Will Epcot be pronounced dead soon?

[Dead2009]

I feel like the people who are always quick to go "the parks are dead" are the ones that aren't willing to change. If bringing in GOTG means bringing life back to EPCOT then so be it. If the parks were the same as they were on their respective opening days with no new attractions, they would be bland and boring and attendance would drop.

 

[POLY LOVER]

Maybe the truth is our attention span is just so short and have no comm

I feel like the people who are always quick to go "the parks are dead" are the ones that aren't willing to change. If bringing in GOTG means bringing life back to EPCOT then so be it. If the parks were the same as they were on their respective opening days with no new attractions, they would be bland and boring and attendance would drop.

agreed so why can't they bring the life back with some new Epcot type rides? It's just to easy to throw in something like gotg. I could be wrong but the first impression I get is lazy and no imagination along with not caring about epcots purpose. I trust that if the imagineers were given a free hand they would impress us with something special.

 

[mousehockey37]

Maybe the truth is our attention span is just so short and have no comm

agreed so why can't they bring the life back with some new Epcot type rides? It's just to easy to throw in something like gotg. I could be wrong but the first impression I get is lazy and no imagination along with not caring about epcots purpose. I trust that if the imagineers were given a free hand they would impress us with something special.

The cool toys come with a big price tag, that's why.

FutureWorld needs a Future, not a present or past. The hard part about keeping up is that technology is changing so rapidly. That said, if the Imagineers were able to dig out their old floppy disks or early flash drives, I'm sure there's some pretty wild stuff that would fit in now.

 

[marni1971]

I feel like the people who are always quick to go "the parks are dead" are the ones that aren't willing to change. If bringing in GOTG means bringing life back to EPCOT then so be it. If the parks were the same as they were on their respective opening days with no new attractions, they would be bland and boring and attendance would drop.

I've said it countless times. 1982 EPCOT Center today would be a joke. But change should be for the better, an improvement, and a thematic fit.

Not a knee jerk reaction to get more gate clicks.

 

[LongLiveTheKing]

Old Epcot bored me to tears. After 12 years of school and 10 in college I got all the education I needed.

Thing is, stuff like Bill Nye and Good Eats and documentaries are entertaining while being educational and getting people to learn a lot of new concepts. School isn't and you're constantly being examined and studying which is like having teeth pulled. If Epcot didn't deliver for you then that's obviously fine but the concept of a technologically progressive park is pretty unique and turning from that direction into any other themepark or just a big tomorrowland feels like a mistake.

 

[LongLiveTheKing]

The cool toys come with a big price tag, that's why.

FutureWorld needs a Future, not a present or past. The hard part about keeping up is that technology is changing so rapidly. That said, if the Imagineers were able to dig out their old floppy disks or early flash drives, I'm sure there's some pretty wild stuff that would fit in now.

Yeah, this is quite a big deal for always being in the future world concept. Epcot was expensive back in the day. Every year technology gets even more expensive and it's just not feasible for Epcot to always be on top or ahead of technology just for the sake of it.

However, Disney already is and has always been pretty ahead of the technology curve in a lot of ways. They've always been moving animation and theme parks ahead of their competators. If they were to keep on the future world route they could still be creative with their own massive amounts of RND they still do and make their own new stuff from that. They don't need to be buying up the latest tech like self driving car and voice recognition to give people things they've never seen before.

 

[POLY LOVER]

The cool toys come with a big price tag, that's why.

FutureWorld needs a Future, not a present or past. The hard part about keeping up is that technology is changing so rapidly. That said, if the Imagineers were able to dig out their old floppy disks or early flash drives, I'm sure there's some pretty wild stuff that would fit in now.

Yes and Disney is hurting for money, right?

 

[rob0519]

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.

Well, from the comments here and personal experience, it could use a lot of improvements. How many of those 11.8 million visitors are there mainly for the food and alcohol available at the World Showcase? Weekends and the F&W Festival have turned half of the park into a bar and restaurant that has little to do with the rest of the park.

The world has changed, technology has changed and people's tastes have changed. It's highly unlikely there will ever be attractions similar to those originally built at EPCOT. The name of the game is provide whatever brings the biggest number of guests and the most amount of money through the gates. If Disney can design and build an educational non-IP attraction that does that, I'll be pleasantly surprised.

 

[LongLiveTheKing]

Yes and Disney is hurting for money, right?

No, but it is still a very expensive, ongoing upkeep to stay on top of, much less ahead of technology. Disney still needs to pull positive numbers somehow. Technology even gets even more expensive each year and long term that's not a thing that's sustainable. They can still have the futureworld concept without just turning it into IP land with their own RND they do since Disney is always ahead of the curve with their stuff. If they're creative with what they have they can still have the futureworld concept... Although that is unfortunately mostly likely not the route Disney will take instead of "lol Marvel Frozen" land with a giant ball in the center.

 

[POLY LOVER]

No, but it is still a very expensive, ongoing upkeep to stay on top of, much less ahead of technology. Disney still needs to pull positive numbers somehow. Technology even gets even more expensive each year and long term that's not a thing that's sustainable. They can still have the futureworld concept without just turning it into IP land with their own RND they do since Disney is always ahead of the curve with their stuff. If they're creative with what they have they can still have the futureworld concept... Although that is unfortunately mostly likely not the route Disney will take instead of "lol Marvel Frozen" land with a giant ball in the center.

What will be the future of space ship earth?

 

[THEMEPARKPIONEER]

Well at leat The Land is coming thru for us, besides guardians of the galaxy I think where going to see an Epcot 18,19 or 20 phase.

 

[LongLiveTheKing]

What will be the future of space ship earth?

Dead Pool ride that is also voiced by Judi Dench.

In all seriousness, all they have to do is just bring us stuff we never knew we wanted to see. There's plenty of wish fullfilment technology they could pretend to showcase without it actually being that technology. It's basically special effects, movie tricks and animatronics like they've been doing since 1955. The problem is, unfortunately that it's more risky than caving to "WHUR'S ELSA!!! MUH DOGHTER WANTS TUH MEET ELSA" and again they have to be creative which has NEVER EVER been displayed before in Disney anything so it's not possible they could think outside the box (/s).

 

[ArchieAndrews]

They have never fully replaced of one of the Future World pavilion's theme, even when Horizons was replaced Mission Space still kept the aspect of a hypothetical future. The Wonders of Life pavilion just shut down due to no sponsor and it is used as a festival building, but once again it's not permanent. If they really go through with this, it confirms the biggest fear of them all.

Epcot is probably the most unique Theme Park concept to ever exist and it was based off of Walt's big vision for WDW, they are literally going to destroy what made the park stand out and make it become just another park in the Disney machine. Why even keep the name Epcot at that point too, how about Walt Disney World's Giant Golfball Lake?

I don't think the park will be dead, but it will lose what made me fall in love with it.

 

[LongLiveTheKing]

Epcot is probably the most unique Theme Park concept to ever exist and it was based off of Walt's big vision for WDW

Epcot as a concept goes back further than even Disney World. When they were planning Disneyland Walt Disney was throwing the concept of an Experimental Prototype City Of Tomorrow around and settled for Tomorrowland. THAT'S how far back the Epcot legacy goes.

 

[mousehockey37]

Yes and Disney is hurting for money, right?

They won't open their wallet to pay for it. They'll pull more money out of ours.

 

[slappy magoo]

Old Epcot bored me to tears. After 12 years of school and 10 in college I got all the education I needed.

Well...THAT certainly speaks volumes.

As for me, I'd say put Neil DeGrasse Tyson & Bill Nye and Jon Favreau and JJ Abrams and Michael Giacchino in a suite on John Lasseter's credit card for 2 weeks, let them Blue Sky ideas based on the original Epcot Pavilions, with AND without IP, you'll have tons of ideas with amazing visuals and butt-kicking scores that will satisfy Walt Disney's original idea to "edutain..." which of course Disney will refuse to enact any of, no matter how cool those ideas are, because it'll cost money

 

[POLY LOVER]

Well...THAT certainly speaks volumes.

As for me, I'd say put Neil DeGrasse Tyson & Bill Nye and Jon Favreau and JJ Abrams and Michael Giacchino in a suite on John Lasseter's credit card for 2 weeks, let them Blue Sky ideas based on the original Epcot Pavilions, with AND without IP, you'll have tons of ideas with amazing visuals and butt-kicking scores that will satisfy Walt Disney's original idea to "edutain..." which of course Disney will refuse to enact any of, no matter how cool those ideas are, because it'll cost money

So is the only hope unfortunate as it would be is to have Disney attendance tank beaten up by universal and then force management to go into panic imagination mode?

 

[mouse_luv]

Epcot as a concept goes back further than even Disney World. When they were planning Disneyland Walt Disney was throwing the concept of an Experimental Prototype City Of Tomorrow around and settled for Tomorrowland. THAT'S how far back the Epcot legacy goes.

EPCOT-Experimental Prototype Community Of Tomorrow.

 

["El Gran Magnifico"]

There is a lot of misconception about EPCOT - What Walt's vision was and what actually opened in 1982. Walt's vision was admirable, and frankly would have been pretty cool if Disney could have pulled it off. But it wasn't what opened in October 1982.

EPCOT (Future World specifically) opened as a promise of tomorrow. Not a prototype of tomorrow -- as many think.

Spaceship Earth was about re-visiting the advancements throughout history...leaving us with "a hope" of what tomorrow would bring. There was/is nothing futuristic about it. In fact its more historical in nature.

World of Motion was a trip through the past recalling advancements in the transportation and automotive industry leading to a walkthrough showcasing concept cars of the future. A lot of history, but again...nothing futuristic other than a glimpse of a concept car that may or may never make it to production.

The Original Universe of Energy has dinosaurs in it. Not exactly futuristic. But harnessing that energy again leads to the "promise" of tomorrow.

In hindsight COP fits in much better at EPCOT than it does in the MK.

Everything about World Showcase is historical or cultural in nature. Nothing futuristic in WS.

The fact they brought in Frozen and are talking about Guardians, doesn't bother me in the least. I just wish they'd open another pavilion or three. WS has always been the draw. If they want to spruce things up by adding a couple of IP's throughout the park......great. F&W and F&G which span about half the year and then add the summer, Easter and Christmas time crowds (with things like the Candlelight Processional).....I don't see attendance being much of an issue.

 

[S 2]

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?

True, but it could... I like the "protector" aspect of it, maybe it can have a nice final w

Well at leat The Land is coming thru for us, besides guardians of the galaxy I think where going to see an Epcot 18,19 or 20 phase.

Just because it's not announced doesn't mean there won't be.