Rumor Is the End of Innoventions Near?

[DreamfinderGuy]

How many people were “last” to leave Club Cool?

Not sure. I was trying to be but I bolted out of there just before 10 because I knew the southeast hall would be closing then. Here’s the group photo of the last people in there. The center were the closing cast, and those surrounding were the last guests. I’m the guy front and center sporting the Innoventions Shirt

 

[DisneyDreamerxyz]

That would be supported by Cast Members telling me the exact same thing yesterday morning

There is a woman that works at MouseGear, that has been there since the opening of Epcot in 1982. She used to tell me about Centorium and how when they converted it into MouseGear the store moved to a temporary location. Now it'll happen again!

 

[marni1971]

There is a woman that works at MouseGear, that has been there since the opening of Epcot in 1982. She used to tell me about Centorium and how when they converted it into MouseGear the store moved to a temporary location. Now it'll happen again!

When Centorium was converted they just moved it initially to the then still available circulation corridor along the east windows. Now with the merchandise behemoth they have today that wouldn’t be big enough (if it was available)

 

[esskay]

I’ll miss innoventions. I wont miss the smell of raw sewage that entire building seems to have.

I assume it’s a burst pipe that’s been left unfixed for years? Seems to have been an issue for a heck of a long time.

 

[marni1971]

Astonishing people are actually depressed about the closing of some truly hideous buildings that have been nothing short of a disgusting waste of space for as long as I can remember. Perhaps someone could explain to me the point I'm missing here??

Some people get giddy over HEA. Each to their own.

Who’s fault is it they lay empty for so long?

 

[marni1971]

Yeah because the best fireworks show they've made since ROE is the same as waste of space building housing a lame soda store, a Starbucks, and a meet and greet

There you go. Sometimes there’s no point trying to explain something.

 

[lazyboy97o]

It’s hard to mourn the loss of Innoventions. It was the worst sort of shallow futurism, literally conceived as a perpetual Consumer Electronics Show. The exhibits junked up, obscured and confused a purposely built space that is now being demolished for another aimless design of stuff dropped into a field.

 

[marni1971]

Perhaps one should explain better then? Sorry but if you're sad over the closing of a building that served no purpose in the last decade, I have to question why. You have failed to provide an adequate explanation. Do better, I know you can because of your vast knowledge of the parks history.

Did you ever visit Communicore?

It’s hard to mourn the loss of Innoventions. It was the worst sort of shallow futurism, literally conceived as a perpetual Consumer Electronics Show. The exhibits junked up, obscured and confused a purposely built space that is now being demolished for another aimless design of stuff dropped into a field.

Innoventions was lost years ago. West even more than east.

 

[WondersOfLife]

I have some magical memories from Innoventions. My parents used to drop me and my sister off at the gates of the parks when we were kids. We'd spend hours in the Innoventions exhibits. I know it's the wrong location, but "Where's the Fire?" was our absolute favorite! We did it so many times. And one time, we actually won that Fastpass "dream pass" lanyard thing that had a tearable Fastpass tab for every attraction at Epcot that had Fastpasses.

Loved it. As I've gotten older, it grew (or shrank, rather), to a very depressing two empty buildings of memories. Sad. This is a good time for it to go.

Goodbye, childhood. Childhood is literally fading away for me at every single corner of WDW.

 

[nickys]

Perhaps one should explain better then? Sorry but if you're sad over the closing of a building that served no purpose in the last decade, I have to question why. You have failed to provide an adequate explanation. Do better, I know you can because of your vast knowledge of the parks history.

Maybe this might help explain why people miss what Innoventions used to be:

Communicore – Martins Complete Ultimate Tribute - Martin's Videos

www.martinsvids.net

 

[marni1971]

I think you should be able to know the answer to that based on my nonchalance about the area being demolished. While I visited Epcot in 96 and 99, age 4 and 7, I do not recall this so called sacred place. When I returned in 2008 I was greeted by mediocre exhibits that was so bland I'd rather have taken a nap. Now fast forward to the present and nothing of relevance exists in this space so it is a time of celebration that Disney finally decided to remove the cancer in Future World

I’m sorry. You’ll never know what a bright, airy and purposeful interior space it was and could have been again. I could say take my word for it but I wouldn’t try and force anyone to.

Now you’re getting another bar because the park so desperately needs another one. It’s a farcical cop out by a company that still doesn't know what to do.

 

[marni1971]

Why bother unless they're offering quality beer for a change

Your first two words are both very apt and a question that’s painful to answer.

 

[Cmdr_Crimson]

Thanks to Cow Missing's You Tube channel the lost Innoventions Pre-Show when Bill Nye was the Host of The Pavilion was found.

 

[MGMBoy]

CommuniCore was a lot like Star Trek: The Next Generation. If you were watching it at the time, you were like, this technology is crazy but it is never going to exist in real life. Now, you watch it and we HAVE communicators where you just say who you want to talk to, we HAVE handheld, touch screen computers, we HAVE computers that respond to our voice.

CommuniCore featured the first voice recognition tech I had EVER experienced. It featured a rudimentary CAD system that then let you ride a 3D rendered coaster. It was all presented in a way that was accessible to all guests. Heck! They even used to have a resource library above Centorium where you could go get packets of info on topics covering each pavilion (I specifically remember one about hydroponics for The Land and one about solar power from Universe of Energy.

I think there are two levels of "mourning" here. Those of us that have memories of the original CommuniCore are upset to see the buildings come down (especially the Hallway which was one of the last relatively untouched vestiges of the original CommuniCore buildings). It is kind of like picking the scab off of the terrible fate that beset Horizons and the slow, painful death they made it suffer. Then you have the ones that grew up with Innoventions and are sad to see something they have so many childhood memories of going away.

 

[No Name]

Sum of all Thrills was better than Mission Space, in my opinion. The other stuff, like the piggy bank thing, was fun. I liked innoventions. I will miss it a tad bit. I also think the symmetry worked quite well. I will miss that more.

I will not exactly mourn the fact that innoventions West was on the right and East was on the left.

 

[MGMBoy]

Sum of all Thrills was better than Mission Space, in my opinion. The other stuff, like the piggy bank thing, was fun. I liked innoventions. I will miss it a tad bit. I also think the symmetry worked quite well. I will miss that more.

I will not exactly mourn the fact that innoventions West was on the right and East was on the left.

Seriourly! The lack of symmetry is going to be hard for the OCD part of my brain to get over. I also have always been annoyed by the north-south orientstion and having to really THINK about if I was going to CommuniCore East/West.

 

[mikejs78]

Seriourly! The lack of symmetry is going to be hard for the OCD part of my brain to get over. I also have always been annoyed by the north-south orientstion and having to really THINK about if I was going to CommuniCore East/West.

I loved the idea that SSE was at due north from wherever you were in the park. Made the whole thing make a lot more sense.

 

[BoarderPhreak]

I for one mourned the loss of Communicore (despite its obvious falling behind the times) and all the grand attractions within. Innoventions never measured up to what was, and basically just declined as it aged. Sad to see the building and old growth around it getting demolished. It could've been great again. So... Eyes forward. Let's see what Disney has in store.

 

[BoarderPhreak]

CommuniCore was a lot like Star Trek: The Next Generation. If you were watching it at the time, you were like, this technology is crazy but it is never going to exist in real life. Now, you watch it and we HAVE communicators where you just say who you want to talk to, we HAVE handheld, touch screen computers, we HAVE computers that respond to our voice.

CommuniCore featured the first voice recognition tech I had EVER experienced. It featured a rudimentary CAD system that then let you ride a 3D rendered coaster. It was all presented in a way that was accessible to all guests. Heck! They even used to have a resource library above Centorium where you could go get packets of info on topics covering each pavilion (I specifically remember one about hydroponics for The Land and one about solar power from Universe of Energy...

Remember the SGI virtual reality exhibit there back in the mid 90s? They had a droolworthy Onyx RealityEngine set up. It opened in 12/95, got "renovated" in 10/96 and finally closed in 10/97. I'm spacing the name offhand, but you could enter VR and fight a pterodactyl or some such. Another SGI VR exhibit let you ride Alladin's carpet (which may have been in 94).

 

[*Q*]

what building? all of the former Communicore West building will be torn down. The only building left will be the Electric Umbrella/MouseGear section that will just get remodeled.

The real question is what will happen to the tunnel underneath these buildings. My guess is they will find a way to keep the half under MouseGear and but fill-in the one under Character Spot etc. Back in January I walked the length of the tunnel from one end to the other since I knew it was going by by soon.

I would think the tunnel will stay, how else would you service the Wonder Table? It's too useful of a space to give up.

Likely just a sign directing people to Sunshine Seasons short term.

As a Brief Aside, I have heard of Inno East or West being converted into temp retail for when Mouse Gear goes down. Has anybody heard which one it actually is? (Or if I am completely off base).

It'd make sense for it to go somewhere in and around where Colortopia was, while they renovate MouseGear and around Electric Umbrella. I think someone has said that whole northeast quadrant will eventually be dining? Probably where the new permanent Starbucks is going?