As we suggested earlier, we imagine that the key to refreshing Epcot lies in unity – that even if the park’s nine Future World pavilions focus on entirely different topics, they’re united by common threads and can share similar, complimentary styles. In other words, they ought to look and feel that they’ve come out of the same stylistic family and school of thought, even while displaying entirely unique concepts in very different ways. Confused yet?
We’ve seen the idea of united-yet-distinct themed environments before. Here at Theme Park Tourist, we were so impressed by the COSI science museum in Ohio, we wrote about how it’s practically the new EPCOT – totally immersive, theme-park-style learning worlds that are very different from one another in texture, style, design, and delivery, but feel as if they were born of the same mind.
Cast in the same unified style, we might rename Epcot’s Future World pavilions:
- Energy (Universe of Energy)
- Body (Wonders of Life)
- Space (Mission: Space)
- Transportation (Test Track)
- Mind (Imagination)
- Land (The Land)
- Sea (The Seas With Nemo and Friends)
- Communication (Spaceship Earth)
- Innovations
Already, the simple re-branding and unifying of the pavilions under a single canopy of names would add something that the park is currently missing: continuity.
Based on that very simple renaming, there are two branching schools of thought as to what Epcot should do next. At the end of the day, it’s all about character. Disney characters, that is. The big question that will redefine the future of Epcot is: Should Epcot (Future World and / or World Showcase) contain Disney characters?
In our opinion, when it comes to Disney characters in Epcot, we ought to go all or nothing. Either involve Disney characters across Epcot or don’t. So the road ahead forks: will Epcot be filled with Disney characters, or not? Taking the nine pavilions above and extrapolating them down the two paths, here are some ideas.
PATH 1: Epcot…with character
If the future of Future World rests in the inclusion of Disney characters, then here are some thoughts.
- Energy ought to be an attraction incorporating the characters from Disney’s Big Hero 6 and taking on the appearance of the Ishioka Robotics Lab from the film. Leaving behind the dinosaur dark ride entirely (which is only tangentially related to energy to begin with), the new Energy pavilion could include multiple attractions like Baymax Energy Blast, a dark ride through the Ishioka Robotics Lab as Baymax and Hiro explore the laboratory trying to find a real-world power source to keep Baymax’s battery charged. The pavilion might also include a Energy Hero Labs exhibition with interactive energy games and exhibits.
- Transportation is practically already poised to take on direct TRON theming in its main attraction (which might as well be renamed TRON Track) with its post-show experience aligned.
- Mind is recast as Headquarters from Disney-Pixar’s Inside Out, featuring an epic and world-class dark ride called Inside Out: Mind Maze following the film’s cast of characters through the wonders of the human brain and the emotions we carry with us through our experiences.
- Land becomes the home of the characters from Up, featuring Soarin’ Over Paradise (a hang-gliding simulator over the natural and ancient wonders of the world), Wilderness Explorer Greenhouse Tours (a boat ride through the simulated environments and greenhouses of the pavilion with Russell and Dug guiding the way) and Up: A Musical Adventure playing on stage.
Similarly, we’d expect World Showcase to take on full, worthwhile character theming rather than the half-baked cop-out plan of today, which consists mostly of meet-and-greets.
Disney can even keep World Showcase as a representation of real countries and simply insert characters into the closest approximation of their setting (as appears to be the case with Frozen in Norway). This strategy is not unheard of. Consider Tokyo DisneySea, where a Scandanavian themed port will have a small portion dedicated to Frozen with the rest representing a more authentic Norwegian village. Also at DisneySea, the Arabian Coast port is kinda-sorta themed to Aladdin, but stands on its own, too.
Given this strategy, Disney could insert characters wherever appropriate, assuming each was given a worthwhile dark ride or experience. And truthfully, that would be absolutely wonderful in many ways. Just imagine:
- A version of Disneyland Paris’ Ratatouille: The Adventure in France.
- A classic suspended magic carpet dark ride called A Whole New World for Aladdin in Morocco, flying over the wonders of the ancient world for a final encounter with the gleaming palace of Agrabah – a sort of Peter Pan’s Flight meets Storybookland Canal Boats;
- A Jolly Holiday dark ride with Mary Poppins in the United Kingdom;
- Mulan: Honor to Us All – a full, appropriate dark ride in China;
- Pinocchio’s Daring Journey – the classic Disneyland dark ride – in Italy.
If characters are the way to go, World Showcase can blend them creatively into existing countries without being offensive. We wouldn't argue that that defeats the original purpose of Epcot, because it pretty entirely does. But in terms of improving the park's quality, adding these attractions would certainly do something to boost the park's reputation and offerings, and that's hard to debate.
PATH 2: Epcot…character-free
The original designers of Epcot purposefully kept the park free of recognizable Disney characters, hoping instead that the park would be something different. In their stead, beloved characters were replaced by original ones developed just for the park, and real historical figures who were worthwhile inspiration. If an eventual renovation of Epcot decides to downplay characters (which may or may not be the right thing), we can think of some great ways to develop original attractions that feel like part of the same continuity. Again built off of the simple, unified naming conventions at the top of the page, here are some of our original ideas for a character-free renovation to Epcot:
- The Energy pavilion could feature Energy Explorers, a trackless, LPS-style dark ride designed in a blacklight, pop-up comic-book style. In the preshow, guests would meet three animated young people. When a blackout strikes the city, the trio reveals that they’re really the Energy Explorers – energy waste fighting super heroes. The gang then brings guests along with them as they track the outage and explore renewable and non-renewable resources en route. The finale sees guests restore power and enter the bustling comic book cityscape watching as energy flows around them.
- The Body pavilion might feature a classic Omnimover dark ride called The Incredible Voyage Within. Based on the style of Disneyland’s Adventure Thru Inner Space, this slow-moving dark ride would use physical sets and animatronics to miniaturize guests and send their Atommobiles into a human and through the cavernous wonders of the blood stream, heart, lungs, and brain.
- The Sea pavilion would continue to feature a dark ride, but replace Nemo and Friends with demonstrations of the wonders of ocean research – pressure, buoyancy, sonar, submersibles, etc. The dark ride portion would then lead into a massive shipwreck, where guests would disembark and find themselves in the ancient Chamber of Poseidon, reigned over by a massive statue of the ancient god with the windows of his expansive temple looking out onto the wonders of the sea. In this way, the Seas pavilion would deal with the realities of ocean research and our connection to the seas through literature and storytelling.
- The Mind pavilion could, of course, return to its original incarnation with the wonderful Journey Into Imagination dark ride – updated for the 21st century – guided by Dreamfinder and Figment through the wonders of imagination and discovery. This would also see the re-opening of Mind Works, the interactive post-show exhibit of hands-on demonstrations. As well, the current 3D theater could be re-incorporated into the pavilion as Figment’s Flight, a daring motion simulator in the style of Universal's Despicable Me: Minion Mayhem.
Think about it...
Starting quickly after its lackluster opening in 2001, Disney’s California Adventure began adding attractions to try to get people in the gates.
“A bug’s land,” Tower of Terror, Toy Story Midway Mania, Monsters Inc. Mike and Sully to the Rescue, Main Street Electrical Parade… While wonderful experiences on their own, they wouldn’t have earned the park the praise it gets today. They were temporary bandages; piecemeal additions meant to help bolster the park short term. But even if California Adventure had added a dozen such attractions, it wouldn’t have been enough. Why?
Because the problems with California Adventure were foundational. The park was fundamentally flawed… it needed more than just new attraction. It needed a new identity. It wasn’t until 2007 – 2012 during the five-year, billion+ dollar renovation that California Adventure was fixed at its foundation. More than just new rides, it had a new thesis; a new identity; a new core.
If you ask us, that’s what Epcot needs, too… More than just new rides, it needs a new chance. Project: Gemini might not have been exactly what the park needed, but it did attempt one radical and necessary thing: to fundamentally redefine Epcot’s aging Future World with a little more unity and mask to hide the dated aspects of a park that’s still very definitive in its 1982 birth year.
Our very simple plans for Epcot presented on this page probably aren’t the exact answer, either, but we tried to do the same thing: to break Epcot down to the foundation (which works) and rebuild it from that perspective into something that could last.
Whether you think Project: Gemini would’ve worked or not; whether you think Epcot needs characters or not; whether you liked our brainstorming or not, we think you’ll agree that Epcot needs something big. Frozen Ever After might get guests in the gate, but it's a Band-Aid, and only serves to make the park's foundation even less cohesive. Ten Frozen Ever Afters wouldn't solve Epcot's problem. It needs to be reborn, just like Disney California Adventure. Disney Executives allegedly balked at Project: Gemini’s $500 million price tag. But now, a decade later, we can safely imagine that it will cost well past double that to give Epcot what it needs, whether that’s the “Discoveryland” overlay or something else.
So you’ve heard what Imagineers planned in the early 2000s. You’ve read our brainstorming thoughts for the park. Now it’s your turn. In the comments below, tell us what you think Epcot needs if the park wants to stay relevant for families. Or maybe you think the park is fine just the way it is. Is Frozen being included in World Showcase the worst thing ever? Or is it a sensible direction for a park that seems pretty directionless? Just based on our brainstorming on this page, would you rather see an Epcot filled with characters, or completely devoid of them? We can’t wait to hear your thoughts and discussions.
Comments
I agree. Pinocchio belongs in Italy. Maybe Snow White's story could go into Germany. I'd like to see more entertainment geared towards boys as well. Too much princess (12-14now?) and how many boy-styled heros?