Innoventions West Closing

[MrRoamer]

I just stumbled on this link from Facebook. Hadn't heard anything official about Innoventions, but honestly I can't say I'm all that surprised. Sounds like the writing may be on the wall for East soon enough too.

http://www.doctordisney.com/2015/03/23/innoventions-west-at-epcot-closing-at-the-end-of-april/

 

[shiekra38]

Working on the next Frozen expansion I'm sure...

I don't mean to whine, but this area really differentiated Epcot for me from Tomorrowland or any other Disney park...it was a fun area devoted to innovative inventions, and you could just freely explore..

Here's hoping something good takes its place...and hopefully it doesn't end up like WOL

 

[darkridelover]

My guess is it will sit empty for years before anything is done!!! Just like WOL.

 

[kingcooger]

My guess is it will sit empty for years before anything is done!!! Just like WOL.

If not for the central location, I would agree. I mean, WOL is something the guest see but they are not really all that able to get up close to the building itself. Innoventions is different in that you pretty much have to walk by it to get to other attractions and you can currently go right up to the side of the building and touch it which makes this very different from the WOL situation. I am hoping they do something as this area is so central to Epcot's identity.

 

[Quint]

Like WOL, this will (for the time being) become event space.

 

[MrRoamer]

so central to Epcot's identity.

A new shopping mall and food court I'm sure

 

[Nick]

This is pretty much the perfect fit for this sad, empty building:



Unfortunately it requires magnetic forces to utilize the "hoover" effect, but if implemented, it would be a great showcase. It would actually fit the theme of Future World too.

 

[Parkscope Joe]

This is pretty much the perfect fit for this sad, empty building:



Unfortunately it requires magnetic forces to utilize the "hoover" effect, but if implemented, it would be a great showcase. It would actually fit the theme of Future World too.

It's a special effect not an actual product. The Verge has a good behind the scenes video.

 

[Nick]

It's a special effect not an actual product. The Verge has a good behind the scenes video.

I had read from a normally reliable source it used magnets, but I guess they may have been wrong.

Still, something, ANYTHING science related displayed in this fashion would be perfect for Epcot.

 

[Parkscope Joe]

I had read from a normally reliable source it used magnets, but I guess they may have been wrong.

Still, something, ANYTHING science related displayed in this fashion would be perfect for Epcot.

It does use magnets, but it's a special effect sill (impractical, very finicky, etc). The board is filled with liquid nitrogen and a super conductive magnet is created. A track was created around the skate park that it could only travel on. The board was refilled every 5-10 minutes.

This would be something they could have put into the studio park as its more about special effects and filming, just not a real product.

 

[Nick]

It does use magnets, but it's a special effect sill (impractical, very finicky, etc). The board is filled with liquid nitrogen and a super conductive magnet is created. A track was created around the skate park that it could only travel on. The board was refilled every 5-10 minutes.

This would be something they could have put into the studio park as its more about special effects and filming, just not a real product.

Ah, that's more along the lines of what I heard. Now it's not out of the question that they couldn't change out the floor to use as, what I picture as, a black box style arena where it could be showcased. I'll admit that would be extremely unlikely, given it isn't a real product (unless it were to somehow tie into Lexus again).

It looked finicky in the video and as you say, but just the fact that it exists in this form shows that we're making some form of progress.

 

[Parkscope Joe]

Ah, that's more along the lines of what I heard. Now it's not out of the question that they couldn't change out the floor to use as, what I picture as, a black box style arena where it could be showcased. I'll admit that would be extremely unlikely, given it isn't a real product (unless it were to somehow tie into Lexus again).

It looked finicky in the video and as you say, but just the fact that it exists in this form shows that we're making some form of progress.

It's just a mini mag lev train when it comes down to it.

 

[Teebin]

This is the building that had the iridescent sparkly floor and the disaster exhibits, fire truck and segway exhibits, right?

 

[Nick]

It's just a mini mag lev train when it comes down to it.

Yeah, I guess. I assume it would be way down the line as it's not even worth investing too much in right now, but if they can get this OFF a track and actually working by itself, then we've got something.

 

[*Q*]

This is the building that had the iridescent sparkly floor and the disaster exhibits, fire truck and segway exhibits, right?

It's one side of it. It had IBM, Where's the Fire?, The Great American Piggy Bank Adventure, Segway, the video games, and the Visa meet and greet. In recent years past it had Monsanto, Farm Bureau, Lutron's Ultimate Home Theater Experience, Kuka, some medical something or other. Innoventions East is still open that has the 3-D storm show, Raytheon's Sum of All Thrills, Habit Heroes. That noisy UL exhibit just closed recently and I think is getting replaced with Colortopia by Glidden, and I think the House of Innoventions (or whatever the new name for it was) just closed relatively recently, too.

 

[Nick]

It's one side of it. It had IBM, Where's the Fire?, The Great American Piggy Bank Adventure, Segway, the video games, and the Visa meet and greet. In recent years past it had Monsanto, Farm Bureau, Lutron's Ultimate Home Theater Experience, Kuka, some medical something or other. Innoventions East is still open that has the 3-D storm show, Raytheon's Sum of All Thrills, Habit Heroes. That noisy UL exhibit just closed recently and I think is getting replaced with Colortopia by Glidden, and I think the House of Innoventions (or whatever the new name for it was) just closed relatively recently, too.

I don't remember Kuka ever being in the west side. Kuka is utilized in Sum of all Thrills, but I don't ever remember it in the West building.

 

[Teebin]

^ Thanks. I don't believe I ever entered the east building for whatever reason. What a crapper that Disney would just shut down the west. I don't understand their behavior resort wide other than evil greed.

 

[*Q*]

I don't remember Kuka ever being in the west side. Kuka is utilized in Sum of all Thrills, but I don't ever remember it in the West building.

There was an area called Rockin' Robots near the back door, across from the Great American Farm/Piggy Bank Adventure. It was a simple thing where you pushed a button to have a robot arm hit a drum or xylophone or what have you.

 

[Nick]

I don't understand their behavior resort wide other than evil greed.

It wasn't always this way... Ugh.

Even in Michael Eisner's latter years where he basically went off the deep end, he never let the parks fall into total states of decay as Iger has. He did BUILD some very sh***y parks, but that's a completely different conversation.

 

[Teebin]

There was an area called Rockin' Robots near the back door, across from the Great American Farm/Piggy Bank Adventure. It was a simple thing where you pushed a button to have a robot arm hit a drum or xylophone or what have you.

Yep, I pushed those buttons!