News New Play Pavilion to replace Epcot's Wonders of Life

[Surferboy567]

From my understanding (of second hand info, so take it with a grain of salt), that is exactly what it will be. Just a bit more fancy and immersive. More effort put in so it doesn't feel like a hallway, but ultimately not much more than a neat Rainbow Tunnel style set piece for the pavilion. Something cool to walk through (possibly with some rumbling in the floor), but nothing to the level of being simulator ride.

It might have a short "show" that you stand and watch while the doors are closed to add an extra layer to it so it feels like more of an attraction itself. Or it might have the doors open and the "show" being a continuous loop as people walk through it so it feels like just one part of a larger experience.

That is still kinda cool.

 

[LongballMG]

Probably going to be a couple of tables with Brio wooden train sets, except the trains are monorails.

 

[Pi on my Cake]

That is still kinda cool.

I like it myself, if the things I've heard are accurate. A lot of what I've heard of Play is essentially just old school Imageworks with more IP. Bright, colorful, fun. Some retro Epcoty vibes mixed in but mostly surface level and fan service.

Generally inoffensive and should be a good enough time. Especially for a filler attraction for the next 5-10 years as bigger problems with Epcot get the focus (If anything gets much focus with upcoming budget cuts lol).

 

[Pi on my Cake]

Monorail Hallway

 

[WEDway Inc & Company LLC]

From my understanding (of second hand info, so take it with a grain of salt), that is exactly what it will be. Just a bit more fancy and immersive. More effort put in so it doesn't feel like a hallway, but ultimately not much more than a neat Rainbow Tunnel style set piece for the pavilion. Something cool to walk through (possibly with some rumbling in the floor), but nothing to the level of being simulator ride.

It might have a short "show" that you stand and watch while the doors are closed to add an extra layer to it so it feels like more of an attraction itself. Or it might have the doors open and the "show" being a continuous loop as people walk through it so it feels like just one part of a larger experience.

That's actually pretty interesting.

 

[castlecake2.0]

This would be a cool concept for the Japan pavilion with a bullet train motif, i think way way back there was some sort of proposal to do something similar.

 

[Haymarket2008]

I like it myself, if the things I've heard are accurate. A lot of what I've heard of Play is essentially just old school Imageworks with more IP. Bright, colorful, fun. Some retro Epcoty vibes mixed in but mostly surface level and fan service.

Generally inoffensive and should be a good enough time. Especially for a filler attraction for the next 5-10 years as bigger problems with Epcot get the focus (If anything gets much focus with upcoming budget cuts lol).

I know us Epcot purists clamor for the days of hyper intelligent experiences in the park, but this pavilion actually has potential to be quite wonderful if done well.
It seems like the charming parts of CommuniCore/Innoventions/Imageworks wrapped in a fun, modern, engaging way. An effort to make that sort of experience not date itself immediately upon opening seems to be the goal.

Make it even better? Stick SMRT-1 in there and that’ll make a LOT of fans happy.

 

[aladdin2007]

Im getting a Dreamflight vibe with this, me likey. Maybe it all wont just be for toddlers after all.

 

[sedati]

I know us Epcot purists clamor for the days of hyper-intelligent experiences in the park...

I've said this before, but name a thing you actually learned at EPCOT Center. On my second trip, when The Living Seas opened, I first heard of Chemosynthesis. That's about it. The park was about inspiration and hope but was its content was delivered at a third-grade level at best.

 

[Haymarket2008]

I've said this before, but name a thing you actually learned at EPCOT Center. On my second trip, when The Living Seas opened, I first heard of Chemosynthesis. That's about it. The park was about inspiration and hope but was its content was delivered at a third-grade level at best.

I'm not going to list every single thing that I learned from EPCOT Center, because it would be extensive. I'll point anyone's attention towards the absolute wealth of information located in nearly all of the World Showcase pavilions. My fascination with Nordic mythology started right there.

I couldn't disagree with you more, with respect.

 

[marni1971]

This would be a cool concept for the Japan pavilion with a bullet train motif, i think way way back there was some sort of proposal to do something similar.

That also involved a CircleVision theatre.

Calling this an “attraction” is disrespectful to attractions.

 

[Movielover]

Calling this an “attraction” is disrespectful to attractions.

It's right up there with the greats of old, like the public bathhouse Cosmic Waves at Disneyland.

Heck it even got a pin to cover it's embarrassment...

 

[DVCakaCarlF]

I've said this before, but name a thing you actually learned at EPCOT Center. On my second trip, when The Living Seas opened, I first heard of Chemosynthesis. That's about it. The park was about inspiration and hope but was its content was delivered at a third-grade level at best.

Most people can’t read beyond a third grade level, or put a sentence together, so there’s that.

 

[DVCakaCarlF]

It's right up there with the greats of old, like the public bathhouse Cosmic Waves at Disneyland.

View attachment 491238

Heck it even got a pin to cover it's embarrassment...

View attachment 491239

The water park at Carwoind’s is the most public bathhouse you’ll ever see...excluding Myrtle beach.

 

[Horizons1]

I've said this before, but name a thing you actually learned at EPCOT Center. On my second trip, when The Living Seas opened, I first heard of Chemosynthesis. That's about it. The park was about inspiration and hope but was its content was delivered at a third-grade level at best.

I learned so much about so many things at EPCOT. It was the first place I ever saw AND touched so much new technology.

The idea that EPCOT was not educational is part of the poison that’s pushed the park in its current mistaken direction.

 

[Horizons1]

Although... probably a big hint that they'll extend the monorail as predicted by this monorail footer right next to PLAY!...

View attachment 491148

If I’m missing the joke I apologize, but is that really a footer? I know there were plans for the monorail line to run past Horizons. If that is a real footer I wasn’t aware they laid one so long ago.

 

[IveBeenJack]

That also involved a CircleVision theatre.

Calling this an “attraction” is disrespectful to attractions.

I saw your post after I tweeted this.
It has annoyed me soo much, that without any loose confirmation, all these sites DESPERATE for clicks jumped to the conclusion that it MUST be an ATTRACTION. Like it could be a simulator, it could be game, it could be monorail train set... or it could be just a poster... But yet they all need to mislead people for the clicks!

 

[IveBeenJack]

@marni1971 It's a bloody indoor playground isn't it. And the Monorail is the theming for the slides?

 

[UNCgolf]

I've said this before, but name a thing you actually learned at EPCOT Center. On my second trip, when The Living Seas opened, I first heard of Chemosynthesis. That's about it. The park was about inspiration and hope but was its content was delivered at a third-grade level at best.

I don't know if I actually learned anything at EPCOT, but I don't think that was really the point. I think (like a lot of science centers/museums) the point was to engender an interest in the subject and make the guest want to learn more, which is an important part of education in general.

It definitely succeeded in that goal.

 

[MisterPenguin]

I learned so much about so many things at EPCOT. It was the first place I ever saw AND touched so much new technology.

The idea that EPCOT was not educational is part of the poison that’s pushed the park in its current mistaken direction.

My experience of Innoventions in my youth was a bunch of outdated tech. My IBM PCjr and local arcades had more advanced tech.

It depends whether you're there when bleeding edge tech is installed, or, five to twenty years later when it's out of date.

If I’m missing the joke I apologize, but is that really a footer? I know there were plans for the monorail line to run past Horizons. If that is a real footer I wasn’t aware they laid one so long ago.

I don't know if it's a footer for a monorail or some other abandoned project. But for those who believed in a monorail extension after the idea was officially killed internally at WDW, it was something they kept pointing to as proof it was still coming.

I believe it's actually a plug atop a very deep sinkhole that reaches down to the ocean. And if it was pulled up, water would come gushing out of it and sink all of WDW under seven feet of water.