Part II:
A future dining area for guests. The overriding color scheme of the lower level is not deep or vivid, but is rather a sterile, functional white.
Sunshine Seasons - - in its two earlier incarnations - - used to be a food fair rich with detail and a homey farm-like feeling. Its theming emphasized and celebrated the natural connection between man and the earth. Although the food may improve at Sunshine Seasons, the eatery now looks like any other popular food court. According to one online Disney fan, “The only thing I would like to see is some indication as to which station is meant to represent which season. . . .” What do Sunshine Seasons and the new theming tell us about the Land? The balloons start to convey a story about the seasons, but this story is then lost.
The homey Sunshine Season Food Fair (above), contrasted with the new food court that replaced it (below). The first image is clearly in tune with The Land's spirit; but the below image, with no warmth or theming, could have easily been taken in an All-Star Resort food court. To make the area more identifiable, we hope Disney will add more "seasonal" theming to this area before the pavilion has its official opening.
These are issues that the new additions to The Land do not address. Visually, we see a celebration of modern artistic design and the industrial human spirit; but where is the earthy Land that we’re expecting? Airports, inherently, are not friends to nature; environmentalists protest against how much space they occupy, how many habitats they destroy. It is an odd theme for Disney to choose to convey the moral of valuing our land. Also, on peak days, according to Cast Members, crowds will back up on the narrow staircases leading down to Soarin’, and the queue may ultimately extend outside the pavilion, creating a frenetic and crowded feeling inside, not unlike that of a congested airport.
The entrance to Soarin' already resembles a bustling airport terminal, which will become more congested and airport-like once the pavilion opens to all guests.
One guest said, "And I, like you, think it looks very peaceful now. But I wonder how this place is going to be when it's wall-to-wall people." It certainly won't be the serene and peaceful environment that The Land has always offered, as the streamlined décor will not provide any refreshing contrast to the frenzy of crowds. The theming is not exactly a tranquil and relaxing reflection of Mother Nature. The joyous, almost childlike spirit of celebration that pervaded the old pavilion is absent in the new design, where it has become restrained, ordered, and more edgy.
In essence, this new airport terminal in Epcot has “taken over” the earthy Land that we’ve known. Some may argue that the green-painted columns or the large, out-branching light structures represent trees; but this imagery is strained. One guest received some interesting responses from two Cast Members after he asked about the tree-like light structures:
-- “Trees? Those are clouds,” answered the CM.
-- “Clouds? Those definitely aren’t clouds. Those are trees,” interjected the other CM.
Rather than connect with the rejuvenating spirit of Nature itself, guests only encounter art-deco mock-ups of natural ideas, which don’t convey any clear messages, as the conversation above indicates. Guests can appreciate a snazzy and hip interior design, but can they appreciate the beauty and bounty of the Land?
The towering metallic lamp-posts against the whimsical "sky" above. Do you see a clash between two different worlds?
Imagine what a first-time visitor to the pavilion would think and feel. The guest would be greeted with this modern, fluorescent interior environment (note that the design makes no effort to mimic the beauty of the outside natural world), and he or she would enjoy the incredible hanglider-simulator of Soarin’. “But what does the Behind the Seeds Tour have to do with any of this?” the guest may ponder. Really, where are the themes of agriculture, gardening, and interaction with the land that could make such a Tour fit into the new design? How does Living with the Land fit into this airport-like atmosphere? Imagine the feeling of disembarking the same boat ride and re-entering the terminal: do you sense the disjunction, the lack of thematic association? The boat ride through the greenhouses is disconnected and on the fringes of a pavilion that has completely lost touch with its theme.
A view of The Land upon entering. Note the clear division between the nature-influenced ceiling decor and the industrial, mechanical-looking theming that rises from the lower level. This "divide" leaves the pavilion with little interconnection, resulting in a disjointed, schizophrenic effect. (Bar added for effect.)
One Epcot guest seems to sum it up: “But I'm really going to miss the old Land. That's just a personal thing. The whole feel and theme of nutrition and food-based pavilion with that Living with the Land music. It all just went together and now that's sorta gone.” It all just went together, before. As we leave the pavilion after experiencing its many wonders, we may catch a glimpse of the old golden, diamond-shaped placard. It has a quote from the scientist René Dubos, who sums up the theme of the pavilion: symbiosis. The Symbiosis plaque still graces the exitway, refurbished and repositioned, but its continued presence is quietly ironic.
Symbiosis is the creative partnership between mankind and his earth, and it has been a defining core for The Land’s attractions, restaurants, and theming since 1982. Before, guests could sit around the fountain on the lower level and gain some sense of the inspiring meaning, the serene feeling of symbiosis. Guests could feel some connection with and respect for our Land’s beauty and bounty. Attractions would play off and complement each other to emphasize this message. But now, the entire pavilion lacks that symbiosis, that sense of interconnectedness. The placard is an ironic reminder of what The Land used to be like.
Guests, now, are greeted with two different worlds. In The Land, the sun will soon shine over a bustling terminal, which won’t feel so far removed from the Orlando International Airport that guests just left in order to come to Epcot. It may be nice and clean, sleek and modern, attractive and streamlined, but there’s one thing it’s not. It’s not The Land.
A view of the new external foliage that greets visitors (left), alongside the streamlined atmosphere that lies within the pavilion (right). While the natural elements of the exterior hint at earthy, Nature-linked themes, the inside of the pavilion paints a far different picture that tells little about The Land.
