Rumor Siemens is going to end their sponsorship with the parks - Spaceship Earth and IllumiNations

[RustySpork]

- Rumors of something very expensive happening at Epcot

They could be raising the price of Mickey Ears to $6.

 

[ford91exploder]

Siemens won't be a competitor with TWDC. Funny you should mention that though.

Nor is anything Star Wars proposed to intrude into the geosphere.

But it's SO EASY - Just add the energy weapon dish and you have a Death Star, No way Chappie passes up this low hanging fruit to bring Star Wars to EPCOT..

 

[Grimley1968]

As much as I hope SSE remains pretty much as is, the idea of changing the different scenes in the ride to scenes of the Death Star interior in action is pretty appealing. Show some interrogations, the emperor sitting in that chair with the killer view, the Millennium Falcon in the hangar, and I might have to throw some money at it myself.

 

[articos]

I'm cherry-picking rumors here, but consider:
- Rumors of something very expensive happening at Epcot

Not rumors.

 

[montyz81]

Didn't see this posted:http://www.mynews13.com/content/new...icles/cfn/2017/6/30/siemens_disney_end_l.html
http://www.mynews13.com/content/new...icles/cfn/2017/6/30/siemens_disney_end_l.html
To which I respond:

 

[Smiley/OCD]

Is there any chance AT&T comes back as the sponsor given their current deal with the resort as official wireless carrier?

Let Apple spend some of their $$$...Just think the store that can be put into the park/Disney Springs...

 

[dolphinforces]

Didn't see this posted:http://www.mynews13.com/content/new...icles/cfn/2017/6/30/siemens_disney_end_l.html

Same thing that was sent to blog mickey earlier

 

[Jedi Stitch]

Disneyland already has every ride sponsored, why don't they just start that in the world.

 

[monothingie]

Disneyland already has every ride sponsored, why don't they just start that in the world.

Gross mismanagement.

 

[monothingie]

Siemens won't be a competitor with TWDC. Funny you should mention that though.

Nor is anything Star Wars proposed to intrude into the geosphere.

Funny why? PM me if you want.

 

[marni1971]

Funny why? PM me if you want.

It'll probably all come out over time. If it doesn't I'll explain.

 

[WDWFigment]

He does view it highly (the idea behind the park and what it was and could be again) but I get your point. He has a great piece on the current "Epcot situation" http://www.disneytouristblog.com/cant-let-epcot-go/

While I strongly believe EPCOT is still viable as a concept--and is frankly more necessary than ever--I realistically don't see modern-day TWDC ever going back in that direction.

It's too ambitious and too risky. Just look at the guest satisfaction scores for attractions like TSM and RnRC. These are fun, sure, but they are low-hanging fruit. I think TWDC would rather play it safe with offerings like this that are easy to create and easy to please.

Personally, I think more ambition could be rewarded long-term. There is a reason EPCOT Center created so many diehard fans. I don't see something like Toy Story Land doing the same, even if it does amount to a short-term "brand deposit" for the franchise.

 

[EPCOTCenterLover]

Ambition can be rewarded. Case in point: TDS. But maybe that only happens in Japan.

 

[TWSITT]

While I strongly believe EPCOT is still viable as a concept--and is frankly more necessary than ever--I realistically don't see modern-day TWDC ever going back in that direction.

It's too ambitious and too risky. Just look at the guest satisfaction scores for attractions like TSM and RnRC. These are fun, sure, but they are low-hanging fruit. I think TWDC would rather play it safe with offerings like this that are easy to create and easy to please.

Personally, I think more ambition could be rewarded long-term. There is a reason EPCOT Center created so many diehard fans. I don't see something like Toy Story Land doing the same, even if it does amount to a short-term "brand deposit" for the franchise.

I would say Pandora was both ambitious and risky...they still have it in them.

 

[aladdin2007]

I'm cherry-picking rumors here, but consider:
- WDW1974 says Ellen's Energy Adventure won't use a Marvel IP
- But others are still reporting GotG going into Epcot
- Rumors of something very expensive happening at Epcot

Then I read the link posted earlier about Time Racers. To wit:

Project Gemini proved to be too expensive for Disney to pursue, with a rumored price tag of around $500 million. Had it gone ahead, Epcot could be a very different park today. Instead, Siemens took over sponsorship of Spaceship Earth, and the existing ride was given a makeover - ensuring that it will continue to whisk riders through history for some time to come.
​

If Siemens left, old ideas never die, and Guardians need a home... are these dots I should be connecting? GotG are going to be a centerpiece as guardians of the world (showcase)?

I think trying to shoehorn Guardians into SE would be more expensive that gutting and adding onto energy. I can't see them doing that. I dont know? just thinking off top of my head even though I know SE is just not safe now, or ever at this point at the rate they are going with this replacing everything kick, though rat will be a new build..Although who am I kidding, I never dreamed Norway would be reduced to a princess fest and not be about Norway anymore. soo. okay I see what you mean lol........is it possible though Disney wants something more drastic and extreme replacing SE and siemens wanted no part of it? Or just not so?

 

[Bocabear]

Why do they have to do anything to Spaceship Earth except remove the Siemans Logo? Horizons operated unti it's closing without a sponsor...all they did was remove a couple GE logos... No reason this sponsorship loss should really change any of the ride...

 

[castlecake2.0]

I still have the utmost faith that the new IllumiNations (or whatever it's going to be called) will not have any IPs.

And I'll make another prediction; it will make nightly use of the launching points from behind all the pavilions that they only use for NYE currently.

If I remember correctly the launching pads behind the pavilions are not permanent structures, they're just put up for NYE and it disrupts a lot of traffic backstage. But if they could make them permanent and safe that would be a pretty beautiful show!! Good thought!

 

[aladdin2007]

Why do they have to do anything to Spaceship Earth except remove the Siemans Logo? Horizons operated unti it's closing without a sponsor...all they did was remove a couple GE logos... No reason this sponsorship loss should really change any of the ride...

agree, except it does give Disney the full freedom to do what they please to it, its not like anyone cares about fixing the falling the black sheets anyway.

 

[Darth Sidious]

Yes. The entire Epcot Monorail system. Not just one.

Sometimes I do not grasp Disney. They have shareholders they answer to, so do their sponsors. Sometimes you have to give something back to the sponsors for them to be able to sell it back to their boards and stockholders.
A little lounge with a Coke Freestyle machine just doesn't balance the sponsorship.

My guess is they were going to give Disney a fleet of Siemens monorail vehicles as opposed to the Bombardier fleet used today. Maybe Disney had a long standing contract with Bombardier upon the sale of their monorail patents way back.

EDIT: Bombardier and Siemens are probably going to merge so that throws a wrench in the above. I wonder why Disney didn't take this offer.

 

[the.dreamfinder]

While I strongly believe EPCOT is still viable as a concept--and is frankly more necessary than ever--I realistically don't see modern-day TWDC ever going back in that direction.

It's too ambitious and too risky. Just look at the guest satisfaction scores for attractions like TSM and RnRC. These are fun, sure, but they are low-hanging fruit. I think TWDC would rather play it safe with offerings like this that are easy to create and easy to please.

Personally, I think more ambition could be rewarded long-term. There is a reason EPCOT Center created so many diehard fans. I don't see something like Toy Story Land doing the same, even if it does amount to a short-term "brand deposit" for the franchise.

It's so funny that they don't see EPCOT as a brand. If you consider it as a brand, it's in the same position Marvel was in back in the 90's; it may have gone through dire straights, but people still know what it is and have some fondness for it.

Folks throw out a billion dollar+ figure for rejuvenation, and there is some truth in that number given WDI's spending habits, but they can pivot Epcot back to EPCOT with projects that utilize existing facilities for attractions that entertain, inform and inspire.