WOL Demo coming ..

[Ice Gator]

Hear me out-

why not use the pavilion to do something that embraces engineering and modern day technology…The Imagineering Pavilion.

Could serve as a permanent preview center of things Disney has in the works, while also encompassing some interactive play areas/attractions like the Play Pavilion aimed to do. I feel like an “Imagineering” experience would only work at Epcot.

 

[KDM31091]

That's largely because after the Millenium Celebration, they really did not have a firm plan on how to proceed. I will admit they kept the 90s in-your-face/Innoventions aesthetic for too long. I prefer the 2010s version solely because Reflections of Earth was still going, the rest of the park was indeed in sad shape at that point but I don't think the current version solved that problem and likely just made it worse. The only credit I will give the current incarnation is the non-cemetery looking entrance.

The entrance does look better. But the entire central area of the front of the park is inexcusably bad with broken lights (that replaced functional in ground ones), no fountain, a corporate seating area… even dressed up communicore hall still doesn’t look that great honestly. Looks like an airport concourse no matter what they do to it. It’s awful.

 

[jah4955]

The entrance does look better. But the entire central area of the front of the park is inexcusably bad with broken lights (that replaced functional in ground ones), no fountain, a corporate seating area… even dressed up communicore hall still doesn’t look that great honestly. Looks like an airport concourse no matter what they do to it. It’s awful.

I remember when airports used to be fun and exciting etc.

Now it ranks towards (if not at) the very bottom as everyone's least favorite experience.

If they they ever demo it (I realize it's new...but I haven't heard/read of anyone not hating it), they should have a demo party! (similar to when they seemed to "blow up" Horizons building with fireworks when announcing Space...but this time I wouldn't hate it lol

 

[jah4955]

I honestly feel Spaceship Earth, Horizons, and World of Motion suffered from being a bit too samey, with the caveat that I obviously wasn't quite so discerning when I originally experienced them in my younger years. My memories of them all blurred together until I became interested in re-investigating what was actually in each of them later in life. At this point, I think Horizons would be much better served by being massively condensed into a more generic cameo as a renewed Spaceship Earth descent. Mission: SPACE should probably be replaced, but rebuilding Horizons isn't it.

I always felt 1994 ending was extremely Horizons-esq imo.

 

[HMF]

I always felt 1994 ending was extremely Horizons-esq imo.

It was basically the same premise. Though Ironically when we first heard rumors about the 07-version coming it was thought that the concept for the current descent was adapted from Horizons. Of course, the end result ended up just being embarrassing and nowhere near as effective as Horizons.

 

[Disnutz311]

Hear me out-

why not use the pavilion to do something that embraces engineering and modern day technology…The Imagineering Pavilion.

Could serve as a permanent preview center of things Disney has in the works, while also encompassing some interactive play areas/attractions like the Play Pavilion aimed to do. I feel like an “Imagineering” experience would only work at Epcot.

This is what Communicore Hall should be...

 

[HMF]

This is what Communicore Hall should be...

What Communicore Hall should be would be Communicore West still standing.

 

[Nickm2022]

personally think communicate hall should house either the EPCOT model (currently seen for 3 seconds in the people mover) or move the imaginnerings future attractions model from Hollywood Studios too ere

 

[FigmentFan82]

Any actual knowledge of WOL building is staying or going?

In its heyday it was one of my favorite pavilions at Epcot. It would oh so be amazing if WDW was able to create another multi-attraction pavilion like it again. WOL and Imagination used to offer so much to see and do. The Land still remains in that way. Maybe if the ever revamp Mission Space they could create another multi-attraction area.

 

[jah4955]

Any actual knowledge of WOL building is staying or going?

In its heyday it was one of my favorite pavilions at Epcot. It would oh so be amazing if WDW was able to create another multi-attraction pavilion like it again. WOL and Imagination used to offer so much to see and do. The Land still remains in that way. Maybe if the ever revamp Mission Space they could create another multi-attraction area.

Great point. Between those and Communicore/Innoventions you could really spend a full day at EPCOT (I remember spending an hour + in each of the 4 attraction buildings on separate occasions.....

 

[DreamfinderGuy]

Any actual knowledge of WOL building is staying or going?

Don’t think anybody can give you a definite answer either way. OP says they believe it’s going, but there’s a handful of reasons to believe either side.

 

[jubstice]

Maybe it’s just coping on my part but this thread is the first time I’ve heard total demo of the building mentioned. Kinda hoping there have been miscommunications somewhere and we’re looking at a demo of the remaining Play Pavilion infrastructure rather than the whole thing going down. After all, they have invested millions into Wonders recently. Feels like a major waste to let all that money go rather than clean up in there and install literally anything to add capacity to EPCOT.

Im late but what kind of investing? Inside/behind the scenes?

 

[DreamfinderGuy]

Im late but what kind of investing? Inside/behind the scenes?

Structural improvements. Digging way back but iirc Martin had mentioned the entire Play Pavilion project was more of a trojan horse thing to justify the work the actual WoL building itself needed. All that work was finished (aside from the dome roof again allegedly lol), and the attraction part was what was left unfinished.

 

[jubstice]

Structural improvements. Digging way back but iirc Martin had mentioned the entire Play Pavilion project was more of a trojan horse thing to justify the work the actual WoL building itself needed. All that work was finished (aside from the dome roof again allegedly lol), and the attraction part was what was left unfinished.

Still super curious as to what work was even done inside, seemed like the only thing they did for PlayP was the roof.

 

[jah4955]

Still super curious as to what work was even done inside, seemed like the only thing they did for PlayP was the roof.

the "urban explorer" (I can't remember his name) has photos of the inside on his Twitter. Completely gutted except for some basic walling which I surmise is new. A very sad sight.

 

[jah4955]

Based on the newest "MV" video I now understand why they replaced the original roof with the less attractive one.

But he was conjecturing that even the current one failed to solve the problem initiated by the original domed (& doomed) roof.