I recently went to Epcot and was disappointed. Here is what I think needs to be done:
*Redo the Mexico ride into an Animatronics ride like Universe of Energy or PotC
*Don't change Test track
*Take out Nemo from the Living Seas, it was terrible.
*Update Universe of Energy
*Update the Land building and Soarin' queue. The Soarin' queue has little theming and I don't like the interior of the land.
*Update Impressions of China film.
What do you think?
Of course, there's always my way....
I wish they would bring back the original Mexico boat ride. The new ride with the Three Caballeros completely clashes with the atmosphere of the ride which was intended to be a journey into the mystic history of Mexico. Now the ride is nothing more than passing a bunch of video screens featuring a cartoon.Originally Posted by Ghosthost2012
The Nemo ride isn't that bad. I think it could benefit from more animatronics and a more immersive feeling of being underwater, similar to TLM ride.
#1 I would add would be more countries in World Showcase. My two big choices are Greece and Russia. Israel or Egypt for a third. I wish the financial states of those countries weren't a factor in adding new countries to the WS.
And I almost forgot: bring back the Jeremy Irons version of Spaceship Earth. I don't care how many kids got put to sleep by that version. The new Judi Dench version is just horribly cringe-worthy.
Toonaspie: I have Asperger's. I like cartoons. Toonaspie!
1) i don't mind it the way it is, sure there are video screens but its a fun and upbeat ride i don't think clashes with the pavilion but it contrasts it which is good giving us both upbeat and exciting, and peaceful beautiful atmospheres.
2) disagree, test track needs something new to spruce it up, will the new update do the trick? we will have to see in the fall, however leaving it the way it was is certainly not the answer. i felt like i was in the 90s again seeing that preshow.
3) I don't mind individual elements like turtle talk or the entrance ride but sea base alpha as a concept was soooo much cooler / better in many ways. bring in a new version of sea base alpha and bring us our Nemo some place else.
4) agreed but keep ellen as our host and hopefully bill too
5)I HATE THE SOARIN QUEUE AND THE GAMES ARE TERRIBLE lol as for updates i dont think the pavilion needs much except a new lion king movie in the circle of life theater.
5)agreed
I would also add:
-a new show, ride, imageworks, and everything else for the imagination pavilion
-new attractions for innoventions with promise of semi-frequent turnover
-the countries of first Brazil, second Spain, and third Greece or Russia
-upgrade the Norwegian film and ride, so inaccurate
that would make me very happy
---------- Post added 05-09-2012 at 07:39 PM ----------
meh i enjoy the new ride, i think it contrasts more then it clashes and it is a rather fun ride, it definitively has a little piece of walt from made his south american journey in it in my opinion.
sea base alpha 2.0 is a must lol
i have greece and russia tied for third behind brazil and spain, israel would be a VERY controversial pick due to the recent political issues and egypt is the same on top of the fact morocco already represents Arabic culture in the WS.
meh i think there are much more pressing issues in epcot right now then bringing back irons. like say fixing all of the imagination pavilion lol.
Bring back the Horizons pavilion! It's just sitting there neglected. I LOVED Cranium Command as a kid - perhaps the "unnamed Pixar movie about the human mind" could serve as an updated version of Cranium Command?
I also agree that The Land pavilion needs some TLC. I also really like the Living with the Land boat ride, and think they could do a walk through at the end of the ride to share more info on what they do (similar to the area after Test Track).
I'd love to see a boat ride at Germany - there was originally one planned but it was scrapped.
Also, the boat ride at Norway DESPERATELY needs to be revamped. It's been boring for as long as I can remember!
“Walt Disney is a thing, an image that people have . . . I drink and I smoke and there are a lot of other things I do that don’t fit that image. But that image stands for something, and you don’t have to explain to people what it means.”Walt Disney
Follow me on Twitter at WaltsMartini for Disney Happy Hour at any hour!
I just feel that EPCOT is stuck in the 80´s. It needs a DCA type of makeover.
The world according me: http://www.youtube.com/user/TimmyME
Horizons Pavilion? I think you mean the Wonders Of Life Pavilion... and yes, I agree, it's depressing to see it sitting there just gathering dust.
WDW Cast Member August 2009 - November 2011
There's nothing wrong with Nemo in of itself, it just doesn't fit thematically. Turtle Talk with Crush was pushing it. Full fledged Nemo was just too much. Test Track suffers from the same problem of not fitting the theme, without necessarily being a bad ride. Soarin', well, same problem, and there's not really much you can do to add to the theme. The Land building is actually one of the few Pavillions that still sticks to theme (Soarin' not witstanding) so I'd be less inclined to do anything about it before doing something about the bigger issues. I believe they're already planning on doing something about Energy. Impressions of China, actually, I thought, would have made a great place for the Soarin' technology. Would have been cool to ride a dragon through china's heartland and mythology, and the ride would have been less prone to showing it's age.
One of the easiest, and first places they could start with EPCOT is to get rid of those decidedly un-futuristic flourishes they have on lampposts and overhangs, and open up the old Commincore/Innoventions buildings to traffic. Then start with the theme in Innoventions that is actually something Innovative, rather then the odd follow-the-lines ting they got going there now. (No idea what that's supposed to be.) Right now Innoventions is less impressive than you're average science center. Even the terrible ones. With so much scientific experimentation going on every day (just search YouTube), there's so much that could be demonstrated there in a more elaborate and evocative light.
Overall, Future World really needs to be about the Future again. We lost a lot when they took out the 15-45 minutes attractions. Now people just go in and go out and before you know it, the day is over. EPCOT used to sell three-day passes so you could see everything. EPCOT could really use that sensibility again.
The three least expensive and easily fixable changes that would do the most to restoring good will with the fanbase are:
1. Return the original Future World pavilion music,
2. Return the original Future World pavilion icons/logos, and
3. Change the name back to EPCOT Center.
Here's what should be added or changed at Epcot:
Bring back the original Journey Into Imagination with Dreamfinder, and reopen the upstairs ImageWorks.
Bring back Horizons
A new version of World of Motion, in the transportation pavilion, to go along with the new Test Track.
A space pavilion and move Mission: Space there.
Move Soarin' to the Wonders of Life pavilion, and put a weather themed attraction in that pavilion.
A new version of Universe of Energy.
Get rid of Nemo and bring back The Living Seas.
Bring back Kitchen Kabaret, Food Rocks or a new audio animatronic show, and a new attraction to replace Circle of Life movie in the Land pavilion.
Change Innoventions name back to Communicore.
Add a Brazil and Australia pavilions to the World Showcase.
Those are some good ideas. They should use the Wonders of Life Pavilion and changing names at Epcot wold not take much time or effort.
Of course, there's always my way....
At this point, so MUCH needs to be fixed with Epcot, even though I still love it. Here are my suggestions:
* Bring back the name EPCOT Center. Very simple research will explain to Disney's newbie management WHY it was called EPCOT Center in the first place, and the change will be easy to explain to guests.
* Update the Universe of Energy! Disney has tens of billions of dollars, it no longer "needs" sponsors; make it more current than a film made in 1995.
* DO change Test Track! Not in the design of the ride, but simply in removing the scaffolding and visually noisy exterior and restoring the look of the pavilion.
* If they insist, keep the ride portion of the "Nemo Seas," but bring back the original opening film and restore Seabase Alpha.
* Bring a new film to the "Circle of Life" in the land pavilion and PLEASE don't make it be with Disney characters!
* Reopen the ImageWorks above the Imagination pavilion and put in something other than "Captain EO" or "Honey I Shrunk the Audience"
* Turn the always-empty post-show of Mission: Space into something genuinely interesting for ALL to visit, like a short film on space and an exhibit about what we're currently learning about the universe. Make this pavilion into something the ENTIRE family can share. (And consider adding ANYTHING to that post-show corridor.)
* Add two pavilions to World Showcase -- any pavilions, I don't care, just DON'T make them have Disney characters all over them!
* Restore some EPCOT-themed merchandise to MouseGear ... anything other than one shelf.
* Bring back the Teacher Connection for educators.
* Add some revolving, education-focused exhibits to Communicore West; half of it is, well, nothing at all, just a hallway, and another half is the kid-centric Character Connection; can't you make that be at least a LITTLE themed to Future World?
* Update the French and Chinese films; these are ridiculous
* Judiciously edit/update the Norway film and make it quasi-mandatory to view; it's beautiful, and just needs a little alteration -- most of it is surprisingly evergreen
* Spruce up the AA figures in American Adventure
* Re-think the Mexico ride; the silly Donald Duck one with BRAZILIAN characters does not work
* Fix the falling-apart stage in Future World
* Do SOMETHING to make the park actually feel current ... it's getting really, really (sadly) out of date super fast
Back in the early 1990s, Disney "re-committed" itself to Epcot ... and then after a few years, it all fell apart again. Out of those billions and billions of dollars you have in profits, Mr. Iger, can't you take a few hundred million to spruce up what still is, after all, the ONLY EPCOT IN THE WORLD?!
---------- Post added 05-09-2012 at 10:51 PM ----------
Well, Mission: Space IS the "space pavilion." It's sad how divisive Epcot is now ... not thematically, people have always either loved it or hated it ... I mean how part of its audience DOESN'T even go on thrill rides and another part CAN'T go on thrill rides.
You're right - my bad! We'd have to disassemble Mission Space to bring back the Horizons pavilion - although my motion sickness says that's not a bad idea
“Walt Disney is a thing, an image that people have . . . I drink and I smoke and there are a lot of other things I do that don’t fit that image. But that image stands for something, and you don’t have to explain to people what it means.”Walt Disney
Follow me on Twitter at WaltsMartini for Disney Happy Hour at any hour!
The first thing I'd do to Future World is some overall desgn work and upsprucing. It's a bit of a cluttered mishmash now. I'd redesign all the signage using one style, one font, one visual identity. I don't rule out the idea of having new logos designed, but I'm not sure they could make anything better than the old ones, so I'd bring them back. I'd cut the number of vending carts, move the memorial stones somewhere more out of the way, and go on a serious pruning mission with the trees.
I have no problem with Soarin' being in The Land. It exploreas all the different kinds of topography you can find in one area of the U.S. It doesn't do any in-depth investigation of them, but it's not a bad overview. Maybe I'd redo the film to show the amazingly wide variety of landforms across the nation.
One word......DREAMFINDER!!!!!!!!!!!!
I totally agree, get rid of Dr. Nigel Channing and the Imagination Institute, and bring back the original Journey Into Imagination, and bring back Horizons too.
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