Has Epcot reached a new level of depressing?

[Planogirl]

It's possible to enjoy elements of a park but to find the overall experience depressing.

 

[nilla]

So true. My friend who HATES beer discovered it for the first time at food and wine this year. She went back to CA and tracked it down there. It's SOOO good.

The bartender at ESPN Zone added a shot of Absolut Mandarin to it. WOW.

 

[nilla]

Does anyone elee remember the special fountains that jumped water from one planter to the next?

Do you mean the ones over by Journey into Imagination? If so, they're still there.

 

[mjallemand]

Personally, I feel that EPCOT is not depressing, but I can see where the author is coming from. I am not old enough to know EPCOT before TT and MS, but if I would have grown up on those rides, I could see myself feeling the same way.

I think that's largely the problem. The folks that haven't been to Epcot in its heyday don't know what they're missing. They don't know how much better the first version of the Imagination was than its current iteration, they don't know that the Imageworks is gone, they don't know know how impressive Universe of Energy's original preshow and ending was, they don't know how convincing the hydrolators were for such a simple effect.

And I guess it's for the best, really. When you realize what's gone you'll end up like me...bummed.

 

[disneyfantotheend]

We love Epcot, but I agree that they should not have removed so many things, Body Wars, Cranium Command, Making of Me, Honey I Shrunk the Audience, Image Works (the real version), so much in Innovations. I am completely fine with what is there and the updating of the things that are there, but I hate when they remove stuff and just leave empty building or use them for special events or movie previews.

 

[tjevans]

I think it's an amazing creation as a theme park. Theme parks, are by definition, fake. I can see though if you don't think it is done well.

Actually, I think it's well themed, so I guess "fake" isn't the right word. It's just when on vacation, I want an experience I can't get elsewhere, or at least not at home. That's why restaurants and shopping don't hold any attraction (no pun intended) for me.

 

[Epcot242]

In general, I wouldn't say that it's depressing. There are elements of it that are...less than savory, definitely. M:S to me is one of them. That attraction in particular feels like it was hugely popular for the first year or two, then it fizzled out. The Imagination pavilion needs a total overhaul, TT, unfortunately, is just weird and seemingly has no real theme (plus I can't get beyond the fact that you design a car yourself then 6 of you are all testing it simultaneously throughout the ride).

I think what the OP is touching on is that Epcot used to be be EPCOT, meaning it used to approach ambiguous scientific topics and develop a ride that was unique around them. Horizons was just Horizons. Sure it was sponsored by a company, but it was a ride unto itself. It was executed well and was geared to spark guests' creative imaginations. Same with UoE, WoM, etc. Nothing was movie-themed or linked to characters. Granted, SE, M:S, The Land, and WS don't have too much to do with movies or Disney characters. But there was something refreshing in the approach Disney took to look at human ingenuity and science in a way that was hopeful, educational, unique, and non-Disney-themed. You have to wonder: WoL, for example--would that still be popular if it was open and slightly updated today? Perhaps. But chances are we'd be seeing tie-ins to the new "Inside Out" movie creeping in and potentially re-theming the pavilion.

So, if that's some of what the OP was getting at then yes, I do agree that it has become depressing in that sense. But, Epcot isn't immune from encroaching commercialization and I think as time goes on, we'll be seeing less of EPCOT and more of Epcot.

 

[Bay Max]

Does anybody else still miss El Rio Del Tiempo?

YES!

 

[maxiesmom]

I think that's largely the problem. The folks that haven't been to Epcot in its heyday don't know what they're missing. They don't know how much better the first version of the Imagination was than its current iteration, they don't know that the Imageworks is gone, they don't know know how impressive Universe of Energy's original preshow and ending was, they don't know how convincing the hydrolators were for such a simple effect.

And I guess it's for the best, really. When you realize what's gone you'll end up like me...bummed.

I know all of that. And yet, I still really love Epcot for what it is now. Test Track and Soarin and Nemo. Canada with Martin Short. Reflections of Earth. I love it all.

 

[SaintsManiac]

Epcot is my favorite for eating, shopping and Soarin is my favorite ride. I can't wait to go back in December.

 

[MakiraMarlena]

still my favorite park. especially around food & wine time. and Wonders of LIfe is not rotting. They use it for special events. It may not be used all the time but it's not rotting or dilapidated. the more I go to WDW the more I don't give a darn about whether I get on any rides, though.

 

[agavegirl1]

I only go during Food and Wine so the "empty buildings" aren't empty then. I do miss the old attractions. When I took my two youngest kids there, they spent hours in Innoventions. There was a working model of the Mars Rover near the fountain being operated by some NASA types. Body Wars and Cranium Command were favorites of theirs and they decided EPCOT was their favorite park. We watched every movie in World Showcase and tried foods they never heard of.

I still enjoy EP but it will never have the same fascination it did way back when.

 

[ethanwa]

What's depressing to me is Disney fans who live in the past. Tired of hearing how everything decades ago was "better". Do we really want to still have those rides that predicted a 60's idea of a future that never was or will be?

Don't let nostalgia fool you.

Move on. Things change. If you don't like it, don't go. For us personally we LOVE Epcot.

Ethan

 

[TwinPrincessMermaids]

What's depressing to me is Disney fans who live in the past. Tired of hearing how everything decades ago was "better". Do we really want to still have that rides that predicted a 60's idea of a future that never was or will be?

Don't let nostalgia fool you.

Move on. Things change. If you don't like it, don't go. For us personally we LOVE Epcot.

lol Love this! I grew up in the EP of the 80s and 90s. I remember my older sister carrying around a stuffed Figment. I remember the dancing water blobs (still there) but I do NOT remember Horizons or the Figment ride at all. I remember crying at the old version of Ellen (the dinosaurs scared me to death, as dull as they are! Lol) and I remember Spaceship earth, the Life pavillion, and before that, the singing Kitchen Andrews sisters. I like almost all the updates and look forward to seeing how Norway is next year. Keep the nostalgia, but what else do you have in store, EPCOT?

 

[eyehartdisney]

I'd like to see future world transformed into a constant trade show. Companies spend hundreds of dollars to be part of shows that introduce new technologies, new games, new everything, why not let them come to disney and do it to the tune of 40,000 people a day... I think it would fit with the "feel" of world showcase, with companies sponsoring booths.

 

[Xennia]

You say you understand the park can't stay the same forever. But that is pretty much your post in a nutshell, you don't like the changes. I think you need to let go of the past a bit, and try to enjoy Epcot for what it is, and stop thinking about how it used to be. I don't like all of the changes, but I do try to appreciate things for what they are now. And I still love Epcot and spend a ton of time there every trip.

Exactly my response

Close the thread now. Hahaha

 

[Disfan1968]

I'd like to see future world transformed into a constant trade show. Companies spend hundreds of dollars to be part of shows that introduce new technologies, new games, new everything, why not let them come to disney and do it to the tune of 40,000 people a day... I think it would fit with the "feel" of world showcase, with companies sponsoring booths.

Lots of people will not like this idea, but I see some potential in it. You'd have to be careful and pick carefully who to include so it didn't turn into a "county fair" ShamWow type vendor zone.

 

[larryz]

What's depressing to me is Disney fans who live in the past.

So, you came to this thread knowing you'd be depressed?

 

[mjallemand]

What's depressing to me is Disney fans who live in the past. Tired of hearing how everything decades ago was "better". Do we really want to still have those rides that predicted a 60's idea of a future that never was or will be?

Don't let nostalgia fool you.

Move on. Things change. If you don't like it, don't go. For us personally we LOVE Epcot.

Ethan

I feel like you didn't read my posts at all. I understand things must change as time progresses, especially with Epcot, a park that is all about looking towards the future. However, things need to change for the better, not change for the worse.

The various Imagination refreshes were a change for the worse. The Living Seas becoming a Disney Cartoon tie-in was a change for the worse. The loss of Wonders of Life is a change for the worse.

Horizons' loss was brutal, but understandable, and a Space-themed pavilion would have been fine, since it was in the original plans for the Epcot park, but Mission Space is a bit dull after a few rides, so I'd probably call that a step to the side rather than being outright worse. I haven't ridden the new Test Track, but from what I've seen and heard it seems worse than the original Test Track, which itself was a side-step from World of Motion. Same goes for Universe of Energy: the updated film with Bill Nye is an improvement, but the loss of some of the nicer ride elements was a change for the worse, so this is overall a sidestep.

 

[alvernon90]

like a PP wondered, is the OP a 1/2 empty kind of guy?

If so, that would be appropriate, because Epcot is a 1/2 empty kind of park.