Wonders of Life

[Padrepride]

After recently ranting about how to make WDW better, I remembered that the Wonders of Life pavillion is wasting away in Epcot. Does anyone have ideas for any attractions that could be put there?

 

[mitros]

After recently ranting about how to make WDW better, I remembered that the Wonders of Life pavillion is wasting away in Epcot. Does anyone have ideas for any attractions that could be put there?

There was a thread a while ago on the subject, but I sincerly doubt Disney is going to spend any money right now, either re-doing the place or even tearing it down for that matter. Most notably is the F&G show going on at Epcot. It seems like there is far less going on for this event then ever before. Don't think Disney is going to be in a spending mood at this time.
As far as the purpose of your thread, I believe it needs to be torn down, and a new pavilion put in it's place. Maybe something from one of the overseas parks?

 

[NoLineOntheHorizon]

How about reimagining Adventures Through Inner Space or Journey to the Center of the Earth? Or NEW Horizons

 

[P.I. Squirrel]

Though I haven't seen this myself, I heard that WoL is open during some peak times to handle overflow crowds. Does anyone know if that is the case, and if so, when is it open?

 

[CanadianGuy]

Though I haven't seen this myself, I heard that WoL is open during some peak times to handle overflow crowds. Does anyone know if that is the case, and if so, when is it open?

None of the attractions have been open in that building now for years..

Add to that, the entrances have been walled over to several of them and the rides gutted.

They ain't opening again, as they were before, ever.

The building is used as a 'grand hall' for select events including the Flower and Garden Festival and the Food & Wine Fest. But none of the attractions are part of that.

Knox

 

[Uncleromulus]

A new Horizons or World of Motion would do nicely!!

 

[foodrocksluver]

After recently ranting about how to make WDW better, I remembered that the Wonders of Life pavillion is wasting away in Epcot. Does anyone have ideas for any attractions that could be put there?

How about everything that used to be in there?!
Cranium Command please.

BRING BACK BUZZY!!!

 

[Padrepride]

I would really love a revival of Adventures Through Inner Space. Cranium Command was a great show... it will be missed.

 

[itsthelmad]

The WoL pavillion has been gutted and is now the "festival pavillion", where they'll be putting the odds and ends for the Epcot festivals. All the attractions have been taken out, and now it's just a large dome with a/c, and a BIG mobile in the center. (think Caulder, if you know the artist) You can see on this year's Flower and Garden Festival pamphlet that it's "Garden Town". No doubt it'll have another nickname for the Food and Wine Festival.

I've been inside it myself, and it's clean, neat, if a bit boring. But, at least it's being used! I don't think Disney has any plans at the moment for it to be anything else, either.

 

[doconeill]

Has anyone been able to confirm that Body Wars and Cranium Command have been gutted? I know they are walled off, but some F&W Festival pictures showed the signs still in place, and word was that they were being kept intact, at least for now...that was over a year ago I think...

 

[Padrepride]

Why are they using Wonders of Life for conventions/events!!?!? I thought that the old Millennium Village was supposed to be used for that.

 

[BriarRosie]

Why are they using Wonders of Life for conventions/events!!?!? I thought that the old Millennium Village was supposed to be used for that.

Because that space is being used for events during the festivals, too. During the food and wine festival, the World Showplace (renamed after the Millennium Village closed), the space holds the Party for the Senses.

Only a few years ago, the wine seminars and select festival items and wines were sold at a Welcome Center set up in an area of Innoventions, and the food demos were at the Odyssey building. So a couple of years ago, Disney mixed things up by putting the festival store and all sorts of food and wine demos in the Wonders of Life.

I have to say that I much preferred it the "old" way. The WoL building is not set up well to handle the tasting events.

 

[KYMickey]

I have to say that I much preferred it the "old" way. The WoL building is not set up well to handle the tasting events.

Saying that WofL is not setup well for the tasting events is certainly a major understatement! They might just as well hold them in the basketball arena downtown. The various tastings and dinners used to be a wonderful experience but they have gone downhill very rapidly in the last 4-5 years. The events are no longer intimate experiences but rather they have become cattle calls where people are herded in and out. Many of the events that used to be very interesting have either disappeared or lost their effectiveness.

 

[mitros]

Has anyone been able to confirm that Body Wars and Cranium Command have been gutted? I know they are walled off, but some F&W Festival pictures showed the signs still in place, and word was that they were being kept intact, at least for now...that was over a year ago I think...

I guess you mean, has anyone snuck in behind the walls and looked. Since that is probably not easy to do, and CMs lie through their teeth, along with bus and monorail folks, we will never know until they tear the place down, and we see parts of the rides in different areas of the park, being used as door stops and such. Someone a while back said that they were using parts from BWs to replace parts in SWs. But we will probably never really know what evil lurks in the hearts of Disney...............now will we?

 

[doconeill]

I guess you mean, has anyone snuck in behind the walls and looked. Since that is probably not easy to do, and CMs lie through their teeth, along with bus and monorail folks, we will never know until they tear the place down, and we see parts of the rides in different areas of the park, being used as door stops and such. Someone a while back said that they were using parts from BWs to replace parts in SWs. But we will probably never really know what evil lurks in the hearts of Disney...............now will we?

There are plenty of CMs who do NOT lie. And I was NOT talking about anyone doing anything stupid like sneaking behind the scenes. I was referring to a fairly credible report that they were being left intact for now, and there have been no credible reports of them having been dismantled at this point.

There have been various rumors, none of which I'd call credible. I haven't heard of BW being organ donors before, but I've heard of them testing Star Tours 2. Which also conflicts with the supposed filming of ST2 more recently.

 

[mitros]

There are plenty of CMs who do NOT lie. And I was NOT talking about anyone doing anything stupid like sneaking behind the scenes. I was referring to a fairly credible report that they were being left intact for now, and there have been no credible reports of them having been dismantled at this point.

There have been various rumors, none of which I'd call credible. I haven't heard of BW being organ donors before, but I've heard of them testing Star Tours 2. Which also conflicts with the supposed filming of ST2 more recently.

Over the last 22 years that we have been involved with everything WDW, I have found that indeed, MOST CMs like to spread stories, tell tall tales, stretch the truth, fabricate stories, lie by omission, tell white lies, noble lies, make missleading statements, speak puffery, speak jacose lies, etc., etc., and I can go on, but my point was, that they do have a tendencey to do these things.............for whatever reason. And therefore, we DO NOT know what is really going on until it happens, or we actually see it with our own eyes. But I guess this is what keeps the Rumors and News area of Disboards alive and well.

 

[CanadianGuy]

There are plenty of CMs who do NOT lie. And I was NOT talking about anyone doing anything stupid like sneaking behind the scenes. I was referring to a fairly credible report that they were being left intact for now, and there have been no credible reports of them having been dismantled at this point.

There have been various rumors, none of which I'd call credible. I haven't heard of BW being organ donors before, but I've heard of them testing Star Tours 2. Which also conflicts with the supposed filming of ST2 more recently.

Well.. I can tell you this ... there was a Disney 'newsletter' that went out that spoke of a guest who had lost their wallet in the Wonders of Life pavillion.

In clearing the area, in the past 2 years later while renovating the building, they found her wallet and called her mother etc.

I can't find the newsletter.. but at least some of the attractions are dismantled. Not sure which ones.

----

Found it..

Lost Purse Finally Returns
by Ellen, 59, Sacramento, CA

When my daughter was a sophomore in high school she went to Orlando for a youth leadership convention. After the convention, they went to Disney World for two days. She was visiting the Human Body Pavilion when she lost her small purse. She returned to the pavilion with her friends to search, but they did not find it.

In September 2007 we received a Fed-Ex package at our door. My daughter is now married and has children of her own, but the package had her maiden name with our address on it. I called her to ask if she knew what it was and she did not, but said to open it up. Inside was her small purse that she had lost over 16 years ago. It had her wallet, traveler's checks, student body card, lipstick, etc. With it was a note from the Epcot Park Duty Manager saying they had found her wallet when they were renovating a building at Epcot Center, and he wanted to get it back to her. To make it extra funny, we had just gotten back from a visit to Disneyland with my daughter and her family that day.

That was from 1/17/08 - I do not recall any renovations in that building (short of the rumored dismantling of some attractions) that would have happened in the fall of 07'.

 

[doconeill]

That was from 1/17/08 - I do not recall any renovations in that building (short of the rumored dismantling of some attractions) that would have happened in the fall of 07'.

I don't think there were any major renovations going on, but it could have been fairly minor work clearing/cleaning out areas. But the report specifically mentioned ONLY Body Wars and Cranium Command would be retained for the time being...the rest were supposed to be removed (and I think some of the items were sold off via that place that sells props/furniture/etc., I want to say some of the Food Rocks stuff was there...)

I'm not saying that its true that it was being retained - only that it seemed to be a credible report that made sense at the time (cost of demolition vs. actual need for the space). If I'm not mistaken, were both Body Wars and Cranium Command "external" - that is, not within the pavilion building itself, but connected (much like Soarin' is to The Land)? If they didn't need the space at the time, they probably wouldn't have bothered.

I did find the picture where the Body Wars sign was still clearly visible last fall - and even lit up, during Food and Wine. It's on Yesterland's report of the festival.

 

[FireDancer]

What I would like to happen and what will happen are probably very different things. I would not like to see the pavilion completely dismantled and would even like it to come back in a form close to its original theme. I like the health/body theme and think with all of Disney's attempts to make the menus healthier, along with the general trend towards health in the country, that something spotlighting health in general would be welcomed.

I would love to see BW used to test the new Star Tours and then have the new technology stay for a redo of Body Wars. Even if the film remains but uses new projection technology.

I have no doubt that the pavilion will probably not be used in this way but I guess I can hope.

 

[W.E.D.]

I second the idea of a Horizons come back. Now that it's been 20+ years and our "horizons" have changed, I think it would be only fitting for FW at Epcot to revisit the concept.