A few times a year, a friend and I dust out an Excel spreadsheet to discuss a topic that never seems to get old: what pavilions would make sense for an expansion to the World Showcase?
I'll get the discussion rolling with three suggestions and an honorable mention. Let's assume that each pavilion needs a business rationale, an IP tie-in, a ride idea, an education idea, and a food service option.
I'll get the discussion rolling with three suggestions and an honorable mention. Let's assume that each pavilion needs a business rationale, an IP tie-in, a ride idea, an education idea, and a food service option.
- Brazil. Due to the increasing number of Brazilians vacationing in Orlando generally and Walt Disney World specifically, I think it is only a matter of time before the largest country in South America gets a spot on the Showcase. I've never seen either film, but a friend tells me that both Saludos, Amigos! and Three Caballeros could provide IP tie-ins. I suppose, if you want to do some storytelling gymnastics, you could also toss in a Wall-E conservation message, which is the direction in which I would expect an attraction to go. Perhaps a boat ride through some of Brazil's most scenic landscapes that also discusses the dangers of deforestation? I think a museum on Brazil's indigenous peoples or the history of Amazon exploration would both be very interesting. My only exposure to Brazilian cuisine has been churrascaria, but I'm happy to receive a broader education on the subject!
- Central Asia. Why not a Central Asia pavilion? You probably couldn't justify it on the number of visitors from the Near Abroad, but it would put the spotlight on a region of the world that few Westerners know much about. I can't think of a good IP tie-in. Aladdin is an obvious choice because the magic carpet ride taken during the song "A Whole New World" presumably covered some of the right ground, but it's hard to argue that Aladdin wasn't set in the Middle East proper. The Rescuers seem to have potential in light of their globe-trotting mission. Another option would be Disneynature, although I don't think any of their current filmography has taken them to the region. I'd absolutely go for a flight over cities like Samarkand and Bukhara as my ride concept, perhaps visiting them during multiple eras, including through the eyes of travelers moving west and east, during the Soviet era, and now today. I'd have to guess that an educational kiosk would give visitors some view on art and artifacts of the Silk Road. A restaurant might serve plov and various grilled meats.
- Korea. I've encountered a fair number of visitors from Korea during my trips to Walt Disney World, and seeing as how the United States has a strong relationship with the South, it makes sense to me that they might be added. I don't know of a Disney character hailing from or adventuring in Korea, but the country's enthusiasm for and dominance of e-Sports prompts me to think that Wreck-It Ralph, for all his obvious relationship to the 1980's arcade culture in the United States, would be a good host to help visitors understand the pastime. Try a VR experience involving the Sugar Rush Racers, then learn about ancient Korea or the Korean economic miracle. Korean BBQ makes an appearance at the EPCOT Food and Wine Festival, so I think it would be a welcome addition to the Showcase's permanent dining options.
- Yugoslavia gets honorable mention. As a student of that country's dissolution, I was always fascinated by how quickly it seemed to be moving toward the West culturally and economically in the last decade of the 20th century. A Yugoslavia pavilion would have worked well with Disney's hope of using his parks as a bridge between different cultures, as Yugoslavia itself was an amalgamation of different cultural and religious traditions. It would have been neat to ride a real or virtual cable car through the mountains of that country, observing castles and beaches alike. Presumably one could have learned about the country's different ethnic communities in an attached museum. I've never sampled Serbian, Croatian, or Bosniak cuisine, but here's hoping!
