Future World Update Rumor(s)

[Foxen08]

Hello to all! First time poster but long time lurker on these boards. I've been a Disney fan my entire life. I got engaged on Space Ship Earth, so needless to say, EPCOT will always have a special place in my heart. Like many of you, I have been frustrated at the slow demise of Future World and look forward to the day when it actually represents the future instead of what the future was going to look like 20-30 years ago.

Being someone who has worked in several science and technology fields for the better part of the last decade, I have had the humbling experience of meeting and collaborating (mostly indirectly) with some of the best and brightest minds today. While I've since left that work to focus on teaching, I still occasionally check up with former friends and colleagues to keep up on the latest gossip (I'll never get tired of hearing the amazing things coming down the pipe). I had dinner with several former colleagues last night when an interesting rumor came up that I thought would interest all of you.

The latest gossip/rumor that has come up recently is that Disney is looking to bring on several big names to advise on and possibly star in a massive update to Future World in EPCOT. The names being thrown around with this rumor seem to make sense in that they are very recognizable to most of the lay public. The rumor is that Bill Nye, Neil deGrasse Tyson, and Michio Kaku are the three biggest names they are looking to bring in. Bill Nye already has a history with Disney as he is featured in the Universe of Energy attraction (which desperately needs an update). While Neil deGrasse Tyson and Michio Kaku don't have nearly the direct connection of Bill Nye, they have certainly shown the ability to get people excited about science and the future through their media appearances. It is believed that not only would they be brought on as technical advisers for the updates, but that they would each also star in one or more of the new/updated attractions. Unfortunately it looks like this is firmly in the rumor stage with many moving and unconfirmed parts so take it with a grain of salt. I would actually be shocked if all three were actually brought on in the end because it is almost too good to be true and I'm not that lucky, but it is an intriguing rumor none the less and makes my imagination start to run wild...

Ultimately, I'm just happy that there at least rumors (true or not) of a major overhaul because EPCOT needs some TLC badly. I'd love to hear everyone's thoughts on this particular rumor as well as ideas/suggestions/guesses/hopes/wishes as to what we might see in an overhauled Future World...thoughts? Ready, go...

 

[awilliams4]

Bill Nye! Yes!!!!! I hope he is involved in any future plans.

 

[rteetz]

Well with tom Fitzgerald now in the lead of a potential future world makeover I'm sure tons of ideas are being thrown around. I'm just glad they are working on it.

 

[B.B. Sots]

Well with tom Fitzgerald now in the lead of a potential future world makeover I'm sure tons of ideas are being thrown around. I'm just glad they are working on it.

agreed.. Nice to see the focus is coming back to the Florida parks..

 

[Brocktoon]

I'm a child of EPCOT growing up with the park and working in a technical field (Chemical Engineer), so Future World (and Epcot in general) has always been my favorite park.

The uphill battle I see with Future World is keeping up with today's pace of innovation. In the 80s, the stuff displayed in the future world rides and exhibits could stay 'fresh' for years. Today, there are so many paradigm shifts and disruptive technologies launching that what may seem like future tech today, could change on a dime and be laughable in a year or so.

How do you re-imagine an idea like Future World, investing big $$$, only to to find out it's outdated within a few years. I'm optimistic that something great can be done with Future World under the right direction ... but what direction do you go in with such rapid changes in technology?

 

[OnSpaceshipEarth]

I'm a child of EPCOT growing up with the park and working in a technical field (Chemical Engineer), so Future World (and Epcot in general) has always been my favorite park.

The uphill battle I see with Future World is keeping up with today's pace of innovation. In the 80s, the stuff displayed in the future world rides and exhibits could stay 'fresh' for years. Today, there are so many paradigm shifts and disruptive technologies launching that what may seem like future tech today, could change on a dime and be laughable in a year or so.

How do you re-imagine an idea like Future World, investing big $$$, only to to find out it's outdated within a few years. I'm optimistic that something great can be done with Future World under the right direction ... but what direction do you go in with such rapid changes in technology?

Great point. It will definitely be a challenge, but what is most important is that they create/update attractions and rides. The park needs to DRAW people to it. Everyone is sick of how congested MK is...please Disney...spread the people out on your property! Each park needs to be a destination in and of itself...not just sad, neglected satellites around the MK.

 

[kathyk671]

I'm a child of EPCOT growing up with the park and working in a technical field (Chemical Engineer), so Future World (and Epcot in general) has always been my favorite park.

The uphill battle I see with Future World is keeping up with today's pace of innovation. In the 80s, the stuff displayed in the future world rides and exhibits could stay 'fresh' for years. Today, there are so many paradigm shifts and disruptive technologies launching that what may seem like future tech today, could change on a dime and be laughable in a year or so.

How do you re-imagine an idea like Future World, investing big $$$, only to to find out it's outdated within a few years. I'm optimistic that something great can be done with Future World under the right direction ... but what direction do you go in with such rapid changes in technology?

Exactly right. Anytime you give something a "future" theme, you have two possible outcomes: your thoughts turn out to be wrong, or they're right but then are no longer "future" but "now." Tomorrowland has the same problem. (There's a great scene in "Meet the Robinsons" when the main characters time-travel to the future, and you see a shot of Space Mountain & Astro Orbiter with a sign that says "Todayland.") I have a coffee-table book about Epcot that I got back when it first opened that marvels at the possibility that we might all actually have a computer in our own homes one day! Of course, now we essentially carry computers around on our hip every second of every day.

So how can you keep a park about tomorrow from turning too quickly into today? This has been, and will always be, Epcot's biggest challenge.

 

[Figmentforever24]

I do not doubt you say but where did you hear the news from and is it reliable? Like I said due to the other rumors going around I believe what you say, but a source be nice if it isn't trouble.

 

[DRDISNEYMD]

Bill Nye! Yes!!!!! I hope he is involved in any future plans.

~LOL. I like Bill Nye, too -- that would be nice.

I do not doubt you say but where did you hear the news from and is it reliable? Like I said due to the other rumors going around I believe what you say, but a source be nice if it isn't trouble.

~I totally agree -- unfortunately there are so many rumors right now. I do think Disney needs to explore another theme for Future World altogether -- it's impossible to keep up with.

~Future World needs a more cohesive theme -- right now, it is just a hodge podge of this and that. Cars, Space Ships, Tornado's, Piggy Banks, Fish, Electricity, Soarin, and Captain EO, etc. -- it's a mess.

~I know Disney tried to tie this together with names like the Land Pavillion, the Living Seas Pavillion and then Innoventions -- but I'm sure Disney can come up with something better in the future.

~With that said, I still love and enjoy Epcot but it needs help. I know everyone expects Star Wars land to be in DHS but I think Epcot is a good option, too. I doubt Disney would move Star Tours to Epcot, though.

 

[mcel]

I have a theory about the Imagination Pavillion refresh, this is all speculation on my part but with Tom Fitzgerald's résumé, and Disney constantly promoting Dreamfinder and Figmant in merchandise,at D23 and in the park, this is what I see playing out, the omnimover system could be ripped out in favor of a new trackless ride system, the new ride would be loosely based off Mystic Manor in that mayhem (creativity) is unleashed but would include Dreamfinder and Figmant and a slightly different storyline, again this is only a theory, but I think a plausible one at least.

 

[Grimbold]

I understand what people are saying about what is the future and what becomes. i.e. now or never.

However there are somethings out there that are here now e.g. robots, but can also be forecast as to what they can become in the future and no I don't mean Terminator .

For instance, in Korea they have a kitchen help robot in prototype (it was on a Hairy Bikers Asian road trip. great programs if people want to look them up).
It could cut food, mainly veg, but in the time it cut one piece of veg, a normal person, not a chef could have cut 10.
So it could lead onto what the potential for that is.

So blending the future now to the future of tomorrow.

That may work. A showcasing of prototype objects and their possible potential.

 

[WDWarchitectureguy]

Take away the theater with Captain EO / Honey I Shrunk the Audience, but you better not take away my Journey into Imagination. Or use the Energy Pavilion. It's HUGE.

 

[Oswin]

I get that Epcot has the tomorrow aspect in the name, but sometimes I feel like Future World should just change its name to something general science/learning related instead. The theming wouldn't even have to change!

Whatever ends up happening, I'm excited to see something done. Epcot used to be my favorite park and I'd love to spend more of my days there outside the world showcase.

 

[Figmentforever24]

I get that Epcot has the tomorrow aspect in the name, but sometimes I feel like Future World should just change its name to something general science/learning related instead. The theming wouldn't even have to change!

Whatever ends up happening, I'm excited to see something done. Epcot used to be my favorite park and I'd love to spend more of my days there outside the world showcase.

It did almost change to Discovery-World

 

[rteetz]

It did almost change to Discovery-World

That was an Eisner thing. Good thing it didn't there was discovery island in the seven seas lagoon, and discovery island at AK. They need a new name.

 

[Figmentforever24]

That was an Eisner thing. Good thing it didn't there was discovery island in the seven seas lagoon, and discovery island at AK. They need a new name.

Good thing the whole project flunked! I swear Eisner had NO IDEA what he was doing with Epcot Center. He made it from great to bad to almost bad to worse. Not that it is in great shape now, but it could have been worse for sure.

 

[rteetz]

Good thing the whole project flunked! I swear Eisner had NO IDEA what he was doing with Epcot Center. He made it from great to bad to almost bad to worse. Not that it is in great shape now, but it could have been worse for sure.

Epcot hasn't been at its best since it was opened I really wish I would have been able to see the old stuff like horizons and world of motion etc. hopefully tom Fitzgerald does some good before he leaves if the rumors are true.

 

[Mome Rath]

With EPCOT having the idea of "community" in it, an off-the-wall idea I had would be to incorporate the experts and the "dreamers" of tomorrow and humanity into coming up with ideas and themes for EPCOT, maybe tapping into something like TEDtalks. They could definitely tap into that for the Wonders of Life pavilion, and incorporate health, education, entrepreneurship, the hard sciences, mathematics, or even tapping into cultural ideas in the different areas, tying it into World Showcase.

 

[rteetz]

With EPCOT having the idea of "community" in it, an off-the-wall idea I had would be to incorporate the experts and the "dreamers" of tomorrow and humanity into coming up with ideas and themes for EPCOT, maybe tapping into something like TEDtalks. They could definitely tap into that for the Wonders of Life pavilion, and incorporate health, education, entrepreneurship, the hard sciences, mathematics, or even tapping into cultural ideas in the different areas, tying it into World Showcase.

Disney just needs a sponsor they used to a lot if they had sponsors but no sponsor means nothing is done.

 

[KYMickey]

Epcot hasn't been at its best since it was opened I really wish I would have been able to see the old stuff like horizons and world of motion etc. hopefully tom Fitzgerald does some good before he leaves if the rumors are true.

You are certainly correct, back then it was completely different. Everything was modern and cutting edge, well-maintained and spotless. Very different from what it is today. The whole feel of the park was much different and very exciting all the time.