what's wrong with Epcot

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bg0617

New Member
Expo_Seeker40 said:
Epcot needs to be EPCOT. Epcot means nothing. There is no reason why EPCOT can't once again be an Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow. It is the first theme park ever done in the style of a World's Fair......there's the experimental and prototype part.....it is a community of CM's, and tourists if you will :lookaroun. It's original goals were on discovering the future and making tomorrow a better place to live in. Even if it didn't go back to the name EPCOT Center, I'd still be happy with just EPCOT.

Need new logos. Make sure the flower/ring logo for Future World is seen more throughout future world, and the compass logo is seen more throughout world showcase. Give new logos to each pavilion and use this on new signage. Landscaping.....future world is in desperate need of new and improved landscaping.

The entrance way.......either needs to see leave a legacy removed entirely or pushed to the sides of the entryway in a different monument form. Repaint many of the pavilions in future world, especially the entrance with more stylish 21st century color schemes. Get rid of the leave a legacy paint scheme on SSE's legs and bring back the palm trees.

Finish SSE's ending with a proper interactive ending that extends all around us on "prisms" that show us going through a dimension of what the future holds in store for all of us.

Redo Innoventions Plaza and Innoventions itself....restyling the buildings and repainting them with more appropriate colors and natural lighting. Continue to bring in changing interactive exhibits. We live in such a TV/Computer world....actually interacting with something is still a draw at world's fairs today considering the majority of civilized society chills out and stares at a screen throughout their day.

Capitalise on the Universe of Energy's theater system and large format movie screens. Bring in an entirely new show about future energy exploration and tie it into a new interactive energy showcase across the way from the UoE. Turn wonders of life into a weather pavilion showcasing part thrill ride part informative displays about the power of nature and future ways of protecting ourselves and our communities.

M:S give the place a better, futuristic flare and not the tacky warehouse setting it looks like inside.

Test Track.....perhaps make the ride even more thrilling and better exhibits about the future of cars and car safety. Get rid of the tacky signs and banners and tent out front, make the area more stylized and sleek.

Imagination.....a new 3D film featuring DreamFinder and Figment. A Journey into Imagination 2.0 with better longer lasting effects and scenes featuring DreamFinder and Figment. An updated interactive Imageworks but featuring a few favorites such as the rainbow corridor among a few others.

The Land: A new film in circle of life, dramatic and moving film to the likes of "Life" and "Earth". Soarin' featuring footage from the landscapes of the world. Living with the Land....something to make it more perky....its a nice gentle ride...but it needs something. (Not stitch wearing a gardener's uniform).

The seas: make the entryway much more stylish that looks like an Australian research center with diagrams and displays about the reef. Have the old circular waiting room look more like an underwater scene rather than the black walls and projection screen on the roof. Have nemo and friends take us on a underwater tour both through the use of sets and tanks...through the reef dropping facts and figures when need be....end in the seabase tank showing life from the oceans of the world (when possible) to the tune of "big blue world". Restore the seabase theme as a 21st century research facility. Bring back the hydrolators at the exit because in the story we went underwater and remained underwater, now we go back to ground level at epcot via the hydrolators.

As for the pathway between world showcase and future world....get rid of the merchandise and DVC carts. same thing for the breezeways in Innoventions. People are not here to by overpriced walmart merchandise nor by big inflatable balls walking through Innoventions.

On the future world side have flags with each pavilion logo on them....on the world showcase side have the flags of each nation that is a part of world showcase. Offer a non Disney character tie in game that would be an upgrade to Kim Possible, but be timeless and create new and unique world showcase characters that kids and families interact with as they work their way around a world showcase spy game.

Have stylish male and female suits for the CM's at each world showcase pavilion. For example, I can see Canadian Pavilion CM in stylish suits with red and white accents, while CM's doing a performance in each respective pavilion wear native dress and garb. A female CM at the american adventure shouldn't have to wear a 1700s looking costume, but the voices of liberty because they are performing period songs...should IMO.

More countries, better quick service and sit down restaurants, more rides. Character meet n greets no problem, but the 3 Caballeros in Mexico? forget it.

An updated IllumiNations and new color changing lights on SSE at night.

The end!
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All sounds really good. The only thing your missing is changing the merchandise to make it attraction specific instead of the general "Epcot" merchandise. Oh yeah and changing the CM outfits in world showcase seems a bit pointless IMHO.

But really good ideas as a whole.
 
R

Ralphlaw

Well-Known Member
Yeah, dumbing down is a problem,and simply not keeping up is another problem. The aquarium is a disappointment to me because it is so dark, and the marine life is very hard to see. Why isn't Disney working on one of those transparent tunnels where you can actually see the fish and other creatures swimming around you? Even Milwaukee's Discovery World has that, and the Chicago Rainforest Cafe has a small archway with fish swimming around and over you. It would seem that a true and sincere exhibit area that actually lets you see the marine life in all of its colorful glory could have been done with a fraction of what Disney spent on Nemo. As it is, this huge aquarium shows me dim murky shapes gliding around while we all squint to find any detail. If Milwaukee's Discovery World and Chicago's Rainforest Cafe can do it, can't Disney pony up the funding to do something similar?
 
rkleinlein

rkleinlein

Well-Known Member
What's wrong with Epcot bewildering is inconsistency. So much of it is so nice (principally in World Showcase), while so much seems as if Disney has stopped bothering (principally in Future World). The Imagination Pavillion is such an embarrassment--the ride, the interactive displays, everything. It couldn't cut it as a kid's museum in a small town. The interior of The Land Pavillion looks like a food court at a suburban shopping mall circa 1985. The large (seemingly) empty buildings have the atmosphere of a defunct strip mall. Most of the revamps have dumbed down the attractions. Soarin' is a great ride but the queue has all the charm and interest of a concrete bunker. We expect to be dazzled by Disney and Future World just falls flat in SO many places.
 
SMS55

SMS55

Well-Known Member
Expo_Seeker40 said:
Epcot needs to be EPCOT. Epcot means nothing. There is no reason why EPCOT can't once again be an Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow. It is the first theme park ever done in the style of a World's Fair......there's the experimental and prototype part....
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The problem was that to the average person it was seen as too educational. The average person didn't want to learn anything while on vacation. Sadly it's just the world we live in. We keep playing down to the dumber and dumber of our society. The average person can tell you who's winning American Idol but can't find Iraq on a map.
 
C

chefmcduck

New Member
I think the problem with EPCOT is that we've all been there a few times and it hasn't changed much. No new worlds except for little things, and the refurbishments are long and far in between. I think EPCOT is a very nice park and I like to go there to shop in the different worlds but it definitely needs some revamping and money spent to update it. I'm not sure why Disney refuses to update EPCOT, I mean, it is still packed and so they must be making money off it?
 
sabbyxxo

sabbyxxo

Member
See, I love how they just have the simple old school feel at the front half of the park, which keeps it super 80s (ironic huh? "Futuristic" huh?) and keep the COUNTRIES more of the focus. I think it's more of a park where it doesn't need to be touched because it's not all about the characters, but more about the culture of people. It's cool to have time to relax, experience just how cheesy some of the buildings are while still maintaining its magic because it doesn't need to be anything else. Like soarin's building could improve, but when my grandma and I look up, we see the hot air balloons and remember the past, of coming here, and the memories. Then you walk outside to experience the colors of the building walking to the next attraction and feeling right then and there a simple hint of future colors. Idk, I guess I'm living in my head, but I really love how Epcot represents past, present and future, without having so much there to distract its authenticity.

Keep it olde school, and let the old image of what the future would be stay that way. I think it's fun!
 
copcarguyp71

copcarguyp71

Well-Known Member
Krack said:
Management either didn't understand or didn't care about the original concept of Future World, and therefore, almost every change or alteration made since 1994 has been a downgrade. Disney refuses to spend any of its own money to improve the park and, instead, will only do so with an outside company fitting the bill.

Put someone in charge who cares and eventually (after a decade) it could be restored to its former glory. But I'm not holding my breath.
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(not sarcasm)
clarkson-thumbs.gif
 
jensenrick

jensenrick

Well-Known Member
No World of Motion. No Horizons. No kinetic mosaic by Emile Radok at Universe of Energy. The whole "jeopardy" overlay at UoE, reducing all drama. No original Journey Into Imagination. No Image Works. No Fountain of Information. No sense of awe at The Living Seas.

That's what's wrong with Epcot. And I can't imagine how to fix it.

The only addition to Epcot I've liked in the past decade+ is Starbucks. That's pathetic.
 
Disneyhead'71

Disneyhead'71

Well-Known Member
Andrew C said:
Hahaha. Don't open up this can of worms again. :hilarious:
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Maybe if they slathered Future World in Princesses. Shoehorn Ariel into The Living Seas with Nemo. I'm sure Ellen wouldn't mind sharing space with Snow and her 7 freaky roommates. Belle is adventurous so she is a perfect fit for Mission Space. Sally Carrera is a no brainer for Test Track Hostess. Since girls really aren't imaginative we'll just put Aurora in Imagination because her dress matches Figments belly. And obviously the best representation of mother earth in the land would be Eve from Wall.E.
 
Andrew C

Andrew C

You know what's funny?
Disneyhead'71 said:
Maybe if they slathered Future World in Princesses. Shoehorn Ariel into The Living Seas with Nemo. I'm sure Ellen wouldn't mind sharing space with Snow and her 7 freaky roommates. Belle is adventurous so she is a perfect fit for Mission Space. Sally Carrera is a no brainer for Test Track Hostess. Since girls really aren't imaginative we'll just put Aurora in Imagination because her dress matches Figments belly. And obviously the best representation of mother earth in the land would be Eve from Wall.E.
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Yowser! You will need to change the name of this park now.
 
rkleinlein

rkleinlein

Well-Known Member
SMS55 said:
The problem was that to the average person it was seen as too educational. The average person didn't want to learn anything while on vacation. Sadly it's just the world we live in. We keep playing down to the dumber and dumber of our society. The average person can tell you who's winning American Idol but can't find Iraq on a map.
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I agree completely. Still, I remember the old Living Seas pavilion being crowded (granted many years ago). But on my recent visit the Living Seas with Nemo was a ghost town. Same with Energy and Imagination. The people running the place evidently saw the need to change the attractions but it seems clear that the changes did not result in increased interest. (I wonder how the attendance numbers for the attractions compare pre- and post-dumbing down.) If they want to shift from educating to entertaining, that's fine and understandable, but give us some quality entertainment. Something that doesn't make us wish we were in the Haunted Mansion instead of stuck in the lame Imagination ride.
 

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