Wonders of Life rumored DEMO set for 2008?

[gsimpson]

I will welcome something new

For the most part they don't demo unless something else is in the works, some exceptions of course. Of ALL of the Epcot pavilions this is by far the worst and most dated looking from the exterior, time has treated everything else better, the gold colored roof is pretty darn ugly (my opinion or course). Most of the exhibits were OK but none of them were really great or especially well done. Body wars always struck me as a pale imitation of Star Tours, and even Star Tours is getting a bit long in the tooth, especially considering you can find the same "type" of ride in many malls now. With all of the really great things that have been happening at Epcot of late I will have optimistic faith that something wonderful this way comes.

 

[CThaddeus]

Disney needs to do something to that place...talk about a flop. You can only watch Cranium Command so many times

Like a few thousand more times...
Perhaps you thought it was a flop, I didn't. I loved Cranium Command, Making of Me, and Goofy About Health, and I thought Body Wars was okay. In fact, I would rate Cranium Command as one of Disney World's best.
I'll miss Wonders of Life, and I find myself incredibly angry that Disney allowed yet another of their great pavilions to wither away and die. Now, it is nothing more than a place for Disney to peddle booze...pretty much going against what the pavilion originally stood for. It was great to be able to experience all the attractions again last December (I spent about 4 hours total in there during my trip), yet it was truly sad to see what they'd done to Wonders of Life when I was there last week.
I'd personally love to see Buzzy continue on in that pavilion, with a necessary update to his show, and to the rest of the attractions. I don't want to see Wonders of Life razed, nor do I think there is anything wrong with the outside that would necessitate such a razing. Spruce it up a bit, make it more 2008 to silence the whiners who keep screaming "too '80s," and give it a couple of new attractions. If it absolutely must be destroyed, though, Horizons 2.0 would be most welcome. Of course, I'd rather they took out that awful Test Track mess and put it there...but that's just me.

 

[lnsemsf]

I a few years ago compared this pavillion to Terry Shiavo when that was topical, but it still holds true. People fight either side of the issue, but point is that it's a pavillion which died long ago. People have fond memories of it and think that with rehabilitation it can be good as new. Problem is when you take sentamentality out of the equasion and look at the facts, every major system is pretty much barely able to function. You can put as much makeup on it as you want, but as a pavillion, it's clearly, and sadly, a vegitable which has withered away, no ammount of makeup can fix the fact that there is just nothing left worth saving. It's time to finaly gather the family who loved and cared about it around one last time while it's still open and concious, even if there is nothing left inside you remember except memoried of happier times, and say goodbye, and then finally and mercifully, pull the plugs.

 

[Hrudey3032]

Why not move Cranium Command to another location?I liked that show but most of WoL was pretty uninteresting if you asked me.I think a new ride(Horizons 2.0) would be a upgrade at this point.

 

[optjay]

In the name of progress I hope so.
Before you can have something great, you have to get rid of what's in the way.

Why did they "get rid of"
horizons then?

 

[Champion]

Its probably more like demo of the stuff inside that will no longer be used. A building is a building, and to use it for conventions, there is no need to tear it down and build another.

 

[Computer Magic]

I think the concept of a medical/health pavillion is a good idea gone wrong :shrug:

 

[EPCOT.nut]

Well, I bid my last good-byes to WOL the last time it was open...December 2006. I truly enjoyed my last showing of Cranium Command.

I am in the group that feels if the building has been abandoned and at least partially gutted, go ahead and get the rest of the stuff out. Keep what props you can and showcase them for exhibits when the time comes.

They will need to update the building at the very least, but tearing it down may be necessary. It depends upon what they want to put there - will the new attraction fit in the old building?

I've heard that Jim MacPhee gave the impression that there are big things and changes in the air for EPCOT. Certainly a new attraction at WOL is the obvious next step in EPCOT's progression.

I can't wait to see what they will put there. Coaster? Dark ride? Will it be about health? How educational will it be? Or will it be just for fun?

One thing is for sure - when the bulldozers come out for WOL the news & rumors section of WDWMagic will be a hot place! :ROFLOL:

 

[JEANYLASER]

I will miss WOL. And I miss to ride Body Wars!

 

[kennyj29]

Thank Goodness!

I am so happy they are taking it down. After the first couple of years of it being up, it was such an empty pavilion. There was never anyone in the thing. Anyway, I'm hoping they put something better and different there and not some stupid food place. I can't wait to see what the imagineers think of (hint, hint!).

 

[doop]

Well WoL was fun when it lasted, but I don't like to see valuable space in the park being wasted by the building just sitting there.

 

[JEANYLASER]

I think a dark ride in Epcot is a great idea too!

 

[RSoxNo1]

I really think that this will be demolished and be a very similar situation to 20k leagues. They know that they're not going to use the existing area in it's current state, but they have no green lit plans for what to put in it's place. I know years ago there was a rumored attraction to be sponsored by DuPont that would take the footprint of both Wonder of Life and Ellen's Energy Adventure. I assume that without much talk of this in 2-3 years that it is no longer (or never was) on the drawing boards.

I don't see Epcot getting a major attraction for several years, and I don't see Future World getting a major attraction for even longer.

 

[mousermerf]

I wouldn't doubt if by 2010 we were looking at a redone Imagination pavilion opr atleast the construction thereof. Wonders may pretend not to exist right on through that..

The rest of Future World? I think once SSE opens, the only real option is Energy and it's not down for the count yet.

 

[lilredfoxie]

and perhaps sometime soon Universe of Energy will get a needed update too, the universe of energy has changed a lot since 1996, who remembers what gasoline costs back in 1996, it was like $1.25 a gallon for premium, nowadays with energy costs and issues rising, its time for a new show about energy

 

[JEANYLASER]

I don't know the new sponsor is going to be i wish to be a dark ride in the near future. I wish to updated the imagination Building including 3D Theater and 3D movie also!

 

[LorangeJuice]

Ooooooh.....Horizons 2.0!

 

[starwood]

Disney REALLY NEEDS TO BRING IT BACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! They have to at least have Cranium Command and Body Wars! Disney has plenty of room in the back of wonders of life, they can extend onto the wonders of life using that land in the back! WOL IS THE ONLY 1982 ATTRACTION THAT HASN'T BEEN TOUCHED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[nibblesandbits]

Disney REALLY NEEDS TO BRING IT BACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! They have to at least have Cranium Command and Body Wars! Disney has plenty of room in the back of wonders of life, they can extend onto the wonders of life using that land in the back! WOL IS THE ONLY 1982 ATTRACTION THAT HASN'T BEEN TOUCHED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

um...Wonders of Life isn't an original pavillion...it opened in October 1989

 

[EPCOT.nut]

Disney REALLY NEEDS TO BRING IT BACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! They have to at least have Cranium Command and Body Wars! Disney has plenty of room in the back of wonders of life, they can extend onto the wonders of life using that land in the back! WOL IS THE ONLY 1982 ATTRACTION THAT HASN'T BEEN TOUCHED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That is very sweet but WOL was touched with the demo hand already. The Body Wars mural is gone - most of everything in it is gone.

They really can't bring it back. It is very dated. We have learned so much more about health - they would need a lot of new ideas and concepts to explore. Even if they did bring back Body Wars it would need to be completely re-filmed.