changes to World Showcase?

[KJHawley]

DW and I are going back after 10 years. Aside from the new AK, most of the parks have new attractions, rides, and changes. As far as I can tell, though, World Showcase hasn't changed at all. With the hundreds of countries available in the world, why isn't Disney doing more? Is there anything rumored to be in the works?

 

[Horace Horsecollar]

DW and I are going back after 10 years. Aside from the new AK, most of the parks have new attractions, rides, and changes. As far as I can tell, though, World Showcase hasn't changed at all. With the hundreds of countries available in the world, why isn't Disney doing more? Is there anything rumored to be in the works?

There have been numerous rumors since Morocco and Norway were added to World Showcase in the early days of Epcot, but none of the rumors have become realities.

The CircleVision movie in China was updated a few years ago. The exhibits in Mexico, Japan, and China are updated every few years. The shows at the Americas Gardens outdoor theater are constantly changing. But, overall, World Showcase doesn't change much.

Disney wants sponsorships before they'll add another country. India, Brazil, Russia, Thailand and Greece come to mind immediately as countries I'd like to see added to Epcot. But unless corporate or government money helps to pay for any such addition to Epcot, it's unlikely to happen.

 

[MJMcBride]

After the Port fiasco, United Arab Emirates will now sponsor a land in World Showcase.

 

[rocketriter]

After the Port fiasco, United Arab Emirates will now sponsor a land in World Showcase.

Unless Congress threatens to block it.

 

[Planogirl]

If you ever enjoyed the restaurant in Norway, you'll now find it changed to a meet the Princesses experience. That was a major change for us.

 

[dbm20th]

I think you will find changes in WS on the horizon, but thay doesn't mean those changes need to include the addition of new country pavilions. I think you may see an new attraction added to either Japan or Canada, most likely Japan. You may see another attempt at a parade down the promenade. That type of thing.

 

[MJMcBride]

There soes appear to be room for 1 more country. But I think thats it. Although, I agree we won't see one anytime soon.

 

[DancingBear]

There's actually much more room between the countries in World Showcase than you think. See:

http://terraserver-usa.com/image.aspx?T=1&S=12&Z=17&X=557&Y=3922&W=1

 

[dbm20th]

There is space for more pavilions, I just don't see that happening anytime soon. Of course that all changes if a country gets a sponsor who ponies up a bunch of cash.

 

[MJMcBride]

There's actually much more room between the countries in World Showcase than you think. See:

http://terraserver-usa.com/image.aspx?T=1&S=12&Z=17&X=557&Y=3922&W=1

I loooked at that. There's clearly room for 1 maybe 2 pavillions at the bridge/outpost. Anywhere else would be crammed I think, at least since they put the International Gateway there.

 

[DancingBear]

It's more visible through Google Earth than on the TerraServer picture, but there's room between France and Morroco, Morroco and Japan, Italy and Germany, and Mexico and Norway; also between the International Gateway and Great Britain. And I suppose they could tear down the Millenium building or whatever they call it between Great Britain and Canada. There appear to be some storage, parking and backstage buildings in some of those places, but I assume those could be relocated.

 

[golden1]

Maybe they could build a World Showcase Extension - perhaps in back of the existing WS. There seems to be a little room back there. I thought I remembered reading in UG that that was the original plan, to add another "ring" of countries behind the existing WS but it was scrapped due to budgetary concerns.

 

[Another Voice]

The current World Showcase was designed for more than twenty pavilions. The idea is that each pavilion would blend directly into the next without any "greenspace" to separate the countries. And initially each pavilion would have had the same amount of space along the walkway (each county being equal to the others).

When EPCOT Center opened in 1982 there were a total of five pavilions already given the “go ahead”. As everyone knows, Morocco and Norway/Scandinavia were built. The three other pavilions were already designed and signs marking their locations were erected. Spain would have featured a vineyard and restaurants (the pavilion was dropped when Michael Eisner selected Paris over Barcelona for the site of Euro Disney). Equatorial Africa was just about ready to begin construction and its shows had already been filmed, but the pavilion was to have been funded by Disney and Michael Eisner cancelled those plans. The only sponsors available for an “African” pavilion were from South Africa – a place not acceptable in the 1980s. Lastly, it’s been “rumored” that Isreal was also dis-invited by Michael Eisner do to politics since the pavilion would have been sponsored by the tourism ministry of the Israeli government (thus endangering Disney’s business with other countries in the Mid East and Europe).

Two pavilions came close in the post-opening period. A “Russian” pavilion was designed during the brief period between the end of the Cold War and the collapse of Soviet Union. Those plans died when the communist government collapsed and everyone realized they had better things to spend money on than a far off American tourist attraction. A Switzerland pavilion was contemplated for a while when Nestle (a Swiss company) was poking around for a big sponsorship deal. The center point would have been a clone of Disneyland’s Matterhorn Mountain (Disney’s always on the look-out for cheap thrill rides), but the Swiss opted for the much cheaper route of taking over sponsorship of ‘The Land’.

Other countries pop-up from time to time like Australia and Brazil, but nothing serious has happened for a long time. The edict from Michael Eisner not to spend any Disney money in Epcot remains in place. Any new pavilion will have to be bought and paid for by a sponsor. So far no companies really believe the value of sponsorship is equal to Disney’s asking price.

P.S. Yes, in the heydays there was a brief thought about building a second lagoon behind The American Adventure. At the far end would have been an Australian Outback Resort in roughly the spot where the Caribbean Beach is today.

 

[2Xited4Disney]

Another Voice....

Have you ever consitered starting your own info website... (sort of like the folks over at "Re-immagineering"... You really do have a wealth of knowledge that I look forward to reading.....

Just a though

 

[MJMcBride]

The current World Showcase was designed for more than twenty pavilions. The idea is that each pavilion would blend directly into the next without any "greenspace" to separate the countries. And initially each pavilion would have had the same amount of space along the walkway (each county being equal to the others).

I'm glad they kept "the greenspace". I like the pavillions somewhat separated. They should add new lands though...like Greece, Egypt, Brazil.

 

[Horace Horsecollar]

I'm glad they kept "the greenspace". I like the pavillions somewhat separated. They should add new lands though...like Greece, Egypt, Brazil.

You can't have it both ways.

If Disney were to add several new countries, much of the "green space" would be gone. For example, there are lots for additional countries between France and Morocco, between Morocco and Japan, between Italy and Germany, between Germany and China (possibly big enough for two countries), between Norway and Mexico, and on either side of the United States. That means there are empty lots for 7 or 8 future countries, if the funding ever materializes.

11 existing countries + 7 or 8 empty sites + 1 World Showplace + 1 International Gateway = 20 or 21 lots. That matches what Another Voice wrote in his informative post.

The empty lots aren't completely empty. For example, the little railroad in Germany is a filler that intrudes onto the adjacent lot, as is the boat in Norway. Also, there are huge trees on many of the lots.

Today, there are already cases where there's no "green space" between countries. Norway and China are on immediately adjacent lots, with no empty lot between them. Also, the entrance to World Showplace (former Millennium Village) is on the lot between Canada and United Kingdom. And International Gateway is on the lot on the other side of United Kingdom.

 

[MJMcBride]

You can't have it both ways.

11 existing countries + 7 or 8 empty sites + 1 World Showplace + 1 International Gateway = 20 or 21 lots. That matches what Another Voice wrote in his informative post.

I agree but I think 1 or 2 new lands would still keep enough "greenspace." I don't like the idea of 18 or 19 countries. Of course, 1 or 2 countries won't happen anyway. Sponsorship doesn't appear to be as easy to obtain as it used to be.

I do like the the idea of adding a country though. World Showcase has been kind of stagnant. Maybe just adding soemthing to an existing country. Like a Mt. Fuji bobsled ride or a flume in Canada would be enough.

 

[Another Voice]

Like a Mt. Fuji bobsled ride...

Actually for years Disney was trying to sell a "bullet train" rollercoaster through Mt. Fuji (there should be some artwork floating out on the Internet). The interior of the mountain would have been a shopping/dining area decorated like downtown Toyko at night - imagine lots and lots of neon. Besides the lack of sponsorship, the real problem to this attraction was the symbolism of Mt. Fuji, it's not only a national symbol but also a sacred one as well. Imagine a 'Mt. Rushmore' rollercoaster with a train dropping out of Thomas Jefferson's nose and disappearing into Lincoln's ear and you can see the problem.

The Mt. Fuji ride was to have been a replacement for the planned 'Meet the World' ride that was supposed to have opened with Epcot. In fact, the space for this show was built but the show itself was never installed. While there we some issues with cost, there were significant cultural issues as well. ‘Meet the World’ is a carousel theater show about Japanese history and their eventual opening up to the West. As with any national history, there are a host of delicate issues that have to be addressed. The 1970s and 1980s were a time of massive change in Japan – the show that was created for Tokyo Disneyland wasn’t really acceptable by the time Epcot Center was built.

So ‘Meet the World’ joined Germany’s Rhine cruise in Neverland.

Have you ever consitered starting your own info website...

I've gotten into enough trouble just posting here.

 

[Horace Horsecollar]

Like a Mt. Fuji bobsled ride or a flume in Canada would be enough.

World Showcase is about the history, culture, traditions, foods, architecture, art, and products of countries around the world.

I would like to see new countries and new attractions in World Showcase, but I would hate to see World Showcase become a glorified Six Flags type of park, with thrill rides "themed" to various countries. It's one thing to have family rides with minor thrill elements, such as the ride in Norway. It would be quite another thing to put a steel roller coaster inside a Mt. Fuji structure, with vehicles that look like bobsleds. Although the sport of bobsledding is now global, it's not representative of Japanese tradition. A Mt. Fuji bobsled ride would say nothing about Japan.

 

[din]

World Showcase is about the history, culture, traditions, foods, architecture, art, and products of countries around the world.

I would like to see new countries and new attractions in World Showcase, but I would hate to see World Showcase become a glorified Six Flags type of park, with thrill rides "themed" to various countries. It's one thing to have family rides with minor thrill elements, such as the ride in Norway. It would be quite another thing to put a steel roller coaster inside a Mt. Fuji structure, with vehicles that look like bobsleds. Although the sport of bobsledding is now global, it's not representative of Japanese tradition. A Mt. Fuji bobsled ride would say nothing about Japan.

Nicely put Horace... we always enjoy spending the day there listening to music and eating all day!!