Epcot (General Discussion)

[Alicia]

So is it happening in a different form, canceled for something different or just axed with no replacement?

Tomorrowland cabana tents instead of a the multi-story Festival Center in World Celebration I imagine lol

 

[HandsomePete]

So is it happening in a different form, canceled for something different or just axed with no replacement?

Double negative: not something that isn't happening.

Setting a bunch of germy kids loose to run around a pavilion is pretty much at the bottom of the Covid safety protocol list.

 

[Nick]

Double negative: not something that isn't happening.

Setting a bunch of germy kids loose to run around a pavilion is pretty much at the bottom of the Covid safety protocol list.

Yeah, that's why i've figured it's been pushed off tbh. For what it's worth, most of the germy areas are reopened/reopening now. The Bone Yard is open again and the Curious George area is opening soon from what i've been told.

 

[UNIrd]

Tomorrowland cabana tents instead of a the multi-story Festival Center in World Celebration I imagine lol

TRIGGERED.

 

[GorillaFeces]

Looks like they are testing the projection effects inside the PLAY! Pavilion.




[The Tweet has been deleted, but you could vaguely make out some projections inside the building through the front doors.]

 

[belloq87]

More original area loops in Future World are now gone:

Classic EPCOT Background Music Loop Removed from World Nature Neighborhood at EPCOT

Walt Disney World news, photos, and reviews! We provide you with daily news from the Walt Disney World theme parks and beyond

blogmickey.com

 

[Nick]

 

[OhHaiInternet95]

I don't know if this is the right place to put this, but Coaster Studios' list of his least favorite attractions at WDW was rather revealing, and by that I mean it provides an unfortunate case study for how the GP views the Epcot of yore. You want to know why Epcot has gone in the direction it has, here is your answer. LWtL is easily my favorite attraction in the park, so I obviously strongly disagree with him here. But it just illustrates the gap between Epcot purists (and maybe WDW purists in general) and the majority.

 

[belloq87]

That video made me very sad. I dare not watch the rest of the videos in that series.

At least the comments underneath were sensible.

 

[UniversalRBLX]

I think the "GP" wants a balanced Epcot filled with IPs, thrill rides, food, and some educational attractions. Future World sucks not because of its idea, but because they just never cared to update it.

Future World will be thriving today if it had sponsors like Apple, Amazon, Tesla, Google, Microsoft, etc.

 

[Nick]

Future World will be thriving today if it had sponsors like Apple, Amazon, Tesla, Google, Microsoft, etc.

Disney has tried to get sponsors from almost all of those companies (Tesla can't actually afford it, but the others can). The thing is though, none of those companies need a ride sponsorship to get their brand recognized anymore. They are some of the biggest brands in the country, being at the theme park level is a bit beneath what they need.

 

[Alicia]

Disney has tried to get sponsors from almost all of those companies (Tesla can't actually afford it, but the others can). The thing is though, none of those companies need a ride sponsorship to get their brand recognized anymore. They are some of the biggest brands in the country, being at the theme park level is a bit beneath what they need.

Nowadays sponsorships tend to be mutually beneficial for both parties in more than just your name above the ride entrance. Like when you're the "official snack cheese" of Walt Disney World or Pandora Jewelry sponsors the nighttime show at Magic Kingdom but only if they get to have a store in all of the parks for the desirable foot traffic. Etc etc.

 

[GAcoaster]

Future World will be thriving today if it had sponsors like Apple, Amazon, Tesla, Google, Microsoft, etc.

The issue may be some of the existing sponsors have contracts that require exclusivity. I would guess Chevrolet wouldn't allow another car maker. There are probably other sponsors like AT&T who could have contracts that exclude other tech companies.

 

[shiekra38]

Disney has tried to get sponsors from almost all of those companies (Tesla can't actually afford it, but the others can). The thing is though, none of those companies need a ride sponsorship to get their brand recognized anymore. They are some of the biggest brands in the country, being at the theme park level is a bit beneath what they need.

This is why Epcot needed to pivot

 

[UniversalRBLX]

Disney has tried to get sponsors from almost all of those companies (Tesla can't actually afford it, but the others can). The thing is though, none of those companies need a ride sponsorship to get their brand recognized anymore. They are some of the biggest brands in the country, being at the theme park level is a bit beneath what they need.

Your right, what I'm saying is that Future World could have continued being great had they updated their sponsors to be relevant. It's a smart thing to focus on adding stuff like GOTG and whatever IP they plan on using for Imagination. Implementing IP in World Showcase is perfectly fine, just not the way they've done it so far. Rat is fine, but Frozen probably deserves a much better presence at the parks.

Nowadays, people relate Epcot to the "drinking around the world park" and less of the innovative/inspiring park.

 

[Nick]

Your right, what I'm saying is that Future World could have continued being great had they updated their sponsors to be relevant. It's a smart thing to focus on adding stuff like GOTG and whatever IP they plan on using for Imagination. Implementing IP in World Showcase is perfectly fine, just not the way they've done it so far. Rat is fine, but Frozen probably deserves a much better presence at the parks.

Nowadays, people relate Epcot to the "drinking around the world park" and less of the innovative/inspiring park.

Or they could've just put money into the park instead of relying on sponsors.

 

[Grabnar]

Or they could've just put money into the park instead of relying on sponsors.

Yeah but thing about how many stock buybacks you could do if Apple paid for the Spaceship Earth retracking instead?

 

[shiekra38]

Or they could've just put money into the park instead of relying on sponsors.

SSE has needed an upgrade/re-track since like 2005...At this point I don't care if they start a GoFundMe

 

[Tobias]

Or they could've just put money into the park instead of relying on sponsors.

Agreed, relying on sponsors is honestly one of the reasons Epcot has been so borked as a park. They want the sponsors to take care of the funding for maintaining/updating and or bringing in new attractions, but if the sponsor doesn't want to pony up a whole lotta' money for it, we get things like the continued desecration of the Imagination Pavilion. Or straight-up nothing at all, nothing at all, nothing at all.

The only real outlier I've seen is Test Track with GM/Chevrolet. But that's due to the show floor being very lucrative for GM/Chevy in sales, so of course they'd be happy to update the attraction etc. But for others, they just don't get that kind of return.

 

[HandsomePete]

Disney has tried to get sponsors from almost all of those companies (Tesla can't actually afford it, but the others can). The thing is though, none of those companies need a ride sponsorship to get their brand recognized anymore. They are some of the biggest brands in the country, being at the theme park level is a bit beneath what they need.

Not only is being at the theme park level a bit beneath what brands of that caliber need, being on Disney property period is as well - as evidenced by the patch of grass in Disney Springs that sat empty next to a Coke store that looks suspiciously complementary to an Apple Store, until they gave up.........