Why do so many people not like Ellen's Universe of Energy??

[hipporina]

When dh and I went last, we saw it and thought it was ok. It is not really exciting, but we would see it again if it was just us. However, now that we will be going with our children we will definately be skipping it for the same reason that Madi stated. We also believe firmly in Creationism and do not want to take our children to an attraction that teaches the Big Bang Theory as fact. I will present it to them when they are older as a theory that people have come up with, in the same class as when they thought the world was flat. We will also skip the movie at the Living Seas for that same reason. Although this may not be a popular point of view, it is how we feel about the attraction.

 

[Uncleromulus]

I always liked the ride and it's one of our regular stops at Epcot.

 

[Mamu]

While I agree it's long, its loud and I also am not a fan of Ellen, but it always a must do when we visit Epcot.

I know if more people had their way Epcot would be full of thrill rides. Not what it's meant for. Future World: This park is for the curious, with all the wonders of the world. How can we know and understand the future, without knowing the past.

 

[goofyernmost]

Although UoE was never the most exciting ride on the planet, the change that included Ellen was a terrific move. The original was a huge commercial for Exxon. I remember going to it shortly after the Valdes (sp?) incident and listened to Exxon go on and on about how much they cared about the planet and I thought that was the biggest pile of bull I had ever heard.

Ellen made it funny, interesting and educational. The ride, I agree, was a sleeper (literally) when it first started. I don't think I stayed awake through the entire thing even once, before Ellen arrived on the scene. It is now a good place to bring the kids, get cooled down and rest the old feet.

 

[mad4themouse]

This is one attraction where I enjoy the pre-show more than the actual attraction itself. I love Snooty Judy and Albert Einstein. Bill Nye is one of my favorite science guys. If he had taught Atomic & Nuclear Physics at my college, I might have gotten an A in the course.

As for the ride itself, they could shorten it by 10 minutes and it would probably hold my interest better. It feels too much like a classroom lecture to be fun.

 

[cinmell]

I'm not crazy about Ellen's Universe of Energy because it's longer than I'd like and I'm not too crazy about Ellen.

 

[kaabost]

Shouldn't we LIKE long attractions? I like the fact that it is long because it gives you time to catch the "mood" rather than just being run in and run out. I do understand that people with small children may experience difficulty as children tend to have shorter attention spans than adults. Perhaps those who feel the attraction is too long should go mid-day when they start getting tired and need a relaxing break?

I must agree that this attraction is much better with Ellen and Bill Nye. Great additions! I love this attraction but I will admit that it does make me sleepy when all of the "cars" are slowly being moved into the last big 3 screen theater. At this point, it is dark with lots of little star'like lights moving about and the soothing motion of the cars relaxes me to the point that I get sleepy.

Last point, I can understand why creationists don't want to expose thier young children to a belief that conflicts with their own. I am not a particularly spiritual person and tend to agree with science more often than not (so take this with a grain of salt)........it seems that it would be just as good, if not better, for the spirituality of you children to let them view this attraction and then talk to them about what they saw afterward. They will believe mom and dad over some attraction no doubt. I do think that we should remember that future world is based on science and so we should expect the scientific viewpoint in the attractions. Remember.....science and religion will never be able to disproove one another!

 

[Poly Pal]

We love Universe of Energy (but I think I liked the original even better!)

I'm a Christian. I think the almighty creator is responsible for the "big bang".

 

[Claudia Kellenberger]

While I have never cared for Ellen at all, still I try to do this attraction at least twice. I am in total awe of the dinosaurs, and the pre-show is good.

I ALWAYS bring my earplugs for this movie.

I like the length of this because I get a rest from walking for a while.

As the dinosaur segment is ending, WHY do they have VERY annoying flashing strobe lights in your eyes ??
What is the point of that ??

 

[eeyore0062]

I had been avoiding Universe of Energy, because I really thought it's original form was boring, but DD wanted to go when were were there in October, so we went. Can I tell you that we were very happily surprised. Just adding the Ellen Degeneres back story made all of the difference in the world. DD liked it so much, we went back to Epcot on our last day, so she could ride it again. I don't think that people give it the credit that it is due. But, then again, I didn't like Horizons!

 

[JulesMom]

My family enjoys it, but agree it is a bit too long.

 

[bubbleprincessmom]

The last time we were in Disney DD was 6, part way through the show she leaned over to me and very LOUDLY stated.."mommy thats NOT how it happened" I smiled and said "your right honey," so I know that she knows the truth (as we've taught her) We were at Epcot during Christmas and I found it very ironic to have so many exhibits that were spouting evolution and than seeing the CP retelling the very Christian story of Christmas. Made me chuckle.

 

[donmil723]

We've only did this ride once in 1989 and thought it was BORING and way too long. The only part we liked was the dinosaurs. And since I'm not a fan of Ellen, we've never went back. But after reading these posts, maybe we'll give it another try . . . if its cold and raining.

It was interesting reading everyone's opinions.

Donna

 

[diswedwish]

I went on this in 1983 when I was 5 and *loved* the dinosaurs. Then I went on again in 2000:-( I guess it's different when you're 5, plus I don't like Ellen at all so that could be why it's not up there on my must-see list.

 

[Gabrielle]

I love this exhibit. It's on our don't-miss list, each time we go. I like Ellen's humor.

 

[epcotfan]

Originally posted by Poly Pal
We love Universe of Energy (but I think I liked the original even better!)

I'm a Christian. I think the almighty creator is responsible for the "big bang".

Ditto to Polypal. I'm Catholic and do also like the latest version. I don't think many people would appreciate Disney spouting religious theories on how the world was created. I always looked at Epcot as a place where scientific theories prevailed.

 

[tripletvan]

yes i totaly agree with you my kids went on it first thing & after that we went on it 3 more times!
people probably think the dino sequence is lame and they pobably don't like standing while looking at that big screen.

 

[twinmomto3boys]

I like the Universe of Energy. I think Ellen is funny. After seeing it a few times though, it gets old. It's not a "must see" for us. I also agree with previous threads that the movie right after the dinosaurs should be shorter.

 

[daannzzz]

I never got to see the old Universe of Energy!!! I heard the opening with all of the moving screens was quite intersting.
I am not ahuge fan of Ellen though over the years I have seen some of her shows and routines and it was funny. I do like her in the UoE though some of the humor falls flat and it gets a bit old toward the end. I think the reson people are saying it is to long is that the ride mostly consists of film. Movies on different size screens but still just movies. The actual ride section with the dinosaurs is only about 5 minutes long. I think if the ride part lasted longer with more interesing sights and action and there was less film the length would be fine.

 

[XStAnt]

I found Ellen's Energy Adventure to be too LONG, BORING, and DISJOINTED.

I actually think the addition of Ellen DeGeneres and Bill Nye was an improvement. The humor is moderately amusing. But the pre-show/set up is way to long, especially when considering that we have to stand the entire time.

I like the dinosaurs, even if it takes a little too long for all six cars to get going.

But, the ride is disjointed. It is telling us the history of energy on earth. It takes us through an elaborate attraction about dinosaurs/prehistoric times and how that created many of our fossil fuels. Suddenly, the rest of the attraction is a boring movie/slide show showing how we get the fossil fuels and talking about other energy forms (solar, wind, hydroelectric, etc.) It looked like the same thing I saw in seventh grade. It doesn't show us that info in the same way it shows us the stuff with the dinosaurs. They could easily do something to show us all that in a more interesting way than a seventh grade science film. It makes the main point about the attraction (education about various energy sources) extremely BORING.

That's just my opinion.