Will Epcot be pronounced dead soon?

[S 2]

I really hope for EPCOT to be the next big project they invest in. The GOtG is not a good sign though. At least they aren't taking Tower of Terror away.

I would like to see them recommit to the original concept of Future World and put the right minds into reinventing some world unique experiences that leave people aware of their time in history. Energy, Motion, the Body, Water, Land, Imagination... there are so many possibilities just stick with the script! I guess I would be willing to accept a Tron coaster if they must.

Also Snow Whites Adventure in Germany, a Swiss pavilion with a Matterhorn, I heard there was once proposals for Canada to have a log flume type ride, that would be cool!!

And, eventually, it would be so cool to see a second monorail going around EPCOT just going the opposite direction through the loop... an EPCOT resort line that connects DHS maybe?

 

[Matt_Black]

Part of the problem here, is the business climate in the country changed drastically. The Epcot people miss was highly subsidized and sponsored by external business partners. Nearly every attraction in Epcot was "Insert Attraction Name Here" sponsored by "Insert Business Partner Name Here".

As the influence of Wall Street grew and the only thing that suddenly mattered to corporations are meeting Quarterly Estimates generated by people sitting in New York and Share Price. There was no more money for partnering with the likes of Disney. Technology is moving much more quickly than in past decades. In the three years it would take Disney to build the attraction, the technology would be commonplace or at least the information would be available on the internet. Additionally, Disney doesn't appear to really care about keeping up the attractions they already have. It's now about bringing people through the gate anyway possible and seeing them another Tshirt.

It's just my opinion, but I doubt we will ever see quality educational attractions in the future.

Ah, but as many pointed out, most of the original EPCOT attractions were about the history of the particular field and not trying to predict the future of that field.

 

[rob0519]

Ah, but as many pointed out, most of the original EPCOT attractions were about the history of the particular field and not trying to predict the future of that field.

True in many cases. All information that can now be gotten on the internet. The Epcot concept could still work, but the attractions would need to be updated to meet the entertainment wants of today's population.

 

[S 2]

Part of the problem here, is the business climate in the country changed drastically. The Epcot people miss was highly subsidized and sponsored by external business partners. Nearly every attraction in Epcot was "Insert Attraction Name Here" sponsored by "Insert Business Partner Name Here".

As the influence of Wall Street grew and the only thing that suddenly mattered to corporations are meeting Quarterly Estimates generated by people sitting in New York and Share Price. There was no more money for partnering with the likes of Disney. Technology is moving much more quickly than in past decades. In the three years it would take Disney to build the attraction, the technology would be commonplace or at least the information would be available on the internet. Additionally, Disney doesn't appear to really care about keeping up the attractions they already have. It's now about bringing people through the gate anyway possible and seeing them another Tshirt.

It's just my opinion, but I doubt we will ever see quality educational attractions in the future.

See I don't like my national news to have sponsors, but I would forgive EPCOT if they continued to have them. . .

 

[S 2]

True in many cases. All information that can now be gotten on the internet. The Epcot concept could still work, but the attractions would need to be updated to meet the entertainment wants of today's population.

That would involve "reality" television or pregnancy results... Misinformation can just as easily be found which is why I think EPCOT is still very relevant and needed!

 

[POLY LOVER]

The death of Epcot is a self inflicted wound.

 

[POLY LOVER]

Speaking of dead things in Epcot, I just learned that a Off Kilter will be doing a free show at Celebrations fall festival in october. Here is another case of bad judgement when they let them go only to be replaced by a lumberjack show.

 

[marni1971]

Ah, but as many pointed out, most of the original EPCOT attractions were about the history of the particular field and not trying to predict the future of that field.

Each of the original attractions featured large sections about the future of each field.

Half of SSE did.

Each segment of Energys theatre two show included the future of each energy source. And of course the finale (yes, it had one unlike now) was so futuristic.

2/3 of Horizons was set in the future.

Motion used Centrecore and the majority of Transcenter to show the future of transportation.

The Land greenhouses were about improving and cutting edge technology.

Seas and Life were obviously set in the future.

All this in a cohesive, themed, futuristic environment.

 

[marni1971]

What was once ground breaking and different became old, boring and something the modern guests did not want to be doing.

It's a shame most of the replacements couldn't be as ground breaking and different.

 

[Smiley/OCD]

I was a lover of the old EPCOT. I still do have fond memories of it, but, it was like watching an old friend slowly die. Not because they put an IP here or there, but, because except for a few, like us on the boards stuck in 1982, most of society moved on. What was once ground breaking and different became old, boring and something the modern guests did not want to be doing.

So, is this Epcot dying, possible I guess, but, at the same time I don't think so. I think that the new approach will bring life back to the old girl. Not the way we remember it, but, since the mid 90's we have been the minority. I think it is about to flourish again. Not to my liking, but, to the majority. Time will tell.

I was watching Willy Wonka and TV yesterday and when it got to the area with the song... "Pure Imagination" all I could think of was how much I wished the Disney owned that IP because the possibilities for the Imagination Pavilion are massive. The scenery, the boat ride down the chocolate river, the Wonka Mobile ride and the Glass Elevator possibility. But, they don't so we have a ghost pavilion with real ghosts as opposed to the Haunted Mansion with the grim, grinning ghosts. No one is grinning in the Imagination Pavilion anymore.

Spoiler

To be fair, I actually like the changes. It's new different and makes me want to see it and experience it before I "condemn" it.

I was thinking that VERY thing as well...what a great ride that would be!!!

 

[RoysCabin]

EPCOT's history is a strange one, given how it began with some timeless concepts that mainly became dated due to technology marching on, but then Eisner-era leadership responded by essentially removing said timeless concepts and replacing them with celebrities (automatically short shelf life there...Ellen is still popular, for example, but UoE is mid 90s Ellen, and it shows) and aesthetic choices that would become dated by the time we got to approximately 2002. The plan since then...there really hasn't been much of a plan, given the overall loss of attractions and the single "roll out the IPs" solution utilized thus far in the Seas, Mexico, and Norway, and soon likely Energy.

I do understand the loss of corporate sponsorship money being an issue; it's not the early 80s anymore, the corporate world is no longer dominated by a few select titans of individual industries almost all based entirely out of the US (AT&T, Kraft, Kodak, GM, GE, etc.), and the culture of pressure for immediate stock dividends on Wall Street makes things like big time EPCOT sponsorship investments seem silly. However, Disney as a company is also many orders of magnitude larger than it was during the design of EPCOT Center; it comes across as hard to believe that they couldn't commit a good deal of money to EPCOT and take over sponsorship of a number of areas within it. Had they done this with Spaceship Earth, Journey Into Imagination, and Horizons back in the day, putting money in whenever it became clear that maintenance and upkeep was necessary, I think folks would've been much more forgiving of whatever else happened within the park, since EPCOT's heart and soul would have been preserved (the equivalent I can imagine would be if they left the fates of rides like Mansion and Pirates in MK up to the whims of corporate sponsorship).

Now, current rumors are that a big money influx is coming once the Animal Kingdom and Studios updates are nearly completion, but again, this company is so much larger and capable of absorbing creative risks than it was back circa 1979 yet appears to be headed right back down the "play it safe" well with familiar characters, though hopefully we'll see something beyond that. I'll be honest, I don't want to see a Snow White ride in the Germany pavilion or the Ratatouille ride in France, not unless they're being used in the service of highlighting those cultures and not just going back to the book report ride style that has become so ubiquitous. The EPCOT Center vision, heck alongside a lot of the original Disney theme park vision in general, was that Disney Productions' unmatched showmanship could make any topic interesting to just about anybody, and it's not like they don't have the talent on staff to go back to such an idea; it just wouldn't guarantee immediate dividends, since investors want to see copies of the Potter concept in theme parks now.

 

[Goofyernmost]

It's a shame most of the replacements couldn't be as ground breaking and different.

I agree, but, we have to ask ourselves ground breaking and different to whom? Us or others, because that can be a huge difference.

 

[marni1971]

I agree, but, we have to ask ourselves ground breaking and different to whom? Us or others, because that can be a huge difference.

To everyone who counts, just like 1982.

Guests
Fans
Geeks
The industry
The press

 

[Vinny]

I think Guardians of the Galaxy can be an awesome addition to EPCOT. Cool stuff!! Guardians of the Galaxy is great because it is a powerfully fun movie franchise that makes us think about a big question: who are we in the Universe. It sounds like it can be incredibly fun and also be able to make us think. So will the final concept of the attraction utilize teachable moments about real science? This attraction has the potential to bring to life the relevance of space exploration and examining what humanity is.

 

[POLY LOVER]

To everyone who counts, just like 1982.

Guests
Fans
Geeks
The industry
The press

I guess what gets me is how easily they can disregard the concept of EPCOT.
Is there anyone in the decision making process that has some caring about the product? The guest , the fans, the legacy?

 

[Goofyernmost]

No doubt it will be fun, but I just don't see it being educational at all. Frozen Ever After doesn't teach about anything, so why would GOTG?

I learned that I can just "let it go". Who knew?

 

[Goofyernmost]

I guess what gets me is how easily they can disregard the concept of EPCOT.
Is there anyone in the decision making process that has some caring about the product? The guest , the fans, the legacy?

What legacy? It was a name used to connect it to Walt's Idea. An idea that wasn't even close to being what he was envisioning. It was different and creative, but, it didn't have the staying power that many of us wished it did. They still have maintained a lot of it, but, have altered some of it's purity to better fit in with todays culture. It had it's run, but, rapidly advancing technology crippled it. So the combination we seem to be getting now, seems like a workable compromise.

 

[The_Jobu]

I think the current Disney mindset is that all guests want to go to WDW just to see characters and IP. While that may be true in some cases, I bet that a majority of guests would love a non-IP based attraction just as much or even more than an IP-based one. Just look at Kilimanjaro Safaris, Expedition Everest, or Haunted Mansion. Plenty of popularity, no IP.

Spot on.

Even as a youngster I appreciated the originality and the themes behind the non-IP rides at Disney. If I wanted a generic-popular-IP-fest I'd go to Universal (which I do, I think both parks are great, but they used to be more distinct). I think EPCOT and DHS will quickly lose their appeal to me if they become Interchangeable IP Land.

 

["El Gran Magnifico"]

11.8 Mil in attendance last year. 2 Mil more than Uni..........yeah.....no...........won't be pronounced dead.

Could it use some improvements? Sure.

 

[S 2]

I think Guardians of the Galaxy can be an awesome addition to EPCOT. Cool stuff!! Guardians of the Galaxy is great because it is a powerfully fun movie franchise that makes us think about a big question: who are we in the Universe. It sounds like it can be incredibly fun and also be able to make us think. So will the final concept of the attraction utilize teachable moments about real science? This attraction has the potential to bring to life the relevance of space exploration and examining what humanity is.

Disney can do it right, I just can't forgive them for replacing TOT in california adventure though I'm trying to keep an open mind :/