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4. Loss of Theming

Figment and Dreamfinder

Walt was so concerned about preserving the show that the Magic Kingdom has an entire tunnel system underneath. This prevents cast members from walking through the wrong area in costume and ruining the magic. Early Walt Disney World management kept Walt’s idea alive in numerous subtle ways. For example, when Epcot opened, Dreamfinder and Figment were its signature characters. The traditional Disney characters were relegated to the Magic Kingdom. Now, not only do we have characters shoehorned into every possible spot in Epcot, but we effectively lost Norway, a real country, from the World Showcase—in favor of a fictional kingdom from a cartoon movie! The idea of cohesive theming is apparently gone for good.

5. Slashing Maintenance

Granted, maintenance at the parks is doing a lot better than it was a few years ago, when major breakdowns were just an everyday occurrence. But still, take a good, hard look around the next time you’re at Walt Disney World. Odds are good that you will discover chipped paint, litter inside attractions, discolored monorail seats, and other little signs that the legendary Disney attention to detail has been allowed to slip over the years.

6.  Languishing Concepts

Along with the loss of theming are the overall concepts that have been allowed to languish for years. The most notable is Epcot’s Future World. When that park opened in 1982, it was shiny and new. More importantly, it was filled with pavilions that truly brought its vision to life—a complex blend of the cutting-edge technologies of the day and prototypes for those that were just around the corner. It felt authentic because it was authentic, with exhibits sponsored by some of the leading companies in their respective fields. Visitors were able to catch a glimpse of the exciting future that lay just ahead.

Today, Future World, like the Magic Kingdom’s Tomorrowland, is a confused mix of now-commonplace technology and a whole lot of Disney characters. Take a moment to think through the pavilions as they exist today. A car proving ground with a Tron-style overlay? A swim with Nemo? Farming techniques that are in regular use across the world? Hang gliding over California? An inspid and uninspired ride with a Figment who acts like a bratty pre-teen? Mission: Space is arguably the best of the bunch, but it lacks a lot of the soul of Horizons, the attraction that it replaced.

Walt Disney World still has plenty of great features, but when you step back and compare it to what it used to be, it seems to have lost its way. Magic Bands and FastPass+ aren’t the solution, and neither is a New Fantasyland that in many ways resembles the carnivals that Disney was supposed to be better than. In my opinion, the management of today needs to study corporate history and find new inspiration in old concepts and beliefs. The Walt Disney World of the previous millennium wouldn’t work for today’s more sophisticated audiences, but surely the company owes its newer fans a similarly breathtaking experience.

 
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