News New Park Entrance coming to Epcot

[sedati]

So now you're micromanaging imagineers decades after they did their work. Wow.

Please forgive me, I know not what I say. I realize now how wrong I was to blaspheme thine immaculate EPCOT Centre.

I beg you go forth and spread your good word to my fellow heathens on this forums.

 

[marni1971]

I bet it is a similar distance to walk into the first gate for Sorin. Most people would be looking at the farmhouse on LWTL before making the first turn to walk down the ramp to Sorin.

922 ft from entrance to load A and B.

 

[mlayton144]

Any idea when this is starting ? Seems like an easy retrofit , just demolishing and refitting some concrete and planting some trees

 

[brihow]

A masterclass of design:
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Look what they did to poor Kitchen Kabaret. Hid it in a dark corner under an over-pass that bisected its facade.

MisterPenguin, if you're out there, could you please work your magic and tell me how far you have to walk from the entryway of this pavilion before you reach anything of note.

There's much to love about vintage Epcot Center, but not ALL of it.

I don't really mind what they did to the Land, but I wish they had retained some sort of fountain/water element, and I wish the balloons still bobbed up and down.

 

[flynnibus]

922 ft from entrance to load A and B.

So what we're saying is... hurried bolt-ons lead to sub optimal outcomes

 

[Rider]

I wish. But even if it did, it would never be as cool as it once was (architecturally speaking)
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IMO the multiple levels were part of what made the place special. Too bad they filled them in.

You know as much as I loved old Epcot (Horizons was my favorite) there is no way that this store should be held up as something they ruined by changing.

Mouse Gears isn't great but those photos show how dated it looked. It reminds me of a library in my town (probably built about the same time). Maybe they could have kept the sign and the split level but everything else would scream "stuck in the past" today. The planters, wood rails, carpet, fixtures are all from 30 years ago. The past is not what Epcot is about.

 

[Bocabear]

You know as much as I loved old Epcot (Horizons was my favorite) there is no way that this store should be held up as something they ruined by changing.

Mouse Gears isn't great but those photos show how dated it looked. It reminds me of a library in my town (probably built about the same time). Maybe they could have kept the sign and the split level but everything else would scream "stuck in the past" today. The planters, wood rails, carpet, fixtures are all from 30 years ago. The past is not what Epcot is about.

It's all just finishes... The form of what was there, was still great...Updated flooring materials, an ADA compliant elevator and some more recent touches were all it needed...not the cartoon overlay we got. Look at the original sign and graphics design...timeless futurism. seriously.
Like the original Tomorrowland, we will see that the original forms were sophisticated, forward thinking, sophisticated and timeless...

 

[Rider]

I said you could keep the sign and split level layout but if that is all you want to keep... That isn't very much.

The rest of it is the opposite of timeless.

 

[sedati]

I bet it is a similar distance to walk into the first gate for Sorin. Most people would be looking at the farmhouse on LWTL before making the first turn to walk down the ramp to Sorin.

But that's queue. We're talking about the route just to get to a queue. Most queue's are long, though it does seem the less they zig-zag you around, the longer they seem. And sure, if the line is empty it's a long walk, but then again- no line.

Entering and exiting The Land feels like exiting Mission Space chamber bay #4, only you do coming and going and with the added bonus of stairs.

Speaking of Soarin, anyone know what the deciding factor was in not putting this on the opposite side and taking away the Symbiosis theater? Was it to keep a spot open for the Weather pavilion?

 

[Castle Cake Apologist]

This looks incredible and I'm so happy they went with this version vs some of what we had been hearing. This just feels so very EPCOT to me in the best possible way.

And whaddaya know... They design something in line with the original spirit and intent of the park and everybody seems to unanimously love it. 31 pages and virtually no arguing. Isn't that interesting...

And I also agree that there needs to be an Epcot subforum at this point.
EDIT: And now there is one!

 

[montyz81]

This looks incredible and I'm so happy they went with this version vs some of what we had been hearing. This just feels so very EPCOT to me in the best possible way.

And whaddaya know... They design something in line with the original spirit and intent of the park and everybody seems to unanimously love it. 31 pages and virtually no arguing. Isn't that interesting...

And I also agree that there needs to be an Epcot subforum at this point.

And who said Epcot Center 1983 - 1990s was not popular?

 

[marni1971]

And who said Epcot Center 1983 - 1990s was not popular?

People who aren’t aware of attendance figures.

 

[TOCPE82]

And that is exactly the point...even to a child it looked like a memorial or tombstone...
I am glad they are going and the main entrance will be restored...I hope they don't do a budget job when they get to the fopuntain... The acrylic Prisms were amazing...Hard to believe they were never replaced.

I may or may not have casually remarked LOUDLY every time we entered that the pictures "were of all the people who died building EPCOT"

 

[TOCPE82]

They filled in the lower "sunken" areas, and removed the mezzanine upper level. I was told this was done because they determined they could sell more merchandise if guests didn't have to go up stairs. I guess merchandise downstairs sold better than merchandise upstairs..? Plus throughout the 90s people became more lazy over the years so I guess maybe there was less foot traffic on the upper level than the lower level. Maybe @marni1971 can elaborate a bit

Upstairs still exists as a stockroom right? It sucks that they filled in all the sunken parts of Communicore with cement... hard to come back from that.

 

[TOCPE82]

People who aren’t aware of attendance figures.

It makes me wonder if it wouldn't have become popular... sort of how people just went to AK in its first few years when there really wasn't all that much to do.... just because it was a park at Disney World.

 

[TOCPE82]

You know as much as I loved old Epcot (Horizons was my favorite) there is no way that this store should be held up as something they ruined by changing.

Mouse Gears isn't great but those photos show how dated it looked. It reminds me of a library in my town (probably built about the same time). Maybe they could have kept the sign and the split level but everything else would scream "stuck in the past" today. The planters, wood rails, carpet, fixtures are all from 30 years ago. The past is not what Epcot is about.

Well, they could have updated it without changing the multi-level look of the building.

 

[Castle Cake Apologist]

And who said Epcot Center 1983 - 1990s was not popular?

Well, lots of incorrect people on here actually.

The so-called "purists" are often told that the original vision for Epcot was unsuccessful and never coming back. Yet, here is Disney finally throwing us a bone and giving us something that fits perfectly in a modern version of original Epcot, and everybody absolutely loves it. Almost like those original design principles were a good thing.

 

[Communicore]

That 80's The Land is awesome!

 

[sedati]

That 80's The Land is awesome!

If you never got to experience Kitchen Kabaret I weep for you (moreso if you were put through the nightmare that was Food Rocks.)
Kabaret was clever, charming, and should have stayed.

 

[JohnD]

They filled in the lower "sunken" areas, and removed the mezzanine upper level. I was told this was done because they determined they could sell more merchandise if guests didn't have to go up stairs. I guess merchandise downstairs sold better than merchandise upstairs..? Plus throughout the 90s people became more lazy over the years so I guess maybe there was less foot traffic on the upper level than the lower level. Maybe @marni1971 can elaborate a bit

They said the same thing on a tour I did years ago. Imagewotks was closed for the same reason..