Just Got Back from the World on 8-27 *UPDATES*

[JeffH]

Wonders of Life

I don't quite understand the ignorance behind the lack of interest in the (old) Wonder's of Life. Simple logic show why it was empty and simple logic could be used to make it just a popular as the Land now is.
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The primary ride, Bodywars, took you on a (sickening to many) ride through the human bloodstream through the heart and to the brain. Quite gross (in a bad way), and completely unexciting. Nothing visually stimulating, nothing very memorable. Although initially an exciting ride, perhaps, in the long term, though, who would want to ride it again.
If this ride was (simply and inexpensively) changed to a 'shuttle' flight through the universe exploring the various 'wonders of life', the wonders that bring us awe and make us really appreciate life.
See the shuttle take off from it's hanger at Epcot then enter 'hyperspace' to visit the first wonder, and then another (giant falls, bridges, city-scapes, underwater, with glimpses of a mermaid and a possible underwater city, ), ...
The final wonder could be joining a real shuttle during launch, quickly approaching it during take-off, shooting through its exhaust then straight up side by side, have the ride get a bit bumpy so we hyperdrive ahead to the space station...the driver turns around to 'comfort' the passengers, only to have Stitch show up and start pressing buttons, hyperdriving us to some strange unknown place in the galaxy filled with swirling colored gases, comets, spaceships stopping to oogle the ship, until the captain reverses the hyperdrive and lands us back home at Epcot. The 'imaginary' parts would simply reflect our imaginations, which are always trying to make things more than they really are.
Like Sourin', people would want to ride this over and over again.
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Although a wonderful, cute and educational movie, there's not much reason to see "Making of Me" over again. There definitely no reason for it to take up valuable floorspace when it could easily be moved to a new outside theatre (if kept at all).
This would open up the main floor for more exhibits and dining area, and more dining options need to be added (like the Land), featuring many unusual treats (bring back Bambi stew) as well as some 'common' things that everyone can enjoy.
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The only attraction at WoL that was worthy of repeat viewings was Cranium Command, keep it like it is.
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Maybe Lilo can 'host' this pavilion? She'd need her side-kick of course.
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Maybe cut another hole in the outside wall to another theatre, a bigger Omni-Max theatre featuring a compilation of the many Omni-Max films that explored the wonders of life. Where you can just lean back and enjoy the wonders of the world.
Considering the many Omni-Max films that Disney was introducing a few years ago, I always wondered why they didn't build an Omni-Max theatre at WDW?!? There's not even one in Orlando (there's only a giant screeen theatre).

 

[TTATraveler]

What a cool birthday present to go backstage at ToT.

In general, I think Epcot has been neglected over the years and that neglect if finally catching up. The Living Seas was allowed to become outdated and quite frankly "The Dead Seas". SSE's ride system is very bumpy and the audio always skips. WoL was allowed to become dated and now sits closed. Some steps have been taken in the right direction such as The Land, M:Space, and Test Track. I do have a positive feeling about The Living Seas, so hopefully we aren't disappointed by this one. Something needs to be done about the WoL pavillion, HISTA (becomming dated), SSE's ride system and some show scenes, and the former Odysey Restuarant in FW.

World Showcase also needs some additional attractions to balance out more of Epcot's offerings.

 

[zjer]

I'm sorry but that is dumbest idea I have ever heard! Just because you can move it, doesn't mean you should!

Wow, you broke your first post in two years drought with that comment. If that is the dumbest....you should get out more.

 

[marni1971]

Jeff - one problem with Body Wars; you can do virtually the same thing already next door. Or were you joking (with the references to Stitch I guess so!)

They did build an Omnimax in Orlando - 5 of them. Unfortunatley 2 of them became rubble. 2 new ones exist opposite where they used to be. And there is one up I-4 (but the last time I rode it was in a bit of a mess) - all used for attractions of course!

 

[jedimaster1227]

Agreed partially. WOL needs to be changed for the better. HISTA needs to go. JII needs to be restored to its former glory witha reintroduction of the PAIR TOGETHER of Figment and the Dreamfinder. I have not seen the Land since it reopened. I think TT and M:S are very cool but sort off a step backwards in the idea of innovation and sticking to the Epcot message. Think about it, automobiles-gas automobiles... gas is starting to become expensive and unpopular, so what happens when we switch to another form of power for our vehicles? What happens then? A new retheming, I think that was the problem. The same problem applies to M:S. Disney needs to make rides that won't become outdated in ten to fifteen years. When we send a human to mars in real life, the ride will be outdated, what happens then? A Mission:Space- Mission 2 Uranus? That just won't work! I just find it idiotic that they spend so much money on a ride that will become outdated and obsolete in less than 15 years. I just don't understand. SSE obviously needs a rehab but not to redo the ride, just make it smoother and on time with the audio, and an occasional redo of the ending scene every 5 to 10 years. UOE needs to be redone. Ellen is out and Bill Nye has to fly. The Living Seas will be good as long as the Seacabs are reintroduced and/or extended. The Odyssey has returned to being an actual restaurant, marked by the open use of it as a restaurant during the Food and Wine Festival. It will return to being open during the year after this years F&WF and will stay open starting late 2006. Club Cool will be open soon and then all will be either in rehab or already done to mark the ceremony of Epcot's 25th Anniversary. At the ceremony, either Eisner or Iger, prbably Eisner will announce several new projects for Disney, probably 6 for WDW (WOL, UOE, JII, something at MK, something at MGM, something new for after the opening of Everest) and probably the announcement of the reunition of Pixar and Disney, the announcement of the second park planned for Shanghai, and the announcement of and new resort or water park in the vacant areas where Discovery Island and River Country now lie. After that Epcot will be complete for about 5-10 years, MK will be in the process of getting a new attraction, along with MGM and AK, vacant Disney land will be put to use and the rest is beyond the stars...

 

[MickeyMan101]

I am not talking bad about SSE, it's just not one of my favorite rides, and i wouldnt care if it went. This site is supposed to Talk about disney and SHARE what you think, that is an opinion. But if a rollercoaster should go anywhere, i think WOL would be a good place. I know it's not taht big if you look at it, but you could do a lot!

MickeyMan101

 

[jedimaster1227]

Very true, I think the stationary Robocoaster idea would be great, as long as it would not be themed to a pixar movie, it would have been great instead of Soarin' to simulate flight, what if they made an animal pavilion ecology pavilion?

 

[mousermerf]

I've said it before, i'll say it again -

SSE is NOT a geosphere. The structure is not spherical, it is a pair of domes attached at an elongated equator region. That aside, science has proven that while domes/spheres seemed mathetimaticly amazing, they are not structurally perfect, and the shape of a common egg is actually far more effective.

 

[Epcot82Guy]

Just as a bit more specific description. The "equator" of Spaceship Earth is actually very low. In as simple terms as possible, it is a 3/4 dome (not an exact sphere but close enough to appear so) on a table with "legs" and then a 1/4 dome suspended below that dome (attached to the "table" from underneath). Then the exterior shell is attached all over to create the illusion of a complete sphere.

Hope that image works.

 

[Main Street USA]

Here's the best and most inside info on the SSE rehab. All of the info is in the first post, and a pic of the rehab is in the second post...


http://forums.wdwmagic.com/showthread.php?t=36514&highlight=spaceship+earth+overnight

...and that's all there is to know.

 

[imamouse]

First - Happy Birthday WaffleKing. And what a pesent - going backstage at ToT!

I hope that a lot of development continues to focus on Epcot in anticipation of it's 25th anniversary in 2007. It seems to me that there isn't a lot of time to do much more than rehabs, but I am looking forward to seeing what actually happens.

 

[Ghostbuster626]

Change is exactly what Epcot needs. If I had it my way every pavillion (except The Land) would get a complete rehad. I really hope they change Spaceship Earth because those stupid videos that say "Warning! your vechiles will be going backwards on your return to earth" are annoying as hell and totally ruin the beginning of the ride.

BTW Time Racers isnt a Roller Coaster...its sort of like Journey to the center of the earth..some parts of the ride are slow and then some parts you go fast around curves and stuff for some small thrills. I wonder if maybe Time Racers will replace the Wonders of Life pavillion instead although I cant possibly think of a theme it can fit in. ("time travel" pavillion is too sci fi)

 

[jedimaster1227]

Who said it had to be time "TRAVEL". It could just be time. You know the one thing that still goes on as you and I type our replies even now. I think that that would fit the Epcot theme very nicely or, make a pavilion about the Earth's core and put JTTCOTE

 

[SirGoofy]

Why won't this SSE rumor dai? :brick:

 

[WaffleKing]

I also recall that The Odyssey has been re-painted, it looks pretty nice. I wish they'd reopen it for the general public.

And to further comment about my CM, I did have a few qualms with some other things he told me. For instance (and this is no hyperbole)... he made these rediculous claims:
1) The Living Seas cost 1 billion dollars to make... and the rest of EPCOT in its entirety cost the same amount. So TLS costs as much as all other elements of the park combined? No way.

2) It cost 1 Million dollars PER DAY to have a crane sit in by SSE to fix up the "eye catchers" (aka stars) SSE.... and the reason why the (ugly) hand by SSE is not coming down is simply because it cost too much to put up, and will cost too much to take down.

The guy worked at Disney for 17 years though, but I can understand why Disney the company wouldn't tell CMs about anything too crazy. Only time will tell I suppose.

I hope SSE doesn't get gutted with the absurd rollercoaster idea. I hope they just completely rehab it but keep the theme intact.

He did have a good monologue about how Epcot kind of "lost its way" over the years and how now they are trying to fix it. On the right side of the park, where the Land, etc is... is kind of the parks "biological" side, and the Mission: SPACE side is more or less the "technology" side. Hey if the explanation works, fine.

I also want to remark that the unDISCOVERed FW tour is my favorite, I think its a must-do for everyone that goes there, thats as Disney-nuts as we all are. I went on Keys to the Kingdom, which was awesome too, and the 3-park tour... but this one just meant a lot more to me. Then again, I've always been obsessed with Epcot anyway.

I have a few pics of the "One Man's Dream" but nothing too wide-angled so you can see it. I snapped a few pictures of the cool models they had in there (they have a Tower of Terror model that was used in those old posters, one that I have actually). It was a cool exibit, they re-created his entire office in there, had some old memorabilia. They need to do that on a bigger scale.

Another thing the CM told me was that when a ride gets knocked out, like lets say oh.... Horizons... they sell off the components and destroy the uniforms. That saddens me because I like to dream that one day Disney could open up some kind of museum with all kinds of old theme park stuff. Imagine, a gigantic place with some Horizons uniforms, the cars, some old props, maybe some ride through videos or something... who knows. How awesome would it be to see a recreation of the "scary" set from inside Delta Dreamflight... the pilot sitting all by himself at a dinner table? Just an idea. heh.

I don't know if i mentioned this before, but I just want to say that Soarin' was pretty subpar in my eyes. I know I might be offending some, a lot of people claim its the greatest ride ever made. I'm sorry but I got the same effect watching Matrix Reloaded in IMAX... it fits in terribly well with The Land however, and its doing big things in that park. But I don't find it to be particularly outstanding and its certainly not something I even felt compelled to ride every time I went into Epcot.

I'm out for now. Anyone wanna start a "Re-open The Odyssey" campaign?

One last thing: No I didn't get to go anywhere else beyond the ride operator office in TOT. Of course I wanted to go to the corridor scene... or actually just anywhere... however I was backstage there in the middle of the day... probably around 11; it was just not happening. Maybe next time.

And if there are any castmembers here.... anyone wanna help me by telling me what kind of things they sell in the Company D store at EPCOT?... they wouldnt let me anywhere near it.

 

[Main Street USA]

I really hope they change Spaceship Earth because those stupid videos that say "Warning! your vechiles will be going backwards on your return to earth" are annoying as hell and totally ruin the beginning of the ride.

You think they put those in because they wanted to? No. They put them in because people are stupid. Period. More than once, idiots tried to get out of the car when it turned around, because they thought something was wrong with the ride (because they're stupid). Then they get hurt (because they're stupid). Then they threaten to sue (because they're stupid and greedy). Then the insurance company tells Disney they need to inform the stupid people that the cars will turn around. Then we get a stupid video showing the cars turning around at the beginning of an otherwise great attraction. Why? Stupidity rules. That's why...and it will never change.

 

[bgraham34]

People by nature do not think. Thats why i believe in selective breeding. You must pass a battery of tests to see if you are worthy of caring for a child. It amazes me how some parents just let there kids run off and dissapear. Or just let there children scream and yell in public places and not take them away from were everyone is.

 

[joel_maxwell]

Yeah, I know what I'm talking about thank you. I don't think there is anyone in the forum dumb enough not to know what I mean. There's no reason to get technical. Will it make you mad if people said Soaring instead of Soarin'?!?! I don't think it matters.

sorry, i cant read minds to know that you know what you are talking about...... you know

besides, mousemerf has corrected us all

Martin: wow, that image is a little scary........ Jr. Autopia, i remember the Rainforest coaster thing but not the Jr Autopia. tragic! the one in MK stinks bad enough..... why would they want another :lol:

 

[lebeau]

I call BS on that castmember.

There is no way a rollercoaster could be built in Spaceship Earth unless it has a top speed of less than 5 mph.

The forces caused by the cars on the track would be too great for the building to hold. the only way it could be done is if they build the supports coming through the bottom of the sphere and into the ground. It was also ruin the looks of Spaceship Earth far more than compared to what that little wand has done.

I will raise your call of "BS" and call "shenanigans" on that castmember!

 

[Fido]

I will raise your call of "BS" and call "shenanigans" on that castmember!

It's so cool to see a South Park refernce on a Disney board. :lol: