"In EPCOT, there will be no slum areas because we won't let them develop."
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Thoughts on restoring Disney's most unique, most daring theme park.
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- Epcot82
- If we can dream it, then we can do it.
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19 comments:
the defense rests.
It's really great to have you back and blogging again. You were sorely missed. - Jack
wow, that was scary as hell. great vid for oct.
though, that was outside of Epcot's grounds, wasn't it?
That's frakking ridiculous. I know the economy is in the toilet right now, but this is just inexcusable. If they're not going to finish this, they might as well just demolish it. What an eyesore!
Also, I'm wondering if the abandoned Wonders of Life area in Future World constitutes a "slum area".
I love it - it costs more to demolish than to leave up. There was a time when Disney would *not* let Bad Show like this continue...
The Wonders of Life pavilion is in decent shape because it's used for festivals (in fact it's open now). Sure all of the identifying ride/show elements are gone but at least they didn't bulldoze the pavilion ala Horizons...
"though, that was outside of Epcot's grounds, wasn't it?"
Outside the grounds of Epcot the theme park, yes...but if we accept the notion that all of Walt Disney World is essentially the EPCOT project, then the weight of Walt's words becomes clear.
Many of the ideas Walt and WED pioneered when dreaming up EPCOT (the city) were, as you know, eventually built into the "Vacation Kingdom", so it is reasonable to look at WDW and EPCOT as one in the same. That makes it all the more unacceptable that a blight like this has been allowed to stand, in full view, for so many years.
Wasn't this video shot over a year ago? Since then they've turned those buildings into family suites. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disney%27s_Pop_Century_Resort
"According to several reports in August 2008, Disney officials have returned to the Legendary Years site and are currently working at this location. It is unclear if construction will begin soon, but according to someone within 'the know' at Disney, they have been taking bids for the project. Also, according to a hotel worker at Pop Century, Imagineers have been measuring for the large icons to be added when construction is continued."
I admit, the Wiki article is anecdotal evidence, but so is YouTube.
Seriously, an un-authored, un-dated video set next to a Walt quote? You're really not helping your cause.
I'm not? Absolutely I am. Why would this EVER have been allowed to happen?
Ever?
And at the same time, Tom Staggs was selling off the land Walt bought to protect his property. Why? So a Waldorf-Astoria could be built.
If this "slum" was there for even a day, it would have been wrong. It was there for a minimum of seven years. (And I do not know whether any progress has been made on those family suites, sorry.)
It's a travesty, and it undermines the ambition of EPCOT, an ambition that has clearly been abandoned itself.
stephen, that was just a joke man. I agree that things like this on Disney grounds is inexcusable, and literally a slap in the face of Walt's ideals.
Ah, well the guy in your icon looked so serious.
I kind of suspected you might be kidding, but there are plenty of folks out there who would have exactly that attitude...
Since when does anyone ever live up to all of their ideals? Your faith is in the hands of a dead man and a corporate entity. Good luck with that.
Anonymous, the buildings still lay abandoned (as of last week!) and the grounds are even more overgrown. There is now a fence around it, though.
"Since when does anyone ever live up to all of their ideals? Your faith is in the hands of a dead man and a corporate entity. Good luck with that."
This quote is so sad on every single level it's shattering. In a world gone mad, I'd like to think ideals are the only thing we have left to aspire to. I guess that is why I love that "dead man" so much.
- Jack
"Since when does anyone ever live up to all of their ideals? Your faith is in the hands of a dead man and a corporate entity. Good luck with that."
I'm guessing this person works for Disney.
Our country's ideals are also in the hands of a GROUP of dead men and a broken government -- and yet, we have faith. Strange, huh?
I had a clear view of this from my room at Pop Century. That was this year so nothing has been done about it. Depressing that Disney let this happen. I went with a cast memeber friend of mine to Epcot this year (May 2008.) I met him in the Moroccan pavillion in 2002 and since he came back to the US for a vacation, he called me up and we went off to Epcot to let him roll around in his past. He was disgusted and said the whole place has slipped since even 2002.
Forgive my lack of knowledge, but why don't they just finish this? It looks like lots of the expensive work has been done. I'm sure there's more expensive stuff to come, but...it isn't like Disney is hurting, even now, for hotel guests. Heck, call it a low end DVC property and let them rent "studios" for 2/3 the points of other places. This should be finished...
With the economy circling the drain, I wonder how much longer before we start seeing this kind of thing in the parks themselves.
How long before someone realizes how much money could be saved by ceasing all maintenance on the Wonders of Life pavilion, for instance, and allowing it to become overgrown with vegetation? Or when will they notice how low the visitation has been at the Imagination pavilion since it got the New Coke treatment, and decide to shutter the place altogether and allow it to become overgrown with weeds?
Sure, it would have been unthinkable at one time, but I wouldn't put anything past the pointy-haired MBAs who run the show now.
It's unbelievable that this is happening at Disney World. The economy may be in the toilet, but let me tell you something, the executives at Disney are making a ridiculous amount of money every year. Some of that capital could be used to, I don't know, pay workers better, and maybe keep up on the parks and resorts. This video is so symbolic of what has happened to EPCOT in the last decade. I hope to God this trend can be reversed.
Some comments make me sad. It's like all the dreaming has died.
Nice video...looked like "Planet of the Apes"...I kept expecting to see the torch sticking up out of the ground.
We stayed at the Pop Century just last month, and had intended to walk over and see what was going on at "Phase II" but never got the time...so thanks again for posting this.
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