Possible Attraction in France pavilion (Epcot) Update - new Attraction Greenlit

[I am Timmy]

Read it and weep

http://disneyandmore.blogspot.co.uk/2014/02/epcot-equatorial-africa-pavilion-world_18.html

I read it, both parts. I'm weeping. OMG, I cannot believe the enormous BALL that was dropped in scrapping this project. After all the blood, sweat and tears, time, creativity, just all around awesomeness that went into it, and Disney decided Epcot was "good enough" without it? EPIC FAIL. Geez, I never would've left this place! Nice to know some of that awesomeness ended up in Animal Kingdom (which I adore), and a tiny bit in The Adventurer's Club (Kungaloosh! Now I'm double sad, Disney had to close that as well!), I feel that is a small consolation to the geniuses that wanted to make this a reality. For us. Have they, and us by extension, been shat upon? After reading what could of been, I kinda feel like it. But thank you for showing me the articles - eye opening and enlightening.

 

[marni1971]

I read it, both parts. I'm weeping. OMG, I cannot believe the enormous BALL that was dropped in scrapping this project. After all the blood, sweat and tears, time, creativity, just all around awesomeness that went into it, and Disney decided Epcot was "good enough" without it? EPIC FAIL. Geez, I never would've left this place! Nice to know some of that awesomeness ended up in Animal Kingdom (which I adore), and a tiny bit in The Adventurer's Club (Kungaloosh! Now I'm double sad, Disney had to close that as well!), I feel that is a small consolation to the geniuses that wanted to make this a reality. For us. Have they, and us by extension, been shat upon? After reading what could of been, I kinda feel like it. But thank you for showing me the articles - eye opening and enlightening.

You're welcome. If I recall it was more problems with politiics and sponsors and becoming too much a project that could backfire with apartheid still prevelant rather than Disney just scrapping it.

 

[articos]

You're welcome. If I recall it was more problems with politiics and sponsors and becoming too much a project that could backfire with apartheid still prevelant rather than Disney just scrapping it.

Right.

 

[Tony the Tigger]

That whole Africa discussion was interesting and I'd love to see it eventually fleshed out into more than just the walk-through space it is now.

Replacing a ride that was actually about Norway with a ride that has nothing to do with Norway...that's the problem.

I wish you would be more accurate and intellectually honest. Whether you like it or think it fits or not, it is dishonest to keep repeating it "has nothing to do with Norway."

I think this is a good example of Goofgoof's point about the differences between the use of characters in Mexico vs Norway. In Mexico and this Sam and Sophia programs, the characters only serve to provide an infodump on the country in question, they're not posing as representatives of the countries. Compare this to FEA which serves to provide an excuse to play songs in a snowy setting without teaching anything.

What's educational about Three Caballeros? We pretty much always ride it. There's stereotyping and looking for Donald, and a really bad actor playing a chef whirling his head around pretending to see something that isn't there. ( or maybe he's a so-so actor and they messed up on the technical side.)

Don't care. We enjoy the ride, I have no pretense of learning anything, and I can't believe we've learned anything from it even accidentally. I've been to one part of Mexico. I learned about it from that. If I have any desire to learn more, there is no shortage of information at my fingertips.

Because if a little 4 or 5 year old girl is visiting FEA in Norway..and enjoys everything else about the pavilion, relating the two together, then she may be more inclined to enjoy that area again..maybe learn something new, try a new food..just as I said before.

Exactly! Look how much tourism went up in New Zealand after the Lord of the rings movies came out, and they weren't even fictionally set in New Zealand, to my knowledge. People just liked what they saw, there may have been a bit of promotion, and an increased interest in a beautiful country – just goes to show when you are trying to shoehorn education into everything, people learn things when something is naturally inviting.

The discussion at hand was around whether adding a Frozen ride to Norway fits in the theme of WS. It does not. There's really no debate there.

You're right, but not the way you think. There really is no debate there. There's an attraction there.

 

[articos]

Are you talking about BatB in Tokyo or a new ride for the Japan pavilion at EPCOT?

I am only talking Tokyo at the moment.

 

[FigmentForver96]

if animal kingdom also included an exotified "europe" area based on "authentic european design", would you say that the france pavilion was redundant?

Depends, I would say Animal Kingdom needed to focus on other countries other then France but even still, Europe and France are two totally different things. I'm not going to naively say all of Africa looks the same but I know everyone could agree that if they built an African pavilion at Epcot, it would simply look like what is in Animal Kingdom.

 

[articos]

Let me guess. It was originally slated for our New Fantasyland.

No, if that makes it any better.

 

[articos]

What is it based on... Honey pots? That tech seems a little old.

Not Pooh. It is old, but that led to other attractions.

 

[wdisney9000]

Exactly! Look how much tourism went up in New Zealand after the Lord of the rings movies came out, and they weren't even fictionally set in New Zealand, to my knowledge. People just liked what they saw, there may have been a bit of promotion, and an increased interest in a beautiful country

LoTR was filmed in a REAL location. New Zealand is a REAL place. You can actually visit the areas where the movie was filmed. You can not visit Elsas ice castle or Oakens Trading post. You could only go to Norway and see houses with rooftops that resemble rooftops from the animated versions seen in Frozen.

people learn things when something is naturally inviting.

A bit of irony in that statement, wouldnt you say?

 

[wdisney9000]

So many possibilities there. Food, drinks, dancing, soccer.

Food, drinks,dancing, and soccer... wow, you could be speaking about any country on planet Earth. You have completely stereotyped a place with so much more to offer than just entertainment value.

 

[wdisney9000]

Harambe, while not technically a real place, is authentically African in design and execution. An African pavilion would be redundant

Epcot in its entirety will soon be redundant.

 

[Princess Leia]

North America: 3 (Canada, USA, Mexico)
Europe: 5 (Norway, Germany, Italy, France, UK)
Asia: 2 (China & Japan)
Africa: 1 1/2 (Morocco & the Outpost)
South America: 0
Australia: 0

If any country is added to the WS, it should be from Africa or South America, but I will make a case for India for another Asian pavilion.

 

[Tony the Tigger]

LoTR was filmed in a REAL location. New Zealand is a REAL place. You can actually visit the areas where the movie was filmed. You can not visit Elsas ice castle or Oakens Trading post. You could only go to Norway and see houses with rooftops that resemble rooftops from the animated versions seen in Frozen.

I guess that only sounds ridiculous to people who hold animated films, theme parks, tourism, and education in reasonable perspective.

Epcot in its entirety will soon be redundant.

read: better.

 

[wdisney9000]

read: better.

When visiting WDW, my wife and I enjoy having the option to choose what kind of day we want to have. After spending a day in Epcot of eating, drinking, soaking in WS and enjoying what FW offers, we return to our resort room and decide we are ready for a day of fantasy in the Magic Kingdom. Having that balance is what makes each day unique and more exciting. HS is rapidly becoming a second MK already, so once Epcot begins to emulate a fantasy park, the only one left with a distinct identity will be AK.

Perhaps it is more of a subconscious effect that designers of the parks took into consideration. As the Italian scholar Petrarch said, "Sameness is the Mother of disgust, Variety is the cure". I drive a big SUV, my wife has a sports car, and I also have a motorcycle. After driving my huge gas guzzler for a few days, its enjoyable to sit low in my wifes car and fill it up for only $25, or switch up and hop on my bike and hit 100 mph, and then when I drive my SUV, again, I like sitting up high and loading it up with stuff at Home Depot or putting my dogs in the back and going to the Mountain, (we have a small mountain where we live, just one, all alone by itself, lol). Each vehicle makes me appreciate what the other has to offer. Its variety. Epcot does not need to be a library or a PBS special. Itjust needs to be unique.


edited for punctuation and grammar

 

[GoofGoof]

I wish you would be more accurate and intellectually honest. Whether you like it or think it fits or not, it is dishonest to keep repeating it "has nothing to do with Norway."

What's educational about Three Caballeros? We pretty much always ride it. There's stereotyping and looking for Donald, and a really bad actor playing a chef whirling his head around pretending to see something that isn't there. ( or maybe he's a so-so actor and they messed up on the technical side.)

Don't care. We enjoy the ride, I have no pretense of learning anything, and I can't believe we've learned anything from it even accidentally. I've been to one part of Mexico. I learned about it from that. If I have any desire to learn more, there is no shortage of information at my fingertips.

You're right, but not the way you think. There really is no debate there. There's an attraction there.

I get it. You don't care for the original theme of WS. You just want rides. That's fine and a valid opinion and the good news for you is it seems like they are moving further and further from the original theme as they make EPCOT into a MK type park.

 

[Tony the Tigger]

When visiting WDW, my wife and I enjoy having the option to choose what kind of day we want to have. After spending a day in Epcot of eating, drinking, soaking in WS and enjoying what FW offers, we return to our resort room and decide we are ready for a day of fantasy in the Magic Kingdom. Having that balance is what makes each day unique and more exciting. HS is rapidly becoming a second MK already, so once Epcot begins to emulate a fantasy park, the only one left with a distinct identity will be AK.

Perhaps it is more of a subconscious effect that designers of the parks took into consideration. As the Italian scholar Petrarch said, "Sameness is the Mother of disgust, Variety is the cure". I drive a big SUV, my wife has a sports car, and I also have a motorcycle. After driving my huge gas guzzler for a few days, its enjoyable to sit low in my wifes car and fill it up for only $25, or switch up and hop on my bike and hit 100 mph, and then when I drive my SUV, again, I like sitting up high and loading it up with stuff at Home Depot or putting my dogs in the back and going to the Mountain, (we have a small mountain where we live, just one, all alone by itself, lol). Each vehicle makes me appreciate what the other has to offer. Its variety. Epcot does not need to be a library or a PBS special. Itjust needs to be unique.


edited for punctuation and grammar

Then I guess this is just a matter of perspective and outlook. I don't care if they put rides and characters all over Animal Kingdom and Epcot, they still won't be Magic Kingdom to me. I see the differences. And I choose to enjoy what is offered rather than nitpick.

I get it. You don't care for the original theme of WS. You just want rides.

If that's what you got from my posts, you may have reading comprehension issues.

The lack of decent serious discussions on these boards - without peoples' psychological issues, insecurities, authoritarianism, and acting like they're incontrovertibly correct and/or their last name is Disney - is disappointing. That leaves trip reports and word games.

 

[GoofGoof]

If that's what you got from my posts, you may have reading comprehension issues.

You said this:

Don't care. We enjoy the ride, I have no pretense of learning anything

I said this:

I get it. You don't care for the original theme of WS. You just want rides. That's fine and a valid opinion

I fail to see how I didn't comprehend your post.

If you go back and actually read the discussion from yesterday it was a civil conversation about the topic at hand. I'm sorry if it bothers you that people have different opinions but the point of the boards is to have discussions. WS did have a specific theme when it was conceived and first built. Frostrom does not fit in that theme.

And for the record, I do enjoy the rides (including Frostrom) and it won't stop me from going to WDW or enjoying myself while I'm there. We were having a civil discussion about whether rides based on moves like Frozen, Aladdin, Ratatouille , BatB or other IPs fit into the original theme of WS. It's an academic debate.

 

[Mike S]

secoding this..
Respective countries would look way better. like an egyptian one.

I still wonder why so many people think or refer "Africa" is a single entity.

I want Somalia with the brand new E Ticket Pirates of the African coast.

No, if that makes it any better.

Depends.

Not Pooh. It is old, but that led to other attractions.

Was it this old DLP concept or something else?

North America: 3 (Canada, USA, Mexico)
Europe: 5 (Norway, Germany, Italy, France, UK)
Asia: 2 (China & Japan)
Africa: 1 1/2 (Morocco & the Outpost)
South America: 0
Australia: 0

If any country is added to the WS, it should be from Africa or South America, but I will make a case for India for another Asian pavilion.

Australia should be in AK. Put Brazil in Epcot.

When visiting WDW, my wife and I enjoy having the option to choose what kind of day we want to have. After spending a day in Epcot of eating, drinking, soaking in WS and enjoying what FW offers, we return to our resort room and decide we are ready for a day of fantasy in the Magic Kingdom. Having that balance is what makes each day unique and more exciting. HS is rapidly becoming a second MK already, so once Epcot begins to emulate a fantasy park, the only one left with a distinct identity will be AK.

Perhaps it is more of a subconscious effect that designers of the parks took into consideration. As the Italian scholar Petrarch said, "Sameness is the Mother of disgust, Variety is the cure". I drive a big SUV, my wife has a sports car, and I also have a motorcycle. After driving my huge gas guzzler for a few days, its enjoyable to sit low in my wifes car and fill it up for only $25, or switch up and hop on my bike and hit 100 mph, and then when I drive my SUV, again, I like sitting up high and loading it up with stuff at Home Depot or putting my dogs in the back and going to the Mountain, (we have a small mountain where we live, just one, all alone by itself, lol). Each vehicle makes me appreciate what the other has to offer. Its variety. Epcot does not need to be a library or a PBS special. Itjust needs to be unique.


edited for punctuation and grammar

You live near the Lonely Mountain?

 

[The_Jobu]

It's an academic debate.

You give academics too much credit. Our debates usually end up in name calling and fuming indignation.

 

[Haymarket2008]

I want Somalia with the brand new E Ticket Pirates of the African coast.

Depends.

Was it this old DLP concept or something else?

Australia should be in AK. Put Brazil in Epcot.

You live near the Lonely Mountain?

That concept art was for an Enchanted Tiki Room style show themed to Beauty and the Beast. Which I think is kinda genius.