The Disney Blog has some information on the new post-show area coming to Epcot’s Spaceship Earth in the not-to-distant future. Siemens and Walt Disney Imagineering have teamed with students at Carnegie Mellon to develop arcade games to help fill the long abandoned former Global Neighborhood area.
The games are described as being, “a fun and exciting look at how Siemens technologies make our lives better.” From that one line, it would certainly seem to be right up the Epcot purist’s alley, and I would expect the reaction to be positive from most of them. The whole concept of “edu-tainment”, is one that Imagineering is clearly getting away from, and these type of interactive areas have often been the victim of cost cutting measures.
Corporate sponsorship has a long history with the Walt Disney Company. From early is
Disneyland’s history, corporate dollars have been involved. If not for these partnerships, Walt may not have made the same history he accomplished during the 1964 New York World’s Fair. But I for one have been happy with the trend away from the sort of in-your-face style commercials that Futureworld was filled with when it opened. I want to experience a Disney attraction, with as few “corporate pitches” as possible. Let’s hope these games are more fun and informative then they are blatant attempts to get me to give my money to the sponsor. Disney lightens my wallet enough as is.