Walt Disney World Epcot Discussion Thread

[Jew]

On 11/16/2020 at 12:21 PM, KBrylczyk said:

Wow!  Is that the first shot we've seen of the interior and track for Guardians?  Looks pretty darn twisty!  There's definitely going to be some weird forces to be felt on this.  Drifting, rotating backwards while going through turns, etc, all while sensory overload is happening around you with added effects.  I can't wait to ride it.

The Star Wars hotel is looking better with each new release, as well.  I'm curious if they have some way to control the hotel group from leaving Galaxy's Edge, though.  The website mentions visiting the Black Spire Outpost "and more," but does that mean we're free to explored the rest of Hollywood Studios or are we somehow restricted to only be in Galaxy's Edge during the 2-day experience?  It'll be interesting to see how they navigate that aspect.  Either way I'm totally booking it once it and Guardians are open.

 I remember reading somewhere that there would be a themed transport to take you from the hotel into the parks (presumably something like the Hogwarts Express windows on a themed bus), so I also assume they will just make up some story to transport you back from the real world to the hotel.

[A.J.]

Disney has unveiled the brand-new entrance fountain at EPCOT!

 

https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2020/12/first-look-new-entrance-fountain-celebrates-the-past-present-and-future-of-epcot/

The past, present and future of EPCOT are all coming together today in one special moment at the front of the park. Anyone visiting as of this morning will see in real life what we at Walt Disney Imagineering have been dreaming up in our heads for many years now.

Overnight, our crews removed all the “progress walls” from the main entrance plaza, giving you the first full look at this next major milestone in the park’s historic transformation. While there is still more work to be done here in the future, the area is much more open and welcoming now. It features new planters, pathways, lush landscaping and a vibrant new color palette that will eventually tie into the four new neighborhoods we’re creating inside the park – World Celebration, World Discovery, World Nature and World Showcase.

And there in front of iconic Spaceship Earth you’ll now see a reimagined fountain, standing in the footprint of the original that welcomed guests on the park’s opening day in 1982. Our design team took special interest in this water feature, as we looked back to the geometry of the original for inspiration while creating some new magic of our own. In the fountain’s center is a brilliant light, a unique liquid-cooled fixture we’ve designed with new capabilities that complement the fountain’s changing colors and will coordinate with new lighting coming to Spaceship Earth and the upcoming World Celebration beyond.

 

[bert425]

hmmm.

 

I totally get why they want it "understated" at night (illuminated, but not brightly lit), as they don't want it to "distract" from Spaceship Earth.
But honestly, the central lighting isn't really doing it for me, and actually I find is a little distracting.

I think it would look a TON better if the only lighting was inside/around the base, matching SE's colors, and the main fountain remained clear and unlit from inside (maybe a spot shined on it instead of interior lit? if at all?  I really do think it would look fantastic with only the base lighting in the water).

- HOWEVER - that's just my art-director/nitpicky coming out-- as this fountain looks amazing during the daylight/unlit hours.

Really nice design, that fits the area perfectly.

can't wait to see this in  person (at some point in the future).

[jedimaster1227]

I absolutely love the classic EPCOT aesthetic that this fountain brings to the entry plaza, but I genuinely appreciate the efforts taken to modernize the fountain with new lighting elements. It might not seem like a major addition compared to a new ride or show, but there's something very exciting about all of the new, little things that will be coming to the park over the coming years.

[KBrylczyk]

Remind me why Tron is going to the Magic Kingdom and not Epcot?  Aesthetically it seems like one hell of an oversight.

[jedimaster1227]

^I feel like there’s a plausible argument to be made for it to exist in any of the Walt Disney World parks except for Animal Kingdom. I’d imagine it made sense to put it in Magic Kingdom since Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind was slated for Epcot and the park didn’t need two huge launched coasters. I honestly think it will work as a really marketable addition to Magic Kingdom for the park (and the resort’s) 50th anniversary.

[cfc]

I like this much better than the "Leave a Legacy" monoliths, which looked like a field of jagged, broken teeth. The fountain fits Epcot's aesthetic perfectly and makes the entrance less cluttered.

[Nrthwnd]

It looks like a more cleaner streamlined entry into EPCOT. I like it much better without those ....uh.... what Chuck called them! ^

[pianojohn]

I saw it yesterday during the daytime and night. It is beautiful and gives me hope for the future of Epcot.  If they continue to "plus" the park with nods to the past, the park will be great all around.  Next stop: Journey Into Imagination!  I can dream, can't I?

 

[Nrthwnd]

Awesome night and day shots John! But this one....

Money shot. And I love how this catches the blue at the top. Well done!

[KIEnthusiast]

LOVE IT. Now bring back Horizons and tear down Guardians of the Galaxy!!!!!!! 

[Nrthwnd]

^ If only.... <sighs> 

Only for Horizons. I still want Guardians/Galaxy!

[KIEnthusiast]

On 12/26/2020 at 9:14 PM, Nrthwnd said:

^ If only.... <sighs> 

Only for Horizons. I still want Guardians/Galaxy!

WHY????? The total oppposite of Horizons!!!!!!

[KBrylczyk]

Guardians and Horizons don't have anything to do with each other, though.  Do you mean tear down Mission Space?

[KIEnthusiast]

4 hours ago, KBrylczyk said:

Guardians and Horizons don't have anything to do with each other, though.  Do you mean tear down Mission Space?

No, because Guardians of the Galaxy has nothing to do with EPCOT!!! 

[jedimaster1227]

^Thematically, the story of the pavilion will be that Xander is bringing the first “Other-World Showcase” pavilion to Epcot... So at least there’s some connective concepts there.

As someone whose favorite park (outside of Tokyo DisneySea) has always been Epcot, I’m fond of past experiences like Horizons but I have no problem with new experiences being brought to the park. Plus, I have a lot of faith that this will be a really fun ride, given how surprisingly fantastic Guardians of the Galaxy: Mission Breakout turned out to be—now the most fun Tower-style ride in existence from a ride experience standpoint.

[KIEnthusiast]

10 hours ago, jedimaster1227 said:

^Thematically, the story of the pavilion will be that Xander is bringing the first “Other-World Showcase” pavilion to Epcot... So at least there’s some connective concepts there.

As someone whose favorite park (outside of Tokyo DisneySea) has always been Epcot, I’m fond of past experiences like Horizons but I have no problem with new experiences being brought to the park. Plus, I have a lot of faith that this will be a really fun ride, given how surprisingly fantastic Guardians of the Galaxy: Mission Breakout turned out to be—now the most fun Tower-style ride in existence from a ride experience standpoint.

Does it make you think? No. Who cares if it’s fun. If it’s in EPCOT, it has to inspire you and make you think. It’s based on superhero “movies”,  so how will the ride make you think and inspire you?

[michaellynn4]

EPCOT is about one thing: making money for Disney.

Does Guardians make money?

*Glances at box office returns*

Why, yes. Yes it does.

Case closed.

[Hilltopper39]

9 minutes ago, KIEnthusiast said:

Does it make you think? No. Who cares if it’s fun. If it’s in EPCOT, it has to inspire you and make you think. It’s based on superhero “movies”,  so how will the ride make you think and inspire you?

It's going to make me think "wow how did they do that" and probably think about how cool of an experience it was. Will probably also make me think "who seriously thinks that Ellen's universe of Energy is better than this?"

 

Then it's going to inspire me to get in line again, and then to renew my annual pass so I can come back many many times to ride an incredible new attraction in my favorite Disney park. That's how it'll make me think and inspire me. 

[jedimaster1227]

28 minutes ago, KIEnthusiast said:

Does it make you think? No. Who cares if it’s fun. If it’s in EPCOT, it has to inspire you and make you think. It’s based on superhero “movies”,  so how will the ride make you think and inspire you?

Does Frozen Ever After make you think? Gran Fiesta Tour? Ratatouille? Edutainment has always been a part of Epcot’s DNA, but since about 1998, experiences that exist purely for the sake of fun or thrill have too. It may be hard to swallow that the 1982 approach to EPCOT Center isn’t around anymore, but these parks aren’t museums... And superheroes inspire (children in particular) in ways that science and culture just don’t today.

[KIEnthusiast]

2 hours ago, jedimaster1227 said:

Does Frozen Ever After make you think? Gran Fiesta Tour? Ratatouille? Edutainment has always been a part of Epcot’s DNA, but since about 1998, experiences that exist purely for the sake of fun or thrill have too. It may be hard to swallow that the 1982 approach to EPCOT Center isn’t around anymore, but these parks aren’t museums... And superheroes inspire (children in particular) in ways that science and culture just don’t today.

All those things you listed are also terrible.

So sad that people’s standards have lowered this low so that Disney can continue to build such terrible rides. Disney needs to build more of this. And guess what, no superheroes in sight. 

 

[The Great Zo]

This is satire, right?

[AmyUD06]

Pretty much everything this guy posts is satire.

[jedimaster1227]

42 minutes ago, KIEnthusiast said:

All those things you listed are also terrible.

So sad that people’s standards have lowered this low so that Disney can continue to build such terrible rides. Disney needs to build more of this. And guess what, no superheroes in sight. 

 

I think “terrible” is a matter of perspective. Also understand that the person you’re debating this with has a long-proven admiration of Epcot in its classic form... Just look up Epcot’s 25th anniversary for my credentials.

Here’s the thing... Classic attractions like Horizons and the original Journey into Imagination were amazing. But by the end of their lifespans they struggled to attract riders. The same is true with both Universe of Energy versions, World of Motion, El Rio del Tiempo and The Seacabs in The Living Seas. These attractions need consistent ridership to justify operation. There are no theme parks (past or present) that have been able to justify operating major attractions (at major expense) without ridership value to offset the cost. Attractions that fall into this rut are either retired, rethemed or removed outright. It isn’t a question of quality—it is a question of appeal. Timeless attractions maintain their appeal—the majority of the attractions in Fantasyland, Adventureland and Frontierland at Disneyland Park and the Magic Kingdom have not been replaced, only plussed because of that enduring appeal.

It is easy to gripe or idealize what audiences should want to experience or consume but the proof is always in the numbers. When the appeal has worn off, choices have to be made. Fans may not always like that expansion space and existing attractions are turned over for IP-based projects, but that is what gets guests through the turnstiles these days. The old edutainment approach on its own stopped succeeding in the 90’s... It had to be supplemented with IP and thrill to get guests to come to the park. The things you like about current Epcot couldn’t exist if the popular attractions you call “terrible” hadn’t been added to the park when they were. It was those “terrible” attractions that evidenced a need for more characters, more thrill and more for families... Without those, that park would continue to struggle until more drastic decisions might have needed to be made.

 

[KIEnthusiast]

6 hours ago, michaellynn4 said:

EPCOT is about one thing: making money for Disney.

Does Guardians make money?

*Glances at box office returns*

Why, yes. Yes it does.

Case closed.

Just because it makes money doesn't mean it's good.