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

[HauntedMansionFLA]

I think it would have been smarter at this point to have put Play! permanently on hold, Move theWorld Showplace Events into that space, Tear down the party tent in World Showcase and build a large scale Mary Poppins Attraction.. A timeless dark ride spectacular... That would be a plus to World Showcase and would meet the stupid IP Mandate... It would also give Party For The Senses and all other Festival parties a spectacular permanent space just call it Party! pavilion...
It is kinda sad though when we are armchair imagineering places for them to have special events because we know they aren't building any attractions...

If they move World Showcase into the Play pavilion, what happens to the Festival Center which is a high priority ??

 

[MisterPenguin]

I can't imagine PLAY! opening until children of all ages have access to a vaccine.

Which should happen sometime this year. But it won't be sooner than later.

 

[WondersOfLife]

October 1st opening ? They have to do something to take the focus off of nothing is happening at the MK for the 50th ( besides new paint jobs)

Don’t worry. They’ll be reopening old attractions. That’s basically just like opening a new one!

 

[Bocabear]

If they move World Showcase into the Play pavilion, what happens to the Festival Center which is a high priority ??

Isn't there at least half a Communicore building vacant next to the old Electric Umbrella?

 

[SplashJacket]

Isn't there at least half a Communicore building vacant next to the old Electric Umbrella?

No idea, but Club Cool will be joining that building.

 

[Bocabear]

No idea, but Club Cool will be joining that building.

if the festival center was in the same building then you could get your booze at the festival center and free mixers at Club Cool...

 

[J4546]

isnt alice in wonderland take place in uk? now a full fledge e-ticket alice in wonderland darkride...that would be an awesome experience....

 

[aladdin2007]

The World Showplace is behind the UK Pavilion... So UK, and Mary Poppins...
I would also be OK with COCO giving a little depth to the Mexico pavilion... These and Ratatouille are kind of no-brainer additions to meet the IP mandate and still make sense within the construct of EPCOT

A dark ride addition to the UK would not necessarily mean the removal of the "permanent" tent.
they could still add one without that being in the way. (marni correct me if wrong?). I would love to see a dark ride added to the UK, and the tent go away for a new country like it was meant to be. Not that its going to ever happen anywhere in any of the other spaces left at this point. I have truly given up on that sadly.

 

[HauntedMansionFLA]

if the festival center was in the same building then you could get your booze at the festival center and free mixers at Club Cool...

The new festival center will be at the west side

 

[marni1971]

A dark ride addition to the UK would not necessarily mean the removal of the "permanent" tent.
they could still add one without that being in the way. (marni correct me if wrong?). I would love to see a dark ride added to the UK, and the tent go away for a new country like it was meant to be. Not that its going to ever happen anywhere in any of the other spaces left at this point. I have truly given up on that sadly.

You’re not wrong.

 

[RSoxNo1]

A dark ride addition to the UK would not necessarily mean the removal of the "permanent" tent.
they could still add one without that being in the way. (marni correct me if wrong?). I would love to see a dark ride added to the UK, and the tent go away for a new country like it was meant to be. Not that its going to ever happen anywhere in any of the other spaces left at this point. I have truly given up on that sadly.

A few months ago on my podcast we did an armchair Imagineering session for relocating DHS attractions with minor rethemes. My wife came up with the idea of putting RNRC in the UK Pavilion as a tour of Abbey Road.

 

[PJBuckeye]

Their hasn’t been much said about the Play! Pavilion in a little bit. Today, shopDisney released a new wave of EPCOT prints featuring World Discovery (the new neighborhood play resides in). In the description of these prints they have a blurb about each attraction that is being represented.

Play’s description doesn’t provide much but does give us a little bit, it reads:

““In the future, the Play! pavilion will present an interactive city where guests discover games and experiences that connect them with their favorite Disney characters, demonstrating how ''play is essential to innovation , exploration, and creativity in the world around us.''”

Further down it also says

“EPCOT's Play! pavilion is scheduled to open in 2021"

The could have easily said "Imagination is essential to innovation, exploration and creativity". This pavilion and Imagination being opposite ends of future world is so dumb.... They should be next to each other or just one pavilion.

 

[J4546]

i agree, the play pavilion is basically a new imaginiation pav in my eyes. I think they shouldve just combined them into the new play pav and added a figment darkride. Then use the old imagination pav (or tear down and build an all new one) for a Sky pavilion so you get the land, sea, and sky on one side of the park entrance.

 

[PJBuckeye]

i agree, the play pavilion is basically a new imaginiation pav in my eyes. I think they shouldve just combined them into the new play pav and added a figment darkride. Then use the old imagination pav (or tear down and build an all new one) for a Sky pavilion so you get the land, sea, and sky on one side of the park entrance.

Yes, my arm chair Epcot involves moving Figment to the play pavilion w/ Dreamfinder. I like your sky pavilion idea. I equally like the @RSoxNo1 idea of putting IASW in EPCOT. That would be a perfect spot for it.

 

[castlecake2.0]

could figment move and the imagination pavilion become the new festival centre?

 

[marni1971]

i agree, the play pavilion is basically a new imaginiation Imageworks

could figment move and the imagination pavilion become the new festival centre?

Not really.

 

[Magic Feather]

Not really.

Is the old ImageWorks (not the part under the pyramid being used for DVC) still usable space? While access is a little tricky (wouldn't be too bad if they brought the escalators back), I'm surprised that Events hasn't targeted that space.

 

[marni1971]

Is the old ImageWorks (not the part under the pyramid being used for DVC) still usable space? While access is a little tricky (wouldn't be too bad if they brought the escalators back), I'm surprised that Events hasn't targeted that space.

It’s still there but IIRC it’s an ADA issue depending how it would be used. WDI and ops have used it but for guest use it still relies on a wheelchair refuge in the event of fire. There was a plan for an escape ramp out the back years ago when there was talk of bringing it all back into use.

 

[HauntedMansionFLA]

Is the old ImageWorks (not the part under the pyramid being used for DVC) still usable space? While access is a little tricky (wouldn't be too bad if they brought the escalators back), I'm surprised that Events hasn't targeted that space.

The area that’s used a the Chase Lounge?

 

[DreamfinderGuy]

The area that’s used a the Chase Lounge?

Chase lounge was Wonders and then American Adventure. Imagination's VIP lounge is cast space, the lobby area of the Image Works is a DVC lounge. The actual Image Works area is mostly empty now, main entrances and exits blocked off from the lounge. A small portion of the footprint is now used for lounge-related storage.