networkpro
Well-Known Member
- In the Parks
- Yes
I find it funny that you can't grasp a pavilion concept that ceased operations 14 years ago possibly reopen as something else. Edutainment has died, let's bury its corpse.
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EPCOT New Play Pavilion to replace Epcot's Wonders of Life
- Thread starter wdwmagic
- Start date
I find it funny that you can't grasp a pavilion concept that ceased operations 14 years ago possibly reopen as something else. Edutainment has died, let's bury its corpse.
WondersOfLife
Blink, blink. Breathe, breathe. Day in, day out.
Edutainment hasn’t died. Good management has died. There’s a drastic difference.
Movielover
Well-Known Member
Yeah... He just let Epcot rot away in staleness after the year 2000 with the only major addition being the 1 good thing from DCA, another Eisner blunder. I miss early career Eisner, the man saved the company and made it incredible but there is no denying that after the failure of Euro Disneyland and the sacking of Katzenberg that Eisner changed and made bad decision after bad decision. Epcot was a corpse for the entirety of the 2000's and only now under Iger/Chepak is the company heavily investing in it. Are they good investments? subjective, but at least the company is actually investing in the place again. Remember it was Eisner who insisted the Disney characters appear in Epcot, since before his hiring they were nowhere to be found, this being one of the many complaints the GP had about early Epcot Center.
networkpro
Well-Known Member
- In the Parks
- Yes
Nice deflection. Wonders of Life is still closed 14 years later and the financial viability of edutainment was determined to have insufficient ROI compared to other uses of park space. It sticks in your craw that a festival outperformed your pet pavallion?
Eisner was only as good as Wells for the most part.
Movielover
Well-Known Member
Right, forgot about him. The trio of Eisner, Wells, and Katzenberg was such a tremendous team! Literally saved the company and transformed it for better or worse into what it is today. I loved all the little things Eisner did, like intro every Wonderful World of Disney movie, or appearing in commercials or other official segments. Really help sell the image that he had plan. This is something severely lacking with Iger and Chapek.
TikibirdLand
Well-Known Member
I think it's a lack of imagination that turned the park into one large Bourbon Street called World Showcase. True, it's the highest gross margin merchandise in all of WDW. So, there's that. I think EPCoT had a higher calling. The problem with Edutainment and visions of the future is that it goes stale pretty quick. Without the sponsors that they liked to lean on to pay the bills, the pavilions were left to rot. The kind of money Disney makes shouldn't allow that to happen. Glad to see some actual spending at EPCoT. But, that same lack of imagination isn't allowing them to come up with quality. As the saying goes, they're spending big bucks, but lack cents (sense, sic).
WondersOfLife
Blink, blink. Breathe, breathe. Day in, day out.
No. It sticks in my craw that disney maintained and updated the building as a festival center better than how they just let the building as the former sit and rot away with absolutely nothing new/updated since 1989. Lol
It sticks in my craw (whatever that is) that TWDC want to turn an $85 million facility into a kids playground.
Bocabear
Well-Known Member
I would agree with that... Why devolve amazing attraction pavilions into an instagram photo op...Everything about this pavilion sounds terrible...and unworthy of this park.
It's sticks in my craw that Disney refurbishes the Wonders of Life roof every eight months.
Does anyone know what's up with that?
Does anyone know what's up with that?
trainplane3
Well-Known Member
And with that, most people have no idea what the heck this thing even is. The descriptions of it always sound lackluster too:
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.''
Imagine a family reading this and realizing it's a dressed up playground in a park you're spending $110 to experience. It honestly sounds like a glorified arcade. But I'm glad something is going into the dome that isn't a lame "festival center".
Bocabear
Well-Known Member
The "Lame Festival Center" at least had some pretty good classes and seminars...Though it should have been placed into Communicore West...and WOL should have gotten a new theme and attraction... "Play": Instagram Playground could have also gone into the Innoventions portion of the Communicore West saving a million dollars worth of Demo and construction costs...
That money could have then been spent on attractions that are the thing that will make for a better guest experience...Not an empty football field-length plaza...
That money could have then been spent on attractions that are the thing that will make for a better guest experience...Not an empty football field-length plaza...
For many families, M&Gs are a big thing, and they'll be concentrated in PLAY!
Not to mention air conditioning and a place to sit and rest. It's like Ellen's all over again!
WondersOfLife
Blink, blink. Breathe, breathe. Day in, day out.
That too.
WondersOfLife
Blink, blink. Breathe, breathe. Day in, day out.
I’ve actually never heard of it beforeIt’s an old ‘Murican saying.
Bocabear
Well-Known Member
Back in the day, seeing the characters was a magical little thing that just happened.. It was not expected or demanded. I don't get the fascination with it, but it has given way to closing actual attractions to make room to have your picture taken with someone in a costume. there are already character photo spots and character meals...They should not take over actual attraction pavilions for more... Maybe that should be the 5th gate... Disney's Instagram Kingdom. it could be all M&Gs and shopping, and just $110 for admission...lol
The Aracuan Bird
Well-Known Member
They lack the charisma and presence Eisner had. They’re too above doing little skits with silly cartoon characters. Eisner understood why Walt’s presence was adored, and tried to recreate it. It’s probably why he’s so revered today despite his major blunders.
FigmentFan82
Well-Known Member
WoL was one of my favorite pavilions as a kid, as it's still sad that they couldn't find a way to bring it back to life in some way (pun intended)
That said, and not to harp on this again, but as a father of now 2 kids, something that is genuinely for them is a great thing to have in a park that can at times feel like it mostly wants to cater to the grown-ups, which again I know is not true. Character moments can be really special for kids and for me as a parent to able to have a picture of that memory is a wonderful thing.
That said, and not to harp on this again, but as a father of now 2 kids, something that is genuinely for them is a great thing to have in a park that can at times feel like it mostly wants to cater to the grown-ups, which again I know is not true. Character moments can be really special for kids and for me as a parent to able to have a picture of that memory is a wonderful thing.