The Epcot Overhaul: An Irresponsible Waste of Money
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- Äas pĆidĂĄn 12. 06. 2024
- Epcot has been in a pretty bad state for a long time, aging with a post-modern aesthetic that was very particular to the 90s and attractions that feel old and poorly maintained. In 2017, an Epcot overhaul was announced by Disney and over the next few years, ideas were presented on how the park could be revitalized until construction walls finally went up in 2019. However, this project has been a disaster of mismanaged funds and creative loses and now, five years later, the project is complete. Buildings were demolished only to be rebuilt and the center of the park became a concrete heat trap, emulating a Silicon Valley corporate park. The Epcot overhaul was a financial and creative disaster that only accentuated issues in the park, so it's time to reflect on what happened and discuss why it all went so wrong.
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Disney seems so obsessed with immediate revenue, to the point where it feels like NOTHING they're building now has any staying power. The IP-driven attractions are an attempt to capitalize off of hype, which will inevitably die down. Epcot used to be such an antithesis of what parks were typically like, offering incredibly deep and rich experiences. This overhaul is just a reflection of Disney's crooked attitude towards its guests.
It's apparent to many people that Disney is creatively bankrupt at this point. There is almost no "imagineering" going on.
While I would agree that there seems like they don't know what to do with Epcot (what is was meant to be, what it is now, and what they want it to be seems to result in a mish-mash of themes) there is a lot of Disney IP that withstands trends/time. Literally have IP themed things that have been around for decades and some that don't last long (but you don't know until you build it and see if it has legs or not with the customer base).
Even Universal's Epic Universe, whilst IP driven seems to be more considered - either using properties with historical strong appeal (Harry Potter, Super Nintendo, Universal Horror) or a strong thematic appeal (How to Train your Dragon is essentially a viking/dragon land for non-fans of the film series). Plus the execution is incredibly imaginative. I doubt once the MCU fizzles the bland Avengers Campus will have lasting appeal.
@@candidapm2474âââ Totally. Iâm not saying IP doesnât have a place in Disney, in fact, Disney is built off of nostalgia for its IPs. It just seems to be done in a cash-grabby, hype-driven sort of way these days. With rides like Splash Mountain, Tower of Terror, Peter Panâs Flight, the IPs were introduced to create compelling stories and experiences, not just make the ride a billboard for a certain movie, brand, or streaming service.
@@candidapm2474 âââ Totally. Iâm not saying IP doesnât have a place in Disney, in fact, Disney is built around nostalgia for its IPs. It just seems to be done in a cash-grabby, hype-driven sort of way these days. With rides like Splash Mountain, Tower of Terror, Peter Panâs Flight, the IPs were introduced to create compelling stories, not just make the ride a billboard for a certain movie, brand, or streaming service.
You could've showed 54 minutes of modern minimalistic airport B-Roll and I wouldn't have been able to tell the difference.
Airports are actually exactly the kind of place that I think this kind of architecture and aesthetic should exist lol
@@PoseidonEntertainment oh definitely, it's sterile and somewhat calming. I do wonder though if the sentiment of 'this is Disney being lazy' would be the same had Disney done this first decades ago before airports took on this general look. A 'who did it first/got to it first' kind of scenario.
They spent 5 years and millions of dollars to build a generic looking public park đ
Counterpoint: What if public parks have taken so many design cues from Disney over the years that it makes it harder to stand head and shoulders over the "competition?"
On brand for modern Disney, lol
@@ChiefBlueScreen With all due respect that seems highly unlikely. Disney has always been head-and-shoulders above the competition, at least in the past
Damn. Haha facts
â@ChiefBlueScreen justifying the digression from the worlds premier theme park to any old public park (with Disney's admission price) is insane levels of disneycope
You know what putting up all of these Walt statues reminds me of? How Chef Skinner used Gusteau's image to sell cheap, corporate products and frozen foods after his death in Ratatouille
I love how out of touch Disney leadership is with their IP sometimes. I find it funny that they emphasized that Tiana's has an employee owned co-op, yet Iger went out of his way to condemn the writer's strike.
@@PoseidonEntertainmentThatâs the OTHER thing. They donât realize how ridiculous they are being
What I have always respected about Poseidon is that he is not hating to hate , he is hating because of a passion for what used to be and what COULD be.
@RandomGamerCory yeah but sometimes people hate on things bc it's profitable on YT & this falls into some channels content I enjoy lol. Poseidon always articulates his opinion as objectively as possible & explains his positions extremely well
golden age fallacy
Nah.
He hates just for the sake of hating.
I get why you say this, but when it comes to a universally known company like Disney, it's almost impossible not to be aware of what they're doing and have an opinion on it. Everyone shitting on Disney for their handling of Star Wars, the MCU, and even their own properties are typically doing it because they don't want these things to be ruined. I can't imagine the parks being a much different story.
â@@REfan001do you need a gold star for incorrectly throwing around a term you just learned?
Oh, it's themed. Themed to an Apple Store, a Marriot Extended stay and a pretty good-sized Kohls.
A Marriott in the Philippines has more theming than whatever Epcot has
Well said
An overpriced entrance to them for sure đđđđ
If Disney fans that canât admit the parks are really shitty rn bc theyâre blinded by the Disney name donât got me I know Poseidon entertainment got me
@@triciaizzo4825 My brother works for the House of Mouse so we get steep discounts on resorts and free park passes. If people are paying full-price for the experience, they have more money than sense.
As an EPCOT Disney Adult this makes me hate the park. I still go but instead of around 1 a month now its once every 4 months. its so sad
lmaođ
@@triciaizzo4825PLEASE practice typing theyâre and their - you will go further if you use them.
@@HalfeatencheetooItâs absolutely heartbreaking as an attractions creative that grew up with the original REAL Epcot.
What's crazy is 90's culture is making a major comeback. If they had made these spaces ultra-tacky/kitschy, with bright colors everywhere, the younger generation would have loved it. And those of us that miss that decade would too.
It would be interesting to dig into *why* this happened. Does it have a lot to do with laying off imagineers and hiring architects from a huge CA firm? I have to assume so.
Also, do the designers in CA just never visit FL? I get that CA has perfect weather all the time but most of the rest of the world does not. The lack of shade structures at new rides and outdoor queues, just baffles me.
It seems like you know the answer, they definitely hired architects from California and Las Vegas firms. It's not that there's anything necessarily wrong with that work, but rather that Disney property is the last place that you should ever find current design trends.
Itâs pretty hot in California. Probably due to climate change. Still, a lot of the businesses in my neighborhood didnât have AC but had fireplaces. They didnât have ceiling fans either. When it has heat waves in the 90s, even the beach wonât save you. If you easily burn, even a 70 degree day in the summer, which isnât the norm, could blister burn you if you have lighter skin. I lived in an older neighborhood that had character, but there is a lot of flat rectangular buildings, probably because the heat warps wood and everything has to be earthquake stableâŠbut that is a more modern thing. 80s surf culture for one, is very bright.
The imagineers, who work in California, have always had this issue when developing attractions for WDW. There's never any shade. Toy Story Land and the Tron queue are two easy examples.
It's never anything but sunny here either and we don't even have shade at bus stops. These goons are trained when their brains are young and squishy that the only goal in architecture and design is to keep people moving and making their owners money. Taking a break in the shade doesn't do that.
@@hadrianryan4179 I thought it was more âOMG sun is SO good for you!â. That was my experience. People in CA are supposed to love sun at any cost.
The inside of Communicore Hall is the most basic convention center looking thing I've ever seen.
Yea with murals of old Epcot attractions just to tease us and piss us off remembering how it used to be
A place for a lot of people to sit and look at their phones
I guess that's fitting, since EPCOT is so driven by special events and festivals these days.
@@RyRySoup should rename it to Journey Into Imagination (Of Your Own Nostalgia)
I've seen convention centers and hotels that look WAY more visually striking than this
All they did was rip out a great fountain. Year down a building, then rebuild half of it and put in a walk through water exhibit, that has issues days after opening
Ignorant and idiotic
if they touch my dusty janky animatronics in Spaceship Earth and replace them with IP slop i swear to god i will vomit blood
Oh, I KNOW that's what Bobby Eager wants to do next. I sincerely don't understand all the record-breaking crowds. There is nothing to see! The rides don't even look interesting. I don't understand why people are still flocking BACK to Disney World if they've been there before with all this IP oversaturation and corporate garbage infesting the parks.
đđđ I bet they will. Get the bucket and washclothes out now.
they wanna make it pixar globe, it will be a slow dark ride that just projects movie clips at every scene.
Spaceship Earth is my favorite ride in the park, and while it could definitely use some love, my favorite part of the Epcot overhaul (even above Cosmic Rewind) is that they scrapped the planned re-theme of SSE.
If they touch Spaceship Earth with intention of anything but some fresh damn paint and updated animatronics (not new, updated) I swear I will riot. Iâve been riding that with my dad since I was 4. I love it still at 30. Why do they not understand, itâs not something you outgrow, and itâs not something kids/adults canât both enjoy. It totally captured me as a kid and I still enjoy it as an adult. We are smart human beings who arenât so freaking dull we need IP in every ride thrown in our face to make it fun for us. How much hate mail must Iger receive?????? A solid ride is a solid ride. Chris Pratt isnât what makes gardians a solid ride. I canât. Rant over.
Itâs wild that despite having practically all the money in the world, Disney canât utilize it in any meaningful way
All the money in the world? Lol..Disney is in DEBT up to three A$$, because of the massive loans from around the world they had to take because of Covid..Do your research
It blows me away that they're not counting every dollar they have left. 2023 was significant historically: for the very first time, Universal's films outperformed Disney's at the box office. If I was a Disney exec, I'd hand in my resignation and run run ruuuun for the hills...
Perhaps modern Disney wanted to capture and preserve the spirit of the suburban shopping malls, since they are dying everywhere else.
đ€Łđ€Łđ€Ł... If I had been drinking anything, it would be everywhere nowđ.
The juxtaposition between Universal's creative and rapid expansion with increased levels of customer service and positive expirences, next to Disney's stagnation and increasingly poor expirences for parkgoers...it's just getting sad.
Universal is more inspirational than Disney now, who would have ever thought.
Its crazy how universal listened to their fans in regards to making too many screen rides and they went away with that. And, opted to boost the customer experience and not being afraid to heavily invest in world class rides to be built. Where disney, half asses everything now and takes 2x as long for basic stuff like this at Epcot. In addition, itâs all about how much they can nickel and dime customers while offering less than before. Disney is truly in a sad state!
@@NamesSimbathatâs because Disney is lowbrow and now people are finally seeing it
@@bostongeis5123 UNIVERSAL IS NOTHING BUT IPs. ZERO CREATIVE.
I heard a lot of Imagineers have apparently jumped ship and started working for Universal.
Out of all of the abysmal changes they've made to this once amazing theme park, the absolute worst is changing the music. Thank you for talking about that because it is SO crucial to EPCOT for me and so many others. Truly heartbreaking all around :(
One of the worst things is not hearing the Ellen's Energy theme, which to me, really represented inspirational Epcot more broadly
AGREED, easily the best part! And did it have to change? Was it truly holding EPCOT back? NopeâŠ.. just a pointless change that proves how much they donât understand their history & fans.
Iâm upset they changed the music too, but what we have now isnât actually that bad. It still sounds inspiring and makes me happy when Iâm walking into the park. Now what they did ruin was putting that stupid stage next to communicore and have this super loud band playing music, and at night thereâs spotlights going everywhere. It completely ruins the immersion. Itâs so awful.
The loss of the future world theme is what does it for me, I tear up when I listen to it now.
Modern Disney does not have passion. All the people who care about the story, the art, and the craft were chased out years ago. Disney is now a company run by bean counters and Disney fan artists. We're so far from parks made by people who want to make something new and world class.
When you say fan artists, are you talking about artists who reuse whats already been made to an obsessive extent?
didnât all the chased out imagineers go to universal instead? đ€
that probably explains a lot
@@satellafelix4597 Yes. Chapek downsized Imagineering by almost 50% in 2020/2021. There's even rumors that Joe Rhode's resignation was NOT voluntary, and was MANDATORY because he's known as an "expensive" imagineer. But that's just a rumor. But yeah, Chapek's gutting of Imagineering was the single worst move they've probably made. Plenty of others left just because they realized how bad Disney was getting, and plenty of them went to the place that was hiring: Universal Creative. Although, I don't think too many of them are working on Epic Universe because these projects take SEVERAL years, maybe on expansions?
I don't know this for a fact. But I suspect there still ARE people who care about artistry around. But one can't build on wishes (no matter what the marketing says). It takes money to run a project - and they're not getting that. And where they do get green-lit... the project gets knee-capped by cost-cutting.
Nah, even fan artists would've had a lot more talent and passion for their work, than these... people... that they've employed now.
Getting rid of those fountains was a big mistake. Brought that area to life
They were so beautiful.
If there ever was a physical manifestation of Disney's stunning incompetence in recent years, it's this flower patch they put in Epcot. What a disaster!
I can't get over how sterile and generic Epcot looks now. Most of these new spaces look like they are ripped right out of an Apple Store and suburban mall. Everything just look so uninspired and generic.
i appreciate how your tone has increasingly gone from "i think disney could turn this around" to "am i going insane?? do you people not see this?? why are you praising these parks??" these past few years. insane how people will tolerate this continual corporatization of everything they love and get angry when people point it out.
Americans never stopped being faithful, they merely changed their gods.
Ok but, why does EPCOT look like a community college now if it's not even going to educate?
I think it's insulting the intelligence of children to say EPCOT wasn't interesting to kids. I went as a little kid and was OBSESSED with Spaceship Earth and Innoventions (the science-nerdy part of the park) and the Kim Possible (later Phineas and Ferb) spy games at World Showcase and the Kidcot sections. Disney thinks kids are stupid, and it really shows not just in their more recent films, but in the parks as well.
Yeah, as a kid it was my favorite park for sure. I liked how unique it was
Itâs funny how I only view the overhaul as âwhat changed? A new rollercoaster? Thatâs it?â
âA new first of its kind, revolutionary, huge budget indoor coaster, heralded as the best Disney ride by many who have ridden it?â âThatâs it?â
â@@jasonbaylor9865no one has ever called it revolutionary. Sit down.
@@jasonbaylor9865 It's a new Space Mountain that uses tricks already seen in Universal parks. Disney paid Vekoma to develop a coaster with turning capabilities, which Intamin had already invented for Universal with Gringotts. The teleportation chamber was also obviously done on a much larger scale in Poseidon's Fury 25 years ago. "Revolutionary" is not a word I would use for Disney playing catch-up technologically.
@@jasonbaylor9865 weird that your comment history shows you're obssessed with defending a company who literally couldnt give less of a shit about you
To be fair, it's a pretty solid roller coaster. But I find it hilarious that Disney put all this money into the theming, including the pre-show, only for it to be so blatantly obvious that people are riding it for the layout due to the fact that guests are _literally trying to push through the doors of the preshow room just to get to the actual ride quicker._
Epcot does not inspire anymore. Its bland and unimpressive. Disney has lost their way.
@@robertruffo2134 You're correct, in a way, I noticed after a few years of going, some attractions weren't 'busy' anymore, very short lines to get in. THAT'S a reason for a change I suppose, when millions of people have experienced something so many times, they're not interested in it anymore and management 'bean counters' realized the truth. The CORE fans don't matter; let's make this a Macy's and $ell, $ell, $ell merchandi$e for profit. I realized early on that in Disney parks, EVERYTHING is FULL RETAIL price or beyond!
It's the reason why I don't want to go to Disney anymore.
U5yđ
Then stop crying and don't go..Simple
1970's Florida child, grew up going to Disney World, remember the ticket system, the day EPCOT opened, spent honeymoon week there and celebrated my own child's 3rd birthday at Cinderella's castle. Haven't been back in over 15 years. The magic is gone. It's all about $$ now because the company is no longer run by innovators. It's run by corporate businessmen who only care about next quarter profit, no matter the cost.
Consumers need to start punishing Disney with their dollars. But I know that wonât happen with the influencer culture and hyper Disney fans that do more harm to the brand than good.
The only one im still subscribed to is DFB. I like AJ
The only one I like is Tom Corliss. He is honest and not over the top or obnoxious.
DFB is the worst. Watching that feels like Iâd imagine sitting through a timeshare spiel is like.
You don't have to worry too much, Disney keeps doing that for them
@@shepherdjohnsonva that's totally fair đ
I would have LOVED a dark ride for Mary poppins. You start in a carousel and then it detaches and you fly over the Mary poppins world.
That would never have happened, although it would be an interesting fit for Fantasyland.
I would love that.
Trackless + all the seam-hiding techniques from all the haunted mansions around the world? Ah, the possibilities!
I once visited the home of a very senior former imagineer and he showed me his own portfolio of concepts that originally landed him a job with WDI. One of those concepts was this VERY attraction.
Still miffed they took out the insanely awesome fountain of nations to put in... a planter?!
Did Disney fire all the water feature staff? Hearing that the Imagination Pavilion jumping fountains aren't 100% either is heartbreaking
Meanwhile Epic Universe will have over 50 fountains throughout the parks. I mean honestly, Disney could recirculate their water features, and build more places to cool off and enjoy the sounds of such. But no. Here's some more benches, lights, and ground effects that don't work. Enjoy! đ
Fountains get expensive to operate. Anything with water gets expensive. Anywhere they can cut costs is what gets changed, including getting rid of those pesky humans who work there. That is why you don't see any shows with live performers any longer.
It literally looks like one of those mid 2010s sketchup renders
Even in its zombie-like state, 2000s EPCOT is my favorite theme park of all time, as I wasnât alive to see 80s or 90s EPCOT. Future World, while outdated, had such a nostalgic aura that I canât even describe in text, and the Fountain of Nations was an obsession of mine. And World Showcase, despite the changes to the Mexico ride was, in my opinion, the greatest land of all time in any theme park. The park of my childhood, while imperfect, exuded innocence, and there was still a lingering feeling of the ideals of the parks early years. Thatâs gone now. Complete sterility.
It should've been such an easy overhaul with adding rides and experiences, but this leadership just doesn't care and it's sad. Disney's been on a decline and it needs an overhaul of leadership and creativity.
They need a good bankruptcy and management clean out.
Great video!!! I cannot state this enough but I miss the Walt/Roy Disney and Eisner/Wells eras of Disney theming. This Communicore Hall looks like a mall and/or hospital food court and I sadly get the impression that it was purposely designed this way so that it could serve as a multi-purpose space for festivals and other events. The entire Epcot "overhaul" is such a missed opportunity and it's going to do serious harm in the long run because the Disney Co. thinks they actually did something here and can move on to the other parks now.
Probably also designed that way so you don't stick around all that long either.
At this point Iâd take Wallcot back. At least then Iâd still live in the delusion that when the walls came down, Iâd be amazed
And they gave us Epcot Forever which helped feed into that illusion.
I think the most telling part about the new Walt statue is how generic it is.
It's literally just him sitting, this statue could fit anywhere nothing about it is specific to Epcot.
It shouldn't even be a statute of Disney. It should be a statute of Card Walker.
@@TheInflicted They literally just put on here because all the other parks have one too, it's so lazy.
They couldnt even think about a meaningful pose so he just sits there like those statues of Ronald McDonald they used to have at every McDonalds.
They could spice it up with an added caption, âHere sits an immortalized Walt Disney, forever to watch as any and all hopes and dreams he once had wither away into nothing.â
Idiotic
@@jonusaguilar8156 "He wanted an experimental prototype community of tomorrow, so we built him a shopping mall food court of today."
How did Universal make two world class rollercoasters, the interactive fantastic Nintendo world and break ground on a third theme park in the time it took Disney to make a public park. Ik that itâs done to death that Universal is better but I think itâs true now.
After going to Epcot this year for my birthday I literally said âI think Epcot is my least favorite park in Disney worldâ and that shocked my whole family
I just think that what happened to the center of future world is awful, the park should have taken more inspiration from the original opening day park rather than putting a picture of the butler from horizons on a wall
One word that should NEVER be used to describe a Disney park is "Corporate"; Identity-less, sterile, numbing, constricting, counter-creative. It's unfortunate that "corporate" has become the only apt descriptor of every Disney park aside from Disney Sea (which I believe the company doesn't even operate anyway) and a few select sections of Animal Kingdom (at least for now)
The parks in Japan have a local company involved, making major financial (and creative) decisions that seem to prioritize quality experiences and innovation over profits.
The weird problem is they are so focused on looking to the future with these large plans but when itâs time to deliver, they have nothing to show for it. Like how did some of these projects take nearly a decade? They announce expansions and ideas for immediate profits without thinking how itâll work out in the long run even though they are planning so far ahead itâs incomprehensible to me.
Despite Michael Eisnerâs shortcomings and failures he at least had a vision and saw things through rather than half baked concepts that they just straight up abandon for their bottom dollar.
I like Eisner a lot in retrospect, but I also don't want to give him false credit. California Adventure, Walt Disney Studios Park and Hong Kong Disneyland are pretty significant examples of not seeing things through.
@@PoseidonEntertainment Yeah I certainly agree, he wasnât an âarchitectâ he didnât know how to make his vision happen. But at the very least it seemed like he did want the best for Disney even if he had a fantastical view of what was actually going to happen. Compared to modern Disneyâs corp greed. Though he did green light Superstar Limo so what do I know đ
However I will always give more credit to expansion and building from new ideas even if they donât pan out rather than just retro fitting and demolition especially if it is for far a inferior product (maelstrom to Frozen) etc
I agree about Eisner, nobody is perfect so not excusing his flaws, but he had a style of "grand vision" that approximated Walt Disney much closer than any other company leader. He was a showman, understood audiences and genre and theme. This is a weird take, but even California Adventure is an example of how he lead a big vision -- a park all about California built on a tight budget -- and delivered a fully realized PROJECT true to its goals. Now, it was a BAD GOAL, but it was a complete wholistic result.
Compare that to the tentative, piecemeal way that Disney operates nowadays with individual random projects trickled in and we wonder "is there a plan?", "are the different teams talking to each other?", "will we eventually see an amazing overall vision come together?"
I like the statue personally, he's sat there where you can sit with the big man and a beer and ask to yourselves where it all went wrong.
If people started taking photos with Walt with beer in hand, the statue would be removed quickly.
@@PoseidonEntertainment I have a buddy who loved holding a cigarette with his bust in Hollywood Studios
@@_harveyd Reminds me of a funny thing I saw in Madame Tussaud's in London. They had an exhibit with all wax figures of evil dictators like Hitler and Saddam. Many tourists would stand in front of "Saddam" and give him the finger or pretend they were punching him or kicking him in the testicles!
The EPCOT overhaul has been a big mess. There were some stuff I liked, but overall itâs a big mess. It took Disney 5 years to demolish Innoventions West just to essentially rebuild half it, and made exterior boxy, and made the interior plain, removed the Fountain of Nations, gave Mouse Gear, and Electric Umbrella plain interiors, and made the whole plaza look essentially like an office park. It took less time to build all of EPCOT than redoing that entire middle area in World Celebration.
Poseidon:im gonna put some dirt in your eyes
I would have given anything to experience attractions like Horizons. Old Epcot was truly magnificient. It's a shame I never got to experience it. Everything had a purpose. There was an ambiance of wisdom, a showcase of humanitys achievements and a positive outlook on the future. The park is just an ip mess now. No theme,everything feels lifeless and magicless.
it was the best. i still miss Horizons 3 decades after it closed. that one hurt the most.
It was just glorious. I went as a kid opening year and a decade later I was there most days working. I knew it was going to change when they took out World of Motion. It hurts to see now. I used to work in the ATT center in Communicore they tore down. And for what? This?!?
@@ocalicreek I love that song. Memories of working unload at Spaceship. I would tune out a lot of the background music when I worked at Magic Kingdom but not Epcot. So many bangers on that loop.
I⊠yeah. Epcot was always my favorite park growing up. Last time I went the only good things were Mission Space and the international area
@@ocalicreek Same. I lived in FL in the 80s-90s as a kid, and am so grateful that I got to experience Horizons, Spaceship Earth, OG Imagination, Communicore/Innoventions many times over. Epcot shaped me, made me a humanist, a creative, a futurist, an optimist. I wish all kids could've had the chance to see it.
Spoiler, Iger and Chapek are to blame for a majority of the issues disney has seen recently. Their care for bottomline and shareholders over guests is what has put disney is the downward spiral its been in for years.
Iger more so than Chapek, honestly. Iger caused all the financial issues due to all of his vanity projects, while Chapek is just incompetent and panicking over damage control.
Honestly, wouldn't be surprised if Iger had investments in the construction industry and had companies that he invested in doing all the work, putting money into his pockets.
And the sad thing is it sounds like the theme parks are the most profitable commodity they own currently and seem destined to permanently screw that up.
I don't like theme parks, but I do like logistics and engineering, so you've got something for everybody. I really appreciate how you try to be as fair as humanly possible, there's undoubtedly a lot of very frustrated people behind a lot of these disasters, and I always feel that you give them a fair shake
The real irony is that the 'ad' before this essay was about Epcot.
I got it at 34:10 with a perfect graphic match fade of the Walt statue into the commercial opening with the same shot of the Walt statue lol
i laughed hard at the ad for Disney.
I feel like Epcot was in an impossible situation. I think your average park goer today would be pissed if they spent $150 per person to go to the original Epcot. So Disney felt like they had to do something to "pump up" the experience and they couldn't figure out how to do that and keep the original spirit. So now it's a mishmash of junk that we're going to have to deal with for the next 20 years.
You have said the honest truth that nobody seems to want to admit. The original EPCOT was a snooze fest for the majority of park goers and only appealed to a niche set of people. For most it was one and done and It had to change. Not saying that the way they went about changing it was a good way because it's honestly been a disaster. But let's not pretend that the original EPCOT would be a crowd pleaser today
So they spent all this money to make the park more generic and boring. I think I will stay with the version I saw in 1992 with that futuristic and hopeful look it had back then. Compare to now where itâs a stale kind of boring hospital feel to it
I visited Epcot in 1985 for the first time and was blown away by its outlook on the future and how well conceived everything was. I even remember seeing a sign advertising the upcoming opening of the Spain pavilion (my country). Sadly, the idea was abandoned and it was never built.
I'd like to imagine an alternate timeline where instead of epcot becoming a billboard it actually adapted to the modern day to what other visions of what the future would look like for example world of energy dives into renewable energy and not just fossil fuels
I haven't been to Disney world in a long time, but I used to really love Epcot. People go to Disney partly to experience a miniature walkable city...but they turned Epcot into the business parks we're trying to escape from.
The biggest problem is that Epcot was designed and built as a "permanent" World's Fair - something that people still remembered and cared about at the time. It did this very well, but as the Internet made all the information on technological advances and world cultures much easier to access at home, world's fairs became obsolete. As corporate sponsors for the educational attractions subsequently dropped away, Disney had to scramble and that has left us a park that basically has two halves that no longer make any sense together.
I agree but futurism is a very popular aesthetic still even if just for looks and some especific features the public doesnt have acess to regularly especially kids high speed chases, flying without a airplane, highly immersive ambients blending of virtual reality and physical sets, a balanced blend of tech and nature and people like intercultural spaces the food to see people from different places together and good attractions based on cultures i think would be popular on the pavillions( even if they should assume they are not the only source the guest will have of the culture and honestly this is a good thng they should lean into that to avoid steriotyping) i agree they had to make some changes and it is not easy but i think both concepts still could work with a proper overhaul if they really wanted to
You're not wrong on the fact that Worlds Fairs don't generate excitement they way they did in the 60s-80s, but I think that's when you maybe put that aspect of it aside and just focus on what the actual topics are that the park sought to explore: whatever the setting, there are *endless* possibilities for the kinds of attractions you can make exploring themes like undersea and space exploration, environmentalism, transportation (would *love* to a move away from cars and into all kinds of transit, but car companies keep sponsoring Test Track, soooo...), hands-on exhibits like a really good science museum, distinct world cultures, etc. It's one thing to learn about those online, it's another to be in a deeply themed environment that utilizes sounds, sights, smells, tastes, and tactile surfaces to really transport and entertain you.
Like, those are HUGE topics, with, again, countless potentially fascinating attractions you can make out of them! No, it wouldn't directly market a Disney movie or Disney+ subscription, but it'd just be interesting and fun, and something no other major theme parks are doing, so it'd be the kind of thing Disney could use to set themselves apart from the rest. Instead, Disney is following now, instead of innovating, and they're just gonna slap more IPs around as band-aid fixes.
Disney definitely could have continued to lean into the educatainment angle of the original Epcot, and guests would still have been happy to come and pay if they did it well. The problem is that the incentive structure changed- If Exxon or United Technologies isn't willing to bankroll an attraction to put a positive spin on their industrial activities, Disney has no reason to not commit more fully into their own corporate synergy- any attraction that doesn't serve as an advertisement for a Moana/Groot/Elsa doll or T-shirt is a wasted opportunity to them. The ride sells the merch, the merch sells the show, the show sells the ride, and any interruption there is a "waste".
@@TheInflicted Amazing how hated Paul Pressler is among park fans, but his whole idea of âcalculate the parks based on how much each square foot has been monetizedâ is now the official credo in Disney management.
World's fairs are by no mean obsolete. They still hold them in Europe and elsewhere, and they are attended by millions of people, in fact more people than before. World's Fairs were not just information - they were and are spectacular experiences. I mean even 200 years ago, they had libraries with information. You are missing the point.
The Apple Store detail changed my entire view, itâs so true! Epcot thinks the future is generic and soulless, bring back Frutiger aero đ
So they tore down beloved EPCOT rides and put up corporate business park plop art that harkens back to the beloved rides. That is hyper reality squared. Taking an already hyper real space and somehow inverting it, what a distopian nightmare.
The mismanagement of Epcot and the Disney parks as a whole has just been unbelievable. I'm truly appalled. I hate to be such a cynic but I think Disney is too far gone. Its completely botched and the glory days aren't coming back.
Lol..then stop going
@@BARKER22-l4u Iâm not going, smart guy.
Epcotâs overhaul is the equivalent to a mall developer that decided to demolish their anchor stores with a very boring plaza thatâs gentrified for a redevelopment complex with lower overhead costs!
Amen, Brother!
@@BobPagani itâs like an eyesore community plaza that has nothing fun to do!
@@Markimark151 Good analogy. It reminds me of a town up near Microsoft HQ I saw years ago. It was clean, sterile, and boring.
@@BobPagani or cities like Phoenix and San Francisco. There was a strip mall I went to on vacation that once had big name stores and arcades, then the one in Phoenix was redeveloped into a restaurant plaza with condos on the upper floors. Itâs a boring place thatâs made for real estate owners.
It's funny seeing Disney's most hardcore fans trying to defend the EPCOT overhaul. For five years of construction this overhaul is disappointing. It's generic and probably would have been acceptable if this was just a year but five? For what's not much more than what is typically seen in modern "lifestyle center" style developments? Not even the covid excuse can save them.
But but but COVID theyâll say. Yeah when the parks were closed and they shouldâve got even more done faster
Youâre so obsessed about how long it took that youâre judging the final product based on construction times. If it was made in 6 months you wouldâve said âwhy didnât they spend more time on itâ
â@@jasonbaylor9865 Hello Disney Diehard Fan, out here in the wild. You don't belong here.
Good job missing the point of the comment.
â@@jasonbaylor9865I'm obsessed with seeing Disney shills lose that shine in their eyes and accept the reality that Disney is garbage
â @@M50A1 Disney does indeed suck at the moment but you also just sound like a miserable person
Good Grief đ can't Disney use their money for something good.
They sure can. Unfortunately theyâre making all the great stuff overseas.
They are using the money to build more Cruise ships - they're making big money off those. The parks are awful
EPCOT becoming an IP riddled mall says a lot about the limited imagining of these suits and how they envision the future. A big dead mall.
An adventure through inner space theme would have been perfect instead of Guardians! The preshows could have given layman's explanations of the current state of physics theory and could have been updated based on current research. To a nerd like me, that would rock.
I definitely picture something that is both exciting and educational. Even the "learning is boring" kind of people could probably find value in an epic attraction about flying through inner space.
Thatâs not how you make money
@theyip1218 For sure that's what current Disney execs think. Elitists think the general public is stupid. Our culture is pretty lame sometimes, but I'd like to give us normies more credit.
Youâre absolutely right about the Walt Disney statue they added. Itâs so out of place, and Walt wouldâve hated what happened to EPCOT.
They don't want to inspire you to a new, brighter future. That would distract you from CONSUME.
You know I gotta say - I didn't mind IP popping up in World Showcase where it seemed to fit the country, mostly because I'm too young to have nostalgia for the rides they replaced. I didn't get it until I started looking at the plans for Animal Kingdom, and how absolutely nothing they have to do with the theme of the park. I understand now how the Epcot people have felt for years.
I do actually like the Xandar pavilion as a conceit for the Guardians coaster. I suspect like you said about Ratatouille, if it were the only one in the park you may not hate it so much. I thought it was a cute attempt to tie things in, but I do agree that making it a Big Bang coaster would have been much better.
ugh. the IP anywhere is whatâs ruined the place. back in the day, the only IP youâd see is Figment and before that, just the occasional character meet and greet at the Odyssey. the idea of being able to avoid all that crap was one of the best things about it. they literally had Magic Kingdom and MGM to ram that down peopleâs throats.
I strongly feel that IP is totally fine in the world showcase as the park has to appeal to kids in some way and i've always felt that the showcase was a separate experience than the rest of EPCOT. However it should not bleed out into other parts of EPCOT where the theming should be intact
Guardians should have gone goofy and the plot should have been them visiting a Space Theme Park that was so oddly similiar to Disney that Peter is just perpetually confused while everyone else is having fun on rides. Maybe even him Peter think some Theme Park "Villain" was real and you're there to help him, only to see we just destroyed a theme park on our journey.
I am tired of Guardians taking over rides, like the Tower of Terror. :/
@@wildmarjoramdieselpunk6396 I had no idea they did that - that actually annoys me. ToT is fine the way it is. Disney just wants to IP everything with current day stuff that it's ruining what made it special
The entire Epcot âoverhaulâ cost a little less than what it cost to build Fantasy Springs in Tokyo Disney Sea⊠Epcot got robbed
Im betting more on embezzlement
My last visit to EPCOT was 13 years ago, but I don't see anything in this video that'd make me ever want to return & see how uninspiring the park has become compared to what I remember. The spectacular fountain they've torn out (to save $$) was one of its best features.
Disney has really fallen. It shocks me that ANYONE still bothers with it anymore.
Iâm Australian, so trips to the US are very few and far between, so we have to make the most of our travels - My whole family went to Disneyworld in 2008/2009ish and loved it, but by the time 2019 rolled around, we all saw the absolute state of it and collectively wanted to visit Universal instead, not even bothering with a single day at Disney, lol.
Itâs shocking to see that itâs gotten even worse since then.
When you think back to the innovative and over the top architecture of the original buildings in future world and compare them to the box that is Communicore Hall, you canât even convince yourself itâs the same company that built them.
80s Epcot was the best version and I am glad that I got to experience it! Sad to see what it looks like now...
Disney leadership has spent so much of Epcot's history desperately trying not to age the park that they keep making decisions which only age the park more. Truly the "how do you do, fellow kids" of theme parks
The Japan pavilion was also slated to get a Mt. Fuji ride that would have essentially been its Matterhorn. There's still room to build it.
The statue of Walt Disney is so tasteless and insulting that it's almost unbelievable. It's screaming "here's the man whose vision we are actively disrespecting".
I didn't expect to be actually angry but that statue is disgusting. Obscene
I believe that Disney is ruining all it's parks right now. They are destroying beloved places, not to introduce something new and interesting, but to shoehorn in recognizable IPs.
Having been in some of the areas, not the full product yet. I can say this, It feels like a medical campus, stale, sterile, and mildly depressing. I don't know who signed off on this, but they should be fired for wasting this money and highlights Disney's and Imagineering's complete lack of vision and leadership. to again put no shade in that area is criminal, and it in fact ruins EPCOT.
They made a once interesting park into something even more boring than what others considered boring in the first place. I went two weeks ago and was amazed at how empty the area was and seeing how much seating was added for what? Not a single person was using the space that was put there. The music they put in was already putting me to sleep and now the whole area makes that feeling even more present. What was once my second favorite Disney park is now a place I can skip and really do not want to visit. Same thing with Animal Kingdom once they get rid of Dinosaur. They need to build upon what is already there rather than take it all away. Epcot has been a great example of this.
How did the stars align so utterly wrongly that a failed weather anchorman became the boss of all things Disney for decades?
You can blame Eisner for buying ABC lol
"doesn't meet the disney standard" i don't think disney has a standard anymore
While there's nothing in the Ratatouille ride for me (I have non-binocular vision and can't see 3D projections) I feel like it's a better fit than a lot of the newer IP-based EPCOT attractions since World Showcase has been a dining hub since opening day, and a ride set in a French restaurant just feels natural.
The company is broken and has been for years. You get glimpses of the what disney is capable of (Rise of the Resistance) but sadly those are few and far between in the past 10 years.
And it sounds like even that was kinda half-assed with how often some of the mechanisms misfire.
@@user-li2yv5je5e No, don't be silly, it's not the sequel trilogy that makes the ride break down. I know the toxic element of the fandom likes to blame the sequels for some crazy stuff, but this is a new extreme.
I don't really like Rise very much. Beyond the novelty of certain elements like going up an elevator or the drop pod with the motion base, there's not really much going on in the ride. It's fun the first few times but I've come to see it as hollow and empty. It's something that doesn't have a lot substance and in my opinion, loses re-ridability.
I only ever really liked Epcot for the Japanese section of the world showcase. When I was a kid, I got a Pokemon plush there that was otherwise only sold in the Nintendo store in NYC in the US. These days they donât sell those plushes any more, and the area really just makes me want to visit the actual Japan instead lol.
I used to work at the Japan pavilion at Epcot and oh boy did those plushies sell QUICK! We got 4-6 boxes of them once a month and they're gone the next day. Wonder if it's gotten worse đ
@@alexnight4144 Not surprised, PokĂ©monâs a high in demand brand, and like I said at that time those official plushies could only otherwise be bought at the Nintendo store in NYC without going to Japan or buying from resellers online.
Iâve been to Epcot a couple times over the past couple of months (not my choice lol I wouldnât give Disney a cent if it was up to me), and I havenât seen any of that merch during that time, just a few Pikachu and Kanto starter plushes, maybe some Gengar stuff, the most commonly produced merchandise. The plush I bought was of Giratina, the mascot of Pokemon Platinum which I think was the current mainline game at that time; still popular, but much more niche. I havenât seen anything that niche, not even from the current mainline games (neither Sword and Shield, nor Scarlet and Violet). My theories for why are:
The Pokemon Center official online store was created after my childhood visit, providing a way to buy official merch without going to one of the only two physical stores in the US. No need to buy it while youâre at Disney anymore.
Universal cozying up to Nintendo Iâm sure does no favors to Disney acquiring and selling Nintendo merch. Though if I understand correctly, the Japanese store is managed independently from Disney? Still, maybe the park is still influencing them to keep Nintendo merch low as it leans towards their competition.
It's baffling to see such shoddy work here, especially when you look at Fantasy Springs just opening in Tokyo DisneySea and how truly mindblowing its aesthetic and details are (and yes I know Disney doesn't run that park but that just furthers my point)
None of their parks have direction anymore. Take Hollywood Studios for example. What exactly is it now? It's definitely not about movies. Now it's just another generic park used to showcase IPs like Toy Story and Star Wars.
The new theory of HS is that you are stepping INTO the movie. However , Galaxyâs edge missed that mark because in no movie did we ever see Batuu.
I remember after a visit circa 2012, my brother and I, who grew up going to MGM from the time we were very young, talked about how the old movie studio/"how movies are made" theme just didn't work so well anymore in an era of DVD special features and stuff like that, and we basically figured that it should be converted into Disney's version of Islands of Adventure - keep a central area themed around a timeless "vintage Hollywood" aesthetic, but surround it with lands themed for different properties.
But yeah, looking at how they've approached it so far, yeesh, it's not great. Galaxy's Edge is pretty underwhelming, Toy Story Land is about as generic as it can get, the Muppets courtyard is being left to languish, etc. Meantime, rather than using that park to be the place where they let those movie-themed properties run wild, instead they're slapping them all over the other parks, too, so what is there to make Hollywood Studios feel distinct from anywhere else on property?
Yesterday I saw a post about Disney sycophants being excited over the leaks that DAK's new south American section /might/ have animals. Like. You mean to tell me Disney's ANIMAL KINGDOM just *might* have animals in their encanto/Coco slop? It's so over man
@@uni_meadows That's sad. South America with wonders like the Amazon Rainforest and Galapagos Islands, has the greatest diversity of animal species on the planet and hearing that there might not be animals present at DAK's proposed "Tropical America" is disappointing. At minimum I'm expecting exhibits dedicated to the continent's iconic animals like toucans, sloths, capybaras, Galapagos tortoises, and the Andean condor to name a few.
In fairness, Hollywood and movies in general are dying now too. Maybe the park is just ahead of the curve.
Been calling the planter in the middle of EPCOT the EPCUSSY because it looks like..... yeah
I thought of that immediately for some reason.
Glad I'm not the only one to notice that...
THANK YOU I'm so glad someone else said it. Walt and Roy would HATE what Disney has become. I'm so sick of them.pretending like theyre still holding up to Disney expectations cause the parks are pitiful and depressing in comparison to when I was a kid. I remember when I had a huge dream of being an imagineer.. what wishful thinking I had but now going to the parks just hurts.
I think having a âcorporateâ architect as the president of imagineering, who designs office buildings and retail space is the reason it looks so boring and bland and Apple Store like
It feels so dystopian to hear that all the creative, ingenious, educational, and cultural ideas are just being replaced with insert disney ip here. Its like that apple commercial we just got.
Epic Universe is going to win the theme park war. Celestial Park should set the standard for how original theming should be utilized. Its space, astronomy, and itâs turn of the century Worlds Fair aesthetics have sold me.
Final ad break and I got a Disney ad showing all of the elements wrong with Epcot. Chefs kiss moment. đ
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I love the irony
Only $99 per day!
Your videos make me feel so much better about the fact that I will NEVER be able to afford to take my kids to a Disney Park like my parents did in the early 90s.
It's finally here...the video I've been waiting 5 years for...
Crowd problems handled extremely differentlyâŠ. Universal building a whole new park while Disney raises prices and builds a concrete hot plate while removing some aspects of what most enjoy. Itâs sad, but like some of their own movies and shows; Disney is misleading itself with constant fumbles. Disney has great opportunities and should have the talent to fix these things, but perhaps that talent is now at Universal? đ€·đ»ââïž
Disney has No Direction⊠Walt would be pissed⊠The parks used to be an escape from the the world now itâs an extension of a chaotic society
It's refreshing to see an honest and thoughtful analysis from a CZcams channel instead of 500 "Disney is Woke; Tiana's Adventure Brie Larson Kathleen Kennedy etc" videos. It feels like there are only two types of videos: the ones from people who think Disney can do no wrong, and the kind that nitpick every little thing the company does and push a personal "anti-woke" agenda nobody asked for.
This lazy, rushed project deserves much more scorn than Tiana's Bayou Adventure is getting. At least that ride had some colorful set design and good looking animatronics. But it feels like most of the internet would rather nitpick the hell out of that ride because of the circumstances behind Splash Mountain's removal. It's more "cool and hip" to criticize anything PC or "woke" than it is to actually analyze what Disney is doing wrong. Disney's issues aren't "wokeness," they are laziness.
This is what modern Disney does. It can't create or innovate any more so it acquires, poorly assimilates, and then either shuts down and sits on IP or it tries to force it to work, like they did with modern Star Wars. It's gone from being THE innovator in entertainment to being the biggest trend chaser around.
If you would have pitched the adventure through inner space inspired ride for cosmic rewind, Disney would have reworked it to feature Ant Man
A lot of people have pointed out how if Adventure Thu Inner Space had not been replaced with Star Tours, it definitely would have become an Ant Man ride by now lol
If It's Tough to be a Bug wasn't already expected to be replaced with Zootopia I could totally imagine them using Ant Man as the replacement instead
Poseidon back at it again with another eloquently put drag of disney's corporate mismanagement. đ
Once again corporate is making bare minimum promises and somehow fails to deliver what they promised, wishing everyone accepts their joke of excuses.
Itâs so sad to see the downfall of Disney parks in real time due to mismanagement and greed đ
Disney shouldnât be tooting their horn about how âinnovativeâ and âcreativeâ their latest project when itâs about as bland and themeless as a Holiday Inn.
Disney is blander than a holiday inn!
â@@brodytamanini2713Have you seen your dad?
I can hear Walt do Olympic gymnastics with each and every single executive decision Disney makes.
I can hear Walt publicly trashing every single executive decision Disney makes and then going to Universal.
I had a College Program that ended right before the Communicore building opened. In the middle of the park there are a bunch of lights on the ground that was part of the renovation... that immediately broke, and instead of fixing, they turned the lights that WERE working into a strobe effect. True story you can go and see for yourself.