Rumor in Orlando: EPCOT may be transformed as Disney integrates Star Wars into existing Parks

[GreatGazoo]

When a relative asked if I would like to join them in Orlando this week, I jumped at the chance for a few snow free days. We went to Epcot on Tuesday mostly because I had never been. I grew up 10 miles from Disneyland (California) and went to Disney World as a child in the year that it opened but I had never been to Epcot.

What a disappointment. On paper EPCOT seemed to promise a kind of World's Fair experience with its combo of technology as entertainment, areas based on countries of the world and corporate sponsors. $94 to get in (ouch) and there are almost no rides. The "world showcase" is basically just stuff to buy -- food, souvenirs, and stuff. The best thing in that area was a 10-piece mariachi band in Mexico. Not sure why but I thought the countries represented had some stake and say in how they are presented (for tourism and such). The exhibits are so old they should change the name of the park to EPCOY (experimental prototype community of yesterday). The exhibit for Canada had a 360 circle vision theater and you could hear the film projectors running as a very youthful Martin Short narrates. 9-screen Circle Vision debuted 60 years ago (1955).

Back in the tech area, Siemens sponsors an energy thing/ride where the Ellen DeGeneres of 1995 has a dream that she is on Jeopardy. She takes a phone call on a cordless phone that has a small antennae while watching a CRT TV that is 2 feet deep. Even the hyped "Test Track" felt like different guts stuffed in to the shell of Space Mountain. Captain EO anyone?

The crowd was light and booze was for sale EVERYWHERE. They were selling shots for $8.49 so when you buy coffee they ask if you want to add Jameson's, Baileys, etc for $8.50. In Mexico, the same rolling cart that sells bottled water and sodas offered a flight of 3 shots of tequila. Really seemed like they needed revenue anyway they could get it. It really creates the sense that Disney has thrown in the towel on Epcot and it is waiting to be replaced by something fresher. We asked an employee, I mean "cast member", how old the Ellen ride was. She didn't know but said that she had heard that a make over was in the works and Star Wars was in the mix.

It certainly seems like a good fit. They could paint that big globe thing black and have a Death Star. Morocco could be Tatooine with a few sign changes but hopefully Disney will finally spend some bucks and put tired Epcot to rest.

http://www.ign.com/articles/2015/02/04/disney-star-wars-theme-park-plans-are-ambitious

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

1. My girlfriend's father was very high up in Disney Parks

He said they have never been able to figure out what to do with the place, but at the time it opened there was way too much Disney family still on the scene to not see it through. At the time of his retirement Pixarizing it and turning the showcase into a standalone attraction was the conventional wisdom.

[GreatGazoo]

9. Interesting

World Showcase has nothing to do with technology or the rest of the front end of the park. It is an odd combo.

When Disney asks me what to do with it I will tell them:

- revitalize the showcase by getting the tourism boards and businesses from the individual countries involved and within guidelines, let them make it fresher and more connected to 2010 and beyond

- have food or cooking demos in addition to or instead of the flag throwers and such

- at the very least, reshoot the Ellen Degeneres Bill Nye stuff or shoot something else altogether that sets up the Dinosaurs

- the front end, right when you walk in, needs to be more immersive. It feels sparse. The first thing you hit is the guys who will take your picture with a big old camera. Move them to the side or further in and give me some break dancing robots or something that gives you that Wow thing right away. When you walk into Disneyland, you go under that train bridge that has a plaque about 'leaving today and entering the land of yesterday, tomorrow and the imagination.' Once you clear the bridge, you can see all the way down Main Street to the castle and you have no reason to look back or to the sides. It sort of pulls you in and delivers right away.

- better navigational aids and stronger sense of having passed from one area to another

- they had classic Disney characters spread around the park. Snow White was in Germany posing for pictures for example, and it just muddied the whole thing. Let Disney World be Disney World especially since they are trying to get at least 2 park admissions from every potential customer.

- possibly create an area that really speaks to the millions of Disney aficionados and collectors. Go a little meta. You could have an exhibit on Walt and the start of the company, take it up through the opening of the various parks. Show some of the rides that have been replaced. Bring in that classic Disney experience in a concentrated way and go deep into the trivia that that group of customers knows best. Plenty of food for thought at Yesterland:

http://www.yesterland.com/

- bring in the new Star Wars stuff to one area of the park. Bulldoze or convert the most dated or the least popular attractions and go with the Star Wars.

..still waiting for their call...

[dembotoz]

2. nice but is seemed dated

i do like the multicultural emphasis and the food was good, but....i dunno thought other parts of the part were worse.

[Xolodno]

3. Problem is, its based on the concept of..

...technology. And technology moves fast, real fast. So any exhibition is going to be dated real fast...not a good recipe for a theme park that needs rides to stand the test of time.

Some aspects are still good, Disney Seas, Test Track, Mission Space. But two of these are not based on future tech (plus can be updated over time) and the other a bit on science fiction. A Star Wars Park would be too ambitious, but a land based on Sci Fi could work in EPCOT

[ScreamingMeemie]

4. I absolutely love EPCOT. Always have, always will.

We get lucky because my daughter's boyfriend works for Disney and my daughter works for Universal.

[GreatGazoo]

6. Nice. Do they ever discuss which is better?

[ScreamingMeemie]

7. They LOVE the Magic Kingdom part of Disney, and my daughter loves collecting

retro Epcot stuff, but ride and presentation-wise, I think they would say Universal. Universal also treats its employees insanely well.



And on edit: Diagon Alley is the singular most INCREDIBLE job of theming I've seen in my life.

[GreatGazoo]

8. I haven't been to Universal Orlando

When I told locals that I was mildly disappointed by Epcot they all recommended Universal.

[Nye Bevan]

5. I love Epcot. So many great rides and restaurants.

There are 17 full service restaurants in Epcot! And the great thing about the restaurants is that they have excellent food for adults with a huge range of ethnic cuisines, but they all have kids' menus with stuff like chicken nuggets for the less adventurous kids who are not tempted by Moroccan or Japanese food.

The only negative: I do agree that the Ellen Energy ride is horribly dated, and way overdue for updating or replacement.