WDW1974
Well-Known Member
I stumbled across this thread this afternoon. Spent 20 minutes composing a typically provocative post decrying the EPCOT dumbing down, comparing it to our society ... and blaming everything from Hollywood to George Bush to 9/11 to Wall Street. naturally, our great technology kicked in and my internet died, crashing my computer and taking the post with it.
I'm not gonna repost, but I think this is phenomenal thread. I agree largely with the points made by the OP. And feel Rob and Randy added on it as well and added eloquent takes on the subject that are very in synch with my own beliefs..
I loved EPCOT Center in 1982. I have never felt such an awe-inspiring vibe as being at EC on Opening Day and in the months and years that followed. And while some attractions were certainly not masterpieces of entertainment, almost everything in the park was a masterpiece of showcasing what was possible then with techonology and what COULD be possible in the future.
it was all about limitless possibilities ... a very postive utopian future ... much more of a Star Trek type future than what the 1990s and 2000s brought.
Whether you like the attractions better now (I don't ... not even close) isn't really that important. It's the park portrays a much simpler, dumber and, yeah, more cynical view of the future.
Why go for a pavilion about the possibilities of space when you can ride an expensive simulator that will give you the same experience year in and year out? Why go to a seabase on floor of a future of amazing technology when you can travel in a clamshell with toons? Sure ... Soarin is a terrific addition (although I have issues with showing the same film as in Anaheim ... well, not really the same as in Anaheim they actually keep the prints free of UFO size dustbunnies), but it's still just a film ... not nearly as amazing as the technology showcased in the greenhouses next door.
Anyway, that's a small amount of what I had written ... but the thread is phenomenal. And it's a hopeful sign that there are a few young folks out there who do GET IT!
I'm not gonna repost, but I think this is phenomenal thread. I agree largely with the points made by the OP. And feel Rob and Randy added on it as well and added eloquent takes on the subject that are very in synch with my own beliefs..
I loved EPCOT Center in 1982. I have never felt such an awe-inspiring vibe as being at EC on Opening Day and in the months and years that followed. And while some attractions were certainly not masterpieces of entertainment, almost everything in the park was a masterpiece of showcasing what was possible then with techonology and what COULD be possible in the future.
it was all about limitless possibilities ... a very postive utopian future ... much more of a Star Trek type future than what the 1990s and 2000s brought.
Whether you like the attractions better now (I don't ... not even close) isn't really that important. It's the park portrays a much simpler, dumber and, yeah, more cynical view of the future.
Why go for a pavilion about the possibilities of space when you can ride an expensive simulator that will give you the same experience year in and year out? Why go to a seabase on floor of a future of amazing technology when you can travel in a clamshell with toons? Sure ... Soarin is a terrific addition (although I have issues with showing the same film as in Anaheim ... well, not really the same as in Anaheim they actually keep the prints free of UFO size dustbunnies), but it's still just a film ... not nearly as amazing as the technology showcased in the greenhouses next door.
Anyway, that's a small amount of what I had written ... but the thread is phenomenal. And it's a hopeful sign that there are a few young folks out there who do GET IT!