When is EPCOT going to add another country?!

[BippityBoppityMagicHour]

Unless I'm mistaken, my understanding is that the pavillions in Epcot were funded by the countries they represent.
Therefore, the issue is finding a country that's:
A)willing to put up the money
And
B)not controversial

From what I read on http://www.disneyfanatic.com/7-sensational-facts-world-showcase/, Disney actually only got funding from Norway and Morocco. In fact, one of my favorite Disney facts is that the king of Morocco was so excited that there would be a pavilion representing his country, he sent his own team to construct the intricate architecture.

What really gets me is that, unless there is some political barrier, Disney has the money to add a new pavilion. They spent approximately $100 million on a yeti ride that doesn't even have a working yeti audio-animatronic (#disneysmostexpensivestatue #discoyeti). So it seems like they have the financial means to make this happen!

 

[Cowboy Steve]

From what I read on http://www.disneyfanatic.com/7-sensational-facts-world-showcase/, What really gets me is that, unless there is some political barrier, Disney has the money to add a new pavilion. They spent approximately $100 million on a yeti ride that doesn't even have a working yeti audio-animatronic (#disneysmostexpensivestatue #discoyeti). So it seems like they have the financial means to make this happen!

I think there isn't any doubt that they have the money... it is just whether they feel it will generate enough revenue to justify the cost. Let's say they would conservatively spend $30,000,000 on a Switzerland pavilion. What would be their ROI? When you think ethnic restaurants... how many 'Swiss' restaurants do you see around? What IS Swiss cuisine, and what makes it unique? You would have to sell a lot of chocolate to help recoup that cost... lol. Now compare that to... say... India. There are very specific Indian cuisines... I would LOVE to see a few new pavilions, don't get me wrong. Just playing devil's advocate here and why the powers that be might not want to dump a lot of monies into new pavilions. They KNOW that the new Frozen experience at the Norwegian pavilion will bring people in... so odds are it will be a very good investment on their part. What we need is a ridiculously successful Disney animated feature film set in Switzerland...

 

[BippityBoppityMagicHour]

I think there isn't any doubt that they have the money... it is just whether they feel it will generate enough revenue to justify the cost.

Very good points! Let me just say I'm loving this discussion right now! Using your Switzerland example, what if they put in a version of the Matterhorn like bethymouse mentioned earlier? Yes, there isn't a movie drawing thousands upon thousands of little girls and boys into the park, but a roller coaster in EPCOT would most likely draw in even more people.

And while I can't disagree with you about how all of the new Frozen attractions are drawing people in, I think adding in another pavilion with cultural offerings such as alcohol and cuisine would attract more adults. I've always thought the World Showcase was more for adults anyhow.

 

[JWG]

Never say never.

Well, between this and the Futureworld thread I'm intrigued.

 

[Ralphlaw]

There are several reasons why a new pavilion is a hard sell right now:

1. Big time investment upfront.
2. Very shaky Return on Investment.
3. America isn't as strong a draw as where everyone in the world wants to go. It used to be.
4. The concept of a "Worlds Fair" isn't nearly as strong as it used to be.
5. The "status" of being an Epcot country ain't what it used to be.

Sad, yeah, but that's the reality as I see it. Sorry. Hopefully it'll happen nevertheless.

 

[Cowboy Steve]

Very good points! Let me just say I'm loving this discussion right now! Using your Switzerland example, what if they put in a version of the Matterhorn like bethymouse mentioned earlier? Yes, there isn't a movie drawing thousands upon thousands of little girls and boys into the park, but a roller coaster in EPCOT would most likely draw in even more people.

And while I can't disagree with you about how all of the new Frozen attractions are drawing people in, I think adding in another pavilion with cultural offerings such as alcohol and cuisine would attract more adults. I've always thought the World Showcase was more for adults anyhow.

Totally agree. But in sticking with the original intent/concept of EPCOT and the World Showcase... does a thrill ride like a roller coaster (even a mild coaster) fit that criteria? Are roller coasters an integral part of Swiss culture? Hard core coaster enthusiast know of Swiss companies Intamin and Bolliger & Mabillard (2 of the world's premier coaster designers and builders), but nobody else knows these names lol. Test Track and Mission: Space are thrill rides that can eek by as they are based on science & technology... Besides they have a mountain themed coaster already in AK.

 

[BippityBoppityMagicHour]

But in sticking with the original intent/concept of EPCOT and the World Showcase...
Besides they have a mountain themed coaster already in AK.

Let me ask you this...do you think Frozen Ever After is keeping in with the original intent/concept?

And they already had a mountain themed roller coaster in MK before adding Expedition Everest.

 

[WASaMATTR]

Any new country would be great. Thinking about the M&G and food, Peru would be a good candidate. They can have a M&G from Kuzco, Kronk and Pacha to name a few from the Emperor' New Groove. Not to mention the Peruvian cuisine can be rather tasty.

 

[BippityBoppityMagicHour]

Any new country would be great. Thinking about the M&G and food, Peru would be a good candidate. They can have a M&G from Kuzco, Kronk and Pacha to name a few from the Emperor' New Groove. Not to mention the Peruvian cuisine can be rather tasty.

I love, Love, LOVE the emporer's new groove! Peru is definitely something I hadn't thought of before but I'm loving it!

 

[Cowboy Steve]

Let me ask you this...do you think Frozen Ever After is keeping in with the original intent/concept?.

Excellent question... and the answer is absolutely NO. It kinda eeks in because Frozen was based on a Norwegian children's story (well... allegedly anyway - Hans Christian Anderson never really said what the inspiration for 'The Snow Queen' was). The reality of today's Disney corporate culture is this single principle: What will get butts through the gates. The original Maelstrom was an excellent attraction for the Norway Pavilion - it was educational about Norway, it's history, and it's culture. But with today's Disney visitor demographic, it was a little too blah. I'm pretty sure had the Frozen phenomenon not hit as hard as it did... Maelstrom would still be there today. I always enjoyed it... but I'm a traditionalist. Not that I don't want there to ever be change at WDW (heck I'm already losing sleep waiting for all the new Toy Story and Star Wars stuff to get done!)... but certain cultural items like Maelstrom should be left alone.

I think we have inadvertently stumbled on to why EPCOT is kind of starting to stagnate. I'll expand on that a little later tonight as I have to hit the road for a meeting... lol But I'm loving the discussion!

 

[BiffyClyro]

I like the idea of an India. That would be nice. Or even a Jamaica, but beng part jamaican i'm biased on that one.

 

[Goofyernmost]

Fun subject to talk about, but, I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for a new country to show up.

 

[WEDwaydatamover]

It would be nice to see a new pavilion but I think Future World has bigger fish to fry. It's funny, World Showcase is my least gripe of all things at WDW.

El Rio Del Tiempo makes me gag where it was once my favorite WS attraction but that's about it. Pick your battles I suppose.

 

[BippityBoppityMagicHour]

It would be nice to see a new pavilion but I think Future World has bigger fish to fry. It's funny, World Showcase is my least gripe of all things at WDW.

El Rio Del Tiempo makes me gag where it was once my favorite WS attraction but that's about it. Pick your battles I suppose.

I obviously haven't been on the new frozen ride, but I'm worried it will be kind of the same way. We used to love Maelstrom in Norway! It gave the Norway pavilion such charm! Now the focus is almost completely Frozen! That being said, I think the Frozen ever after ride will be really cool.

And I agree with you, the World Showcase isn't much cause for complaint! The possibilities are so fun to talk about though!

 

[graphite1326]

I would think they would want something from South America but then it would bring in more Brazilian groups. So I went with Australia.

 

[SteamboatJoe]

As I understand it, the spaces immediately adjacent to either side of America will likely never be built on as they are integral in enforcing the forced perspective technique that is used there. At least not filled in with other countries. An expansion to America, if designed right, I suppose could maybe work.

I voted for India because the architecture and gardens would be absolutely stunning.

It wasn't listed but I would also include Brazil.Like India, it would add some serious color and vibrancy to serve as a contrast to the more classical and reserved western civilization countries that dominate Showcase.

Switzerland with a Matterhorn ride would be really exciting as I am part Swiss and agree that some additional rides in World Showcase are sorely needed but A) They already have 5 European countries and B) Switzerland is stuck between 3 of those 5 countries so I'm just not sure it diversifies the Showcase enough.

After adding India and Brazil, I would seriously just considering filling in any other usable spaces up with rides or additional attractions for the existing countries adjacent to those areas.

 

[Pocahontas]

Although I'd love to see countries added to the World Showcase, it doesn't seem plausible in the near future.

However, some interesting country choices would be:

• India
• Greece
• a Balkan country, such as Croatia, Serbia, etc. (ja sam hrvatski)
• Brazil

 

[SteamboatJoe]

If they were absolutely determined to add another Western Civ, Greece would probably get my vote.

Ireland would be tempting and Spain certainly does provide some greater exoticism in some respects but Greece simply would have too much history and aesthetics to pass up. One could argue that Greece is too stylistically similar to Italy but I think there is enough difference to make the two look and feel completely different despite some of their similar qualities.

 

[Chef Mickey]

Honestly, a new country is about the last thing on the list of needs at EPCOT.

Pretty much every existing country could use some kind of update. The other part of the park is essentially in shambles, needing billions of dollars in renovation and TLC.

Fix what's there, then add more.

It's the same reason a 5th park should be down the list too.

 

[dizda]

Chile or Peru would be nice and help diversify World Showcase with a South American country.