Why are they ruining Epcot ?

[darthmacho]

You know what I do miss about the way Future World used to be? The architecture. While many of the buildings remain about the same, most have changed, most notably Test Track and Mission Space. While the latter is colorful, the former is a bit ugly. The change was inevitable, but if you look at a FW map from say, 10-15 years ago, it looked like a unique little city. Now it seems a little disjointed? Anyway, that's just one thing.

[dizneydeb22]

I remember EPCOT both ways as well, but some thing was needed to attract the younger generation. I have to say as a mother to a pre-teen and an Aunt to teenagers, it is great not to have to 'drag' them to EPCOT and hope to get at least an hour in before hearing "I'm bored"! Now they look forward to going to EPCOT every year. And it has become a challenge for them to get me to ride Mission Space. Needless to say, they're still trying... That is the ONLY ride I haven't gone on in WDW!
Change is inevitable and 20 years from now, my kids are going to be on INTERCOT lamenting the days of old and rides they miss.

[DVC2004]

We love Epcot but I have to admit I only visited there once prior to going as an adult and that was back in 1990. The next time I came back was in 2001.

I do not remember World of Motion at all. I am not even sure we went on it when we were there. My husband does and he always raves about it. I remember SE, and my mother taking us to every single country to browse the stores. We were so bored, we were teens and complained the whole time! Also remember Living Seas and The old Journey into Your Imagination.

I like WS but I do agree that it could use more attractions and a little updating. I like a previous poster's idea of adding a gondola ride at Italy. That would be fun! A few more fun updates would be cool!

Universe of Energy with Ellen- needs to be updated. Or redone or something. We don't even go anymore. It's so long, and we all know the answers to the Jeopardy and all that. It's just very tired out to me.

[big blue and hairy]

Horizons they would have had to update it a lot. One of the first lines they say in the narration is our destination being the 21st century. Well, we're living it now. But I feel they could have kept it just would need to update it.

Except for the fact that according to most people, the building was going to collapse. The ground below it was sinking according to most accounts. If that is true, the building had to come down and Disney wasn't going to rebuild the same thing.

I actually like Mission Space better.

[Daisy'sMom]

Personally, I thought Walter Cronkite was the best on Spaceship Earth.... But few people even remember him!

You are so right about Walter. No one compares to hgis narration.

[tiggerbuddy]

Exactly my point !!!

I agree that change is constant, but if something ain't broke, don't fix it.

[PETE FROM NYC]

I can do without thrill rides. Not what I went to Epcot for.
The old Universe of Energy WAS a learning experience. Now its more of a joke. The same can be said about the Seas.
I also preferred World of Motion to Test Track.
Horizons was my favorite attraction in Future World. I rode it a bunch of times each trip. Mission:Space is worth maybe one trip.
The original Imagination was far superior to its present incarnation, but I have never seen version #2.
I also wish that Wonders of Life would be reopened.
World Showcase is getting stale and could use some updating, and maybe another country or two added.

[BWayGrl]

Even when I was much younger, I enjoyed the educational aspect of the attractions as opposed to just being fun. EPCOT is still my favorite of the four parks.

I agree with you! When I was young my friends would always say, "Epcot is too educational. I want to have fun when I go on vacation." But I always thought there was something so magical about Epcot. Especially with the earlier rides. I am a HUGE fan of Horizons, and I did enjoy World of Motion as well, and I miss the Dreamfinder! I do like Soarin, and I like that Ellen was added to Universe of Energy. But I can't stand Spaceship Earth anymore! That used to be my favorite ride with the Jeremy Irons narration and now it just lost it's mystique with the new narration. I wish all of the old rides could come back and Soarin could stay.

[Disney-4-Me]

EPCOT is our second favorite park after the Magic Kingdom. We've been going long enough to have lived through most of the changes but we still love it. Things tend to balance out. There are things we miss, but there have also been some great additions too!

[Polynesian Dweller]

Sponsorship of pavilions is both a strength and a curse for Disney. They receive financial support to build an attraction that costs tens of millions. But when sponsorship changes, well so do the pavilions/attractions because the new sponsor wants the attraction to represent their business and not the previous company's.

Siemens takes over Spaceship Earth so the ride is reworked to what they want and the narrator changes. Nestle took over The Land so Kitchen Kabaret became Food Rocks with all the things that looked like Kraft products removed. And o in. Horizons was GE and Mission Space is Hewlett Packard/ Compaq.

Sometimes an existing sponsor wants to present themselves differently as in World of Motion changes to Test Track.

So the curse is, some good attractions disappear not so much due to Disney alone but because of sponsorship issues.

[epceddie]

I think Dame Judi is brilliant on Spaceship Earth. My wife and I love Epcot just the way it is. We do Ellen, Club Cool, Soarin', Nemo, and SE and head back to the resort for some swimming and relaxation. Then, if we feel like it, we head back later.

[Fastpasssteve]

It had never occurred to me that an actress whose awards include ten BAFTAs, seven Laurence Olivier Awards, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, two Golden Globes, an Academy Award, and a Tony Award would ever be considered "less than." Dame Judi Dench is an eminant and consummate actress. Her performances in the UK and abroad have won her critical acclaim. I, personally, love her richly textured voice. If anyone had to come after Jeremy Irons, I am pleased it was her.

[Buttercup]

Really? Walter Cronkite? I'm old enough to remember it quite well, and even have a copy on my iPod. His narration is "classic Cronkite" -- the unusual emphasis on syllables -- but really? It's terrible. There are no explanations to any of the scenes. It's not like the new version where it talks about what papyrus is, the invention of the alphabet (which is key to communication, the theme of the ride!). The Cronkite version is literally like "Egyptians wrote on paper." Next scene.
I'll admit, I was a die-hard Jeremy Irons fan, but the more I hear the Judy Dench version, the more I appreciate it.

As for Epcot being ruined, I'll say that I do miss some attractions like Horizons and World of Motion, and there's definitely room for improvement on some of the current attractions, but ruined? I don't think so. The parks need to evolve and change.

[TheVBs]

Can't say we have ever viewed Epcot as being ruined. We enjoy all of the attractions there. Our kids love the Figment ride and the Nemo addition is a cute way to enter The Seas, one of our favorite places to visit. I never get tired of The Land ride, love those gardens. And we love Spaceship Earth! Judi Dench sounds great narrating and we got a huge kick out of the interactive video at the end. It was a fun memory for all of us.

[DisneyGiant]

Personally, I thought Walter Cronkite was the best on Spaceship Earth.... But few people even remember him!

I remember him and I thought he was the best too!

Also I have said for quite a while, the imagination pavilion is quite sad & embarrassing, considering Disney has IMAGINEERS on staff!

[tiggerbuddy]

Just the way Jeremy Irons said "The Renaissance" was better than Dame Judi's entire narration.

Yes Yes yes !!

[firefan43]

Just the way Jeremy Irons said "The Renaissance" was better than Dame Judi's entire narration.

I couldnt agree more with this statement.

I love Epcot, its my 2nd favorite park. SS was probably my favorite ride in all of WDW until they changed the narration. Same Judi just lacks the presence that Jeremy Irons has so now it sounds like someone narrating a boring documentary instead of my favorite ride.

Maybe we should start a petition to get Jeremy Irons back?

As for the other rides, I used to love Ellens Energy Adventure, but I think Im over it. I love test track, its a fun ride. Soarin is great, just wish it were "Soarin: USA" instead of California. The Imagination pavilion has lost me completely now that HISTA is gone, and seriously...Captain EO is so bad. I do think the Nemo ride is a nice little upgrade, but the best part of it is how creative the queuing line is. Mission Space is also called "the nauseator" by my family...we dont ride it after getting sick the first time"

World showcase is great...I could spend a day there. I wish there were more rides though. And im not a huge fan of the Donald Duck version of the Mexico ride, but I also wasnt a huge fan of the previous version. They need to drop the movie scenes and put in some animatronics and it would be great.

[azcavalier]

I love Epcot. I love SSE. I love it when Judi Dench says, "Thank the Phoenicians. They invented it!" My *only* complaint about SSE is that they stopped the scenes too early. Meaning, it's supposed to be about communication, and they stop with the invention of the PC in a garage? Really? You know how much has changed since 1980? I mean, we're talking 30 years of communication technology here.

I would love to see something in the building where Body Wars was. And I would love to see a new 3D movie when Captain EO now is. Muppets 3D, Philharmagic, and It's Tough to be a Bug are all great. Honey I Shrunk the Audience and Captain EO are painful.

And Ellen just needs to go.

Love the World Showcase, though. Can't wait to watch O' Canada again, or have some Mil Fois (spelling?) at the bakery in France.

[ThanxForNoticin]

I understand the reason for this thread, but I find it to be just a little ironic. From my perspective, I always thought of EPCOT as the park that is supposed to change over the years. I'd be more upset about a park that's dedicated to the future, but didn't change and update the attractions.

I'll agree that some of the changes sometimes leave me wishing for the older version of an attraction. But most of the changes are things I prefer and enjoy. And I hope in the next 3-5 years, there are additional changes to keep up with the theme of the park. In fact, I look forward to it!

[JasonH]

I think we all know and understand change is inevitable and with Epcot, that goes without saying. That one we know is going to change the most when it comes to Future World. The problem that most of us are having is that these changes aren't for the better a good chunk of the time and the attractions are losing or have lost all of what they were supposed to be about. SE is about communication. Well the ride back down from the top sure doesn't reflect that. It's just one example and I touched on others in an earlier post. Well, that's my and I'll get off my now. lol