Journey of Water featuring Moana coming to Epcot

[Vegas Disney Fan]

What makes the new building more usable than the old building?

You’d have to ask Imagineering. They had 20 years to come up with a use for 2 giant buildings in the heart of Epcot and did nothing with them.

A stage and a demonstration space will come in very handy with the endless festivals they have though.

 

[J4546]

I like the way the new building will divide and create 2 distinct stage/show areas. 1 between the central core and one between the imagination pavilion. I think thats gonna be pretty cool, and also having a dedicated meet n greet space is a plus for some. I dont care about meet n greets but I get that they are needed. Def a great addition imo and will probably be used alot esp for festival stuff

 

[Animaniac93-98]

Could they have done other things? Sure, maybe even better things? Sure

That would be the problem with most of these recent EPCOT projects.

For how much time and money they've spent, the end result should be more than simply "better than nothing" IMO

Knowing that they were willing to change things mid-way through construction of the spine remodel puts more scrutiny on Plan B for me.

 

[WondersOfLife]

Not a ride.

Point still stands.

 

[lazyboy97o]

You’d have to ask Imagineering. They had 20 years to come up with a use for 2 giant buildings in the heart of Epcot and did nothing with them.

A stage and a demonstration space will come in very handy with the endless festivals they have though.

The building was demolished because Iger wanted a starchitect building. It had nothing to do with usability, especially because the Festival Center was less functional.

 

[Casper Gutman]

You’d have to ask Imagineering. They had 20 years to come up with a use for 2 giant buildings in the heart of Epcot and did nothing with them.

A stage and a demonstration space will come in very handy with the endless festivals they have though.

The fact that Communicore was largely wasted space in recent years had nothing to do with the structure and everything to do with Disney’s budgetary approach and vision of EPCOT, neither of which will change because the building has pointy corners. One of the defining characteristics of modern EPCOT is the huge amount of unused, indoor, carpeted space, much of which once held Edutainment exhibits - witness Life, Imagination, Odyssey, the Millennium Pavilion. This new structure is destined to become another one in a few years.

As for festivals, do you really think the company slashing live entertainment across the resort is going to worry about keeping acts on that stage? What’s the demonstrable ROI on those acts?

 

[UNCgolf]

As for festivals, do you really think the company slashing live entertainment across the resort is going to worry about keeping acts on that stage? What’s the demonstrable ROI on those acts?

Disney can always ask them to play for free for "exposure".

 

[Vegas Disney Fan]

As for festivals, do you really think the company slashing live entertainment across the resort is going to worry about keeping acts on that stage? What’s the demonstrable ROI on those acts?

If they can sell enough alcohol to cover the cost of the talent I think they will. They are replacing a non profit generating building with one that’s designed to make a profit. Every casino in Las Vegas has showrooms and stages, all to sell alcohol.

My guess is this will become the primary stage and the America stage, with no attached concessions/bar, will now sit empty most of the time. I’d actually love for this to replace the America stage so they could tear the backdrop down and get the view to the America pavilion back.

 

[HauntedPirate]

“To alcohol - The cause of, and solution to, all of Epcot’s problems!” - Homer Simpson

 

[mightynine]

My guess is this will become the primary stage and the America stage, with no attached concessions/bar, will now sit empty most of the time. I’d actually love for this to replace the America stage so they could tear the backdrop down and get the view to the America pavilion back.

We're talking about a walk-up type stage comparable to what you'd have at a local fair or weekly farmers/arts market. That's not going to replace the America stage in any way, shape or form.

If the Half-A-Core Hall stage is replacing anything, it was the one that was next to the Fountain of Nations.

 

[bhg469]

“To alcohol - The cause of, and solution to, all of Epcot’s problems!” - Homer Simpson

And here I'm thinking that Epcot needs more actual bars and less drinks on tap or jugs..

 

[HauntedPirate]

And here I'm thinking that Epcot needs more actual bars and less drinks on tap or jugs..

Nah. They already tried the bar thing at PI. We loved it, but I know why it was shut down. I can't imagine having them behind a $109-199/day paywall would improve things much.

 

[bhg469]

Nah. They already tried the bar thing at PI. We loved it, but I know why it was shut down. I can't imagine having them behind a $109-199/day paywall would improve things much.

I guess i should have been more specific.. Im not talking about beer taps and rum and cokes. I feel like there is a need for a craft cocktail style bar in the park. I get why cava is as bad as it is, they simply cannot produce drinks to order, but that doesn't mean there can't be more experiences like the lounge at space 220 at the existing restaurants.

 

[Walt d]

I’m actually quite excited about this...big water maze?

Is that polyurethane foam that they carve. And use for surfboards. That there using. In there art? Looks like it is!

 

[itsy bitsy spider]

They should have kept the old buildings and reused it for something else. Moana belongs in Adventureland, not Epcot.

 

[itsy bitsy spider]

Plus I hate the new Section names with a passion. It would have been better if they just rethemed the middle section to fit Future World.

 

[MisterPenguin]

They should have kept the old buildings and reused it for something else. Moana belongs in Adventureland, not Epcot.

A Moana-based attraction certainly does belong in Adventureland... or Fantasyland.

But a Journey of Water attraction certainly belongs in EPCOT by The Seas. JoW is "inspired" by Moana. Just as the France Pavilion is still France even tho Belle has a M&G there, so too, JoW is still an edutainment attraction that has Moana references.

I'll agree it's not exactly in the right place. It should have been put more in front of The Seas, serving as an entranceway to that pavilion.

 

[andysol]

Walt Disney Imagineering partnered with artists and cultural consultants from Walt Disney Animation Studios to bring this experience to life

What is a “cultural consultant”, and how do I become one?

Lion king helped save Disney animation

I think you mean The Little Mermaid?

Lion King was preceded by Nightmare Before Christmas, Aladdin and Beauty and the Beast.
Far from needing saved

 

[LittleBuford]

(I'm not including myself in this, as I love Swiss Family Robinson despite it being a bit rapey and arguably racist.)

It’s the animal cruelty that makes it almost unwatchable for me!

 

[UNCgolf]

They should have kept the old buildings and reused it for something else. Moana belongs in Adventureland, not Epcot.

If they could go back in time (i.e., with knowledge that the festival center wasn't happening), I'm almost certain that's what they'd do. But once they'd torn it down, they weren't going to just rebuild something exactly the same in its place.