Universe of Energy

[ayefour corp.]

I have often walked through the parks alone, and looked at attractions that aside from the super hot days, just do not pull the numbers they used too, and questioned why?

This is one of those occasions where, it has been left neglected for far too long.

So I ask you all, what would you think, something that has been sitting in my head for quite some time now, about the Universe of Energy being re-tooled to feature Wall-e and Captain McCrea?

I have often thought that given the subject matter, and how well liked the Wall-E universe was, that this could be a fit. The Captain and Wall-e returning in time to find out what it was like before the waste takeover, and educationally discussing ways to prevent it. A good mixture of Animatronics and Video would be in place, and hopefully liven up the currently somewhat stale performance of what is housed there now.

My biggest concern is, the uproar that occured when Nemo was introduced at the Seas, if this would happen again?


( i looked for the proper place for this thread, so I wouldn't upset anyone, but had no idea where to go )

Thoughts? Ideas? Reactions?

 

[JEANYLASER]

I think that is a great idea!

 

[Jasonflz]

I'm personally not a big fan of Wall-E, so I would not like this. :lol:

As far as uproar, it may cause quite a bit. UoE is still one of the few classic attractions that is very similar to when it opened. A refurb is MUCH NEEDED but I think an original stance should be taken.

If Wall-E should go anywhere, it should be Pixar Place who needs him the most.

 

[kstella]

I think that is a very clever idea and might bring the interest of younger kids to what can be a really boring ride to them. I do like the Ellen version but how many kids know who she is, or for that matter, Bill Nye the Science Guy? It might be just the update UoE needs.

 

[Drenhopkins]

Great ideal

I've never seen Wall-E yet or I should say from begining to end. But yes it's time for an update with that attraction. But, it always come down to who's the funding the attraction.

 

[Cmdr_Crimson]

First off....NO!

Secondly..Wall-E can be easily put into Circle of Life...

 

[ayefour corp.]

Circle of Life is on it's last legs....WALL-E would fit there well, but I'm not sold. It's not as if I am saying to drop him in Spaceship Earth, I'm just saying, Ellen is floating around there now, with Bill Nye, WALL-E can't be that bad.

 

[Mukta]

Universe of Energy is a great pavilion and I wish that it was more popular.

I have never seen Wall-E. I am not a fan of adding Disney characters to every ride. I think there is enough of that already in the parks. I'm sure some guests would be thrilled, but I never thought that a 30 minute ride with no exit was suitable for children under 10.

I'm not sure how popular the ride is. The capacity is so high that there will hardly ever be a line for it.

 

[mwebb4]

Uoe

I've been to Epcot atleast 7 times and have never road UOE. I don't even remember what the front of the building looks like. I think it suffers from the location. I've just never walked that direction.
It doesn't draw you in like the other buildings. I'm heading down to WDW in August and am looking forward to riding it at least twice.

 

[Communicore]

See the old Communicore Energy exhibit drew you to the UOE. I wish they bring back the "NBA on CBS" - style computer graphics that ended the show along with the awesome song.

 

[Krack]

See the old Communicore Energy exhibit drew you to the UOE. I wish they bring back the "NBA on CBS" - style computer graphics that ended the show along with the awesome song.

Universe of Energy

 

[hammysammy59]

Yeah, this ride is still fun, but it could definitely use an upgrade. Wall-E would be a pretty good fit if they took a green angle, but in that case, he might be a better fit for The Land.

If/when they do revamp this, they should definitely focus on the future of energy. Solar, wind, hydro, geothermal, hydrogen cells. Lots of cool stuff out there to explore in a ride.

 

[Communicore]

This Ellen incarnation had been in place longer than the original, so it really, really, really needs to go. Please Disney, please change this!

 

[invader]

Please -- NO!
I agree it needs updating but there should not be any characters as the main focal points for rides in future world.

 

[MarkTwain]

...

If/when they do revamp this, they should definitely focus on the future of energy. Solar, wind, hydro, geothermal, hydrogen cells. Lots of cool stuff out there to explore in a ride.

Ellen already goes in depth on 4 out of the 5 you listed.

I think Universe of Energy is going to be one of the biggest refurbishment challenges Disney is going to have ever faced, in terms of how refurbish this attraction to be true to the original intent of the attraction.

Do they keep the moving theaters? The moving theaters are one of the most appealing parts of the current ride for those that like it, and have a pretty significant "wow" factor. Others, though, find the right too slow or long because of them.

Do they keep the dinosaurs? That's the other part most people seem to really enjoy about the ride, but the fact is that the future of energy doesn't really involve dinosaurs anymore. The original ride introduced them because it was sponsored by Exxon, who wanted guests to believe the future of energy would be found in fossil fuels, a claim most guests wouldn't want to hear today. Ellen & Bill Nye found a clever way to keep the dinosaurs, by first presenting a history of energy and where the earth came from, including dinosaurs, and then not going into the future of energy until after the diorama. Is this lengthy process something Disney is going to want to do again?

Do they have a celebrity host, or a character makeover? One might make the point that a celebrity host would be the best way to make the 45-minute attraction over a educational subject entertaining (like Martin Short in Canada), but others would say that's why Energy is dated in the first place. Recently Disney has used characters as a cheap fix to make attractions seem popular again (Nemo, Gran Fiesta Tour), but some would say that Future World can't support another character-based attraction. If you do neither celebrities nor characters, than what could Disney do to Energy to make it more interesting than the original Universe of Energy, which some guests claim was the most boring ride at Epcot?

Alternatively, should they just scrap the ride system completely and build a new thrilling ride system that is inherently a draw for crowds, a la Mission Space or Test Track?

It's a difficult problem for which I can't think of a "perfect" solution, and I'm a little curious about how Disney is going to approach it when the time comes. Personally I enjoy the current version, which keeps the moving theaters, dinosaurs, the theme of the attraction intact, and is moderately entertaining. It's also still pretty accurate in its depiction of alternative energy sources - all the pros and cons Bill Nye talks about for each source are still true.

 

[wolf359]

I think the only two realistic options are to do another limited Ellen-style update that keeps the majority of the attraction unchanged, or a complete demolish and start from scratch like Test Track or Mission: Space.

I'd hate to lose the dinosaurs since they're the most memorable part of the show, but at the same time it's had essentially a 30-year run and if they had a great new idea to put in its place I'd give it a fair chance.

 

[C.FERNIE]

I love this ride and i always go when im in EPCOT, i cant remember if i ever saw the orginal but i always loved ellen and bill nye the science guy! and i had not really heard of them before i saw the ride. i think the fact the ride takes 45 mins is fantastic, we try and hit it during the middle of the day as its an awesome break espically espically as EPCOT is so big and there is a lot of walking! i do think it needs some TLC and updating but maybe not a major overhaul, and as much as i love charachters not every ride needs it. if disney did completely want to change it, isnt it one of the biggest buildings on property completely enclosed? so they could potentially do anything with it! :wave:

 

[isman250]

I LOVE Wall-e and I am a 26 year old guy lol, I dont know what it is about that little robot. I think this is a great idea, and something needed.

 

[quirkle]

I remember the original and we used to treat it as just a nice way to get out of the heat and take a nap. The old movie was a huge ad and b-o-r-i-n-g!

That whole corner of the EPCOT needs help - actually EPCOT needs help! I love EPCOT - it was my favorite park but now it really needs some real new TLC!

 

[Kirk88]

I think the Wall-E theming would be a great fit! It fits with Future World and can fit with the WoE theme. I agree that it would be terrible to lose the Dinosaur animitronics from the current ride but, maybe they could be put to use in AK.