Epcot - Future World, how did it get so screwed up?

[Disney Khaleesi]

Maybe it's because I'm young, and wasn't here for a lot of what Epcot initially was, but I really like Future World. I love the whole atmosphere. Epcot is my favorite park though, so it's difficult for me to admit anything is wrong with it! (Besides the absence of Maelstrom..)

 

[okilydokily]

Epcot is easily my least favorite park. FW looks awful from the get go. the entrance is just nasty concrete with monoliths. It look poorly dated and not interesting, besides the Space Ship Earth geodesic. None of the rides are all that interesting and the only thing they can add in 10 years is re-imaginings of current rides. And now add capacity to one of the few decent rides because they can't think of, or bother to come up with, something new that would draw crowds. If the best they can do for innoventions is habit heros and the new painting thing, well, they best not even keep that open. The most fun I have in future world is drinking bad colas from around the world at club sticky floor.

WS looks cool, but is pretty boring, unless you happen upon some drunk people having an argument, which I seem to see a lot of. The overpriced food is not that good unless you are a rich drunk alcoholic who eats while stumbling around to the next drink and stopping to watch has been bands play for a half hour or watching 30 year old films in a few countries. I pass by a group every rime I am in the park where if you lit a match, they would blow up from the fumes of the booze.

I guess it isn't that bad, but I don't think they have a vision for the park (or a poor one if they do) and need to update and start taking care of the park, not just expect "special events" to draw crowds.

 

[MrKnight]

-Like... the Living with the Land video is easily from like '91. Just show me some new clips of people farming at least.

THIS!

 

[msdaisy]

Aw I love Epcot so much with those twinkling lights on the ground as we are walking out of the park. It's mainly the atmosphere that makes it my favorite park.

I never went to DW as a child. I remember when I was about 18 my best friend went. When she got back, I asked her so what is Epcot? She told me all about it, and I thought I'm gonna go there some day. Now I take my own kids every summer.

It's such a fine line on these updates. I gripe if they change anything because I'm sentimental and I gripe if they don't update it!

 

[cindyfan]

Epcot is basically a large outdoor bar and restaurant in an awesome park like setting; I suspect it's very profitable that way.

LOL!! Yep.... exactly! but with a few very expensive shops to browse through while you are waiting for your ADR!

 

[cindyfan]

But... honestly.... I agree with the OP! FW needs a huge over-haul! They need to start with getting rid of those ugly tombstones right in front of SSE! Put a nice garden area there.... anything would be better than those concrete things!

 

[MrKnight]

But... honestly.... I agree with the OP! FW needs a huge over-haul! They need to start with getting rid of those ugly tombstones right in front of SSE! Put a nice garden area there.... anything would be better than those concrete things!

Or at least relocate them (as I know they may be of sentimental value to some families) instead of blocking up the main entrance which otherwise could be used for nice gardens and landscaping as it once looked before the tombstone things.. Epcot has the advantage of having lots of space, there are plenty of places even in the same main entrance areas (along the sides) where the tombstones could be easily relocated..

 

[monorailrabbit]

I agree with OP. Epcot is my favorite park and it makes me sad to see how unattended to it is. Part of me likes how nostalgic it has become with old favorites, but on that note, the one thing I never wanted to change - Dreamfinder - is gone... and the whole park could do with some TLC and updates.

 

[epcotty]

While the commitment to DHS(SWL & TSL & ???), and AK(Pandora, Rivers of Light, etc..) will be great, Epcot, specifically FW is a train wreck. Compared to when the pavilions first opened...

SSE - The ascent is much better now, the descent is bad...

Seas - Adding Nemo and Turtle Talk...

Land - Adding Soarin', losing Kitchen Kaberet...

JII -nothing needs to be said on this...

Innoventions/Communicore(both sides) - might as well be shuttered...

Ellen - Just sad that nothing has been done to it except for adding Ellen. So dated...

World of Motion to Test Track...

Horizons to Mission Space, only the thrill seekers like the spinning version and the other version is boring -

Wonders of Life - what a shame -



What say you?

SSE is still good but I think the generated thing on your screen when you descend is kinda dumb
Seas- liked it better before Nemo but still nice to go in through the exit and see the aquariums
Land has improved a lot, we spend a lot of time in there
JII isn't bad in my opinion, we still enjoy it but still definitely not as good as the original show but better than JIYI
Innoventions/Communicore(both sides)- well hopefully something more will be done with the other building soon
Never really liked either Universe of Energy show so that's really a tie for me with how it opened
I liked World of Motion better than I like Test Track but at least the new Test Track is better than the old one
Give me Horizons over Mission Space any day, Horizons had so much character to it and we don't like Mission Space at all
Never really cared for Wonders of Life, even when that was always open when I was a kid we usually skipped it. That's not a big deal to me

 

[a742246]

EPCOT to me is The World Showcase, Soaring and for tradition sake Spaceship Earth that's about it!

 

[katallo]

Epcot could definitely use help. We still like it. But, with so many things unavaiable this Spring I wish they would just list everything for FP. Just let us choose 3 things instead of 1 then 3. There is really nothing in the choose 3 we wanted to do.

 

[book_junkie]

I think the problem with Epcot is that DisneyParks isn't looking to invest money into it- they're still operating under the idea that corporations (and countries) should be lining up to sponsor attractions and areas.

IORC, We're getting Frozen in part because Norway because Norway wasn't going to put any more money into the pavilion. So Disney could do whatever it wanted and it wants to ride its current cash cow until it curdles.

If you pay attention as you walk out after Illiminations, you'll see Siemens name up on Spaceship Earth as they're a sponsor of both; Mission Space has a sponsor, Test Track had to be redone when Chevy took it over.

To me, it's kinda like Jurassic World: I bet the Imagineers have ideas in drawers and stacks, but corporate wants "Verizon presents the Indominous Rex"

 

[Mark P.]

Gosh, I hate to say this as it's slightly off topic regarding the park's cleanliness, but we spent 2 weeks there last year, and rode Spaceship Earth probably 6 times in that span.
As you enter the ride, to the right where the mural is and rocks on the ground, I there was an empty drink/straw. That was there at the beginning of our trip, and right on through the 2 week span.
My wife was tired of my mentioning it, but I couldn't believe that something so obvious remained for 2 entire weeks (and who knows how long before/after?)

We'll be there in a month. Hope it's gone.

 

[Tarheel girl 1975]

I think you would be hard pressed to find someone who didn't agree with you. Future World needs work. I think with so much going on in other areas (Soarin, Frozen) and at the other parks, they are loathe to shut anything else down in Epcot.

They don't even have to close anything though. They could easily work on the Wonders of Life Pavilion without bothering any guests.

 

[Lady Hiss]

I agree with OP and some of the other comments. The grand entrance was ruined by the monoliths. Put them someplace else and give us an awe-inspiring view as we enter the park! I love the big fountain, synchronized to music, and sidewalk lights at night (wonder why they've never added more fun stuff like that?). So many of the attractions are dated and could EASILY be made more relavent (ugh, those old movie clips in Living with the Land are cringe worthy, and the WS country movies are so old it's distracting). Innovations is a snooze fest for me. The WS is beautiful, but I hope the vision isn't just to make it one big outdoor bar and restaurant (with some pricey perfume shops).

 

[Planogirl]

I like World Showcase a lot still even though one area is being ruined for me. (I won't say any more about that! ) But Future World is just beyond pathetic to me and I used to love it the best.

I still like Spaceship Earth (and I've loved all of the narrators) but the downward portion is pretty goofy. Soarin' is fine the first several times but it'll be nice to see a new film and the rest of the Land isn't really too different. We also prefer to skip the Seas ride and just visit the aquarium which is great. We are OK with Universe of Energy and use it as our spot to rest. Test Tron umm Track is OK but lacks the humor and spirit of the World of Motion. I realized that Horizons needed to be changed but I so hoped that they would keep the concept which is brilliant IMO. Imagination has fled the Imagination pavilion and there's nothing much to be sad for the dearly departed Innoventions and Wonders of Life.

Yes, to us it's a sad place. I agree that they could work on the Wonders of Life (or much of Innoventions) without disturbing anything.

 

[labattblue]

I think the problem with Epcot is that DisneyParks isn't looking to invest money into it- they're still operating under the idea that corporations (and countries) should be lining up to sponsor attractions and areas.

While the "sponsorship" is true when it comes to any new countries being added to WS, it has absolutely nothing to do with the lack of money being spent on FW after years of neglect. Look at all the money the company is pouring into AK(Pandora), DHS(SWL & TSL) and MK(NFL).

 

[hakepb]

While the "sponsorship" is true when it comes to any new countries being added to WS, it has absolutely nothing to do with the lack of money being spent on FW after years of neglect. Look at all the money the company is pouring into AK(Pandora), DHS(SWL & TSL) and MK(NFL).

It seems more like Disney intended on sponsorships updating future world, realized sponsorships were dwindling, so they raised ticket prices .... And diverted that (extra future world) money elsewhere.

But you are correct, Disney is spending huge sums of $ in the parks. (Although part of me would occasionally like to get (5) $100m attractions instead of (1) $500m attraction.)


Back to future world...like the movie Tomorrowland, it seems we no longer to share the same optimism about what man will create in the future.

 

[brownie_17]

Future World was so, for lack of a better word, cool back in the 80s. I remember they had a robotic machine that drew portraits of people. Good ones, too, not the tchotchky caricatures you see at any tourist trap.

I hadn't been back from 1988 to 2013 and boy was it a rude awakening. I was so disappointed when I took my son around to see what I expected to be cool science-related exhibits. It was nothing like I'd remembered - a hollow shell of its former glory.

So thats where the portrait robots were. My mom could mot remember. She still has ours from when I was a kid.

 

[brownie_17]

I miss my Dreamfinder and Figment from my childhood. The ride and activities after were so much more...well..imaginative. It has lost its one little spark

I wish they would do more for younger children other than living seas and Imagination pavilion. My preschooler and 5 year old can't quite ride mission space or test track and Innoventions is a sad version of what once was.