Why did WOL close?

ROEFan88

ROEFan88

New Member
Original Poster
Does anyone know of a substantial reason why Wonders of Life was changed to 'seasonal' status? In all the times I've been to the World, I've never had the chance to visit, and I can't think why Disney would keep closed an attraction that it spent so much money to build.

Surely it can't be worse than Imagination. :lookaroun
 
mousermerf

mousermerf

Account Suspended
No ones loves it.

It was once Epcot's most popular pavilion, with a line to get into the building. MetLife dropped sponsorship, the attraction never got updated, and it themed to the late 80's to perfection. In short, it stagnated.

A new simulator ride opened next door (M:S) and Body Wars was seen as unthrilling and merely nausea enducing. Cranium Command is cute, but terribly dated, and Making of Me never has a huge audience pull.

The interior has long been void of the Anatomical Players, and Coaches Corner, the two live interactive areas. Exercycles depicted DL as it appeared in the mid 80's.

So, it's just old and outdated.
 
ROEFan88

ROEFan88

New Member
Original Poster
Just seems strange that everyone states age as a factor, yet it wasn't even an original FW pavilion. UOE is still open (and now sponsor-less) and I thought that seemed pretty dated too. Disney rarely mentions it in park literature anymore, either, so could it be headed for the same fate as its neighbour?
 
mousermerf

mousermerf

Account Suspended
Universe of Energy was refurbished/redone in 1996. Wonders is currently the oldest Future World pavilion.

As for mentioning it, Wonders as a whole was considered "dead" to Epcot management last year, until they faced major problems from crowds and pressure from higher-ups to open the pavilion for the Christmas season. They did not intend to open the pavilion prior to that season - they moreso had to.
 
WDWFigment

WDWFigment

Well-Known Member
Was the pressure from crowds an indirect result of high attendance, or people wanting to go there? If it was the latter, it seems the higher ups might want to invest a little money in updating it...
 
jasondiff

jasondiff

Member
The simulators at Body Wars have not been updated since they were installed, so they cost a whole lot to run and maintain (moreso than Star Tours which has been periodically updated).
 
Jerm

Jerm

Well-Known Member
It was my fault. I said something about it not looking good in a dress one day and that was it:( It has come out a few times but I have not been able to convince it that it was just the dress it was wearing.

J
 
RonAnnArbor

RonAnnArbor

Well-Known Member
There is certainly no "crowd" demand for the attraction to ever re-open. It opened for the holiday peak last year only because it helped divert a few people into the empty (but air conditioned) pavilion when M:S and Test Track were full to capacity with nothing else to do in that part of the park while waiting for fast passes. On one of the most crowded days of December, I and about 13 other people were inside the pavilion while M:S and Test Track both had waits of over two hours.

All of the attractions inside are antiquated - seriously, Hanz and Franz as the "stars" of Cranium Command?....While it appeals to some of us (in our 40's) as sort of a nostalgia thing, there is certainly nothing inside the pavilion worthwhile anymore.

Body Wars merely makes people nauseous now -- as it always has -- although that type of ride simulator has come so far these days that BW is merely abysmal.

They open the building frequently to special groups for a "staging area" - they don't open the attractions inside -- but it's a large space that can hold a lot of people for bag lunches (i.e. read: Cheerleader Camps) and has its own bathrooms.

There is no sponsor, and there are no plans to refurbish it or do anything with it at this point. There is money in the WDW Epcot budget to reopen it this Christmas holiday period again, but don't count on it. Word has it this last winter was the last opening of this dinosaur.

Ellen's Universe of Energy is a completely different creature -- it has massive appeal, and the "ride" itself is cool -- people love things like theatres that move and animatronic dinosaurs. The information contained in it is not antiquated (although Ellen's hairstyle sure is). The ride is full all day long, and it is long enough to kill an hour if waiting for fast passes.
 
Peaches Magee

Peaches Magee

New Member
the STILL have body wars??
WOW! Talk about dated! Was a cool concept a couple decades ago, but my goodness Elizabeth Shue was in her early 20's in that film, she is in her 40s now! Super dated! Everytime I go in that pavillion is is basically for a cool down, never was packed after the mid-late 90's I agree.
 
Figment82

Figment82

Well-Known Member
I went to the pavilion many times last Christmas season and at any given time you would probably be 1 of 10 people in the place. It was really sad. I loved being able to be back in there, but the place is a 1989 time capsule and has seen better days.

Although I love Cranium Command and that hidden Figgy. :)
 
WDWFigment

WDWFigment

Well-Known Member
My only complaint about Universe of Energy is that it still has the brontosauruses, even though it was established years ago that such a creature never existed. Sure, they can call them brachiosauruses, but there is a clear difference. Oh well, I guess.
 
WDWFigment

WDWFigment

Well-Known Member
No, the brontosaurus is not an apatosaurus. The brontosaurus has the body of [SIZE=-1]an apatosaurus with the head of a camarasaurus.

[/SIZE]
 
ToTBellHop

ToTBellHop

Well-Known Member
dinosaur is as dinosaur does. Just because a brontosaurus didn't exist in the real world doesn't mean it can't exist in Ellen's dream...
 
sknydave

sknydave

Active Member
WDWFigment said:
No, the brontosaurus is not an apatosaurus. The brontosaurus has the body of [SIZE=-1]an apatosaurus with the head of a camarasaurus.

[/SIZE]
Click to expand...

You may want to let the science world know this, because the Brontosaurus is now known as the Apatosaurus in just about any modern text.
 

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