Universe of Energy, one last time...

[MikeTaylor]

I think the play areas in Imagination, Project Tomorrow and Mission: Space are the perfect blend of familiarity, community, education, and entertainment/fun that toddlers to adolescents can enjoy. The Living Seas and their manatee exhibit upstairs is a great example of how you can still have free interactive experiences that are also fun and educational. Behind the Seeds tour at The Land is a great, low cost experience that appeals largely (I've seen) to adults that have an interest in horticulture or just backyard gardeners.

I feel like it all depends on the mindset going in. If you're a family that just wants to "ride Nemo, Frozen, and get the EPCOT character spot out of the way so we can hop to another park", (or insert Soarin') you're gonna have a bad time. There is so much that World Showcase offers and there's no excuse to not experience it, especially if you're staying on property near/at the Boardwalk. Take the opportunity to appreciate the different cultures and enjoy the fact that you don't have to pack your passport.

I feel like many of us on this MB have an understanding of these parks that is unique towards the history and intent of the attractions. It's a wonderful park to be in, especially during the Flower & Garden Festival. It seems as though the Figment Fiasco has reinforced the decision-makers' stance: just let attractions die off in EPCOT and then replace them, because if they are updated, it's a waste of money because they become unpopular (unless there's an IP we can attach to it like The Living Seas and Nemo).

 

[kidd_freeper]

Sorry to learn that this attraction is closing.
I always liked it. Ellen was at her best.

Maybe Disney will replace it with another damn meet-n-greet

 

[bpadair32]

Sorry to learn that this attraction is closing.
I always liked it. Ellen was at her best.

Maybe Disney will replace it with another damn meet-n-greet

I don't understand responses like this. For a lot of kids that go to Disney (and many adults) one of the highlights of their trip is the meets and I am sure that they would like more of them.

 

[Seeker615]

I think EPCOT was supposed to be a change of pace from the typical theme park. A place to go to learn a bit and but still enjoy yourself in the Disney Bubble. My kids really enjoyed EPCOT when they were younger.

I think it would be sad if all the parks became like MK. The whole point of all the different parks in DW is to experience something different. At MK you are in a fantasy world of fairy tales and characters. At the studios your supposed to be transported to films and film making, Animal Kingdom your supposed to learn about animals and get a chance to see them up close and EPCOT was supposed to be about the future and to get a glimpse of different cultures and country's. How sad if they all eventually become a copy of MK.

 

[yulilin3]

I think EPCOT was supposed to be a change of pace from the typical theme park. A place to go to learn a bit and but still enjoy yourself in the Disney Bubble. My kids really enjoyed EPCOT when they were younger.

I think it would be sad if all the parks became like MK. The whole point of all the different parks in DW is to experience something different. At MK you are in a fantasy world of fairy tales and characters. At the studios your supposed to be transported to films and film making, Animal Kingdom your supposed to learn about animals and get a chance to see them up close and EPCOT was supposed to be about the future and to get a glimpse of different cultures and country's. How sad if they all eventually become a copy of MK.

I agree but Epcot has always been a bit of a head scratcher for Imagineers. Originally the Disney characters were not in the park. The Imagineers wanted Epcot to be a Wolrds Fair and a place to discover and learn so they though characters were not necessary. They quickly changed their minds once the park opened and many people thought it was just boring. So they added characters and later added thrill rides (Test Track) so the park has always been going through some changes.
I think guests who went their when the park first opened and truly understood the concept will always see that Epcot as the good old days.

 

[bpadair32]

I agree but Epcot has always been a bit of a head scratcher for Imagineers. Originally the Disney characters were not in the park. The Imagineers wanted Epcot to be a Wolrds Fair and a place to discover and learn so they though characters were not necessary. They quickly changed their minds once the park opened and many people thought it was just boring. So they added characters and later added thrill rides (Test Track) so the park has always been going through some changes.
I think guests who went their when the park first opened and truly understood the concept will always see that Epcot as the good old days.

I still think that you are going to get different experiences between the parks. They are just evolving. I see two key points:

1. No matter what they do with Epcot, and the other parks for that matter, they are going to be angering some population of people. If they leave things the same and just do minor updates/maintenance people will complain that the parks are boring and stale and that they are not investing anything into them. If they change them, there are going to be some people who are unhappy about the changes.

2. I think that most of the complaints on changes tend to come from people that are close to middle age or older. They want WDW to stay the WDW of their childhood. I completely understand that. But at the same time, the demographics are changing, and the things those demographics are interested in is changing, and if Disney wants to stay relevant for generations to come they have to adapt their parks to those new realities.

 

[bryanb]

I love science and technology. The vision of this entertaining and educational theme park was a noble concept from a more optimistic time in history. I enjoyed Ellen's Universe of Energy very much when I first rode it. But it's not the sort of thing that excites the imagination of young people today. And I honestly don't think it's all that repeatable.

It's essentially a bigger version of the Tomorrowland problem. If Future World is supposed to showcase a vision of tomorrow, it will always be outdated. Even the signature attraction that represents Epcot, Spaceship Earth, takes us through a history lesson that ends at the invention of the personal computer. It would be very expensive to keep this place updated.

It was definitely disappointing to see such massive buildings in Epcot sit unoccupied. I think Future World will eventually need to be reimagined as a completely different place (maybe like Disney California Adventure was reimagined). This will break the hearts of many fans, and probably be a commercial success in attracting many more. But I'd prefer this than for them to do bandage fixes with mixed IP.

 

[Planogirl]

I don't understand responses like this. For a lot of kids that go to Disney (and many adults) one of the highlights of their trip is the meets and I am sure that they would like more of them.

Because the Disney parks aren't supposed to be only about kids. I realize that there are some adults that enjoy the meet and greets but they are basically for kids and there are slews of them already.

DS was lucky enough to go when characters still roamed about and it was easier to meet with them. He still liked the educational aspects of Epcot and I don't think that he is an oddball. Disney managed to get him interested in things beyond his games and other quick entertainment and I'm grateful for that.

 

[bpadair32]

Because the Disney parks aren't supposed to be only about kids. I realize that there are some adults that enjoy the meet and greets but they are basically for kids and there are slews of them already.

DS was lucky enough to go when characters still roamed about and it was easier to meet with them. He still liked the educational aspects of Epcot and I don't think that he is an oddball. Disney managed to get him interested in things beyond his games and other quick entertainment and I'm grateful for that.

I get my kids interested in other things, it's not Disneys job. Also as I mentioned many adults enjoy the characters so it's not all about the kids.

 

[Planogirl]

I get my kids interested in other things, it's not Disneys job. Also as I mentioned many adults enjoy the characters so it's not all about the kids.

It's not Disney's job to do anything but maybe entertain. Maybe some of us (including kids) find educational attractions entertaining. We're not all cut from the same cloth and again our young son loved the educational offerings. Not all kids (and adults) are only about mindless entertainment as fun as we all think it is.

 

[k5thbeatle]

The question is what is Epcot evolving into. Right now there doesn't seem to be a visible direction.

I'd like to know when this is supposed to happen too. I'd like to see those dinosaurs once more.

Good point. It's like it's on the back burner with the execs and nobody's sure what direction it should go?

 

[JJZMgailey]

...and so it begins, with the proposed destruction of Ellen's Snooze Cruise to make way for an IP to have a place in a park that needs attention, Spaceship Earth and Living With The Land shall remain the last memory in Future World to the old guard attractions. The enormous structure and greenhouse will stand tall as a testimony to an imagineering style that once spread all over EPCOT.

As I listen to the great music before the doors open this weekend, the films begin, and Bill Nye talks about technology presented almost two decades ago, I will tune it out and reminisce as the damp, dank, smelly smoke machines take me back to some of the earliest memories of my childhood. I will bear the corny jokes, the bladder punishment, and the stupid Judys to see the dinosaur animatronics one last time. I will take one last ride on a large vehicle that is partially-run off of solar panels.

I will say good-bye to another piece missing to the original EPCOT puzzle; my only hope is that the land they use will create an attraction on par with Uni's HPatFJ and that I can get excited about it. Guardians of the Galaxy was a good movie-I liked it more so than Avatar, probably due to the story being more original. Speaking of The Land; I'm glad I can still go on a ride and see in my mind Roy Clark singing "This Land is Your Land" on one of the boats.

Thanks for starting this great thread, Mike! We liked it so much that it was chosen to be featured on today's DIS Daily Fix!!

 

[JerseyJanice]

How fun is it that this thread is mentioned!?

Thank you, WM Jackie, for posting the video.

 

[MikeTaylor]

Right on! Thanks Jackie. T-minus 9 hours until our flight leaves for MCO.

Come up and say hi, just look for a guy in a cast and a wheelchair (whose DW may be pushing him).

 

[Geoff_M]

I'm actually old enough that I remember the UofE pre-Ellen. That was back when it was just one big commercial for Exxon. The Ellen update added some real life into what then was a sagging attraction, but I think it's time to move on after about 20 years. While it's a personal bummer that Epcot is loosing it's permanent "World's Fair" motif, the park needs to stay relevant to vacationers. IIRC, Walt himself said he didn't want the park to be stagnant (then though his idea for the project was very different than what was realized after his death). The two biggest problems with UofE now is that: 1) It's very dated, 2) It's a major time suck.

 

[mikeyg1479]

It would be a shame to see it go. I consider one of the last remaining Epcot "originals" I also remember it as the "Dinosaur" ride, way before there was "Dinosaur" at Animal Kingdom, and way before the Ellen refresh of the attraction. It is embarrassingly out of date now, but I'd hate for those awesome animatronics to go away. I wish they could figure out some other "refresh" for the attraction, but keep the big ride cars and the run through the Dino world.

 

[JerseyJanice]

It seems to me that if they updated the movie, they could leave the rest of the attraction as is.

But for whatever reason, it seems like it must cost several million dollars for Disney to make a short film. The movie in France is an example. I love it, I love the music in it, and I don't want it changed. But I always see comments about it being in the 1980's. Why not film a new one? The sights are largely the same in France. I figure they don't want to spend the money to film a new one.

 

[cosmicmommy]

Awesome.
Well, not the concept of it happening, but I love the pithy nickname. Surprised this is the first time I've someone use it. It could be done right, I suppose, I'm almost ambivalent about what the theme should be, as long as it has one!

One PP mentioned that people don't want to do edu-tainment on vacation. My family and it seems some others on this thread, really enjoyed the hands on interactive parts of FW. However, I definitely know some families who thought all of Epcot was a waste! Thank goodness some friends we met up with one trip enjoyed all the food in WS and Illuminations, because they really griped about Epcot not being an amusement park and all of FW being worthless (this was a few years ago when more of it was still open)

Maybe a compromise and make it learning with Disney characters? Like I said, Cars and Planes to teach about transportation, Nemo is a good fit for The Seas, Inside Out into Imagination (but don't take Figment out, although I guess Bing Bong is similar), Wall-E into Mission: Space, Tron into Universe of Energy... just thoughts. They could keep it edu-tainment, but incorporate the IPs into it to keep it interesting to the kids while teaching them without them realizing it. Kind of a Disney JR on a much larger scale, kitschy catchy songs with hidden learning is the cornerstone of DIsney JR programming.

 

[NancyIL]

I visited Epcot on my honeymoon when it first opened in October 1982, but I was never that fond of Future World. I have always preferred World Showcase, and I especially enjoyed hearing the bands there. With the letting go of Off Kilter almost 2 year ago, I'm less interested in spending my time at Epcot. However, it still sparkles in December with the Candlelight Processional, and in the spring during the Flower & Garden Festival.

 

[Boopuff]

I think this can easily go into the "I remember when" of course everything about Disney evokes a nostalgic response. I remember sitting in the old UOE ride and almost falling asleep! I also remember the years of free roaming characters and how fun it was to run into Mickey or Donald just strolling along... but that was long before the enormous crowds, tour groups, back when there was a "slow time" at WDW. I feel great disappointment when attractions change (remember sea base Alpha?) But time marches on and I think things do have to be updated, at least refreshed to keep up with the Jones'. I just don't understand closing major attractions and not providing anything to replace it. If UOE closes there will be two huge pavilions just sitting vacant in one corner. Bummer.