Please Put Epcot Out Of Its Misery!

[newlittleminnie]

apologies as i haven't waded through all the posts yet.

I know as I have not yet been to WDW I cannot speak from experience, but what i can speak from is the many threads I have read on here, reviews I have found on google, and stories I have heard from those who have been to WDW.

I am going to WDW and Universal and while I understand the comparison between Harry Potter and the attractions at Epcot, i don't think it is necessarily accurate to put the two in the same ball park. WWoHP and Epcot are incredibly different, with different audiences, attractions and purposes.

I would also say that while I understand a lot of things may need updated, Epcot is one of the things I am most looking forward to about my vacation, I am all for learning new things and I think I will do this at Epcot. Plus, Sum of all thrills and Soarin really appeal to me.

Plus, it would be impossible for Disney to keep everything current and in tip top condition at all times. I'm sure if they focused all their attention on keeping Epcot up to date, people would complain about other parks being neglected.

IMO a park which can make me excited to experience it in a few months, can't be that bad

Just thought i'd throw a different point of view into the mix

 

[toontoy]

Plus, it would be impossible for Disney to keep everything current and in tip top condition at all times. I'm sure if they focused all their attention on keeping Epcot up to date, people would complain about other parks being neglected.

I am not trying to personally attack you but this comment is in my opinion the problem with Disney World today. "Its so large with so many things that Disney can't keep up."

Disney world makes a very large portion of the revenue and profit for the company and I would say that without properly reinvesting the money the parks are going to loose ground. Disney World has the same amount of attractions as Disneyland yet Disneyland has 2 parks and is smaller. I would say that when you compare things Disney does need to invest some capital in expanding Epcot and Disney Studious parks. they are both half day parks for most visitors. Epcot is usually a full day if you visit the restaurants and gift shops around world showcase, but a park should have more attractions than gift shops , IMO.

When I asked my nephews and nieces what park they like most they say Universal as they likes the Dr Seuss Part and the other kid areas. They are between 3-6 so I would have thought the Magic Kingdom, but they said they had to wait to long for the couple of rides.

I think they need to do something and Future world is the same as it was back in the 90's. Sorin is a clone of the california ride and while fun its strange to be Sorin over California in Florida. They could have at least changed the film to something that makes since with Florida.

 

[newlittleminnie]

I am not trying to personally attack you but this comment is in my opinion the problem with Disney World today. "Its so large with so many things that Disney can't keep up.".

don't worry i wouldn't take it as a personal attack

but i do have to point out i never once mentioned disney being too large to keep up.

Just that disney, like with any other park, would find impossible to keep up with everyones differing standards. And that if people weren't complaining about epcot they would be complaining about another park.

It has less to do with the SIZE and more to do with the fact that the public in general would never be satisfied with whatever progress disney made.

 

[scion5220]

Disney World has the same amount of attractions as Disneyland yet Disneyland has 2 parks and is smaller.

Why does everyone always cite this as some indictment of WDW? Don't you think if there was more room in Anaheim they would've put the new attractions in new parks instead of cramming them into the one they have? I'm still amazed they managed to squeeze DCA in there.

 

[scion5220]

don't worry i wouldn't take it as a personal attack

but i do have to point out i never once mentioned disney being too large to keep up.

Just that disney, like with any other park, would find impossible to keep up with everyones differing standards. And that if people weren't complaining about epcot they would be complaining about another park.

It has less to do with the SIZE and more to do with the fact that the public in general would never be satisfied with whatever progress disney made.

Agreed. And the public also wants it all discounted or for free, please.

 

[si-am]

Agreed, but I don't think they're as far off as you seem to think:

Spaceship Earth, Living with the Land--unchanged

The Seas With Nemo--improved. The aquarium side is still there, but has been made interesting to a broader set of the public.

Ellen's Energy Adventure--improved. Sorry, the comedy improves education, which is why Bill Nye worked as a TV show. Much better than a droning lecture on fossil fuel development.

Test Track vs. World of Motion--Test Track is teaching about car testing, rather than the history of transportation, and it provides much needed thrills in a park that was boring to teens and young adults.

Horizons vs. Mission: Space--Horizons, at the time of demolishing, presented an outdated vision of the future. Mission: Space presents the only place outside of NASA training with a simulator that simulates the sustained G forces of space travel.

So really, the problem is in three places: the increasingly dull and child-oriented Innoventions, the atrocious current version of Imagination, and the nonexistent Wonders of Life Pavilion. In their late 90s incarnations, a family could spend hours in each. Now Innoventions is something most families quickly skip over, Imagination is a Kodak booth with a trippy dark ride attached, and Wonders of Life is closed.

What would I do if I were running Disney?

1. Find a new sponsor for Imagination from the inventive/tech world. Probably Apple, given Disney/Pixar's close ties with Apple already (Google would be better, but I don't think their corporate relations are as good). Redevelop the ride around Invention and Design rather than Imagination, keeping Figment. Invention is what you get when you put imagination into practice, so it's a worthy successor. Redo ImageWorks accordingly.

2. Reopen Wonders of Life. Very little would need to be updated in the way of ideas; refilm the Cranium Command films with current comedians, redo Body Wars similarly to Star Tours II, etc.

3. I'm not sure what to do with Innoventions, but I do note that it was a lot more lively when Sony was a sponsor. Maybe try to get Microsoft on board? The key is that it should be focused on near future technology, not "Here's a demo of a product from five years ago" and "Let's talk about fire safety!"

I don't think the LIving Seas has been improved by Nemo at all. In my mind, adding cartoon fish to a real tank just sort of ruined it. It's terrible, especially for those of us without kids (or with older kids) who don't care about Nemo at all.

And WoM was pretty funny-- and educational-- with its look at transportation through the ages. Even as a child, I loved it. I enjoy TT too but if I had to choose, I'd still pick WoM.

And Horizons at least tried to be futuristic (and still is since many of those things still haven't come to pass). Mission Space is kind of outdated now since the space program is, for all intents and purposes, kaput. By the time anyone travels to Mars or wherever, the simulator probably won't be realistic anymore.

 

[Alby]

I didn't read all the books, but I loved the movies. The theming that Universal pulled off is impressive--for Universal. Some have said it is Disney caliber, but I disagree. They retconned two of their pre-existing rides to fit the HP theme, and it shows when you get into the queues. I found the queue for the kid's coaster there to be reminiscent of a Six Flags queue, which is unimpressive. The Dueling Dragon's queue used to be awesome, but they discarded much of the theming because it didn't fit the new theme, and all they replaced it with was one movie prop, the Tri-Wizard Cup.

They did build one new ride, the one that is built into Hogwarts Castle, and it's not bad. If you haven't been, it's a combination motion sim/rollercoaster, with sideways facing seats. It's kind of like Spiderman, but with more coaster-like qualities. It's impressive. It made me nauseous, but I can't blame them for that. The thing is, the queue was actually fairly dull until you reach the corralling area, where they do have the Sorting Hat, and a little pseudo-hologram scene where Harry and the gang address the riders, or "students." But, the most un-Disney-like thing that maybe bugged me more than it should was that, while queueing for that ride, at points you could hear the Jurassic Park music. I mean, they almost sold the illusion, in a way that approaches Disney standards, but that just broke right through it. Then I realized that you could actually see through the "jungle" to the Jurassic Park area, right where the jeeps and dinosaurs were by the path.

I say all that to say this: It's a real shame that Disney didn't get the rights to that franchise. They would have done such a better job. Heck, they probably could have built it as it's own park. There's certainly enough content in the series to allow for it. It would be nice for the mostly lackluster HP area that Universal built to see some expansion, but there's really very little room for it on Universal's cramped real estate.

Like a PP, I also agree that the Wizarding World is Disney caliber, and Disney at its best.
This is actually a matter of opinion, so I won't manage to persuade nor will you change my mind on this, but in your analysis you do to Universal what many people bashing Disney do... you focus on rides only.

While I think the Forbidden Journey is the best ride in Orlando (again, opinion), we were talking about themeing, and what's incredible in Wizarding World themeing is the reconstruction of Hogsmeade and the whole atmosphere, not the rides.

That said, Epcot is still my favorite park (of the 7 I have visited in Orlando).

 

[indimini]

Fun topic of conversation -- going back to the OP I would agree with most of their observations.

I haven't read all 12 pages, but surprised nobody mentioned what I personally think is the single worst part of EPCOT -- those stupid stones with face etchings. Adding whatever they are supposed to be really killed first impressions when entering the park.

Oh, and bring back the original Imagination ride! Figment deserves better.

 

[jhaig]

Fun topic of conversation -- going back to the OP I would agree with most of their observations.

I haven't read all 12 pages, but surprised nobody mentioned what I personally think is the single worst part of EPCOT -- those stupid stones with face etchings. Adding whatever they are supposed to be really killed first impressions when entering the park.

Oh, and bring back the original Imagination ride! Figment deserves better.

I agree with the original Figment coming back. Maybe it's because back when he was popular we kids thought he was real

I'm happy to see so many other people share my views about Future World ( NOT Epcot as a whole, as I have learned on this thread). It's also great for other people to bring other valid points which I never would have thought of. Bottom line - if you have an opinion, you are probably a die-hard Disney / Epcot fan and you only want to see what was once a jewel in Disney's crown shine again.

We WANT Epcot to be awesome. We WANT to love Future World again. We WANT Disney to stop pouring money into crap that no one cares about (ie: most of Disney Channel's programming, "John Carter"). Go get some heavyweight sponsors like Sony or Google to come up with ideas that Disney couldn't even dream of translating into their parks. Why not use that Marvel licensing to come up with some kind of super-headliner ride so when Soarin goes down this same thing won't happen again?

And how about a Middle Earth pavilion in World Showcase?

 

[Peaseblossom]

We WANT Epcot to be awesome. We WANT to love Future World again. We WANT Disney to stop pouring money into crap that no one cares about (ie: most of Disney Channel's programming, "John Carter"). Go get some heavyweight sponsors like Sony or Google to come up with ideas that Disney couldn't even dream of translating into their parks. Why not use that Marvel licensing to come up with some kind of super-headliner ride so when Soarin goes down this same thing won't happen again?

And how about a Middle Earth pavilion in World Showcase?

I sort of agree with this - everything on the Disney channel is utter drivel, I mean I love Disney, but Disney XD is AWFUL, will kill more brain cells than tequila shots awful.

Yes, yes, YES!!! to Lord of the Rings - timeless, unlike Avatar. But I don't see the Tolkien family buying in to that idea.

BTW, just did a highly scientific survey (i.e. asked my 11-year-old DS what his favourite park was) - no hesitation... "Epcot".

 

[CTH3]

Test Track vs. World of Motion--Test Track is teaching about car testing...

Well, let's see.

Learning about the history of transportation from ancient times to the present day....

...versus...

...learning about how automobile manufacturers test their products.


No, not what I would call an improvement, educational attraction-wise.


I've got it!

Perhaps 3M could create an attraction in which we learn how they do quality control on the furnace air filters they sell!

Or WalMart could create an attraction in which we learn how they go about deciding where to build a new store!

Whoooo! Go education, go!

 

[Mousemommy1]

I love Figment. I despise Duffy (almost as much as I despise clowns).
I love Epcot, but really WS is the best part of Epcot. I really like TT, am too scared to try Mission Space and I like Soaring but don't really know why people go crazy over it. Disney has so many spaces they can use in that park to do something great. I agree with a PP though, maybe after the Fantasyland expansion is done they will work on Epcot.

 

[blainekyle]

While I think the Forbidden Journey is the best ride in Orlando (again, opinion), we were talking about themeing, and what's incredible in Wizarding World themeing is the reconstruction of Hogsmeade and the whole atmosphere, not the rides.

Actually, one of my chief complaints was the lack of theming in the queues. I absolutely agree that they accomplished something near Disney quality, but the fact that they didn't bother to renovate the queues for the existing rides is just something I can't see happening at a Disney park.

 

[Angel Ariel]

Why not use that Marvel licensing to come up with some kind of super-headliner ride so when Soarin goes down this same thing won't happen again?

I was under the impression that US retains the rights to theme park rides featuring Marvel characters in FL?

 

[Robo]

I was under the impression that US retains the rights to theme park rides featuring Marvel characters in FL?

Correct.

 

[jhaig]

As long as any expansion doesn't include the names Duffy or Ellen, then it's all good

 

[blainekyle]

As long as any expansion doesn't include the names Duffy or Ellen, then it's all good

Who is Duffy?

If you're talking about Ellen DeGeneres, I disagree. She's hilarious. And I will note that, for all the hate she gets from some Disney fans, Finding Nemo seems to be a pretty popular movie.

 

[mesaboy2]

Who is Duffy?

 

[mjallemand]

I think I'm gonna stay out of this discussion, lest I suffer some sort of aneurysm.

 

[blainekyle]

That's messed up.