When this “makeover” began, what were the primary issues facing EPCOT? In rough order of descending importance, I’d argue they were:
1) Lack of a coherent, guiding vision and theme for the park. This was far and away the most pressing concern.
2) The shameful state of several rides, most notably Imagination but also including Seas and the descent of SE.
3) The lack of desirable headliners and attractive capacity- the biggest rides, Soarin, TT, and especially Space, were notably lackluster.
4) The concrete expanses of the entry plaza and the Communicore area.
What has this “makeover” achieved? It has not only failed to address 1, the core reason for the park’s dysfunction, it has exacerbated the problem with a narratively incoherent GotG and the absurdly misplaced Moana. Point 2 has also been completely ignored. 3 has been somewhat addressed - GotG is a physically exciting ride and an overall positive addition, but it’s also deeply lacking in areas in which Disney rides are supposed to excel: theming, narrative, aesthetics, etc. Despite some improvement, point 3 remains an issue. Point 4 was addressed.
Had you told these boards fifteen years ago that this would be the final extent of the EPCOT makeover, posters would have been dubious or openly derisive. That’s without adding in the information that the process would take nearly a decade and, for much of that time, the full-priced park would be a difficult-to-navigate maze of construction walls. The scale of this “makeover’s” failure is truly impressive.
