The State of Epcot

[tielo]

Walt vision of the future transformed in a cheap museum of rotating old movies.
That's the worst idea ever. Pump money and amazing new ideas in this dinosaur and make it shine again as it did when it opened.

 

[s8film40]

Walt vision of the future transformed in a cheap museum of rotating old movies.
That's the worst idea ever. Pump money and amazing new ideas in this dinosaur and make it shine again as it did when it opened.

Epcot will never shine ever again. It may become a decent theme park at some point, but unfortunately it's peak was late 80's early 90's.

 

[Skipper Justin]

A little dark... also, I'm good with anything other than EO lol I will never get those minutes back.

 

[Mr. EPCOT]

Walt vision of the future transformed in a cheap museum of rotating old movies.
That's the worst idea ever. Pump money and amazing new ideas in this dinosaur and make it shine again as it did when it opened.

Don't be rude. No, in an ideal world, it's not what they should do, but it's a better compromise than just slapping some cartoon shorts in there. If this was the company it should be, they would create and install a groundbreaking new film every few years that explores the boundaries of what we can do with our imaginations. That's not the company running the parks, though, and showcasing some of the cool films they've made exclusively for the parks in the past is probably the very best we can reasonably hope they'll do. I'm sure they'll eventually do a major update (sounding like it's still at least five years away), but we'll be very, very lucky if it's not some exorbitantly inappropriate IP slapped in there.

 

[Friar Tuck & Roll]

Hypothetically, if the Tron rumor as the replacement for UoE, does the closing of DisneyQuest mean that a lot of those games and concept attractions could end up as part of a pre/post show arcade? (Moving the Aladdin VR would be bringing a small attraction back to Epcot as it started as a demonstration in Innoventions)

Also, did Disney limit the possible use of Dreamfinder and Figment in the park by having the current comics be published by Marvel?

 

[Nick]

Hypothetically, if the Tron rumor as the replacement for UoE, does the closing of DisneyQuest mean that a lot of those games and concept attractions could end up as part of a pre/post show arcade? (Moving the Aladdin VR would be bringing a small attraction back to Epcot as it started as a demonstration in Innoventions)

Also, did Disney limit the possible use of Dreamfinder and Figment in the park by having the current comics be published by Marvel?

Disney does not own many/most of the arcade games at DQ. Especially the new ones. They just rent them out for periods of time and swap them out occasionally for different ones.

Also, Tron isn't a rumor for UoE. Not a credible one at least (at the moment).

 

[SeventyOne]

Also, did Disney limit the possible use of Dreamfinder and Figment in the park by having the current comics be published by Marvel?

The Universal/Marvel contract is limited to Spider-Man, X-Men, Avengers and Fantastic 4 and their ancillary characters as they existed in 1989 or whenever signed. In addition, Dreamfinder and Figment licensed characters, not in-universe Marvel. Contract has zero effect on their use.

 

[s8film40]

Disney does not own many/most of the arcade games at DQ. Especially the new ones. They just rent them out for periods of time and swap them out occasionally for different ones.

Are you sure about that? When I visited Disney's warehouse in Kissimmee they had rows and rows of arcade games being stored. I've also seen them sell off lots of the older or poor condition ones at Property Control and though things like Theme Park Connection.

 

[Mr. EPCOT]

Also, Tron isn't a rumor for UoE. Not a credible one at least (at the moment).

I don't know what to believe at this point, both Attractions Magazine and WDWNT have indicated recently that what they're hearing is that TRON is currently the frontrunner to replace Energy, and other people I trust have said that Guardians ain't happening.

 

[Alicia]

I don't know what to believe at this point, both Attractions Magazine and WDWNT have indicated recently that what they're hearing is that TRON is currently the frontrunner to replace Energy, and other people I trust have said that Guardians ain't happening.

I want it to be Tron, just so I'd be right. I've been saying Tron coaster for a long time.

The new rumors sound like a ride system similar to Tron Lightcycle Power Run, but with Guardians story and characters...

Wasn't it Robert Niles recently that said Universal and Disney have worked out a deal that allows Disney to use any characters not currently featured at IOA? Not that I've heard that from anyone else, but it's a possibility I suppose.

 

[SeventyOne]

I don't know what to believe at this point, both Attractions Magazine and WDWNT have indicated recently that what they're hearing is that TRON is currently the frontrunner to replace Energy, and other people I trust have said that Guardians ain't happening.

I'm flummoxed as well. GotG has always been a non-starter--not going to build an E-ticket they can't advertise. (Tho I wonder how far along they got in the process before Legal realized that clause was there.) Tron is woefully outdated, and the sequel/reboot flopped, it always defied credibility. The only other IP remotely related to energy would be Monsters Inc. but that seems a real stretch.

Of course, until an official closing date is announced and comes to pass, I'm not convinced Ellen won't be there for another decade.

 

[bbombei1]

When did innoventions west close down completely and why did they start closing all of the attractions in innoventions east, they had some great stuff in there and now that have like two things left. Innoventions was always pretty crowded like 6-10 years ago, how did it all fall apart so fast? I loved that old innoventions sign with that thumbs up thing, when did they replace that with the new logo btw?

 

[Mad Dog]

I'm flummoxed as well. GotG has always been a non-starter--not going to build an E-ticket they can't advertise. (Tho I wonder how far along they got in the process before Legal realized that clause was there.) Tron is woefully outdated, and the sequel/reboot flopped, it always defied credibility. The only other IP remotely related to energy would be Monsters Inc. but that seems a real stretch.

Of course, until an official closing date is announced and comes to pass, I'm not convinced Ellen won't be there for another decade.

If Ellen goes, there goes our afternoon nap in the air conditioning. Pulling for the old girl.

 

[Parkscope Joe]

I'm flummoxed as well. GotG has always been a non-starter--not going to build an E-ticket they can't advertise. (Tho I wonder how far along they got in the process before Legal realized that clause was there.) Tron is woefully outdated, and the sequel/reboot flopped, it always defied credibility. The only other IP remotely related to energy would be Monsters Inc. but that seems a real stretch.

Of course, until an official closing date is announced and comes to pass, I'm not convinced Ellen won't be there for another decade.

How about this: No decision has been made and gone past legal/etc. It's just as likely UoE closes with no replacement as it gets replaced with Tron/GotG.

 

[SkiBum]

If Ellen goes, there goes our afternoon nap in the air conditioning. Pulling for the old girl.

How about an Ellen Meet-N-Greet played by cast members?

I'm probably in the minority but I wish that they would bring back those solid dark rides like Horizons but updated. UoE should be transformed into a shorter version with a standard dark ride. They could mix in some trackless stuff for fun. I love coasters as much as anything but DHS or AK are the perfect parks for those. Even Tomorrowland could use Tron or whatever theme you want to give it.

Epcot will never shine ever again. It may become a decent theme park at some point, but unfortunately it's peak was late 80's early 90's.

You are probably right about this. If it ever shines again, it won't be as EPCOT but as some bastardized version of the park, with a focus on IP's instead of a "City of Tomorrow".

 

[ThemeCrafter264]

If I got to go Epcot, I will go for the proper rides. The average guest doesn't really care too much about learning at a theme park and would far prefer feeling g forces.

 

[Mr. EPCOT]

If I got to go Epcot, I will go for the proper rides.

If by "proper rides" you mean roller coasters, don't bother. People like that should just stop going to EPCOT altogether and ruining it for the rest of us who want something more fulfilling, something more to chew on than just dessert. For some of us a """"proper ride"""" is an immersive masterpiece like The Haunted Mansion or Horizons or Journey Into Imagination. If people want g-forces, they can go to Six Flags. This isn't to say that the park can't have the occasional thrill, the best theme parks have a wide variety of types of attractions, but those thrills should be something that contributes towards expanding your understanding of the world.

The average guest doesn't really care too much about learning at a theme park and would far prefer feeling g forces.

That is an incredibly simplistic view of people. Most people are a lot more nuanced than just being a brain-dead adrenaline junkie. Most people experience some degree of curiosity and if EPCOT was doing its job right it would be sparking the embers of that curiosity into a roaring flame.

 

[Ultranel]

What's going on with Mission: Space

 

[Parkscope Joe]

What's going on with Mission: Space

Refurbishment pluspossibly adding a new film just for Green side.

 

[Nick]

Also queue enhancements (permits filed) and all video upgraded to HD quality. Supposedly the pre-show may change too, but I've heard much less chatter on that.