park other than adding a restaurant ever other year.

I don't think that DHS is "all but confirmed" to get an expansion.

One "insider" said Carsland was months away from ground breaking, or maybe 12 months away, and another said basically "possibly." Of course, the same insider promised big info about Avatarland, but that never materialized, though he/she did brag about getting into Disneyland for free and having somebody buy him/her a lot of alcohol, or something like that.

Any east coast guest visiting Carsland will think it is a no-brainer for Disney to build Carsland out east, but the reality is that there are other things on the slate for WDW's immediate future.

Disney is working on Shanghai, (and this isn't like Tokyo Disneyland, where Disney didn't pay a dime to build it, but more like Hong Kong where Disney will have to front up $$$), and Avatarland after doing FLE, in addition to cruises, and having completed DCA 2.0 on the west coast. We've all seen lulls after construction booms, I think after Avatarland, WDW will see such a lul.