EPCOT to become “more Disney”

[hertamaniac]

Video games would make it more like the Epcot of my childhood.

100% agreed.

EPCOT did have a build your own roller coaster and ride it (not The Sum of All Thrills!). It was touch screen driven if I recall correctly and you placed various track pieces to make your unique design. You then watched your wire-framed POV ride.

I designed/built and rode for hours.

 

[Alicefan]

No, legacy imagineers like Tony Baxter, Marty Sklar and Bob Weis have discussed this openly and at length. The parks are not museums and one of Walt’s visions was that the parks not stay stagnant - that they constantly improve. The parks are like clay - when something isn’t working anymore, it can be molded and evolve into something else.

Epcot was neglected for far too long. They let it collect dust. They let pavilions go far too long without updates. People may disagree with the changes, adding more IP, evolving identity, but things were never supposed to just stay stagnant there as long as they did. I love old Epcot, but it is long overdue for a refresh. In my opinion, of course.

I don't mind tweaking and evolving, but I hate the total demolition of rides. I definitely don't think Mission Space was a great improvement on Horizons. I wish they would've kept the building and omnimover track and did a complete layover like they did on Frozen. That way they are still somewhat in touch with us old timers as well as the newbies. The idea is to improve on but not totally screw up....you hear me Imaginations??? lol That's all just me though. I loved the omnimover rides. Those ARE Disney to me. As I get older, I'm less and less a thrill ride person and I love the ride through and look rides that Disney is famous for.

 

[BrianL]

I don't mind tweaking and evolving, but I hate the total demolition of rides. I definitely don't think Mission Space was a great improvement on Horizons. I wish they would've kept the building and omnimover track and did a complete layover like they did on Frozen. That way they are still somewhat in touch with us old timers as well as the newbies. The idea is to improve on but not totally screw up....you hear me Imaginations??? lol That's all just me though. I loved the omnimover rides. Those ARE Disney to me. As I get older, I'm less and less a thrill ride person and I love the ride through and look rides that Disney is famous for.

There were structual issues with Horizons which is why it was demolished. They've kept the buildings in every other case, but unfortunately Horizons was problematic. I miss it too and would love to see somethign like it come back somewhere. It's an Imagineering favorite which is why it gets a lot of nods in other projects. I like Mission Space too, though I wish they hadn't ruined Green Team - it was easier on my back!

 

[Eric Smith]

I don't mind tweaking and evolving, but I hate the total demolition of rides. I definitely don't think Mission Space was a great improvement on Horizons. I wish they would've kept the building and omnimover track and did a complete layover like they did on Frozen. That way they are still somewhat in touch with us old timers as well as the newbies. The idea is to improve on but not totally screw up....you hear me Imaginations??? lol That's all just me though. I loved the omnimover rides. Those ARE Disney to me. As I get older, I'm less and less a thrill ride person and I love the ride through and look rides that Disney is famous for.

There was a sinkhole under the Horizons building so they had to demolish it to address the issue.

 

[Moliphino]

100% agreed.

EPCOT did have a build your own roller coaster and ride it (not The Sum of All Thrills!). It was touch screen driven if I recall correctly and you placed various track pieces to make your unique design. You then watched your wire-framed POV ride.

I designed/built and rode for hours.

They also had just regular video games, like Kingdom Hearts.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

There was a sinkhole under the Horizons building so they had to demolish it to address the issue.

I've seen a lot of conflicting information on that with most saying that is an urban legend/excuse

Marty Solar confirmed a sinkhole in Epcot but said it was closer to the lake by the Odyssey building not by Horizons

 

[MickeyWaffles]

I don't mind tweaking and evolving, but I hate the total demolition of rides. I definitely don't think Mission Space was a great improvement on Horizons. I wish they would've kept the building and omnimover track and did a complete layover like they did on Frozen. That way they are still somewhat in touch with us old timers as well as the newbies. The idea is to improve on but not totally screw up....you hear me Imaginations??? lol That's all just me though. I loved the omnimover rides. Those ARE Disney to me. As I get older, I'm less and less a thrill ride person and I love the ride through and look rides that Disney is famous for.

I loved Horizons and it was one of my faves as a kid. I love omnimovers too. I do think Mission Space is a perfect fit in Future World, though. I worked at WDW when Mission Space opened and got to be a part of a CM preview for it so it holds a special place in my heart.

 

[dreiwhit]

That is interesting. I love “old Epcot,” and loved El Rio del Tiempo but would absolutely LOVE Coco to replace Three Caballeros

FWIW, I'd hate to see the Three Caballeros get replaced. It has always been a special ride for my kids and I, and I have a lot of fond memories of it.

Epcot is my favorite park because it doesn't have the look and feel of Magic Kingdom. Its the Un-Disney park, and I hope it stays that way. I'm a geek. I love history, science, exploration and things like that, and I would like to see more things like that. I don't want to see Disney dump a bunch of IP in there and make it MK-lite.

I wish that instead of tearing down Future World, they would have given hi-tech companies a place to come and display their goods and what they offer. Companies would partner with Disney, instead of Disney wanting their money in a sponsorship. Ye Oswaldian Society said it best, sort of like a World's Fair type experience.

 

[BrianL]

I've seen a lot of conflicting information on that with most saying that is an urban legend/excuse

Marty Solar confirmed a sinkhole in Epcot but said it was closer to the lake by the Odyssey building not by Horizons

I always heard there were problems with the roof. Honestly, there had to be something because I don't think they would've torn down the building otherwise. They could have always reused like they've done for all of the other buildings.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

I always heard there were problems with the roof. Honestly, there had to be something because I don't think they would've torn down the building otherwise. They could have always reused like they've done for all of the other buildings.

Oh for sure - and it wasn't being well maintained after the sponsorship ended so could have just been one of those "it would have cost more to fix it/get it up to modern guidelines than it would to tear down and start fresh" scenarios

 

[umichigan10]

I always heard there were problems with the roof. Honestly, there had to be something because I don't think they would've torn down the building otherwise. They could have always reused like they've done for all of the other buildings.

Oh for sure - and it wasn't being well maintained after the sponsorship ended so could have just been one of those "it would have cost more to fix it/get it up to modern guidelines than it would to tear down and start fresh" scenarios

I think the ride system was constructed in such a way that it was pulling in on the buildings structure. Regardless of the actual reason, it doesn’t sound like it was the most well engineered building

 

[dreiwhit]

Everyone seems to think kids are so bored with WS I think we should make them all third world countries and show our kids how people live in them. It could be interactive and educational. Might make more grateful kids.

FWIW, we made our first family trip in Feb/March 2016. My daughter was 8 at the time and we were worried that she would be bored in Epcot. However, she loved it and was very interested in everything we saw and did, including the World Showcase. I was actually surprised at how much she liked it.

 

[Moliphino]

FWIW, we made our first family trip in Feb/March 2016. My daughter was 8 at the time and we were worried that she would be bored in Epcot. However, she loved it and was very interested in everything we saw and did, including the World Showcase. I was actually surprised at how much she liked it.

My nephew's first trip was in 2019 when he was 5 and we avoided Epcot until the last day because we thought it had the least that would interest him. It wound up being his favorite day, he loved all the Kidcot stations. He was uncertain of most rides, I think we traumatized him a little going on 7DMT first.

 

[BrianL]

I actually really liked Epcot when I went as a kid, maybe better than MK. This was 1987 or so, so it was classic Future World. Really, I think The Living Seas and Horizons did it for me. I alwyas loves sci-tech and space and such. Space Mountian was my favorite thing overall though. Something like Mission: SPACE would've blown my mind as a kid with all the buttons and switches to play with - then again, I like to play with them now. I think the assumption that kids won't like Epcot is definitely off-base. Kids can like all kinds of things!

 

[Tink-osophy]

Think the GotG attraction is supposed to have some educational elements as well, could have sworn I saw a quote from someone involved mentioning that they understand the purpose of EPCOT and that they'll honor that legacy.

I mean, they do still try to tie the attractions in with the science - Test Track and Mission: SPACE do have some elements of that. It's just that the opportunities are limited due to teh anture of the rides - as opposed to being a slow, 12 minute ridethrough, they lay the science on you in the pre and post shows. Nothing is wrong with that really. I had thought TRON would have worked well, with an exhibit about computers at the end, but GOTG I think is going to have some elements of that too. I think its fine.

I liked the old version of Test Track! There was more of that link to real life and science, too. Not really sure why they chose to change that rather get on with other projects in Future World.

Overall, I'm glad things are happening in Epcot and there seems general agreement that we want a balance of : -

moving rides
interactive play
some IP
still plenty of 'not IP'!
education
nostalgia - maintaining some of the loved and still enjoyed past, with its unique Disney touch
looking creatively into the future

That's all! Let's hope they can do it!

P.S. Are they still calling them World Discovery/Celebration/Nature?

 

[BrianL]

I liked the old version of Test Track! There was more of that link to real life and science, too. Not really sure why they chose to change that rather get on with other projects in Future World.

Overall, I'm glad things are happening in Epcot and there seems general agreement that we want a balance of : -

moving rides
interactive play
some IP
still plenty of 'not IP'!
education
nostalgia - maintaining some of the loved and still enjoyed past, with its unique Disney touch
looking creatively into the future

That's all! Let's hope they can do it!

P.S. Are they still calling them World Discovery/Celebration/Nature?

They probably changed it due to Chevy wanting to do it and highlight EVs more - the sponsor has a lot of sway there. I actually like the new version better - it's more futuristic.

I believe the area names are staying the same.

 

[JC1984]

P.S. Are they still calling them World Discovery/Celebration/Nature?

Think that is the plan still

 

[gharter]

100% agreed.

EPCOT did have a build your own roller coaster and ride it (not The Sum of All Thrills!). It was touch screen driven if I recall correctly and you placed various track pieces to make your unique design. You then watched your wire-framed POV ride.

I designed/built and rode for hours.

Sum of all Thrills was so much fun! I still miss it.

 

[fatmanatee]

Vaguely remembered the video game area but couldn't remember what exactly they had there, just that it was Sega games. There's a video!

https://pixelgamesquad.com/disney-epcot/
Anyway, from what I remember as a kid it was a neat distraction for a bit but I was confused about why it was there and my parents were probably annoyed about us stopping by.

 

[Lumpy1106]

They probably changed it due to Chevy wanting to do it and highlight EVs more - the sponsor has a lot of sway there. I actually like the new version better - it's more futuristic.

I believe the area names are staying the same.

It's too bad they only did a cosmetic change. The original ride highlighted safety features like anti-lock brakes. The ride still does those brake runs now without any explanation so that's just...weird. Now, if the cars actually handled differently as the ride suggests they do, or I dunno, maybe had some sort of a competition with another car - like a race, THAT would have been an upgrade. I just feels sortof cheap the way it is now.