Mystery Project at Epcot

The Empress Lilly

Well-Known Member
Some interesting concept art popped up:

image_zps9b01c15e.jpg
Original Imagination concept art:

tumblr_m0f1ixo83e1r1pz1eo3_1280.jpg
2721850082_e730be3fa2_z.jpg

"...and with that, ladies and gentlemen of the jury, the doom and gloom brigade rests its case".
 

The Empress Lilly

Well-Known Member
WDI "art" is usually about this quality nowadays.
Aye! Here's some of the concept art for another great EPCOT pavilion that was about to be infantilised, The Living Seas. Surely there must be a connection between the imbecility of current concept art and the general creative bankruptcy of the parks.

Nemo-Seas-Epcot-II-web.jpg
20p52fr.jpg


Oh, to think this park's looks were created by such towering giants as Herb Ryman!

epcot-concept.jpg
 

marni1971

Park History nut
Premium Member
I had mentioned these a while back, and someone here mentioned when Energy was redone for Ellen, the blocks were gutted. I thought they had been covered, but evidently they're gone. Will try to find out for sure next time I have a chance to look backstage within UoE.
They're indeed gone. The 96 refurb saw the Radok screens literally ripped out.
 

alphac2005

Well-Known Member
This sums up the current UoE to me: My parents visited WDW two weeks ago and my mother wanted to go on UoE, which they hadn't in years. So, you have a guy in his mid-60s and he wanted to bail out after the first 10 minutes and then ended up just trying to sleep because as he put it, it's outdated, boring, a waste of great space that has so much potential, and with closing in on being two decades old, Ellen has gone from closeted to out to beloved and Alex Trebek still has his 'stache that he lost a decade ago. I simply couldn't argue with a word of what he said.
 

The Empress Lilly

Well-Known Member
Ellen has gone from closeted to out to beloved and Alex Trebek still has his 'stache that he lost a decade ago. I simply couldn't argue with a word of what he said.
That's what you get when you shoehorn celebs in everywhere.

Celeb culture is fleeting. (Apart from being creatively empty in the first place. When an ad agency has absolutely no other idea, they revert to celeb endorsement). No celeb has a long shelf life. Rides will look outdated before they are even up and running. The classic versions of Energy, Imagination, Canada are more timeless, look less dated now, than their much newer replacements.


SSE: Lady Gaga's Telephone Adventures In Communication
AA: Lance Armstrong's Tour of America
The Land: Finding Little Chicken's Feathered Friends In Their Great Vegetables Adventure
 

alphac2005

Well-Known Member
That's what you get when you shoehorn celebs in everywhere.

Celeb culture is fleeting. (Apart from being creatively empty in the first place. When an ad agency has absolutely no other idea, they revert to celeb endorsement). No celeb has a long shelf life. Rides will look outdated before they are even up and running. The classic versions of Energy, Imagination, Canada are more timeless, look less dated now, than their much newer replacements.


SSE: Lady Gaga's Telephone Adventures In Communication
AA: Lance Armstrong's Tour of America
The Land: Finding Little Chicken's Feathered Friends In Their Great Vegetables Adventure

Absolutely. If using celebrities here and there was done and their use was updated before their celebrity demise, then it would be OK in limited use. I personally enjoy the O'Canada! reboot and Martin Short has been around for an admirable amount of time, but the other celebrities shown, many already are forgotten and Martin will be on those screens stuck in a wardrobe from the past decade while he's long in retirement and the company keeps running those films instead of investing in an update. It only took them 25 years to update it the first time.

The latest example, while not a celebrity, was the installation of the American Idol attraction while the show was already on a downward trajectory for its ratings mirroring what they did with the Millionaire attraction.

Tone deaf and always behind the trends, that's your Walt Disney Company. From innovation to now chasing the competition.
 

maxairmike

Well-Known Member
I'd just like to say something about World Showcase. The problem isn't World Showcase or how it presents stuff, the problems are modern families that can't be bothered to maybe actually use their brain on vacation. The sad thing is, it doesn't take much effort because it is all so stimulating to begin with. Impressiones de France is a beautiful film that makes me want to speed to OIA and book a flight to Charles de Gaulle ASAP every time I exit the theater (not to mention the beautiful theater itself), and if that can't inspire a love or want of education about a culture for a kid today, the issue isn't the film. The American Adventure, while a little dated, is still inspirational (and I say this as someone who is ridiculously cynical and pessimistic about our country in its current state) and gives me chills and a slight patriotic lift every time. The message still holds true, that kids today can't or won't bother to grasp it isn't the attraction's fault.

Let's turn off the instant gratification and slow down ("but, but, there's a bazillion things to do in the World and I paid thousands for this vacation, so I better get to do them all!" This is quite possibly the worst thing/thought process to happen to WDW guests, and a point I try to stress, forget even thinking about "doing everything"), and maybe learn a thing or two instead of "gee, that was a boring film, I wanted action and thrills, let's run to Test Track for our FP!" The addition of characters only gives the illusion of being family friendly and completely destroys the intent and purpose of the Showcase when done as the focal point of an attraction or pavilion.

--------------

Ok, on to the rumor pertinent to this thread: please let it be a digital film for Soarin'. I'd settle for a new Magic Eye film, but I think EO is the least of our worries in that pavilion.
 

articos

Well-Known Member
Aye! Here's some the concept art for another great EPCOT pavilion that was about to be infantilised. Surely there must be a connection between the imbecility of current concept art and the general creative bankruptcy of the parks.

Nemo-Seas-Epcot-II-web.jpg
20p52fr.jpg


Oh, to think this park's looks were created by such towering giants as Herb Ryman!

epcot-concept.jpg
I've worked with the artist who did that Seas art, and although it's not in Ryman's league, it's not terrible for the style they wanted to convey. The piece of Imagination art isn't even in the Seas league. It's just bad. It IS hard to find great concept artists that match your project concepts. There are a limited number of greats out there, and they take time to work, so they're not easily available. There's tons of concepts that go out, meaning a lot of art, but not a lot gets built. But that Imagination piece would not have passed muster - I would have gone into contingency and had it redone.
They're indeed gone. The 96 refurb saw the Radok screens literally ripped out.
Crap. :sigh: They could have covered them, which was in the initial plan. They did not have to gut them. That room did not change, nor did they need the infrastructure for other space purposes.

That's what you get when you shoehorn celebs in everywhere.

Celeb culture is fleeting. (Apart from being creatively empty in the first place. When an ad agency has absolutely no other idea, they revert to celeb endorsement). No celeb has a long shelf life. Rides will look outdated before they are even up and running. The classic versions of Energy, Imagination, Canada are more timeless, look less dated now, than their much newer replacements.


SSE: Lady Gaga's Telephone Adventures In Communication
AA: Lance Armstrong's Tour of America
The Land: Finding Little Chicken's Feathered Friends In Their Great Vegetables Adventure
I just had a visceral shudder to these.
 

The Empress Lilly

Well-Known Member
I've worked with the artist who did that Seas art, and although it's not in Ryman's league, it's not terrible for the style they wanted to convey.
Fair enough!

There is a lot of difference between 'back-of-napkin-catch-that-thought-in-sketch-before-it-vanishes', and 'give me some art to impress the banks and sponsors with'.


Here is work by Ryman of that first category. :D

2iw6de1.jpg
 

ctxak98

Well-Known Member
Please now one kill me for saying this but....I LOVE ELLEN! I seriously think the old universe of energy lacked in visual captivity! It was like watching those science videos in high school or grade school that were monotone. IMO. I think an updated ellen and bill nye movie would be great. Ellen is still very relevant today. She is in no way losing poopularity! Its funny and llifts the mood a little.

I think the seas and imagination need the most work right now. Gut nemo and give us the original idea with a neat yet educationallly stimulating trip to tthe ocean depths! Make us feel like we are under water!
 

janoimagine

Well-Known Member
I'm not saying one way or the other because I honestly don't know, but that does not look like art that would come out of WDI. TPC generally has genuine stuff, but...
Agreed, that looks pretty bad, even for a skinny line, I would either fire the illustrator, or start looking for new interns.
 

ctxak98

Well-Known Member
Gut Energy and bring back the drama, the mystery, the awesome scores and a proper inspiring finale.

The wasted pavilion space right now offers 3 films that can be shown in a movie theatre. Nothing EPCOT about that.
I get what your saying but UOE has good music right now. I love it actually. I just think the old energy ride is just as outdated at the Ellen ride in terms of actual Information. But I think Epcot can offer something Educational with some entertainment value to it. Nothing wrong with humor.
 

Register on WDWMAGIC. This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.

Back
Top Bottom