What would you do with Ellen?

WondersOfLife

Blink, blink. Breathe, breathe. Day in, day out.
Original Poster
Does anyone else feel the urge to re-locate the Imagination! pavilion and create a new HUGE dark ride with the current system and featuring Dreamfinder and Figment? Or even if it were a new ride system, it's certainly large enough to make a bigger better dark ride. It's big enough to even still have the Image Works, and maybe even a resteraunt for that matter. The exterior design could easily be left alone as well. Then use the old Imagination! pavilion for a new Energy pavilion, with a smaller dark ride featuring the different weather conditions or whatever.. and with a more interactive section both on the bottom floor and top. Then a new 4D show to go with that.. featuring Ellen and another funny person! XD

-WondersOfLife


The last original pavilion. :king:
 

1stWDW96'

Member
I would update EUOE. Keep the amazing screens and awesome sound. Keep the awesome moving theaters. Keep the evolution of energy thing going. Maybe get Tesla as a sponsor and theme the ride to highlight the use of steam power to fossil fuels to batteries. I still love this ride and I'm always compelled to go on it. Keep it the same but update it. The jeopardy part is officially old. The big bang scene is super cool. Kramer is awesome lol.
 

PorterRedkey

Well-Known Member
People get so mad about screens, well Energy shows not 1, not 2, but 3 movies counting the "pre show". Not 3D movies, just plain old-fashioned flat screen fun. The Dino segment is awesome but short in comparison to the movie segments. Originally the idea of being seated in a movie theater that started to move after the movie ended and then taking you into the world the film discussed, was amazing. Now, with the new LPS? trackless system (Wasn't UOE the first of the old "trackless" system then GMR?) and after riding it for 25 years, the moving theater concept is no longer fresh. It might be time for it to go.

I would hope they could still use the dinos, but maybe go trackless with smaller vehicles set in a similar position to the current theater 1 set up. Cars would travel through the DINOrama 3 cars wide before getting to theater 2. Theater 2 could be remade into a series of smaller pathways where the cars would enter single-file, maybe stopping occasionally in small 3-4 car groups to view a cool scene play out (Maybe in the round?). This would save space and increase the time of this section. This new section would be about 20th century energy and current energy. I don't know if the room is there for this, but if not, they could reduce the size one theater one to accommodate it since the vehicles will be smaller.

Also in the current version, there is no big finale. No lasers or mirrors, just the conclusion of the Jeopardy game.

In this new version that I am making up, I could see returning to transformed Theater 1. Something that would make you feel like you were in a different room from the first time you were there. Now more futuristic and focusing on the FUTURE of energy. It is in Future World after all! Using the castle projection tech, some hidden futuristic elements, along with dramatically different lighting and music, I think this could be achieved. Guest could exit with the optimism of the possibilities of tomorrow. I used to feel this way a lot in Future World, but a lot less today. Now people exit energy feeling they have just watch an episode of Jeopardy, bored or well rested.


Everything I have outlined may not even be feasible, I doubt this is the best approach, but it's all I could brainstorm with my non-imagineer mind. I think at least some elements I mentioned could be used. I hope what finally gets made is something I couldn't even imagine now, or at least get some sort of sorely needed revamp that adds to the attraction, instead of subtracts from it like the original refurb did.

This is my idea from an old post I made, it is highlighted in bold.
 

Robbiemoo

Member
Future energy is still a relevant topic for old style Epcot edutainment.

My idea would be to replace Ellen and Bill Nye with Ludwig von Drake and Donald. You could have a pre show with Donald using lots of energy and being unenvironmental then Ludwig teaching him about energy efficiency and new ways to generate power, the dinosaur ride and an ending with new energy efficient Donald - it could be done in the style of the old shorts making it a bit more timeless
 

DfromATX

Well-Known Member
In all my trips so far, we've missed the Ellen attraction (and we've never done Figment or Michael Jackson either). But, I have them all on my list for our trip in July! I know that's not particularly helpful, but I just thought I'd mention it. :p
 

Rider

Well-Known Member
I was actually thinking about this a few weeks ago and came up with (what I think) is a pretty cool idea that ticks off a few boxes. Specifically keeping the pavilion based on the Energy concept, keeping the idea of Future World being a World's Fair, adding another E-Ticket to Epcot, and bringing an attraction to WDW that has a lot of popularity.

Imagine...

The Universe of Energy - Sponsored By Nergy

The building looks much the same from the outside except for some new banners and signs advertising what is inside. The concept is that the pavilion is now an exhibit by a (fictional) company called Nergy which is hosting a big keynote by it's reclusive owner to announce a new discovery. You enter the building and the current preshow room is now home to the attraction's queue. The room is now bright and modern with big touchscreen displays throughout the queue that guests can browse to learn about this company's products. These would combine real world advances in the energy industry but be attributed to Nergy. For example one might talk about the latest in solar power or another that says Nergy was a early provider of nuclear reactors for submarines. The giant screens in the room are now filled with similar images and stories plus occasional announcements about the upcoming keynote.

Through the pre-show room you learn that you and your fellow guests are VIPs who will able to watch the presentation in person. Eventually the queue leads into the next room (part of the current ride load room) where cast members happily direct groups into one of a few "green rooms" for you to wait for the presentation. You enter one of the small green rooms and while there is still the modern touches from the queue there are some distinctively Victorian decorations here.

When all the guests enters and the doors close suddenly one wall turns into a video screen. A man introduces himself. He says he is the owner of Nergy, a company that has been in his family for generations. It was founded many years ago by his great-great-grandfather and now he has taken on as the leader to continue working on the greatest scientific and engineering advances the world has every known. "Oh, sorry" he says. "I haven't properly introduced myself. My name... is NEMO."

Suddenly the room starts to shake. This isn't a room at all! It's an elevator. No... not just an elevator, Nemo explains. It is a Terravator, another invention of the original Nemo and it's taking everyone down into the earth.

Nemo apologies for the interruption but he needs your help. You see, the original Nemo had invented the technology to travel to the Center of the Earth and used it at his base at Mysterious Island but apparently Nemo had given up his work after making some sort of discovery down there that almost ended in disaster. The records are spotty but today's Nemo believes that it was some vast source of Geo-thermal energy that with today's modern technology he can harness. He has tracked a massive underground energy signal here, to Disney World, and has build a base underneath this pavilion. He wants you to help find this source of energy and ride his new mine vehicles on a new Journey to the Center of the Earth.

The doors of the Terravator open again and you enter Nemo's base (like in Tokyo, actually the floor ABOVE the queue) to board the ride. The ride mostly plays out the same as the Disneysea version with the crystals, mushroom forest, and subterranean sea (all fit inside the UoE building) except instead of being a tour like the original now Nemo is pestering you to dive deeper into the unknown. Eventually you locate the source of the energy readings which is the terrifying lava monster. Only now (in the 150ish years between the original attraction's time setting and today) he has doubled in size. Again you make a high speed escape narrowly avoiding another disaster but instead of bursting out of a volcano you emerge to the surface in the middle of the keynote auditorium. Your mine car drives to the unloading area while Nemo is talking to himself about making plans to capture the beast, he doesn't seem to care that you made it or not. It seems this Nemo isn't as concerned about the risk as his ancestor.
 

Mad Stitch

Well-Known Member
Bulldoze the entire thing. Build the Tron coaster. I'm not a Tron fan, but that coaster design is unique and looks to be a lot of fun. Give it an energy theme if they don't want to commit to Tron.
 

unkadug

Follower of "Saget"The Cult
Bulldoze the entire thing. Build the Tron coaster. I'm not a Tron fan, but that coaster design is unique and looks to be a lot of fun. Give it an energy theme if they don't want to commit to Tron.
While I wish we had the TRON coaster, why must we forfeit one attraction to gain another?
 

Mickey5150

Well-Known Member
Considering Disney is already paying Ellen a lot of money to be a fish why not just redo the video portions of the ride. Obviously they can fix up the animatronics but I wouldn't mind an update to our energy concerns. Even better would be if Ellen jokes about her old self. Honestly I still love Ellen but if they were to update it I wouldn't be upset.
 

unkadug

Follower of "Saget"The Cult
Considering Disney is already paying Ellen a lot of money to be a fish why not just redo the video portions of the ride. Obviously they can fix up the animatronics but I wouldn't mind an update to our energy concerns. Even better would be if Ellen jokes about her old self. Honestly I still love Ellen but if they were to update it I wouldn't be upset.
I seem to recall Ellen saying that she never has seen the UoE pavilion. She is a Universal fan.
 

tribbleorlfl

Well-Known Member
Here's the thing about UoE: if we're talking about changing the focus to future energy sources (or even current, as some of the future technology mentioned in the 20 year old version of this attraction is here today), then the Dino segment is meaningless. It made sense when ExxonMobil sponsored the attraction and petrochemicals were king, but as oil becomes a smaller portion of our energy portfolio, the only reason to keep the dinos is because kids like them.

Re Ellen and Bill Nye, while Bill isn't as relevant to kids now, he still carries quite a bit of pop-science clout with adults. Ellen remains popular even though her sitcom is long gone. I think an interesting take would be to keep Ellen AND Bill Nye but add a 3rd personality kids do know: Neil Degrass Tyson. Their social media interactions are hilarious, and they'd instantly bring some credibility to a revised attraction.
 

Pluto89

Active Member
In all my trips so far, we've missed the Ellen attraction (and we've never done Figment or Michael Jackson either). But, I have them all on my list for our trip in July! I know that's not particularly helpful, but I just thought I'd mention it. :p
Captain EO (Michael Jackson ) is no longer it has been replaced by the new Pixar short film festival.
 

Thebolt

Active Member
I would replace Ellen with Phineas and Ferb. They are a natural fit fo a scientific topic, relevant, funny and deserve their own attraction n the parks. (Agent P in WS is great; but that is something completely different).
 

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