The FRONT of Epcot Really Needs to become Future World

[TyrantBoss]

I am a professional video producer, and while going through some footage that I shot of Epcot from March 2014 I noticed that Future World in Epcot.........is not really Future World anymore.

Let me preface this by saying.....MAINTAIN WORLD SHOWCASE...I'm talking about the FRONT of Epcot needing an update. I love World Showcase...though it could use a few tweaks too.

Epcot still looks mired in the 80's version of the future. It has a similar look and feel that Tomorrowland had before they did the "Mechanical Future" update a few years back. Now I am not really 100% on board with that version of the future at Tomorrowland either, but at least it was an update.

I'm not talking about the rides (Test Track, Soarin'). They have been given, or are getting updates. I am talking about the overall look and some of the attractions.

Future World at Epcot needs a HUGE overhaul.
- Imagination is pretty much a worthless area. There is so much more to explore in the human imagination and when you put the words Disney and Imagination together...the sky should be the limit.
- Ellen's energy ride is So dated and boring. Sure Ellen is still current and all, but the ride needs a total redesign.
- The Land pavilion isn't too bad...it still has staying power. And to be honest...how much can you do with the Land anyway. Living with the Land is futuristic enough for me to appease me.
- The Seas needs some work. The Nemo ride is pretty brutal and boring... but....I digress.

The OVERALL look. I would just like to see something really futuristic. Something out of the ordinary. Something unique that pushes the limits of our own imagination...even if some of it is illusion...just having force perspective spires and towers that stretch out above the park. Maybe a version of the people mover but in those tubes we always see in futuristic movies. Hell....even those pods that Syndrome used on his island in The Incredibles are more futuristic and cool looking than what they have. (Yeah I know, I know...it is a cartoon...but Disney used to try to do things that pushed the limits). And I think Epcot deserves it.

I think it would be cool if Ecopt lit up at night, not with lights, but the outlines of the buildings trimmed with laser light...kinds of like a world in Tron. Just something amazing that really tells you Epcot is the future.

I'm sure I will get a lot of scathing for this, but I don't care. I just wanted to opine and wait to hear what you all think.

 

[cw1982]

I agree with much of your sentiment. Future World could be so much better!

Having said that, your title throws me for a loop. If Epcot "becomes" Future World, what happens to World Showcase? My initial thought when reading that title was that you meant that World Showcase should disappear, and I think we would be hard pressed to find many who would agree with that sentiment.

 

[TyrantBoss]

I agree with much of your sentiment. Future World could be so much better!

Having said that, your title throws me for a loop. If Epcot "becomes" Future World, what happens to World Showcase? My initial thought when reading that title was that you meant that World Showcase should disappear, and I think we would be hard pressed to find many who would agree with that sentiment.

Thanks for the recommendation. I put a qualifying statement in my original entry.

 

[BiffyClyro]

Haha it is very 80's. That's kind of what I love about it, but at the same time, that's also when we go for a short stay it's the park we skip.

Not enough attractions and a lot of the ones that are there need updating.

 

[JiminyandTink]

I'm torn in the sense that Epcot certainly needs some TLC, but I'm also obsessed with the retro-future look, so I would want to see more of that in any Future World refurbs.

 

[righttrack]

My kids have started calling it Retroworld

 

[Cmdr_Crimson]

I would just go with the name they were intending of using for Project Gemini...Discoveryland..

 

[Goofnut1980]

I agree with you 100%. I think the company trying to open all of these parks instead of focusing on 2 like all of the other resorts/parks worldwide, has hurt them. Thinks become stretched too thin to allow for more than one issue to be addressed.

The Body pavilion is the most disgusting looking building on property. Burn it down please! If you want a exhibit space, use some in the Central Plaza or build something new using new technologies.

The central plaza has so much wasted space in all of those buildings. Adding a shop doesn't keep the people coming back for more.

I want to go to Epcot and see new things every time I go through the gates. They should be a testing ground for all companies. Don't make the companies sponsor a pavilion. Let them use the space for free. If people know that there are new and exciting things to do, they will come, in droves! Disney would reap the benefits of additional ticket/merchandise/food sales.

They let places like Animal Kingdom and its vegetation get out of control and now have to send people in to do massive pruning to allow for a new show. But with the "green" movement, Epcot stays baron. Isn't that the future?
Why can't those ideals of "Living with the Land" be an extension outside of the pavilions.

The Future World pavilions should entice and invite you to want to go in and explore more from what you encounter and experience on the outside. Flower and Garden should be something that you can do all year around. Get kids wanting to plant things and watch them grow. The Innoventions of 2014 is kind of a waste of space.

 

[Communicore]

There's no more 80's in there! Bring back the 80's EPCOT Center!

 

[Cmdr_Crimson]

There's no more 80's in there! Bring back the 80's EPCOT Center!

Have you not stepped foot into the Bathrooms at Epcot? There a friggin time portal..Sure it's crappy but, it's one thing that hasn't been touched...Except by Sanitation...
The Imagination Pavilion's bathrooms Play the original Pavilion loop (It's the only place to hear this relic)
And then There's The Odyessy bathrooms by the Test Track side. It's pure 80's..

 

[TubaGeek]

- Ellen's energy ride is So dated and boring. Sure Ellen is still current and all, but the ride needs a total redesign.

Correction: Ellen is not STILL popular, she's popular AGAIN. That thing has been around so long that we've seen her fall out if and back into the limelight.

 

[Bluewaves]

If they just cared about the place that would be an improvement. I have to say even with the 80's vibe in the bathrooms they are spotless, World Showcase is a space you want to spend all day in, Future World is a do the rides then head to the back of the park and go exploring for the rest of the day.

What Future World needs is to do what World Showcase does so well, make you want to go and explore, touch, feel, see and experience like WS does. Greening the place up would be a big improvement, turning the pavilions back into something more than just a quick ride. Space and Imagination are too major areas they could do something, you would think with Space Center an hour and half down the road they could find something they could do with NASA, Imagination, my god, it just screams neglect, they have that huge gorgeous pavilion, please do something with it.

 

[tigger1968]

I love Epcot and always have, but I totally agree that Future World totally needs some TLC. The Imagination Pavilion is a complete joke and is in such desperate need of SOMETHING (No, I am not going into a JIYI rant here lol). I haven't been in either Innoventions on my past few trips, there just is so little there that seems interesting. I like the reboot of Test Track into Tron Track and I am excited about Soarin getting a new film. I still like The Land Pavilion and The Living Seas, but it really does seem like FW gives off a vibe of "a quick stop on your way to World Showcase." I want that to change. I want to see more cool things like the light up sidewalks at night, or something in Innoventions that will make me want to be there for more than 10 minutes. At least put some new paint and some cool lighting all through the park. THEN get started on the Universe of Energy redo.

 

[C&D]

I'm open to change but I like Epcot just fine, in fact it is my 'anchor' park; if it's a toss-up, I'm going to Epcot. Opinion may vary (as they probably should).

 

[Communicore]

Have you not stepped foot into the Bathrooms at Epcot? There a friggin time portal..Sure it's crappy but, it's one thing that hasn't been touched...Except by Sanitation...
The Imagination Pavilion's bathrooms Play the original Pavilion loop (It's the only place to hear this relic)
And then There's The Odyessy bathrooms by the Test Track side. It's pure 80's..

Of course, these are the grooviest bathrooms on property!

 

[Arty Cordova]

Thanks for the recommendation. I put a qualifying statement in my original entry.

I think the whole innoventions plazas are wasted as well. Does Epcot really need a giant indoor playground. So much can be used in that space.

 

[copcarguyp71]

I wholeheartedly agree with pretty much everything.

I have to add that closed off areas (EPCOT is ripe with them) are entirely unacceptable. Disney needs to throw out the model they use where only corporate sponsorship can bring anything new to the park. That business model like the rest of the park is far too 80's-ish. That was an era in which corporations were making money hand over fist and spent like drunken sailors in port...those days have passed and the global economy is much more conservative for corporations.

I will say (as has been said before on these boards) that Apple should really be approached though if they are in fact looking for corporate monies to subsidize with. I cannot remember the exact numbers but the Jobs family owns quite a bit of Disney Corp and I cannot see why they would not invest in their investment AND use that money to expand minds, increase exposure in the marketplace and showcase themselves...but I am not a corporate big wig either, just a guy who's money Disney is losing by making the magic wear thin.

 

[righttrack]

Having visited one just weeks ago, those Odyssey bathrooms are sooooooo tubular!

 

[WannaBWendy]

I'm torn in the sense that Epcot certainly needs some TLC, but I'm also obsessed with the retro-future look, so I would want to see more of that in any Future World refurbs.

I agree. I like the "Future That Never Was" look. I think that's why I loved Horizons so much.

 

[righttrack]

I'm open to change but I like Epcot just fine, in fact it is my 'anchor' park; if it's a toss-up, I'm going to Epcot. Opinion may vary (as they probably should).

Mine too, but it's mostly an anchor because we zip through a fastpass there and head into World Showcase to eat and shop.

I'd like to see things maintained and I don't mean like a museum, I mean like a living park. Some things are untouchable, classics, but a lot needs to be revamped or replaced. Initially I was against this, but as I get older, as I watch my kids grow, I think the sense of wonder doesn't reach them. The sense of tradition does, but I would rather they took their kids there when they are older and have kids, because they wanted to share a sense of wonder, not a tradition.