Was EPCOT Center really boring?

[misterID]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think Disney closed down many, if any, attractions that were popular, working, and put alot of people through every day. Yeah, many people miss certain attractions, World of Motion, Mr. Toad, Horizons, etc . . ., but I doubt that Disney ever said, "Here's a popular attraction that packs in the people every day. Let's get rid of it."

No, and no matter how rabid a minority of fans love an attraction, if it doesn't keep pulling in the crowds, it'll probably be gone once a smart replacement is available. I would assume that World of Motion, Mr. Toad, and Horizons probably weren't pulling in the people anymore, and I further assume that some rides (ala 20,000 Leagues) were probably broken down so much that replacement became necessary.

Again, correct me if I'm wrong.

The rides sponsors pulled out, contracts ended or were renegotiated. Imagineers also lobbied to get their ideas to replace those attractions when contracts were up. That's why they got rid of them.

 

[THEMEPARKPIONEER]

I agree that Comunicore had way more to offer but I guess todays progress just caught up with it. I remember when I was little I saw a 4x3 inch laptop with an old school LCD display and I wrote 2 letters to santa for one LOL. Of course I never got it nor did we own a computer and now I have a phone that is way more advanced then that laptop with, internet, itunes and a colored touch screen with a 5 megapixel camera. Here in Long Island they plan to build a small version of the Epcot City called the Lighthouse. It will provide housing, jobs, entertainment, community events and will be very green and efficient. I was amazed with all the features it will have. Of course they never started building but I cannot wait. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7NebihclkyM

 

[marni1971]

and I further assume that some rides (ala 20,000 Leagues) were probably broken down so much that replacement became necessary.

Don`t get started on 20k. The whole sorry story of reasons of closing that ride is hard to stomach.

 

[Walt Disney1955]

This is solely my input on it but I went to Epcot when I was 14. I was neither here nor there on it. I liked aspects of it but you find yourself not appreciating it as much when you are a teenager.

I went when I was 29 and found that I appreciated it a lot more. I appreciate the architectural elements there alone. In my opinion, Epcot aged fairly well

 

[knnyrobb]

My family loves Epcot. My son is 11 and it has been his favorite park for 3 years now. My daughter is 7 and has also always enjoyed it. We love World Showcase and can spend a whole day just walking around the countries. We always have to have at least 2 days in Epcot on a 7 day trip. Staying longer this time so hoping for more Epcot time

 

[yankspy]

No. Epcot Center was not boring. I was eight when I went there in 1982 and it was my first exposure to things like solar power, touchscreens, and videophones.

It was bold, exciting, and optimistic. I still like Epcot, but it does not seem the same now.

 

[MKCP 1985]

I dont think Disney should be seen to be condoning alcohol abuse.

Does anyone remember back in the day when you were not allowed to take your alcoholic beverage beyond the perimeter of the host country where it was purchased? Cast members would be posted at the "border" and tell people they couldn't take their alcohol with them past that point.

I don't know how long that rule was in effect, but it took Disney a while to come to grips with the fact they were actually selling alcohol in one of their parks. :lol:

 

[MarkTwain]

I remember my childhood in the Epcot of the early 1990s (when the Epcot of the '80s was still mostly unchanged) and I didn't find it boring at all. By contrast, I probably liked early 1990s Epcot more as a kid than I like modern Epcot as an adult. :lookaroun As a little kid who couldn't ride coasters or thrill rides, it was nice to be in a park where every attraction was available to me.

I miss the genuinely hopeful and optimistic feeling Epcot would leave you with back then. You still get a little bit of that today with Illuminations, American Adventure, and the new Spaceship Earth, but back then you could find that sentiment everywhere, in every pavilion and in every attraction.

 

[Ralphlaw]

The rides sponsors pulled out, contracts ended or were renegotiated. Imagineers also lobbied to get their ideas to replace those attractions when contracts were up. That's why they got rid of them.

So imagineers were able to lobby hard enough to get widely popular attractions replaced? And if the attraction was still widely popular and the sponsor pulled for whatever reason, wouldn't it be relatively simple (and cheaper) to simply find a new sponsor to take over rather than tearing down the old one and building something new?

I have my doubts. Right now, relatively lame attractions would seem to be Carousel of Progress and Tiki, but if they were replaced, I would assume that the boards would be filled with woe and derision from people expounding about how great they were.

I'm still not convinced that widely popular attractions were replaced with lame new ones. Yes, some perhaps unpredictable lameness is inevitable because no one can predict how good it may or may not be. Of course, I am very curious about the closure of 20,000 Leagues, and in August I'll be at Disneyland to see Mr. Toad and a version of 20,000 Leagues for myself.

But seriously, if anyone can point out where a great widely popular working attraction was closed and replaced with lameness, I would be very interested.

 

[Krack]

I'm still not convinced that widely popular attractions were replaced with lame new ones.

Clearly you've never been inside the original Imagination Pavilion.

But seriously, if anyone can point out where a great widely popular working attraction was closed and replaced with lameness, I would be very interested.

20k got replaced with a playground. A glorified Jungle Gym. Horizons got replaced with a spinner. Imageworks got replaced with dust. World of Motion got replaced with Disney's recreation of my ride to work every morning. The Diamond Horseshoe replaced with nothing. Pleasure Island turned into a ghost town. Alien Encounter's replacement is the most mocked attraction in the park. Except for maybe the original Enchanted Tiki Room's replacement. The Backlot Tour incrementally dismantled. The Monster Sound Show replaced by Sounds Dangerous.

 

[The Mom]

Does anyone remember back in the day when you were not allowed to take your alcoholic beverage beyond the perimeter of the host country where it was purchased? Cast members would be posted at the "border" and tell people they couldn't take their alcohol with them past that point.

I don't know how long that rule was in effect, but it took Disney a while to come to grips with the fact they were actually selling alcohol in one of their parks. :lol:

When EPCOT first opened you could only get alcohol in full service restaurants. No counter service or kiosks to serve it.

I remember going into a restaurant and ordering an appetizer just so my dad could get a cold beer.

 

[raiden]

For your typical small minded person. Yes it WAS extremely boring.

 

[Krack]

When EPCOT first opened you could only get alcohol in full service restaurants. No counter service or kiosks to serve it.

I remember going into a restaurant and ordering an appetizer just so my dad could get a cold beer.

That policy lasted into the 90s didn't? I'm pretty sure it was still that way in 1989.

 

[goreesha]

Lance Bass thought it was boring, apparently.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x9ovsBms8HQ

Honestly, though, I first went there as a teen in the late 80s, and I liked it a lot. However, to be perfectly honest, and this had a lot to do with my age and preferences at the time, I did crave at least one thrill ride. By late afternoon, I really wanted the Epcot equivalent of a Space Mountain. If they had had just one slightly fast ride, I would have had no complaints. The "edutainment" aspect of Epcot didn't bother me in the least. In fact, I enjoyed it.

 

[surfsupdon]

It's funny because I think they got rid of the BEST pavilions in EPCOT and left the worst!!

World of Motion and Horizons were classic Disney and really well done. Universe of Energy and Wonders of Life should have been transformed into Test Track and Mission Space. Those pavilions were and still are the pits!!

 

[THEMEPARKPIONEER]

It's funny because I think they got rid of the BEST pavilions in EPCOT and left the worst!!

World of Motion and Horizons were classic Disney and really well done. Universe of Energy and Wonders of Life should have been transformed into Test Track and Mission Space. Those pavilions were and still are the pits!!

If they waited they could of kept the horizons, even if they made another ride using that perfectly good equipment. Then use Wonders of Life as Mission Space and probably kept the building since there was all that free space unlike Horizons where the whole building was built around the track and the screens.

 

[dxwwf3]

This is absolutely true assuming you had any interest whatsoever in little things like the world around you...

Unfortunately most people have no interest in the world around them......nowadays I'm just glad if my 8th grade students are interested in ANYTHING!

80's Epcot did not appeal to the masses I guess, but that was a good thing. I consider myself to be very lucky that I was born early enough to get to experience the amazing attractions that Future World originally offered.

 

[GenerationX]

I first visited Epcot in '83 as a teenager. Almost nothing was open at the time, but we did catch World of Motion. A large-scale, encyclopedia-like sweep through transportation history. Well done, but definitely dullsville. Heavy on the middle school level "Edu", low on "tainment".

 

[misterID]

So imagineers were able to lobby hard enough to get widely popular attractions replaced? And if the attraction was still widely popular and the sponsor pulled for whatever reason, wouldn't it be relatively simple (and cheaper) to simply find a new sponsor to take over rather than tearing down the old one and building something new?

Sponsors paid to keep the rides up. When that money stopped coming in, Disney basically shuttered them.

And yes, Imagineers lobbied for "their" rides to get built. And Disney wanted to make the park more popular with teenagers. The attractions lost sponsors (and keeping and getting a new sponsor isn't as easy as you might be thinking it is) and Disney saw an opportunity to convert existing attractions into thrill rides. They took it. Losing a sponsor in EPCOT is the kiss of death.

Disney got GM to agree to convert WOM into a thrill ride when their contract expired. They had the opportunity with Horizons when HP came on board. That's what it came down to. Imagination was one of THE most popular rides in WDW and THE most popular ride in EPCOT... And yes, they shut it down. And yes, they replaced it with a LAME attraction.

I have my doubts. Right now, relatively lame attractions would seem to be Carousel of Progress and Tiki, but if they were replaced, I would assume that the boards would be filled with woe and derision from people expounding about how great they were.

No, those rides have a very vocal following who don't want them replaced.

I'm still not convinced that widely popular attractions were replaced with lame new ones. Yes, some perhaps unpredictable lameness is inevitable because no one can predict how good it may or may not be. Of course, I am very curious about the closure of 20,000 Leagues, and in August I'll be at Disneyland to see Mr. Toad and a version of 20,000 Leagues for myself.

Well, believe it. It happened.

But seriously, if anyone can point out where a great widely popular working attraction was closed and replaced with lameness, I would be very interested.

Imagination. The most popular attraction in EPCOT. Replaced with lameness.

And when they replaced Alien Encounter with SGE.

 

[Jimmy Thick]

The original Epcot was good for a couple visits, but did not have lasting staying power the current version has. The only rides that have stayed the course are SSE, Maelstrom and LWTL, and rightfully so as they are excellent attractions.

Horizons, World of Motion, etc...Not so much.



Jimmy Thick- Fog rollin' down behind the mountains...