EPCOT Central

Farewell, Uncle Roy

2009-12-17T00:00:00.001-08:00

You'll be missed.

A Mom's Thoughts On EPCOT

2009-12-10T22:24:00.000-08:00

For a while now, EPCOT Central has been meaning to share this letter from a reader. If Disney executives don't trust ardent Disney lovers who maintain blogs to give them some real perspective on EPCOT, perhaps they'll trust a new mom from the South, who offers some lovely and valuable perspective on how "real" guests respond to EPCOT.

Her name is Khrystie, and here's what she wrote:

I found your site after a family trip to EPCOT in June of 08. I hadn't been to the park since the late nineties, shortly after I graduated from high school. As a Central Florida native, I had grown up in the Disney parks and had an annual pass from about age 6 until I moved to South Florida for my undergrad degree. A self-proclaimed dorky kid, EPCOT was always my favorite park, by far. I loved learning, science and innovation.

I loved the longer rides, the information and music around the park. I loved that we could easily spend a whole day in Future World. My dad and I would recite the narratives to the films for Universe of Energy and The Living Seas. I still remember the big spiral ramp around the records display in the Communicore. The rainbow tunnel, the pin tables and the Makin' Memories pre-show at Imagination. I loved EPCOT dearly and had many, many fond memories.

I went to EPCOT that June with my three month old daughter, and selected that park specifically because I remember be able to ride almost every ride in the park as a child with my grandparents (including) my grandfather who was handicapped. I was fairly certain that my daughter would be able to ride everything as well. I left absolutely heartbroken and nostalgic for what felt like a great part of me that had been lost - a favorite pastime that I would never be able to share with my own children. Of the slower rides, Energy was set at such a decibel level that she was terrified. We went back in October, and at six months I thought the colors and songs in Imagination would captivate her, as we hadn't ridden it in June. The pitch-black and blast of air led to hysterics.

I went home and started searching for anything that showed a glimmer of what had been. This is how I found your site.

We were back at the park over the weekend. This time with my now 19-month old daughter and 10-week old son. As my daughter is a huge PIXAR fan, I at least thought she'd love The (now called) Seas. She got nothing from the ride. Her favorite part? The aquarium. The fish, the turtles, the sharks (all of which she knew by name). Her favorite part was the only part they haven't changed. Despite the fact that she watches Finding Nemo at least four times a week.

Although we were there a good part of the day, we only saw The Seas, a walk around the World Showcase, and a ride on Spaceship Earth. Apart from Listen to the Land, that's largely the extent of what is available for entire families with groups of varying age to do. I can't take my kids on Test Track, and I myself will not get on Mission Space.

I guess the point of this is simply (or not so simply, given the length of the letter) say "Thank You" for your site. There were smart kids out there, who even at six found time, heat and pressure, hydroponics and hydrolators profoundly interesting. I wish that my children would have been given the chance to experience it, and share the hope that one day they will.

In your site, I found a whole community of people who are willing to fight the dumbing down of society, rather than drifting along like sheep. Your opinion is shared - thank you so much for sharing it.

Captain Oh-No

2009-11-29T23:26:00.000-08:00

Here's a shocker to those who say EPCOT Central wants to turn Disney's most ambitious theme park into a shrine to the 1980s:

Bringing "Captain EO" back to EPCOT would be a bad idea.

A really bad idea.

The idea has been making the rounds -- and allegedly has gotten as far as an executive screening at Disneyland -- because of last June's tragic death of pop star Michael Jackson. Twenty-three years ago, "Captain EO" was a sensation at Disneyland, and there are many who would love to see the 3-D musical adventure once again.

Sure, it would be fun. Once.

But quite apart from the nagging, persistent allegations of child abuse leveled at Jackson, there are two huge reasons "Captain EO" should remain vaulted, particularly at EPCOT:

1) The 3-D is simply not very good. It never was, really. The 17-minute movie was quite literally too dark to ever "read" quite right, despite its popularity. But the 3-D technology used to make the film has progressed enormously in the past two-and-a-half decades, and already there's a huge difference between the 3-D techniques used in movies like "A Christmas Carol" and "UP" and the relatively rudimentary processes used at Disney theme parks. Once you see a theatrical 3-D presentation like "Carol," it's hard to accept theme-park 3-D technology as anything other than a cut-rate version of the real-thing. Why bring back "Captain EO" if it's not going to be digitally enhanced and presented in one of the new 3-D technologies? It's just not impressive.

2) It's dated. No matter how much you adore Michael Jackson and his music, everything about "Captain EO" feels stuck in 1986, from the music itself to the character and production design, to the makeup, to the "analog" visual effects. "Captain EO" is a curio from the past, not a vision of the future of entertainment.

It would, no doubt, be great fun to see "Captain EO" in 3-D once again. But after the first blush of novelty, do we really want a divisive, controversial and, frankly, dead pop star to be the centerpiece attraction of a Disney theme park, especially one that ostensibly celebrates our technological future?

Nostalgia alone isn't enough to fuel long-term interest in "Captain EO," and hopefully once Disney realizes how much it will cost to refresh, revive and restore this 70mm, low-tech wonder, they'll come to their senses.

If they're really serious about reviving something memorable from the 1980s, there's this little thing called Horizons ...

"Two miles deep in that darkness, an amazing world ..."

2009-11-22T13:41:00.000-08:00

Scientists today announced unbelievable discoveries deep in the oceans of our own planet.

"Until now, scientifically inconceivable. Yet there."

It's a stark reminder, as The Living Seas at EPCOT Center used to remind us so dramatically, that beneath us is "a world where we have spent less time than on the surface of the moon."

But, gosh, cartoon fish are just so much more fun, aren't they?

EPCOT: What Doesn't

2009-11-19T12:50:00.000-08:00

How could Disney get something so spectacularly wrong, so consistently?

Put simply: Innoventions is awful. Making the problem even more fascinating: It shouldn't be.

As Disney demonstrated in its Theme Parks & Resorts pavilion at the D23 Expo earlier this year, it has world-class designers who can create exhibitions that showcase imagination and creativity and fantastic design sensibility. The D23 Expo Theme Parks & Resorts pavilion was a shining example of how to engage and fascinate large groups, how to move them through, and how to lay out exhibits in a way that made sense and was tremendously appealing.

And as family-oriented science centers across the country demonstrate every day, learning can be fun and engaging, and education can be packaged in a way that appeals to guests who are 5 and guests who are 50. Just because an exhibit is designed "for kids" does not mean it has to be boring for adults or childlike in its execution.

So, why does Innoventions get it so wrong?

The original incarnation of Innoventions, CommuniCore, was a whole lot better, combining better design, better exhibits and more forward-thinking technology (for its day) than Innoventions does. It took the themes of EPCOT Center and created "spin-off" exhibits that actually did offer more insight and exploration into those subjects. As an experience, it supplemented a visit to EPCOT Center -- and, not coincidentally, provided a lengthy, welcome respite from Florida heat (or rain, depending on the time of year).

From a design standpoint, CommuniCore was divided into four quadrants that helped make navigating it easier. Everything in CommuniCore was designed to reflect EPCOT's theme of a future world in which we all connected to each other and in which communications technologies would allow us to learn more about the world around us, and to participate in it more fully. A Utopian ideal? Absolutely, but then EPCOT didn't pretend to posit that we could (or wanted to) achieve anything less -- and was blissfully unaware or unconcerned with charges of totalitarianism or socialism. Politics wasn't the agenda ... offering a vision of an idealized future was.

Of course, CommuniCore had a decidedly commercial bent. Everything was "sponsored by" or "presented by" a sponsor company, often the same ones who sponsored Future World pavilions. It was also a place where guests could explore not-ready-for-prime-time technologies like PCs, personal videogames, fiber-optic-driven communication, video conferencing and instant polling.

Twelve years after opening, CommuniCore gave way to Innoventions -- which may have outlived its predecessor by three years (and counting), but is one of Disney's worst concepts ... poorly designed and executed, to boot.

Like a goofy PBS kids' science show no one wants to watch, Innoventions takes a hodgepodge of ideas -- ranging from personal financial saving to trash management -- and mixes them all together in a zany mish-mash of styles, designs and themes. Although there is allegedly a master plan and design, Innoventions feels thrown together, despite repeated attempts to redesign and rebuild it.

There's precious little learning or discovery going on. Yes, you can drop a hammer onto a TV screen, and allegedly learn how safe your TV is thanks to Underwriters Laborator. Sure, you can ride a Segway for about two minutes (if you can handle the lines). You can see a very dull "House of Innoventions" ... if you can figure out where to enter. But learning? Actual science? Real discovery and enlightenment?

Compare Innoventions to the truly extraordinary California Academy of the Sciences in San Francisco, which, granted, is about four times the size of Innoventions ... but also encompasses a planetarium, a tropical rain forest and a full aquarium.

On the other hand, COSI in Columbus, Ohio, was for many years about the same size as Innoventions* ... and is world-famous for its blend of science, entertainment and interactivity.

Around the country, and around the world, there are science centers that beat Innoventions hands down. The truly discouraging thing is that CommuniCore beat Innoventions hands down.

In its current incarnation, Innoventions may occupy the physical center of EPCOT's Future World ... but it is far from being its heart.

-------------

* Thanks to an anonymous EPCOT Central reader for pointing out that an earlier description of COSI's size was incorrect.

EPCOT: What Works

2009-11-17T15:52:00.000-08:00

Take equal parts Pirates of the Caribbean and Peter Pan's Flight, mix with EPCOT Center's original mission, stir gently, and bake at Walt Disney Imagineering for a few years ... and you've got what EPCOT Central considers to be a hidden gem of EPCOT: Maelstrom in the Norway pavilion.

When Restaurant Akershus was still operating in its original, princess-less incarnation, and the Norwegian government was still contributing to the operating costs, the Norway pavilion represented the very best of EPCOT. It had charm to spare, it was a convincingly authentic reproduction of its sponsor nation, it offered good shopping, had a terrific (and under-patronized) restaurant, presented cultural artifacts, provided tourism information that introduced guests to a relatively sparsely traveled country, and was anchored by an attraction that -- to top it all off -- even incorporated a travelogue-style film.

In short, it had everything you could hope for in a World Showcase pavilion.

Today, the Norway pavilion is missing some of those critical components. No longer partially funded by the Norwegian tourist board, there's no longer any hint of a tourism kiosk; you'd be hard-pressed to find any information about travel to Norway, actually. Restaurant Akershus, of course, is now a princess dining location that offers Disney princesses from Germany, France, the Middle East and other countries, but not from Norway. The little travelogue film is horrendously dated (though a few judicious cuts would actually make it more or less timeless).

But there's still Maelstrom. And despite its detractors, who claim it's too short and not thrilling enough, it's a ride that really works.

Yes, it's only about four minutes long -- but even there, that's longer than most Fantasyland dark rides at The Magic Kingdom. Maelstrom wasn't intended to be a destination, E-ticket-style attraction; it was designed to be a nice C- or D-ticket ride that complemented everything else the pavilion had to offer.

Heading into a fortress-style building, the initial queue area is without doubt charmless -- it's wholly functional, not particularly attractive, but it leads to a gorgeous, eye-catching, beautifully detailed mural depicting the history of Norway, from its earliest hunter-and-gatherer residents to the massive cruise lines and oil rigs of today. There might not be much to do in the Maelstrom queue, but it's never long and there's enough here to keep a guest occupied through repeated visits for the few minutes of waiting.

Maelstrom is dark and atmospheric. It promises the "spirit of Norway" and it delivers -- there's a bit of history mixed in with a bit of mythology. Guest who don't care a whit about the history or beauty of Norway will enjoy seeing vikings, polar bears and trolls. Those who have some interest in this ancient land can listen closely to the narration and dialogue (which could use some serious audio tweaking) and find enough to spur a desire to learn even more.

What Maelstrom does well -- terrifically well -- is take us away to another place, even for a few minutes. No, its "waterfall" isn't particularly thrilling, and it feels a little creaky 20-plus years after opening, but for those few minutes we're surrounded by Vikings, the Northern Lights, the crashing North Sea ... and we even get to speed backwards.

Today's EPCOT insists on big, big thrills. Maelstrom is a little thrill, a heart-lifter, a trip down memory lane to a time when the goal of Disney theme parks was to offer truly immersive experiences that could be shared by every member of the family.

When the brief ride is finished, it drops guests in a typical Norwegian seaside village -- one that will look remarkably, undeniably authentic to anyone who's walked the harbor streets of Bergen and seen the quaint, crooken buildings of its Bryggen area. Like the Mexico pavilion, it's eternally dusk here, and this little holding area is evocative and filled with detail.

It's always a shame to see 90 percent of guests head through the doors that open onto a theater and zip right out the other side. They miss a five-minute film experience (do they really not have five minutes?) that is rightfully maligned for a few shots that might even have looked dated in 1988, but otherwise captures the awesome majesty, simple charms and ancient legends of Norway. To EPCOT Central, the "Spirit of Norway" film is a must-see on every trip, a presentation that expands on the momentary charms of the ride that came before it to introduce us to a country that feels familiar -- but is actually astonishingly diverse and unexpected.

Of course, it doesn't help that most Norway cast members actually urge people not to see the film. "If you choose not to watch this presentation, you may exit the doors ahead of you," is more or less the announcement, and those who stay are in for a treat.

Together, Maelstrom and "The Spirit of Norway" still represent the World Showcase concept at its best, taking us out of the Florida heat and into a romantic, unexpected land. Despite the lamentable changes to the Norway pavilion, this pair is still classic EPCOT, through and through.

Not for Children Only ... and That's OK

2009-11-10T11:18:00.000-08:00

"When I was 6, EPCOT was so boring to me. I'm glad they changed it."

"I may not care for Nemo, but my 5-year-old loves it."

"When my teenagers go to EPCOT, they're bored silly and want to leave."

"EPCOT needs more rides for kids."

These are some of the comments (some real, some paraphrased) that EPCOT Central readers have offered recently, and it's an interesting observation -- because it assumes that Walt Disney World as a whole and EPCOT specifically need to appeal to kids.

"I thought," Walt Disney said back in the 1950s, "there ought to be a place where parents and kids can have fun together." The result was Disneyland, a place with a carousel and a (now-defunct) tobacconist, a place with a treehouse and a (now-defunct) silent-film cinema.

Walt Disney, thankfully, didn't think, "There ought to be a much cleaner, better-run amusement park where my kids can have fun." He knew the joy of an amusement park ride so cleverly conceived that guests of every age enjoyed it.

Disney has long marketed Disneyland and The Magic Kingdom to kids. There's little arguing with the success of that -- though an effective debate could be made that Disneyland was just as popular when its marketing was aimed at both kids and adults.

But EPCOT Center, from its inception, has always been a different story. EPCOT was a decidedly, almost unashamedly, adult park, and that concept certainly made as much sense in 1982 as it does today: A day or two at the Magic Kingdom to entertain and bring joy to the little ones could be followed by a day or two at EPCOT, where the discoveries and pleasures were directed at older guests. After all, not everyone who visits Walt Disney World is an 8-year-old kid ... and many, many guests don't even bring kids -- a fact that Disney, over and over, seems to ignore.

But being "grown up," Disney-style, somehow quickly got equated with being "boring." Imagine a family of four visiting Paris or Rome or San Francisco or New York and saying, "Well, there wasn't much for the kids to do." Imagine spending a day at the Louvre or the National Gallery and saying, "I loved it, but we left early because my little boy was just so bored."

EPCOT isn't for children only, and that's not a bad thing. It's designed to spur the imagination and a sense of discovery. To some people, unfortunately, that means it's boring -- just as some people could walk among the pyramids of Egypt, perhaps, and find nothing to interest them. Not everyone needs to love EPCOT, and not everyone does. That's OK, because there are three other theme parks, two water parks and a whole host of activities at Walt Disney World to occupy a day that might be spent at EPCOT.

Disney, though, doesn't seem to see it that way. Like most entertainment companies, it's obsessed with numbers: If EPCOT's attendance falls, if its exit polling data isn't as high as every other park, if EPCOT is perceived as "less popular" than the other parks, then it must be a failure. We've seen that mindset in play at Disney's California Adventure -- which, it shouldn't be forgotten, got rave reviews from most mainstream media when it opened, and wasn't quite as much a creative failure as revisionist history holds it to be, but is now the subject of a billion-dollar makeover that emphasizes kid-oriented fun, not California-themed discovery.

In this new "kids at all costs" Disney era, it would indeed be interesting to see what might have become of the never-built Disney's America, which probably would have been considered a catastrophic creative disaster, rather than an interesting, offbeat foundation on which to build.

Which gets us back to EPCOT, a park that was built not to entertain the younger set, but to inspire all ages. EPCOT's deck has long been stacked against it -- it is virtually impossible to take a subject like "the history and development of energy technologies" and make it understandable, palatable for guests of every imaginable age, education level and language. But the Imagineers saw that as a challenge, not necessarily a problem, and tried their best to create something that would work for everyone. Some results were better than others. But they were always fascinating.

The same, unfortunately, can't be said for the once-is-enough Seas With Nemo and Friends, or the surface-only thrills of Mission: Space or Test Track. They're cute and fun rides, there's no doubt, but they are designed to appeal primarily to younger visitors, and to amuse, not inspire.

A revised, revisited, renewed EPCOT -- should such a thing ever become a priority for Disney -- can take its inspiration from the original concept of a park that would engage every age. No, it wouldn't be as universally well-received as a park dedicated to Disney characters, or a park about the movies (if it really is that anymore) or about animals. It would be almost a "niche" park.

EPCOT would appeal to a particular sensibility. Not everyone would love it ... but those who did would adore it. They'd visit it again and again, and like a museum or a science center or a grand city filled with opportunities for discovery, it wouldn't be just for children. And that would be OK. Because EPCOT would appeal to the curious child in all of us -- and open a child's mind to the opportunities of adulthood.

EPCOT: What Doesn't

2009-11-01T19:43:00.000-08:00

Longtime readers know that there's a difference of opinion among some EPCOT Central followers -- while some believe the views expressed here are constructive thoughts reflecting on how EPCOT could be even better than it is, others take the perspective that EPCOT Central complains too much and wishes EPCOT had never evolved. You can guess which camp I fall into. But with a nod to those on the other side, they'll have plenty to carp about with this one -- because it's EPCOT Central's view that the attraction that is most ineffective is also the one that recently got the biggest makeover:

The Seas With Nemo and Friends.

Even before experiencing the "new" Seas pavilion, this makeover seemed wrong-headed ... and now, having been through the attraction several times since its reincarnation, EPCOT Central believes it to be one of the absolute worst things that's ever happened to EPCOT.

The key lies in that word "attraction," because when they re-thought the Seas pavilion, EPCOT Imagineers took a multi-layered, though unfortunately never fully evolved, experience and turned it into ... a ride.

They went so far as to change the name of the pavilion from the evocative and far-reaching "The Living Seas" to "The Seas With Nemo and Friends," emphasizing that there's a ride, and there's a show with Crush, and the rest ... well, the rest doesn't much matter.

Contrast that with the classic, stirring, thought-provoking pre-show film that used to dramatically introduce guests to The Living Seas, and the problem is apparent.

The wonders that fill the depths of three-fourths of our planet aren't of any concern anymore; the only thing that matters it that 6-year-old kids get to shout out, "There's Dory!" The world around us is meaningless compared with a Pixar character.

The biggest shame is that there's so much to explore. As the pre-show used to remind us, we've spent less time at the bottom of the sea than we have on the surface of the moon. Getting five miles down is infinitely more complex than going 238,000 miles up. There are mysteries we can barely fathom, and one word from that pre-show film evokes more memories of how much more stirring EPCOT Center was than Epcot: "chemosynthesis." Huh? What? What does that mean? How do living creatures do that? And were the oceans really formed by "the deluge"? (Most scientists agree: Yes. How extraordinary!)

After hearing an absolutely stunning narrator encourage us to open our minds to the possibility of life under the surface of the water, we had a chance to "descend" below the waves ourselves in a "hydrolator," then ride through the incredible sights of undersea life, before using our own sense of discovery to learn from real, live people about the animals, plants and creatures that share our world.

There can be absolutely no doubt: The seacab "ride" was a failure from the start. It didn't go much of anywhere, held no excitement other than seeing a man-made coral reef. And because there was no context to what we were seeing (no signs, no narration, telling us about the engineering, creative or technological achievement of what we were looking at), there was little to engage guests. And holding that disappointing sense of, "Is that all this is?" they were dumped into a massive museum-like display area that many guests had trouble navigating.

Obviously, there were problems with The Living Seas -- no matter how compelling, exciting and wonderful many (but not enough) guests thought it may have been.

But the cure proved to be worse than the disease.

Today's audiences ride silly, clam-shaped vehicles past a series of screens onto which cartoons are projected. There's as much science and connection to the wonders of the oceans as Space Mountain has to the history and science of actual space travel. (Space Mountain actually offers some pictures of real nebulae in the queue area.) Disney has literally stripped the pavilion of any attempt to inspire, educate or inform -- and now more than ever, guests simply breeze past the old "Seabase Alpha" and either leave altogether or head to Turtle Talk to see more digital animation that distracts from the reality of ocean life. Yes, there are still some displays in the old Seabase Alpha, but fewer than before, with fewer cast members to answer questions and less depth to the overall experience.

Basically, it's just a cartoon, one that would be more at home in the Magic Kingdom's Fantasyland than EPCOT.

Frankly, it's not a particularly well-done ride, either. Instead of Disney's classic Audio-Animatronic figures, guests see projections of cartoons. During a couple of portions, to add insult to injury, cartoons are projected onto the glass tank to make it appear the cute, computerized fish are "in" the water. Once again, the message is clear: Don't wonder about the amazing things in the world around you, just enjoy the cute Disney characters.

The change from The Living Seas to The Seas With Nemo and Friends has been disastrous.

And it speaks volumes about the frustrating, troubling message that Disney increasingly sends to youngsters: If some element of your life can't be commercialized and branded with the "Disney" name, it doesn't matter.

The Living Seas was a disappointment. The Seas With Nemo and Friends is a failure, pure and simple.

EPCOT: What Works

2009-10-28T17:25:00.000-07:00

EPCOT "works" splendidly.

Except, that is, when it doesn't.

So, from time to time, EPCOT Central will explore aspects of EPCOT that fulfill the vision of this grandest of all theme parks ... as well as those that, well, don't.

And why not start with some controversy?

Many readers abhor the revised descent/ending to Spaceship Earth, but EPCOT Central thinks it works. Here's why:

From its very start, EPCOT Center was focused on how you, the guest, would live and interact with your future world. In EPCOT's earliest incarnation, much of that exploration was done with gravity and seriousness -- a little too much. Indeed, World of Motion is fondly recalled not so much because it was actually good (it wasn't, really; though it was at least an elaborate example of the kind of Animatronic-filled ride-through that no one but Disney could do then ... or has ever been able to do). Rather, World of Motion was singled out because it at least attempted to be humorous.

There weren't many examples of that in EPCOT Center. Cute little Figment over in Journey Into Imagination was certainly fun. World of Motion was played (mostly) for laughs. And Cranium Command -- well, it was in a class by itself. But humor, for the most part, was overshadowed by education.

At the same time, Spaceship Earth, quite (OK, almost) literally the centerpiece attraction in EPCOT, was a terrific experience all the way to the top ... and then a drag on the way down. From the get-go, Imagineers sent a not-so-subtle message to riders of those backwards-swiveling "time machines": The show's over, nothing left to see.

In the mid-1990s, an attempt was made to make the descent more interesting. One idea, if it had actually played out (something that would be easy to do today but wasn't too easy in 1994), was to show today's world news from around the world. That was, at least, the idea behind the scenes of newscasters projected on a screen at the beginning of the descent. But it wasn't possible, in the pre-Internet, narrow-band days, to actually stream live news, so the concept was never realized.

Static figurines of kids and adults in an "interconnected" world never sparked the imagination, and were, frankly, boring. A lovely cityscape was built with a terrific fiber-optics depiction of "flowing information," but more often than not, it was dark and dull.

The descent never worked, was never engaging.

Now, it's a fun combination of technology and interactivity. It's understandable if your heart sinks a bit the first time you see a monitor in a Spaceship Earth time machine -- is this going to be another example of on-screen distraction that tries to hide the flaws of the ride itself? But after asking a few questions, the screen goes dark and doesn't bother riders until the descent begins.

At that point, the ride becomes a highly individualized, clever and cute diversion. Mashing your face together with a retro cartoon vision of the future, Spaceship Earth now follows its information-rich, education-focused "main show" with some fun, relaxing smiles. I've yet to encounter anyone -- even if they objected to the comedic tone -- who didn't crack a grin. And that's saying something.

It's particularly noteworthy in today's "Disney Parks" environment, because the grin comes without a single Disney character. It's the Disney touch that makes this work. It's a fine bit of Disney nonsense, in keeping with the manic tradition of later Donald Duck cartoons, Alice In Wonderland and Disney's stylized 1950s Cinemascope efforts.

The downside is a lost opportunity -- these peeks at the "future" could have been based on real science, rather than a goofy, retro vision of bubble-shaped saucer cars and robotic homes. That future is likely never to be a reality, and while it's cute to see this kitschy '50s notion of "The Future." There's no science here, only silliness. That's indeed too bad.

But it would be worse, really, to stare at dusty old statues prophesying a future in which we all connect by -- wow! -- live videoconferencing. That concept of "the future of communications" pre-dated Facebook and MySpace and YouTube, which have changed the lives of everyone on the planet, even people who don't use them.

Besides, this version (at least theoretically) is easily changeable, and it's undeniable fun to spend a few moments in the dark answering the on-screen questions about taste and preference. There's music, there's dramatic lighting, and there's a magician's flair for distraction -- you don't notice, and you don't care, that nothing is happening around you. Watching the resulting cartoon with your face is great fun. And, what's this? For once, Disney doesn't try to sell you a picture of yourself!

Spaceship Earth as a whole works wonderfully now, a lovely balance of seriousness and humor, of education and mirth. The theme is still problematic -- it's no longer technically about communication, and despite its claims it isn't really about innovation. Actually, it is about human communication and all it has meant to our planet, but since the final cartoon doesn't uphold that theme, Disney opted instead for a confusion thematic claim countered by a different thematic execution.

Nonetheless, the new Spaceship Earth descent works, and sets the tone wonderfully for EPCOT as a whole. It's about you and your role in shaping the future. It's a blend of fun and fact. It's a modern spin on a timeless tale of human endeavor.

Now, if the rest of Future World would just get with the program ...

Meanwhile, Down the Road

2009-10-23T20:26:00.000-07:00

A hundred miles southwest of EPCOT, it's happening.

Even as Disney continues portraying an outdated "vision" of our world's energy needs, even as it virtually ignores the realities of the past 15 years, a sleepy little Florida hamlet called Arcadia (ironic, no?) is home to the country's largest solar-panel power plant.

It's puzzling indeed to see how Disney has lost the ability to put forth any vision of the future that does not revolve around movies, DVD or 'tweenie-bopper celebrities. It's strange, really, to conceive of EPCOT's Spaceship Earth and Future World gleaming in the Florida sun, standing as testament to the efforts -- even the unsuccessful ones -- of Walt Disney and some of the men and women who followed in his footsteps to offer up a visionary experience.

No, EPCOT was never entirely successful at taking difficult, esoteric concepts and reducing them to levels that could be comprehended by tens of millions of people a year. That's an extraordinarily ambitious task, one most museums can't quiet make work, either. But it tried.

Back in 1995 or so, about halfway through EPCOT's life (so far), Disney gave up trying. EPCOT, like The Walt Disney Company as a whole (and, it could be argued, society in general) recognized that it was far easier to succeed at creating shiny, pretty, easily digestible entertainment than to educate, inform and enlighten.

It's just a shame, though, that we have entered that future that EPCOT and Walt Disney once envisioned, but to a large degree we're doing it without a guide, without someone truly "at the helm" who can guide everyday folks through the confusion and explain what it all means. Walt Disney did that for one generation, and EPCOT tried to do it for the next. Now, there's literally a bright and gleaming future being built ... and no one, really, to tell us how exciting it is.

Sorry, but Ellen Degeneres and Bill Nye the Science Guy from 15 years ago don't count.

Presented By ... No One?

2009-10-16T10:15:00.000-07:00

It was a surprise to walk up to The Land pavilion at EPCOT recently and discover that Nestle was no longer the presenting sponsor.
The Seas With Nemo and Friends has a beautiful VIP lounge (complete with circular logos for "The Living Seas") that mostly sits empty.
GM has emerged from bankruptcy, leaving EPCOT lovers to wonder how, if at all, the struggling company can justify or afford continuing Test Track sponsorship.
The Universe of Energy has no sponsor, while Wonders of Life is empty lacking corporate backing.
The Norwegian government no longer sponsors the Norway pavilion, which has led to little authenticity (unless you believe princesses based on Middle Eastern, German and French stories belong in Norway).

What's going on at EPCOT?

Was it really that long ago that both American Express and Coca-Cola were sponsors of The American Adventure?

EPCOT, or more precisely EPCOT Center, was conceived as a way for both major corporations and individual countries to showcase their new ideas and products, as well as their cultures and tourism potential, to tens of millions of guests every year. On a sociological level, there's little doubt that the Eighties and Nineties left us scarred and less trusting of corporate behemoths. And yet, they didn't go away. The economy is just as ruled by corporate culture as it ever was, we're just a little more loathe to admit it. Scandals, bankruptcies, failures and broken promises left us doubting the collective wisdom of corporations to guide us into the future.

And yet, pessimism has rarely been welcome at Disney. Walt Disney believed that the research-and-development work being done by American corporations was some of the best, most valuable in the world. Now, those corporations are multi-nationals, and America may not be the shining beacon of optimistic progress that it once was. Still ... it's hard to deny that Coca-Cola, Apple, Toyota, Starbucks, Google, Nike, Kellogg's, Colgate, Nestle, Kraft, Ikea, UPS, Citibank, FedEx ... that these brands aren't so powerful that they don't move and shape the world. They do.

It's just that in 20 years, Disney has become one of those powerhouse brands. It has as much power, if not more, as others ... and the last thing you want to do when you've got money is give it to someone else who has money. That's what seems to be happening here. Disney used to have a major "Corporate Alliances" group whose primary job was to develop and work these big-brand relationships. What happened?

How come an EPCOT cast member told me recently, "No one wants to sponsor these pavilions, and without sponsors, it's hard to operate them?"

That comment is problematic on at least two levels:

1) Why don't major corporations want to be sponsors of EPCOT attractions anymore?

Is Disney underselling EPCOT? Or is it overpricing its sponsorship package? To continue achieving its vision -- even in a watered-down form -- EPCOT needs to be a showcase of ingenuity and progress. And to do that, its managers need to be able to articulate that vision. EPCOT affords an opportunity for immersive brand exposure unlike anyplace else in the world. So, why is it that companies don't want to buy in?

2) If corporations aren't going to come to the table, why can't Disney go it alone?

The visionary ability of Walt Disney Imagineering is unparalleled, and Disney could present its own unique vision of the future at EPCOT without the need for sponsorships. Does the $10 million or so a sponsor gives really add to the experience? Or is Disney artistically incapable of creating a traditional EPCOT pavilion run without a sponsor?

Does Disney actually need sponsors to effectively run EPCOT and its other theme parks? Or is Disney overpricing and under-servicing potential sponsors in an effort to ensure that EPCOT, like other Disney parks, simply becomes a showcase for Disney movies, Disney cartoons and Disney merchandise?

Of course, sponsorships do still exist at EPCOT, most notably GM and Siemens. But they seem lately to be the exception rather than the rule, which waters down the experience of EPCOT and its positioning as a place to view and experience the developments that will fuel our future. More and more, it's just an odd, disjointed theme park now.

Given that Tokyo Disney and the Universal parks seem consistently "full-up" on the sponsorship level, you have to wonder if the stateside Disney motive isn't just to get rid of the sponsors altogether so that the only sponsor that matters is the Mouse himself.

Dear Steve Jobs,

2009-10-14T14:21:00.000-07:00

I understand from reading a front-page story in yesterday's New York Times that you're encouraging Disney Consumer Products to "dream bigger" and that you're helping guide a massive overhaul of the Disney Stores.

That's highly commendable. No sarcasm here. It's about time someone tell the Consumer Products division of Disney that its "vision" of the Disney Stores as being "the best 30 minutes of a child's day" is, frankly, not impressive. It's been a long while since Disney Consumer Products was impressive, and now that Dick Cook at the Walt Disney Studios and Ed Grier at Disneyland have been shown the door, it will be interesting to see how long DCP's Andy Mooney lasts, since that division has been languishing for quite a number of years.

But this is a blog about EPCOT, not about Disney Consumer Products, so you must be wondering what the two have to do with each other? Well, a lot.

Because while you're encouraging big thinking and grand ambition for the Disney Stores, the biggest, grandest, most ambitious theme park of any sort, Disney or otherwise, is pretty much languishing.

Many of the people who work for you at Apple and Pixar were -- you might be surprised to hear this -- inspired by EPCOT Center. They were exactly the right age to have their imaginations sparked back in the late 1970s and early 1980s when Disney set a simple-yet-lofty goal: Make sure every man, woman and child in the U.S. had heard of EPCOT. In the pre-Internet, "old media" days, that was not an easy thing to do, and even if people didn't quite know what it was, by the time October 1, 1982, rolled around, they knew that it was.

In its first decade of operation, EPCOT introduced literally hundreds of millions of people to impossibly futuristic technologies like touch-screen computers, video conferencing, fiber optics and hydroponics. It was the first glimpse many people had of a world of the future, one that we knew was likely impossible but, hey, we could dream, couldn't we? And over across the lagoon, there was no "West Germany" and "East Germany," Japan and China weren't filled with people who "all looked the same," and Italy wasn't a formerly fascist country that many people still feared a bit. Nope, World Showcase depicted a planet in which our differences were celebrated, where we worked together to build that idealistic future on Spaceship Earth -- which was almost always visible, no matter where in EPCOT you were, reminding us that we were all in this together.

And through it all, there were hardly any Disney characters to be seen. EPCOT wasn't a place where Disney marketed and merchandised itself, but where a "new Disney era" was coming to life. Perhaps it wasn't as amazing as Walt would have made it, but it was an honorable attempt. More than that, it did exactly, Mr. Jobs, what you are urging Disney executives to do today -- it dreamed bigger.

It's fantastic and wonderful and terrific and very, very cool that you've taken an interest in the Disney Stores, which have been the victim of small thinking and are still trying to recover from having been literally cut away from the rest of the company for several years.

But even as you go about encouraging this laudable renaissance for Disney's retail stores, I'd like to propose that you encourage the same sort of spirit of innovation, creativity and imagination for EPCOT.

As I mentioned earlier, it would be impossible to deny the huge influence EPCOT had on many of the people who have been instrumental in creating the real-world renaissance of the past decade and a half. It's become fashionable and fun to bash EPCOT as "boring," but that simple view undermines the inspiration it brought to people who didn't find it that way, who conversely found it enormously exciting and endlessly inspiring.

At the Apple Store, you've built a retail environment that is all about hands-on interaction, about educating your guests, about letting them see and experience a future that's not just possible ... but possible for them to take home. You've created a retail location that everyone in the retail business said was impossible: One that encourages people to visit, to experience, to think, to imagine, to learn ... not just to buy. The Apple Store shows its guests how their lives can change thanks to technology.

Basically, you've created 273 mini-EPCOTs, albeit with a theme of computers and home technology, but, still ... the idea is the same. Now, take that amazing innovation and creative spirit and apply it to the actual EPCOT concept, and the mind boggles.

If Apple's creative and technological geniuses were to blend with Imagineering, if they were given the canvas of EPCOT and told, "dream bigger" ... well, perhaps you can see how easy it is to get excited about the possibilities.

EPCOT is Disney's diamond in the rough, its pre-existing opportunity to grow its brand in an entirely new direction, to capture the hearts and minds of young people in ways that don't have solely to do with dressing like pirates and princesses or meeting Ariel and Mickey. EPCOT can be so much more than what it has become.

So, Mr. Jobs, it's really great that you've taken such an interest in Disney's mall-based retail locations. There's almost no way that Disney can't benefit from your inspiration and encouragement. Now, there's just one favor to ask of you for your next project: Take a look at EPCOT and ...

Dream bigger.

Which Is It?

2009-10-12T12:33:00.000-07:00

For those who haven't yet read the latest EPCOT Central blogpost, I'll keep this short so space at the top of the page isn't tied up. But earlier today, Disney announced that George Kalogridis has been named president of the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim. Take a look at the press release. So, is EPCOT indeed an acronym all in upper-case letters? Or is "Epcot" the name of the park? Or doesn't even Disney know anymore? If even Disney is referring to it as EPCOT in official press releases now (which is something that should be lauded and encouraged!), why not just revert to the EPCOT Center name ... or at least officially make it EPCOT, the Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow, which comes with a story, a history and a background and isn't just a made-up nonsense word?

What Could Have Been

2009-10-12T00:00:00.000-07:00

Germany and Japan have something in common -- and we're not talking about World War II here. At EPCOT's World Showcase, these two pavilions harbor remnants of an EPCOT that could have been ... and, tantalizingly, almost was.

Though it's difficult to make out when you're strolling around the World Showcase promenade, next time you're at EPCOT take a look at both the Germany and Japan pavilions from afar. You'll notice they're unusually large, particularly given that neither one houses a traditional attraction. Disney does its best to hide these structures and not call attention to them, but what's particularly sad is hearing the apparent fate of two impressively ambitious attractions.

As most EPCOT Center enthusiasts know, Germany was supposed to house the "Rhine River Cruise." One concept drawing in particular -- which you can find here -- was one of the first images I ever saw of EPCOT Center. At that age, I had no idea what a Rhine River was, but you can bet I immediately went searching for everything I could read about it. On a recent "Undiscovered Future World" tour, the tour guide explained his understanding of what became of the Rhine River Cruise: It was an approved project at WED/Imagineering, and was such an integral part of World Showcase that the full show building was constructed. Although a final ride concept was not fully conceived (according to this guide), the idea was close enough to being finalized that a few show pieces were even developed, but as the 1970s drew to a close and Disney found itself pouring virtually every extra dollar it had into EPCOT Center, some tough decisions had to be made for the company -- which was unable to secure further financing for the project.

Officially, the Rhine River Cruise got put "on hold," and the intention was to build it after EPCOT opened in 1982. But by 1983, partly thanks to the debt Disney had incurred to build the Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow, the company was in no position to add anything at all to its stateside parks. Names like the Bass Brothers, Arvida, and Gibson Greeting Cards became the talk of the town -- and as Disney sought desperately to save itself from being bought, broken up and sold off to the highest bidders, the urgency behind creating a big, new theme park attraction faded. So, by the time Michael Eisner and Frank Wells took over in 1984, plans for the Rhine River Cruise had met their Lorelei. Allegedly, some Imagineers still recall these plans fondly -- though exactly what they were isn't clear; a recent Google search turned up a multitude of alleged storylines for the Rhine River Cruise at EPCOT, but whether any of them are legitimate is hard to know.

Twenty-seven years later, it seems more likely that "Diff'rent Strokes" will have a place in NBC's 2010 fall lineup than it does that the Rhine River Cruise will ever make a comeback. The vast show building is used for show rehearsals and for storage -- and, astonishingly, most cast members don't even realize it exists. Sure, they see it frequently, but they don't know what it is or its history; to them, it's just another large warehouse-style building.

Personally, I've always been curious where the entrance for the Rhine River Cruise would have been. Was it intended to be on the other side of the Biergarten Restaurant? Or where the Sommerfest mural has been painted? Germany has such a fascinating, myth0logy-laden past that imagining what might have been for the Rhine River Cruise is both frustratingly unproductive ... and fascinatingly fun.

Despite Germany's shocking, shameful role in World War II, political reasons are never cited as a reason for not building the German pavilion's Rhine River Cruise attraction. But politics apparently played a heavy role in the 11th-hour decision not to install the "Meet the World" attraction at EPCOT's Japan pavilion.

"Meet the World" operated in Tokyo Disneyland until 2002. An unusual -- and by all accounts painfully dated by the time the 21st century arrived -- account of Japan's history, it combined film, music and Audio-Animatronics to depict key moments from several thousands of years worth of Japanese folklore and fact.

Set on a revolving stage like "Carousel of Progress," "Meet the World" had something else in common with that nostalgic look at American history (as filtered through the lens of electronic advancement): It featured a theme song written by the Sherman Bros. ... one whose lyrics were sung entirely in Japanese.

"Meet the World" was a decidedly traditional Disney-style attraction that had both its fans and its detractors. Given what has happened to World Showcase presentations and shows in the past 27 years, it's probably "Meet the World" would have been as untouched at EPCOT as Tokyo Disneyland and would have ultimately met the same fate. But we'll never know ... though we can speculate, as its show building still stands prominently in the Japan pavilion.

EPCOT Center had a lot of ambition -- ambition that Disney simply wasn't able to realize. It's just too bad that instead of ultimately following through on these exciting projects, Disney just gave up. World Showcase has always needed more rides and attractions, and to think that Disney once had grand plans that were simply never realized is disappointing. But the future is filled with promise and possibility, a lesson learned well at EPCOT itself. So, perhaps there's still some hope.

And Good Show

2009-10-08T15:39:00.000-07:00

Sometimes, Epcot shows off in full splendor exactly why it is the most unique, most exciting of all Disney parks. (And, yes, that includes Tokyo DisneySea, which is a close second!)

Bad Show

2009-10-07T15:09:00.001-07:00

When some elements at Epcot are so perfect, the parts that aren't really stand out.

Word of warning: Mirrors reflect.

There's really no excuse for something like this.

So, it is all upper-case now?

Bear in mind, Disney just spent $4 billion, mostly cash, to buy Marvel. How much do you think a new stage would cost?

They're not even trying to make the disused World Key kiosks look good -- the plywood coverings are unattractive at best.

And don't worry -- in the next update, EPCOT Central will be calling attention to some good show, just to balance things out!

Random Observations

2009-10-06T21:27:00.001-07:00

This latest trip to Walt Disney World and EPCOT provided lots of food for thought. Below, in no particular order, are some observations and musings, some of which will stand on their own, some of which may be developed into later, more detailed blogposts. Bear in mind, it's just a sampling of thoughts ... feel free to add yours!

With just four small snips, the "Spirit of Norway" film could be perfectly timeless and run forever ... but it would also help if they could project it digitally so the worn-out 70mm print wouldn't look so scratchy.
It's still a mystery why some people resist that downright majestic five-minute film.
Whoever decided to move Norway's stroller parking to the lagoon side of the World Showcase Promenade deserves at least a commendation, if not a medal of some sort.
Journey into Imagination is not a horrible attraction, it just assumes kids are a lot dumber than they are
It's a crying shame that the entire upstairs of the Imagination pavilion is used only for storage; it looks eerie up there, like it was abandoned in a hurry.
The Nemo ride that now opens the Seas pavilion is atrocious and gets worse, not better, with time; at least the old, oft-maligned reef ride gave us something to look at beyond cartoon projections.
How odd it is that "Honey I Shrunk the Audience" has a hard time getting anyone to see it at Disneyland, yet it remains a top attraction at EPCOT.
Spaceship Earth gets better with every ride, and the video descent is pretty good -- too bad it's all played for laughs instead of having at least some basis in reality (it comes across like one of those cheesy "futurism" cartoons from the 1950s).
The new moving images of the caveman fighting the mammoth that open Spaceship Earth are just wonderful
Judi Dench isn't a bad narrator, she just comes across as a bit smug -- especially when she says, "Remember how easy it was to learn your ABCs?" and "Call it the first backup system." Ugh.
At the Magic Kingdom, it's easy (too easy) to find Magic Kingdom merchandise; DHS merchandise is a snap to find at DHS; Animal Kingdom is filled with DAK-themed product ... so how come there are about 10 SKUs of EPCOT merchandise at EPCOT?
That said, it's such a thrill and delight to see "old-school" EPCOT logo items.
But, really, couldn't MouseGear have a whole "EPCOT" section, including futuristic/technology-driven doo-dads and thingamajigs?
The Fountain of Nations is a kick to watch when it goes into full "water ballet" mode, particularly at night when it's spectacularly lit -- and, astonishingly, each nozzle and light has to be programmed manually. To whomever does that job: Congratulations, you do it astonishingly well!

Among the things I never knew (or realized) about EPCOT: The park's west side is ruled by water, curves and lots of flowers and trees -- while the more tech-heavy east side is all sharp lines and grassy areas, and gets the harshest sun of the day.
There seems to be a lack of consensus about whether the EPCOT Center logo on the ground in front of the Fountain of Nations marks the original "center point" of Walt Disney World, or whether it's the center of the wonderful set of inventors' quotes and landmark dates between Innoventions and The Land.
Boy, those hallways in the southwest section of Innoventions are awfully barren; can't someone add more artwork, a mural or some sort of permanent displays in this area?
On that note, EPCOT seems to have more unused areas than most theme parks, which is a shame.
Speaking of unused, can't Odyssey be turned into a permanent, multi-faceted "princess dining" experience? There could be a Belle seating area, an Ariel seating area, a Jasmine seating area, a Snow White seating area ... and still room to spare, and the building wouldn't just sit there unused most of the year.
An EPCOT cast member told us, shockingly, that EPCOT management is thrilled to have the old Wonders of Life pavilion sit empty, because they can use it for festival headquarters "and it takes pressure off of other locations in the park." Really? Is that the official line? That's pathetic.
Ballzac has got to go.
What a missed opportunity that the Teacher's Center doesn't still exist.
Soarin' is a great attraction but really, really makes no sense as part of EPCOT. (The same cast member told us, "As long as it pulls in guests, no one will see a need to change the film." Yes! That's the Walt spirit!)
Once you know about the show buildings behind Germany and Japan, they're all you see.
Illuminations: Reflections of Earth is just wonderful -- it would be great if someone could figure out a way to communicate the "story" to guests in some fashion.
The old World Key reservation stations outside Guest Relations are still there, just clumsily boarded up; never noticed that before.
Spaceship Earth is like a great painting; I could stare at it for hours and just contemplate it. It's a truly inspirational and awe-inspiring piece of architecture that is unfairly dismissed as an "amusement park icon."
How is it Disney can spend $4 billion to buy Marvel and pay its top executive $51 million a year ... but it still "needs" corporate sponsors to run its attractions?
Epcot is fantastic ... but, man, with someone in charge who had genuine vision, EPCOT could be truly, jaw-droppingly extraordinary. Maybe that day will come.

Kimpossibly Close to the Mark

2009-10-05T10:58:00.001-07:00

Engaging younger visitors has always been a perceived problem with Epcot. Based on the number of strollers, toddlers and harried parents that can be seen wandering through Future World and World Showcase on any given day, it's questionable whether it's really an issue -- but, for, oh, the last 27 years or so, Disney has been more or less convinced that Epcot simply doesn't hold appeal to guests who are younger than the legal drinking age.

Mickey & Co. in futuristic and culture-appropriate garb, "The Seas With Nemo and Friends," "Gran Fiesta" at Mexico, Epcot Character Spot, constant re-jiggering of Imagination, the addition of Test Track and Mission: Space -- all of these projects have been undertaken, to at least some degree, because Disney decided that Epcot and kids don't mix.

It's almost an urban legend, Disney's version of the Mayan calendar predicting the end of the world: It doesn't matter if it's true, Disney management believes it to be the case, and they'd doubtlessly pull out piles of polling data to "prove" it.

One of the latest attempts to fix this alleged problem is the Kim Possible World Showcase Adventure, which mixes rudimentary smart-phone technology with a scavenger hunt. And here's the huge surprise:

It's not bad.

It's actually Kimpossibly close to being good enough to suck in adult players.

The premise is simple -- using "Kimmunicator" devices (aka Motorola cell phones), guests will receive clues to help them solve a mystery taking place throughout World Showcase. Clues pop up on the phone, and when each clue/puzzle is successfully solved, the device sends participants racing off to the next location.

Getting guests to engage with World Showcase is a brilliant idea, and it's great to encourage youngsters to learn a little bit about what they're seeing rather than just pull on mom or dad's hand and say, "Come oooonnn, let's gooooo." Epcot as a whole is filled with fascinating details just waiting to be discovered, but this is particularly true in World Showcase.

There's a lot that's right about the Kim Possible World Showcase Adventure. So here's a question: How come every single "recruitment" center stood virtually empty all day? Why do guests either not know about this entertainment option or seem resistant to it? In short, why (at least from the perspective of an observer) does it not seem to be working?

A thought: "Kim Possible" the series certainly had a fan base for a while, but the show barely airs anymore, and new episodes haven't been produced since 2007. "Kim Possible" was no doubt a success, but not one that had major brand recognition outside of Disney Channel-aged guests. In short, she's a minor "Disney character" at best, with dwindling appeal. And since she's "girl-focused," younger boys are less likely to want to engage with the "Kim Possible" brand. (It shouldn't be this way, but, sadly, this gender bias is impossible to deny.)

So, here's another thought:

Keep the World Showcase Adventure, and dump "Kim Possible."

Like "Nemo," "Gran Fiesta" and Eric Idle in Imagination, it's just unnecessary. Kids are not stupid, and they don't enjoy pandering. Adults think it's what kids want ... but most really, desperately, just want to be treated like little adults. They want to see and experience and discover things for themselves. Are there a large number of pre-teen girls who suffer terrible ennui and spend their Epcot touring time texting friends back home? Yup, and they're still going to do that, no matter what. Making sure they're engaged isn't the purpose of Epcot -- it's to reward those millions of young visitors who come to the park with a spirit of adventure, open to experiencing and learning new things. They really, really do exist, but as long as the long-suffering, pre-adolescent teenage girl is held up as the model of Epcot's biggest "audience problem," it's easy to ignore the guests who really want to be there.

"Kim Possible," with all due respect to its talented creators, has seen its day. Its popularity has crested and waned, and even while it has, Epcot remains. It still receives tens of millions of visitors. It remains successful and popular. So, stick with the brand that has the longer staying power.

A revised, Kim-less World Showcase Adventure, properly marketed as an enhancement to an Epcot visit, could be a fantastic way to make Epcot feel new again, even to longtime visitors. As any fan of CBS's "The Amazing Race" knows, traveling around the globe is a not-so-secret desire of a great many people. Epcot has always offered a manufactured, safe version of this fantasy wish-fulfillment, and adding a new element of excitement through a revised World Showcase Adventure could be just the shot in the arm Epcot needs.

Disney's theme-park management just has to trust that Epcot is a strong enough, exciting enough brand on its own. It doesn't need -- never has -- cartoons and Disney characters and animated teenage spies to make it interesting. It offers the world and the future, and there aren't many more exciting themes than that.

So, keep the technology-driven World Showcase Adventure. Offer a "youth" version, an "adult" version and a "family" version. Keep the guest engaged. Keep them guessing. Enrich their visits with a new sense of discovery, fun and revelation. Get them to talk to cast members, find new corners of World Showcase, and learn about the cultures they are seeing represented. Encourage them to explore.

But dump the kid spy. By doing so, you may see lines at the "Recruitment Centers," not cast members who look like they're desperate to get someone, anyone to try it out.

There's No There There

2009-10-02T17:19:00.000-07:00

"The trouble with Oakland," Gertrude Stein wrote, "is that when you get there, there isn't any there there."

Oh, Ms. Stein, would that you could see Epcot, and in particular what's now known as "Innoventions Plaza."

Take a look at what was intended for EPCOT Center's overall design aesthetic.

Then look at how the design was realized, circa 1986.

And now we come to 2009:

Now, there are many who say that in its original incarnation -- as it existed until around the mid-1990s -- EPCOT Center presented a vaguely sinister, totalitarian vision of the future, sterile and monolithic, lacking humanity and personality.

But they're wrong.

In its starkly futuristic, monochromatic, mid-century approach to the future, EPCOT offered a sort of reassurance. Everyone was equal; what was on the outside was far less important than what's on the inside. By its very sameness and sleekness, the design reinforced that the promise of some advanced, technologically driven future was within our reach, even if we knew in our hearts it was an impossibility.

Across the World Showcase lagoon was our past, the mish-mash of styles and designs that led us to our current place; but Future World indicated that all of those individual cultures would soon coalesce into a unified whole. Our past was always going to be preserved and protected, but our future was ours to imagine and create in whatever way we wanted.

CommuniCore was the center of Future World, quite literally, and by extension the heart of EPCOT Center. Its design was perhaps the most important element of this highly themed theme park, because it did something no other park had ever attempted: It closed off the guest. It loomed on all sides, hiding what was behind it.

There was no other way to get to the pavilions that ringed CommuniCore, or to World Showcase itself. Every single EPCOT Center visitor had to pass through CommuniCore. This was the core of the community created by guests. Unlike the "hub" of Disneyland or The Magic Kingdom, which could be bypassed, CommuniCore was inevitable.

The two massive buildings that created the circular CommuniCore were both human in scale (they are about four stories tall) and overwhelming in size. Though lined with glass, it wasn't possible to see in; to know what was inside, you had to explore. Even if you chose to start your visit to EPCOT Center with a ride on Spaceship Earth, you would be deposited safely into the middle of CommuniCore.

Cleanly in design, bold in execution, simple in concept, and easy to wander, CommuniCore reminded us that the only way we could COMMUNIcate, the only way we could exist as a COMMUNIty, was to interact with each other. Guests would wander CommuniCore, but with an odd sense of purpose, to get through it and find out what was on the other side. It wasn't warm and welcoming like Main Street, that's for sure, but it also wasn't hostile or scary.

Visually and thematically, this concept of a central "core" defined EPCOT Center. It had trees and flowers (all neatly arranged), was spotless in appearance, offered the reassuring and very natural sound of running water amid the curious design. Our future, it seemed to say, would still contain the simple elements -- water, land, sky -- that have always sustained us ... but what we could achieve with our minds and hands would be what built the world that awaited.

CommuniCore was vital to EPCOT Center.

Now, it's just a jumble of color, noise, visual distractions and aggressive signage. Gone is its stunning uniformity, its promise of a tomorrow just like the one we used to imagine. Returning "Innoventions Plaza" (keep the name if you insist, it's not bad) to its original design would not be tremendously difficult ... but would require a certainty of vision, a confidence of design, that seems to be lacking in the still-sometimes-magnificent theme park that lower-case Epcot has become. Like our own world at large, it wants us to notice it ... not notice ourselves and our responsibilities to guide and shape our own tomorrow.

27 Years Ago Today ...

2009-10-01T09:22:00.000-07:00

2009 has been a tumultuous year for me, and I'm sorry that the changes (some good, some difficult and unpleasant, all leading to growth) have resulted in the seeming disappearance of EPCOT Central.

But like the spirit of EPCOT itself, EPCOT Central remains a big part of who I am, and when I realized a couple of months ago that far too long had elapsed since updating the site, I thought it would make the most sense until October 1 to "relaunch" it.

Twenty-seven years ago today, EPCOT Center opened its doors. In the ensuing years, there have been high points -- like the additions of pavilions and attractions-- and low. But EPCOT has endured ... and always will.

As I don't call Central Florida home, it was important for me to have at least one more trip to EPCOT, to spend time soaking it all in, observing, thinking, watching guests interact, exploring both myself and through my personal guests and through EPCOT cast members just what keeps EPCOT thriving. So, in the coming weeks and months, there will be more EPCOT Central, and hopefully you will start reading again.

Thank you for your patience, for your concern and empathy (this has been a difficult year for a great many people, it seems), and for your continued devotion to EPCOT, its ideals and its unique place in Disney's repertoire.

Today marks EPCOT Center's 27th anniversary. It's an occasion worth noting! Here's to new horizons on this, our spaceship Earth.

D23 Explores EPCOT

2009-04-28T11:38:00.001-07:00

EPCOT Central has admittedly been tough on the D23 concept. But it seems that the managers of the Disney fan club are trying to listen to feedback -- undoubtedly, not an easy thing to do given Disney's "brand management" inclination to appeal to the masses, even at the expense of passionate fans.

Today, the Disney D23 website features a look back at the opening of EPCOT Center. While not timed to any specific anniversary or event, and seemingly a bit random in its appearance, the D23 article provides some terrific images from early EPCOT.

No, it's not in-depth and it covers ground virtually ever Disney fan already knows. But it's a start, and digging up David Brinkley's quote about EPCOT's achievement is a nice touch. The more EPCOT Central sees of D23, the more it seems it's worth at least giving the benefit of the doubt. Disney's trying, and that says something.

Check out the article and the D23 website (open to all, not just members) by clicking here. It's nice, certainly, to see Disney officially refer to "EPCOT Center." Fingers crossed, perhaps D23 will give us more insight into the future of EPCOT and rare imagery from its glory days in the coming months.

More Disney Than Disney

2009-04-07T12:25:00.000-07:00

MiceAge today features a terrific article that looks at some of the plans Disneyland in Anaheim has in store for the summer season. Featured in this article is a look back at a decades-old advertisement for Disneyland's summer season (the ad is shown here, and you can find more at Miehana's photostream on Flickr).

What's rather disarming about this ad is its absolute lack of any Disney characters or reference to "Disney-style" entertainment. There's no mention of Disneyland being "magical." Check out the stylized caricatures of park guests. Notice anything? No children.

The ad is 50 years old, but represents perhaps more canny, sophisticated marketing than is evident today. Disneyland didn't need "Disney" to sell it. The concept was enough. Disneyland was a special place, filled with wonder and excitement. Dixieland music, pop bands, riverboats, Tahitian fire dancers, a speeding Monorail ... there's something for everyone at Disneyland. And despite the fact that 1959 was the year of Sleeping Beauty and The Shaggy Dog, there's no effort to sell Disneyland based on these entertainments (or any other Disney movie). "Disneyland" was all you needed to know.

What does any of this have to do with EPCOT?

Well, consider how little faith Disney has in the very concept of EPCOT or, it's seeming these days, in the concept of a theme park in general. More than half a century has passed since Disneyland opened, yet today Disney is unable to market its parks on anything other than its "synergized" entertainment creations or the increasingly tired concept of "Disney magic." Yes, we all know it's "magical" for little girls to dress up as a princess and romp around a Disney theme park (less magical, perhaps, for the parent, whose wallet is suddenly hundreds of dollars lighter), but is this really the only way to sell Disney's theme parks?

EPCOT has the distinct advantage -- or, depending on how you look at it, disadvantage -- of being unlike any other Disney park. There never have been any easy, built-in opportunities for Mickey and his animated gang to invade the park, which is why even thematically driven efforts like The Seas With Nemo and Friends still feel, at best, uncomfortable. They're not rooted in storytelling, they're rooted in a marketing mindset that fails to understand one basic concept:

"Disney" doesn't just mean "magic."

As Disney's more-sophisticated-than-they-might-have-seemed marketers from the 1950s knew, Disneyland was about a lot more than flying elephants and seven dwarfs and tuxedo-clad mice. It could be many things to many different people.

It's probably one of the very reasons you (yes, you, whoever you may be) are reading this. At whatever impressionable age you were first exposed to Disney marketing, it didn't pander to you and make you feel that the only way to show your love for Disney was to dress up and have character breakfasts. It appealed to your imagination. It promised you wonders you had never before seen.

That was the simple beauty of EPCOT Center. Many longtime EPCOT enthusiasts were hooked from the moment we were promised a glimpse into our future. It had nothing to do with Mickey Mouse or Donald Duck or wishing upon a star. It had to do with tapping in to our not-so-hidden desire to live outside of ourselves, to imagine a world filled with opportunities and untold ambition. In its inherent promise of something extraordinary and wonderful, it became more Disney than Disney.

In its own way, 50 years ago, Disneyland's simple little newspaper advertisement did the same. By not leaning on "Disney," but rather focusing on the wonderful things the park offered, it was more effective at setting a tone than the entire, multi-million-dollar "What Will You Celebrate" campaign that's underway now around the world. Disneyland could take you to distant places, on exotic adventures ... but was as close as the Santa Ana Freeway at Harbor Boulevard.

Disneyland was unlike any other place imaginable. More than any movie or character or other creation of Uncle Walt or his artists, the park defined "Disney" simply by the enormity of its promise.

The same holds true for EPCOT. As Disney continues to struggle with how to bring more "Disney" to the park, its marketing managers would do well to take a look through the company's own history. The late 1950s and early 1960s were when Disneyland made its indelible mark on America and the entertainment industry. Ads as simple as these little guys were more effective in cementing the concept of Disneyland as "special" than all the pixie dust in the world.

So, why continue to shoehorn Kim Possible and the Three Caballeros and Finding Nemo and (no doubt, in the future) other Pixar and Disney "brands" into EPCOT? Why not focus instead on what sets EPCOT apart, makes it unlike any other place on the planet?

EPCOT once promised the dawn of a new Disney era, not just another place to meet "magical" characters. It's that promise and allure of something impossible to find anywhere else that once set Disneyland apart. Imagine what that mindset could accomplish today.

On the Horizon

2009-04-04T17:18:00.001-07:00

When spring comes around, the sun stays out longer, the weather gets warmer and some of us start longing for the simple joys of life -- like EPCOT Center's unforgettable Horizons. If you're one of those unabashed nostalgia nuts, check out this cool site from EPCOT Central reader Shane. It's a great little trip back through time!

Clothes-Minded

2009-03-31T20:17:00.000-07:00

Unfortunately, the tumultuous economy and recent cutbacks you've been reading about have hit EPCOT Central, and those issues have caused new blogposts to be published less frequently. Thanks for your patience ... as well as your notes of concern about the frequency of postings.)

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Word has begun filtering out recently -- EPCOT Central has heard this rumor from several different sources -- that a major change is being considered for Epcot's World Showcase.

Instead of cast members in each pavilion wearing costumes that represent historical attire that's associated with each country, Imagineering and Disney Parks & Resorts is mulling over the idea of having all cast members in World Showcase wear a standardized costume.

Sadly, though this post is being published just before the calendar changes to April 1, this does not appear to be an April Fool's joke, but rather a serious attempt to cut costs by easing the burden that the Wardrobe department faces at Epcot.

If the change happens, it's hard to imagine even the most ardent supporter of the "Disney's-just-a-business" view having good things to say about this. Even the Mexican restaurant down the street has "traditional" (perhaps stereotypically so) costumes for its waiters and waitresses. Surely Disney can keep up this effort to add to the character, charm and flavor of World Showcase?

The blandness of the "Disney Parks" name may now be visually represented by bland costumes that eliminate the global flavor and feel of World Showcase. Allegedly, Disney believes that guests don't really care about such things, and that a standardized, modern-dress "costume" would somehow make cast members more relatable.

World Showcase should represent the unique attributes of each nation that is represented there. While an update or design modifcation to the costumes in each country certainly would be welcome, sending the message that everyone in the world dresses like a Gap ad is hardly a creative, innovative or appealing solution. (And as the 1970s rendering of the German pavilion that accompanies this post shows, native costumes have been an integral component of World Showcase from the inception of EPCOT Center.)

Let's hope this rumor remains only a rumor, and that the friendly and appealing cast members throughout World Showcase remain a personable as well as visual representative of their countries' unique culture, traditions and history.

In Response to Anonymous

2009-03-16T22:27:00.000-07:00

Typically, EPCOT Central doesn't publicly call out responses to posts, though every single one is read (multiple times, usually) and appreciated. However, this one is worthy of making an exception. In response to EPCOT Central's "Marketing EPCOT" entry, a user who chose to remain "Anonymous" wrote, in part:

"Almost all of your posts write about how to re-brand the park and deal with marketing and management. You never consider the internal structure might be flawed. Unlike a Disneyland style park, Epcot is basically a showcase for corporate America. Its in bed with various sponsors to fund the park's operation costs. No other park has a sponsor for every attraction. ..." (Followed by a great deal of valid complaint and comment on EPCOT's sponsorship structure. The entire response won't be quoted, but you can read it here.)

Further, Anonymous claimed that thh suggestion to "re-structure the park back to its original intent is bad. You make no effort to suggest how Epcot (or EPCOT CENTER, whatever) would be able to compliment the rest of Disney's offerings. Its like putting a book in a stack of video games and letting the public chose their form of entertainment. ... What's even more ridiculous is that you're asking them to re-brand Epcot for a niche audience. With that much land invested into the concept, I doubt they'll be gearing towards a niche anytime soon. ... This is why when the company tries to synergize you get things like Kim Possible and Donald Duck...its the only content they have. The parks are extensions of a brand, not the reverse. How do you expect them to manage an entire theme park around a concept when they can't even develop smaller investments (TV or consumer products franchises) around the education/discover concept?"

It genuinely seems to me worth opening up a discussion among all EPCOT Central readers about the subjects Anonymous raises. Partly, this is because Anonymous raises some arguments that I think are probably shared within The Walt Disney Company and, unfortunately, fail to grasp some of the basic truths about EPCOT Center, Disney's theme-park business and the potential of The Walt Disney Company as a whole to become better. And given that Disney is firing many of its employees, charging fans $75 to receive marketing material, just announced that it is halting Hong Kong expansion, and has lost more than $30 billion in market-cap value in recent years, there's obviously a lot of room for improvement.

Two and a half years ago, EPCOT Central asserted that "as goes EPCOT, so goes Disney," and so far, there's been little evidence to the contrary.

So, first, let's get one important fact out of the way -- indeed, almost every major attraction at Disneyland-style parks have (or have had) corporate sponsors. It's not difficult to find a list. They include AT&T, Energizer, Kodak, FedEx, Mattel, NIPPON Oil, TOMY, Dai-Chi Mutual Life Insurance, Fujifilm, RCA, Esso and many others. These are only the attractions at Disneyland-style parks. From the outset, from the very conception of Disneyland, sponsorship has been a key element.

Of course, many major attractions -- such as The Haunted Mansion, Matterhorn Bobsleds, Pirates of the Caribbean, the Indiana Jones Adventure, the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror and others -- operate without any sponsorship at all. Either sponsorships have lapsed, the rides were conceived to be sponsor-free, or there simply was no sponsor interest. Certainly not every major attraction requires a sponsor, and there's no reason that should not be the case at EPCOT.

EPCOT Center was unlike any other Disney theme park from the start. The reason sponsors were sought was not solely to underwrite costs, but because the unusual "pavilion" concept allowed EPCOT's attractions to thoroughly and completely convey a sponsor's intended message. The sponsor's logo wasn't simply pasted onto the ride; the entire concept was developed with the partner's involvement.

So, quite the opposite than "flawed," the sponsorship opportunities at EPCOT are quite brilliant. The problem is, Disney cannot define the park to potential sponsors, cannot articulate a clear vision, and have difficulty helping sponsors understand why such an "old-fashioned" concept is still relevant. In this area, Disney clearly needs some help. When companies are spending literally billions of dollars on acquisitions, brand extensions and new businesses, there should still be money for something that captures tens of millions of people as singularly as a trip to a Disney theme park.

But today's Disney is not like yesterday's. While market cap and overall value have declined precipitously, Disney has the money, the ability and the power to operate its own theme park, even without sponsor money. It can, it just won't, and the question of "why" is indeed a curious one. Why wouldn't Disney want to encourage its own vision of the future, to lay out its own story of what we can be in our Future World, to present its own vision of our peoples in World Showcase? Well, in part, it does appear to want this -- as long as that vision includes Pixar characters, Disney characters or synergistic opportunities.

Disney's "vision" these days doesn't see far beyond its balance sheet, which is too bad -- because when you consider the remarkable opportunity it has created for itself, it's almost scary. Tens of millions of people are in Disney's thrall every year, and yet it does not try to espouse a particular set of views or philosophies. It's a big like a comic-book super-villain bent on "dominating the world" instead being content to sell toys and candy to everyone. Yes, I'm implying here that Disney could use its unprecedented opportunity to spout propaganda for nefarious purposes ... it could also use that opporutnity for remarkably good purposes, employing (as it once did) some of the greatest scientific and philosophical minds to create a vision of a possible future.

But really all it wants to do is sell more toys and candy. Oh, and lots and lots of t-shirts.

That's a major opportunity wasted, if you ask me.

In fact, EPCOT Center (or lower-case Epcot) should indeed"compliment (sic) the rest of Disney's offerings." But I think you were trying to imply that they should all be more alike than different -- an assertion I couldn't disagree with more. That's no more true than saying Disney should make only one kind of movie, only one kind of TV show, produce only one type of toy, publish only one type of book. Just as you would not want every house in your city to look exactly the same, or every piece of furniture in your house to strictly adhere to the same design ... just as you would not want every child in the world to think alike ... or every painting by Van Gogh to look alike ... or every piece of music by Mozart to sound alike ... every Disney theme park should "compliment" (actually, that's complement) each other, not mirror each other.

They should exist harmoniously together. They should each offer an experience that is unique and exciting and entertaining. Totally different, totally unlike the other, yet also making up a wonderful whole.

In fact, you're right, Anonymous: It's exactly like letting the public choose "their own form of entertainment." It's why we have hundreds of TV channels, hundreds of movies released annually, why the shelves of Target or Wal-Mart or Blockbuster are filled with thousands upon thousands of movies. Each one of us likes something different ... and in sum, we can say we share a common love "of movies" or "of reading" or "of Disney," even if our individual definition is different. Unfortunately, Disney, like you, would have it mean only the same thing, narrowly defined, denying itself the one thing that Walt Disney used to encourage us all to believe in: possibility.

Why Disney can't recapture that, why it has become a concept so narrowly defined that it can't sustain EPCOT, why it can't see Spaceship Earth as much more than "a giant golf ball," well ... that is the real disappointment.

As a longtime fan, as a lifelong shareholder, and as a steadfast believer in the things Walt Disney spent his life trying to get us to believe, it is saddening. This quote has been used before, and it will be used again no doubt -- the comment Eric Sevareid made on the night Walt Disney died: "The century hardly deserved him."

Marketing EPCOT

2009-03-15T22:58:00.000-07:00

Determining your audience is one of the most important tasks a marketer can perform. It's important to have a thorough understanding of who likes your product, who might like your product, and who just absolutely never will like your product, no matter what you do. It's also increasingly important to find out if you have "brand ambassadors," people who love your product so much, they'd go out of their way to promote it.

So, it's hard to be convinced that, despite its formidable marketing army (which, if rumor holds, will be trimmed significantly sometime early this week), Disney really does understand EPCOT.

There's no doubt Disney understands the concept of a theme park. It definitely gets the idea of a Disney theme park ... so much so, that its most innovative (if that's the right word) development in the past five years has been rebranding all Disney theme parks under the generic "Disney Parks" moniker. Live in Tokyo? You're living near a "Disney Park." Live in the Western U.S.? You live near a "Disney Park." Visiting Paris? You can go to a "Disney Park."

Perhaps, following this logic, a consortium of marketers representing fine art museums could establish a marketing campaign that rebrands every museum, from the Whitney to the Guggenheim to the Smithsonian, as "Art Museums -- Where Fine Art Lives." The "Disney Parks" concept seems that ludicruous ... yet it has stuck.

The Magic Kingdom-style parks are easy. Disneyland, The Magic Kingdom in Florida, Tokyo Disneyland and Euro Disneyland all fit a clearly identifiable mold of what a "Disney Park" should be -- there's a castle, there are cute and cuddly characters, there are rides and attractions for the family, parades and "pixie dust."

But a quarter century ago, Disney made a clear step away from that basic mold. With EPCOT Center, Disney-MGM Studios, Disney's Animal Kingdom, Tokyo Disneyland, Disney's California Adventure and (to a much lesser extent, the awful Walt Disney Studios in Paris, Disney expanded the concept of what a Disney theme park could be. Now it wants to go back on its word.

The problem with that is, in differentiating its parks, Disney understood (through research and hard work) that different members of the family, different types of tourists, different kinds of Disney fans, different age groups ... they all wanted different things. Some wanted thrills. Some wanted "magic." Some wanted to learn. Some wanted to explore. Some wanted visceral excitement. Some wanted active discovery. There was no one "prototypical" Disney theme park guest, so it stood to reason there should be no one "prototypical" Disney park.

Which gets us to EPCOT. It was the first expansion of the Disney theme park concept, opening a year before Tokyo Disneyland, and by far the most unusual. EPCOT Center deliberately sought to be the "anti-Magic Kingdom." From its design to its theme, there was nothing overtly "Disney" about it, except the Disney name. EPCOT was intended to be a brand unto itself, to establish its own meaning and own set of principles.

Opened just as a huge revolution in technology was set to change the world as we knew it, EPCOT presaged these changes and promised that they would lead to an explosion of prosperity for all the peoples of the world. EPCOT gambled that guests would welcome the chance to have a different part of their mind stimulated, to find excitement not in 999 happy haunts or sailing over London, but in the boundless opportunity presented by our own creations.

So, Disney (at least for a time) knew exactly what EPCOT was ... but from the beginning to today, you have to wonder: Did they know who it was for?

EPCOT is not for a family of six who wants to spend their time being passively entertained. EPCOT is not for small children who want desperately to dine with a princess or pirate. EPCOT is not for people who find the news and documentaries boring and pointless. EPCOT is not for guests who feel education is meaningless. There are many people EPCOT most decidedly is not for, and on those guests EPCOT Central passes absolutely no judgment. Many people can spend three days at the Magic Kingdom and feel entirely fulfilled. They can make a side trip to Disney's Hollywood Studios and ride some thrill rides and see some shows and never really come face to face with "reality." Even Disney's Animal Kingdom presents the kinds of experiences that most of us (not "them," but, frankly, most of us -- all of us) will never see: African savannahs and Asian jungles feel as exotic and fantastic as a splash down a cartoon mountain.

So, who is EPCOT for?

EPCOT is for the many millions of people who want to discover something new on vacation. The same people who are targeted for "Adventures by Disney" (real-world excursions around our actual planet) are the families and guests who are ideal EPCOT guests. Kids who love science, the arts and social studies. Adults who like learning and exploring.

There are many, many different target groups that are the ideal EPCOT consumer.

Trouble is, Disney seems to have stopped breaking down its demographic outreach in those ways. EPCOT is now just part of Walt Disney World, which in turn is part of "Disney Parks," and as such, it must conform. There is no room for it to be unique or challenging.

Soon, I hope and believe, Disney will come to realize that its greatest asset, what truly sets it apart from any competitor, is the variety of its parks. Each one is truly different from the other. The more they become the same, the less reason there is to bother visiting multiple parks. If you've had a Nemo experience at Animal Kingdom, do you really need it at EPCOT? If you've dined with the princesses at the Magic Kingdom, is it a necessity to do it in World Showcase?

Maybe for some. Not for others. And those others are where Disney's growth opportunity lies.

In this down economy, Disney has to start looking at ways to really make itself different and distinct. The "sameness" of its theme parks just is not going to be able to sustain. They've been turned into commodities, not concepts.

As that begins to happen -- and I have to believe that with the scrutiny being given to all areas of The Walt Disney Company and corporate America that it will soon -- Disney will have that "a-ha" moment ... "We have different parks, not just multiple variations on essentially the same thing! Wow! And each one has a different audience. Big audiences!"

The media environment has become increasingly fractured, increasingly compartmentalized -- it's easier than ever (though more time consuming) to reach specific target groups, to craft messages unique to them, that will appeal to a specific niche audience, such as those millions who would be completely "turned on" by the concept, ideas and philosophies of a revamped, updated, reinvigorated EPCOT.

As Disney attempts to get smarter about its marketing efforts, hopefully they'll come to this realization: They've been sitting on a gold mine, they just have to find the key.

The Epcot-city of Hope

2009-03-11T20:19:00.000-07:00

Yes, it's a play on words, using the title of President Obama's book. But it's also what many Disney fans wish EPCOT Center had become -- that shining city in Central Florida with a massive spire at its heart, streets and businesses radiating outward from it in circular fashion.

There's a reason the notion of an EPCOT city has persisted for more than four decades. Though situated in the flatlands of Florida, as soon as it was introduced by Walt Disney himself, a few weeks before his death, it became the proverbial city upon a hill, with the eyes of all people watching.

EPCOT the city represented hope, an assurance that the ills of the civil-rights struggle, of violence and war, of poverty and disease could be put past us. Walt Disney, who just 38 years earlier was a struggling, near-destitute cartoonist, was the man who could make it so. If he could make us believe in our childhood dreams, allow us to experience adventure and fantasy ourselves, take us to the bottom of the ocean and bring life to a magical nanny, if he could make us forget our troubles on screen, he above others could make us forget them in real life, too.

When he introduced the concept of EPCOT as a city, Walt Disney promised hope.

He assured us that the turmoil that surrounded us on a daily basis could become distant memories if we applied enough innovation, creativity, dedication and vision.

When he died, the plans for the city mostly died with him ... but, Alexander Pope told us in the 18th century, hope springs eternal.

Hope for a better future. Hope for understanding and prosperity.

In 1982, we saw that the grand ambition may have died, but the hope it represented was still alive. EPCOT Center was not Walt Disney's promised land, but it embodied many of its ideals. It offered a glimpse into a future world in which we could actually solve our problems -- and gave us the seeds to take home and plant that could grow, one by one, into solutions. It presented a view of a world in which Mexico and Norway sat next to China, in which Italy and Japan, our enemy 40 years earlier, flanked the United States. The world, EPCOT Center promised, could live in harmony.

We are once again facing a time of uncertainty, unhappiness, fear and disillusionment. But where is the hope? Today's Epcot tells us that while there are things to discover, mostly life is about entertainment and thrills. Sit back, relax, enjoy the ride, forget about the real world, forget about your troubles, just have fun.

EPCOT the city and EPCOT Center the theme park reminded us that the future is in our hands. The only thing Epcot leaves in our hands is a Fastpass and an airsickness bag.

We need hope. We need Disney's incredible creative minds to show us again that the eternal flame of possibility hasn't died, no matter how meekly it may be flickering.

I'm No Fool, No Sirree!

2009-03-09T19:47:00.000-07:00

Note: See March 10 update on this post, below.

Only rarely does EPCOT Central comment on non-EPCOT-related Disney news, but in this case, the detour feels warranted.

Tomorrow (Tuesday, March 10), The Walt Disney Company will hold its annual shareholder's meeting not in Anaheim, not in Orlando, not in New York, but in beautiful, downtown ... Oakland. At least it's not quite as bizarre a location as Philadelphia or Milwaukee, where the company has run to in years past to avoid confrontations with angry stockholders. This year's meeting is in close proximity to Pixar Animation Studios, though given that Disney's market cap has shrunk by more than $30 billion in recent months, it is worth wondering if Disney maybe should have stayed a little farther afield to avoid shareholder ire.

But more to the point, one of the worst kept secrets among Disney enthusiasts is the planned announcement on Tuesday of "D23," a new magazine-slash-fan-club that seeks to engage older, longtime Disney lovers.

So, eight years into the 21st century, Disney has finally acknowledged that we exist. And now the company wants more of our money.

It wasn't all that long ago that Disney operated a free fan club and fan magazine -- The Magic Kingdom Club and its Disney News. There were better, more polished magazines out there, but I can't be alone when I say that I can pull an issue of Disney News from the 1980s off of the shelf and pore through every article once again. (It's also fun to see the old theme-park admission prices.) In the 1990s, Disney dismantled MKC and Disney News, and instead offered a pay-for-play version of the "discount club." But that wasn't good enough, and ultimately that concept was done away with in favor of an "affinity" credit card -- buy enough Disney stuff, and you could get a free Disney theme park ticket ... assuming you were willing to spend the literally tens of thousands of dollars needed for that perk.

Disney also used to operate a modestly scaled collector's event called the Disneyana Convention. Typically held at Walt Disney World, the Disneyana event offered all sorts of great opportunities to meet and interact with Disney actors, writers, directors, voices, animators and other celebrities. The price was steep, but Disneyana was clearly intended for those who were serious about their love of Disney.

But now that's gone, too.

For the most part, Disney has turned its back on serious Disney enthusiasts. Insisting that Disney is a company that makes childrens' dreams come true (just look at the cover of this year's Annual Report), it has become a company for children, not for the child in all of us. One by one, many of the special touches that Disney theme parks offered to more "mature" fans have fallen away -- one need only look at the Golden Horseshoe Review at Disneyland, or the barely operational Carousel of Progress, or Horizons at EPCOT, to name but a few. In their place have cropped up new, "synergistic" opportunities to relentlessly and shamelessly plug new Disney movies and TV shows.

Now comes D23.

Rarely, if ever, has a marketing ploy felt so crass, so manipulative, so aimed directly at the wallet.

For $16, you can buy a glossy magazine that retells stories most Disney fans have heard many times over.

For even more money, you can join a membership club that nets a couple of nifty lapel pins.

And for even more money, that membership will get you a few bucks off of a multi-day Disney convention to be held in Anaheim in September.

No doubt, there will be many fans who won't view this through cynical, wary eyes. But D23 isn't really about honoring Disney fans -- it's about getting more money from cash-strapped fans in the midst of an economic downturn the likes of which haven't been seen since "The Three Little Pigs" first came to theaters.

D23 claims to preserve Walt Disney's legacy while the company continues to trash it.

There are many fans who complain that EPCOT Center failed to honor Walt Disney's greatest dream because it turned the idea of a full-fledged city into a theme park. EPCOT Central would like to suggest this:

The Walt Disney Company fails to honor the man who created it every time it turns its tin ear to the wind, pretends to listen to the voices of its "fans," and then offers another cash-grab marketing ploy in response. (Have you ever been to one of those "collector's" events at the theme parks, the ones that charge big bucks for the, erm, privilege of buying a high-priced item?)

Rather than preserving the Disney Legacy for a few fans wealthy enough to fork over the several hundred bucks it'll cost them for the full "benefits" of D23 membership, why not instead revitalize Disneyland to more closely reflect Walt Disney's ideals? Instead of creating a fan club for "serious" Disney fans, why not study the business philosophies and vision of the man who founded The Walt Disney Company and turn to his extraordinary success for inspiration?

For some reason, The Walt Disney Company is about to put a lot of effort into D23, a program that by its very nature excludes fans who can't afford membership, or those who don't (in these very difficult economic times) have $16 to spend on a magazine. Disney used to be about providing entertainment for everyone -- not slicing it up in ways that excluded others.

For those who regard D23 as a boon, here's hoping it is indeed a success -- and that there are enough passionate fans left, after being ignored for the better part of the past decade, to warrant a three-day Disney convention, one whose sheer size reportedly is intended to rival Comic-Con's. For those of us who aren't gonna be suckered by this shameless attempt to wring more money out of our wallets, after watching The Walt Disney Company neglect Walt's legacy for years, here's a little tune to consider:

I'm no fool,

No sirree,

I'm not gonna join

That D23!

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3/10/09 Update:

There has been noticeably little mainstream news coverage of the D23 "announcement," but USA Today's pop-culture blog did pick up on the news ... and not in a way that was laudatory toward Disney. The headline: 'Disney reaches out to the nerds.'

Apparently Disney fans don't even warrant the more affectionate "geeks" anymore. The article also points out that "unfortunately" the membership price is steep. Here's the full article, which is not exactly how you want something like this launched in the media.

EPCOT Center Was Boring

2009-03-07T10:19:00.000-08:00

"But," the oft-heard argument goes, "EPCOT Center was boring. No one liked it."

Sorry, EPCOT Central isn't buying it.

Say the EPCOT had to change, and you're on to something. Say that EPCOT grew stale and didn't reflect the rapidly changing times, and it's a fair assessment. Say that EPCOT paid the price for not explaining itself to guests, and the argument holds water.

But, folks, EPCOT Center was not boring.

In 1993, film critic Roger Ebert (who used to work for Disney) wrote a review of the richly emotional The Remains of the Day, which he compares with the simliarly thoughtful The Age of Innocence. His review concludes: "I got some letters from readers who complained the movie was boring, that 'nothing happens in it.' To which I was tempted to reply: If you had understood what happened in it, it would not have been boring."

So it was for EPCOT Center, a theme park that from inception was designed to be unlike any other, and suffered the consequences for its one-of-a-kind ambition.

EPCOT Center, as it was conceived in the years after Walt Disney died, was a hard-to-define combination of world's fair and theme park, where guests could learn about the world around them -- both how it worked and who made it work. Its two distinct areas, Future World and World Showcase, may have seemed quite separate, but shared a common theme: We are all in this together.

Politics and economic philosophies were cast aside, and with good reason. Because at its core, EPCOT Center sent a message that whether we believed in progress at the hands of major corporations, or whether we believed that individuals shaped our destiny, the world was ours to make of it whatever we could dream.

This was a brazen concept. It conformed to no pre-existing "rule" about theme-park design. There was no "hub-and-spoke" concept to lure guests into the park. Visually, much of EPCOT Center couldn't be seen from any given location. Simple "rides" were transformed into lengthy experiences. Each of these experiences hewed to the theme. It wasn't enough to create a fun attraction; the central concept of our future world or our shared global culture had to be reflected.

Where EPCOT Center went wrong was less in the execution -- though that was no doubt hampered by the economic realities of spending $1 billion in the late 1970s and early 1980s, money that Walt Disney Productions simply didn't have -- than in the communication of the message.

What was EPCOT Center? It was almost impossible for guests not to know that it existed; they just didn't know what it was, and once they got there, those who hadn't sought out the explanation for themselves were left not knowing what to make of it. Two miles away, The Magic Kingdom was filled with fun and frivolity. Around the Walt Disney World "Vacation Kingdom," simple pleasures like golfing, tennis, water skiing and horseback riding beckoned. They didn't need explanation. EPCOT Center did.

One of the most frequently maligned attractions of EPCOT's early days was the Universe of Energy, sponsored by a Exxon -- a company that, even in the oil-crazy days of the 1970s, was hardly a bastion of trust and integrity. Exxon had an agenda, and the Universe of Energy proved a perfect platform from which to extol the virtues of petroleum-based energy products. With the leaden, stentorian tones of a dull college professor, the attraction insisted that oil and gasoline would lead the way. Considering the times, and particularly what followed EPCOT Center's opening, the attraction was tone deaf and, yes, dull.

But was it boring? Not to anyone who disagreed with its view. Not to anyone who looked beyond the surface to explore the ideas and concepts that were buried just under the surface. If the Universe of Energy wasn't exactly inspirational, it wasn't boring. Even in its deceptive simplicity, it was unusually complex in its ambitions.

No, neither the Universe of Energy (used here as just one example) or EPCOT Center could be defined as "boring." Challenging, perhaps. Ambitious and not entirely successful, without doubt.

The problems with EPCOT Center, looking back, came not from execution, but from expectation. Guests expected to find the prototypical, happy, silly, tune-filled Disney merriment, but came away confused. Confusion is never good for a brand-conscious company like Disney, so over the years, Disney marketeers sought to decrease the confusion.

"Epcot" became a "discovery park" for a while, and today has no real definition. It's just another "Disney park," one that can't be defined as "the Hollywod park," or "the animal park" or "a place where fairytale dreams come true."

EPCOT Center has never lived down its early reputation as being boring. But it didn't earn that reputation. More accurately, Disney never tried to combat that label. Instead of developing a team of marketers, publicists, brand managers and operations staff who could further define and understand EPCOT, Disney gave up on it. Now, it's a dumping ground for anything that doesn't quite fit anywhere else. It's a hodgepodge of ideas, one that seems somehow easier to define for its lack of a consistent theme than it ever was when it knew what it wanted to be.

EPCOT Center was never like any other place. It might be true that few 11-year-olds were blown away by the place, found it to be exciting and captivating. But as one reader recently observed, when he first visited the park, he found it boring. Today, he can't get enough but his family finds it dull.

As a high-school teacher used to say to our class, "Only boring people are bored." For those of us who went in knowing what to expect, who were willing to open our minds to the ideas presented (even if they were rudimentary), who wanted something more than passive entertainment, EPCOT Center was hardly boring, and could have grown and changed into something even more spectacular, even more ambitious ... not just a dumping ground for cute cartoon mascots and high-tech thrills.

Had EPCOT Center truly been boring, this blog wouldn't see thousands and thousands of readers every month. It would have been forgotten. As flawed as it may have been, EPCOT Center stirred the imaginations of a great many who visited it. Only time will tell, but it's hard to imagine the same thing happening with the lower-case Epcot. It just seems like a big waste of a great idea.

Our Future, Epcot's Future

2009-03-01T17:19:00.001-08:00

Your vehicle is resuming its journey. Thank you for your patience!

EPCOT Central apologizes for the delay.

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Last week, when speaking to Congress, President Barack Obama once again (for this EPCOT-loving listener, anyway) evoked thoughts about what went wrong with Disney's most ambitious theme park ... and about why there is no better time than now to get back to the business of making it work properly again.

EPCOT Center had an ambition unlike any theme park before or since. Its goal wasn't simply to entertain, it was also to inform and inspire. Guests to EPCOT Center were expected to be active, not passive, participants in the experiences.

It was an ambitious goal, and because it was so unlike anything else, Disney ultimately lost sight of it. It's no easy thing to try to "monetize" the desire to "inform and inspire." Entertaining people is much easier.

But here we are, a quarter of a century later, facing challenges unlike any that most living Americans have ever experienced. The outlook is dire, there is no doubt. Will we be able to meet the remarkable demands placed on us in the next three, five, ten, twenty years? At times like these, people need to be inspired.

EPCOT Center may not have done everything perfectly, but inspiration is indeed what it tried to impart. It was a theme park, to be sure, but it also sought to have its guests leave feeling edified, feeling eager to learn more about what they had experienced. For a while, a short while, Disney even tried to encourage EPCOT's ideals outside of the theme park, by operating a teacher's center within the park, by producing educational materials and by producing a magazine.

Today's Epcot, alas, is a place to have a good time and spend some money, not a place to learn. It's a place to talk with Crush the Turtle and drink your way around the world. Few guests likely come away from Epcot eager to launch their own explorations of the seas, transportation, space, energy or international culture. Epcot is about diversion, not inspiration.

Still, some 11 million people a year visit Epcot, the majority of them Americans. A healthy percentage of them are of a very impressionable age. What they learn and experience at Epcot could change their lives, could inspire them to forge a different path, and to influence their friends and peers.

But Epcot is wasting these opportunities -- either through sheer neglect (as in the Universe of Energy), through a misguided notion that vacationing guests just want simple thrills (as at Test Track), or through a lack of understanding of enormous potential (as with the park's overall theme).

As our President lately has been telling us, we are now paying the price, as a nation and as individuals, for years of choosing expediency and immediate gratification over long-term dedication and principle. Similarly, Disney is paying this price with Epcot. Now is the time for change.

The Walt Disney Company has a fantastic opportunity to begin rebuilding EPCOT Center to its former glory, making it more meaningful, more relevant and more influential than ever before. That doesn't mean tearing down what is there and returning the park to its 1982 guise. It means focusing on the core values of EPCOT Center, recognizing that Disney has the opportunity to create a theme park that actually reflects the world around us, a world on which it can have genuine impact.

The next four years (and beyond) are filled with challenges, but last week, Obama started drawing the map to a destination that promises to be better than where we are now. He reminded us that we are all passengers on Spaceship Earth, that we're setting forth on a grand American Adventure, and that the actions we take today and in the months ahead will shape our Future World.

Its original promise of being an always-changing, ever-growing place might have seen EPCOT rather immediately reflect our current environment. Instead, it is stuck in carefree, "fun" mode. Still ...

With care and effort, EPCOT could be one of the most extraordinary destinations Disney has ever created. It could constantly change to make us more aware of our world while never being staid or overbearing. It could be an EPCOT for these times, as well as for all times.

But Disney would need to put aside "immediate gratification" projects like more Disney Vacation Club resorts and new Pixar-based attractions ... to turn its back on short-term gain in favor of long-term vision.

The world is struggling to believe in a message of change and hope, to believe in a better future. It's hard not to remember, as the President speaks, about what EPCOT was meant to be, what it almost became. EPCOT Center was conceived in an era of turmoil and change. Perhaps an era of turmoil and change can once again have an impact. If EPCOT is at all important to The Walt Disney Company, there's no better time than now to prove it.

Attention Travelers!

2009-02-14T10:20:00.000-08:00

Your time machine has come to a stop. EPCOT Central is working on this temporary situation and will resume its journey shortly.

Back to the Future, Part III

2009-02-08T20:02:00.001-08:00

There are a lot of great EPCOT montages on YouTube, but this one is particularly nice. Hope you enjoy!

Back to the Future, Part II

2009-02-05T20:38:00.001-08:00

This fantastic in-room information video from 1987 really brings back memories! No "giant golf ball" here, but rather EPCOT Center is described as "a celebration of man and his imagination on a scale never before dreamed of." The EPCOT Center fun begins at about 2:34 into this video. Enjoy!

Back to the Future

2009-02-04T14:18:00.001-08:00

Though EPCOT Central listed it as the top worst thing about the original incarnation of EPCOT Center, it's nonetheless a kick to check out this short video of Communicore and EPCOT from the 1980s. Enjoy!

A Letter to Bob Iger and John Lasseter

2009-02-02T16:45:00.001-08:00

Dear Mr. Iger and Mr. Lasseter,

It is very clear that The Walt Disney Company has bigger problems at the moment than the creative direction of a 26-year-old theme park, particularly one that has always been difficult for your company to understand. You have to be concerned about the softening ad market, the declining ratings for ABC, the strong competition facing Disney Channel, the impact that the economy is having on retail sales of your consumer products, the details of your contract to build a new theme park in China, and the enormous hassle of rebuilding a flawed theme park from the ground up.

Yes, the problems of EPCOT pale in comparison. And the last-place finish of your studio in 2008, along with the public rejection of Disney-produced animated features, haven't even been mentioned. So, yes, you have your hands full. Good luck with all that.

But here's the thing: EPCOT really is more than just another one of your Disney Parks. In the lineup of parks around the world, it is unique. It stands for something, or at least it did. And that something is much more than "Walt Disney's final dream."

You see, Walt Disney ran a company that was itself quite complex. Back in those days, he had a fully operating studio to be concerned about, his own distribution company, animated features to produce, two weekly television series, a theme park, a merchandising operation, and a full-fledged R&D group called WED Enterprises. He was also, arguably, the most well-known and beloved public figure of his time.

The company you run was built from scratch by him -- by this man. He wasn't a "concept," he wasn't a "brand." He was one of the 20th century's most optimistic visionaries, and within a space of forty years, he moved from struggling to get cartoon shorts made and distributed to concerning himself with nothing less than the fate of humanity.

That seems to have been forgotten these days, though I think, Mr. Lasseter, you have spoken about it quite eloquently in the past. Walt Disney was an actual person, and he carefully crafted an entertainment empire out of nothing.

Today, you manage that empire, and you've been trying to make it grow. But in so doing, you seem to have lost sight of some of the very ideals and ideas that made it grow in the first place. Interestingly, and despite all that came out of their tenure, Michael Eisner and Frank Wells really did seem to understand that. When they "grew" The Walt Disney Company, they did so by focusing sharply on its core operations, by encouraging creativity within the scope of the things Disney already did well. As we all know, that came unraveled in 1995 when Disney purchased Capital Cities/ABC Inc. and became distracted. There was too much to do in too little time.

The predecessor of Eisner and Wells, Ron Miller, isn't often given credit for what he did right, and there were a great many things. He recognized that Disney needed to make different kinds of movies, but still focused on the concept of strong storytelling, so he created Touchstone Pictures, which is now gone. He knew the Disney brand had potential outside of the United States, so he oversaw the development of Tokyo Disneyland. He knew Disney could capture some of the market in the growing cable and home-video businesses. When he left, Disney was well-poised for growth, and under Eisner and Wells it grew at an astonishing rate.

But at the heart of everything was always the idea that Disney understood what "Disney" meant. It wasn't about being a company focused on pleasing kids and tweens. It wasn't a company that could compete on a lot of fronts. So, it would ignore those and focus on what it did well.

It was around this time, though, that Walt Disney's grand passion for building a better tomorrow was sacrificed. And EPCOT has been a major casualty.

So, now that EPCOT Central's slightly skewed (admittedly) version of Disney history is out of the way, let's focus for a moment on EPCOT itself.

EPCOT was, for several years, the culmination of all Disney had learned -- in theme-park development, in R&D, in filmmaking, in guest services, in merchandising, in employee management. Set aside (which is a tough thing to do) that it never really fulfilled Walt Disney's vision of a city of the future -- once he died, it was unlikely anyone could carry his torch for that massive a dream. Let's focus on what EPCOT actually did do.

EPCOT provided something wholly different. By virtue of being within Walt Disney World, it was, in fact, the most "Disney" of creations. But it didn't need to wear this on its sleeve. Even once Mickey and gang were introduced to EPCOT, it remained unlike anything else on earth.

Without making a show of it, EPCOT encapsulated the very definition of "Disney" -- dreams, hope, ambition and progress. And let's not forget this one simple fact: It was successful.

The original incarnation of EPCOT Center has a reputation of having failed ... but it didn't. It followed a very predictable, very normal pattern in its first couple of years: Great attendance in the first year, followed by a decline, which leveled off. Anyone with a few hours and some key data would have seen that EPCOT's attendance declines in 1983 and 1984, fueled in part by difficulty in the overall economy, are the same declines that Disney and other theme parks have traditionally seen.

Where EPCOT failed, though, was that it never changed. It remained static, and was not representative of the world it tried to present. Quickly, people grew tired of it -- why visit a park with such complex, intricate attractions if those attractions never changed? Once life began to change so rapidly, with the ubiquity of personal computers, VHS players, etc., EPCOT seemed to show us a past vision of the future ... not a new one.

And here's the rub: If EPCOT represented the ideals of Walt Disney and the company he founded, once it grew stale, so did Disney. Sure, there were several years of excitement, of explosive growth at Walt Disney World, and EPCOT did reflect that, by opening new attractions, new pavilions, new rides that could distract guests from the ones that didn't change.

But EPCOT was founded on the ideal of constant change. Of reinvention. Of new possibility. Not of "more of the same."

And in the past decade or so, Disney has been exactly that -- more of the same. Where is the excitement? Where is the sense of opportunity? Where is the feeling that the goal isn't simply to grow revenue, it's to constantly innovate as a way to grow revenue?

So, you see, when EPCOT grows stale, so does Disney. Possibly it's the other way around, but I don't think so. Too many hopes, dreams and promises were built into EPCOT, so it's something of a bellwether.

Today's EPCOT reflects what Disney has become: Obsessed with self-promotion, with simple entertainment, with shoving the "brand" into our faces, with capturing the tween market, with appealing to everyone. What did your mother tell you when you were growing up? If you try to please everyone, you'll please no one.

There is much to admire in EPCOT, but most of that comes in the form of reminders of the park that once was, of the extraordinary ambition it represented.

As a longtime shareholder, I'd love to see my stock realize a significant return on my investment. It's been languishing for years.

If you want to know why, don't look at the happy worlds of your now-ubiquitous Magic Kingdoms. Look at the park that is most unlike any of the others. Look at the park that represented the imagination and ideals of Walt Disney and thousands of people who shared his dream. Look at the park that used to point to our future.

EPCOT is Disney. Disney is EPCOT.

It will be interesting to see what the future has in store for both.

Yours truly,

EPCOT Central

A Quick Word to the Wise

2009-01-30T11:50:00.000-08:00

To the marketing gurus behind the new Walt Disney World website: Spaceship Earth is many things, including an architectural icon, an engineering work of wonder and a symbol of hope and progress. But calling it a "giant golf ball" is demeaning and insulting. Sadly, it's also not surprising.

The Best and Worst of Epcot -- Number 1

2009-01-29T15:34:00.000-08:00

There are literally hundreds of "best" things about EPCOT, from the Fountain of Nations ... to the music that plays throughout Future World ... from the music-filled dinner at Biergarten ... to the "undiscovered" back alleys and side paths in the Morocco and United Kingdom pavilions.

Likewise, there are, unfortunately, a large number of things that aren't just worthy of improvement, but are downright lousy. That creaky wooden stage area at the Fountain of Nations ... the Beverly soda at Club Cool (though this falls into the category of "strangely worthwhile" to me) ... the out-of-place Character Connection ... the travesty of turning Akershus into a "princess" dining facility ... the carny-style sales carts that line the streets prior to Illuminations ... the doesn't-fool-anyone "Eiffel tower" ... the ghost town that was the Wonders of Life.

Yes, as many readers have pointed out, EPCOT Central tends to find more wrong with EPCOT than right -- much like the teacher who believes a student should be getting an A, not a B-minus. It could be so much more.

There are bad things about EPCOT, and there are resplendent ones. So, for this final list, EPCOT Central will work its way backward, writing first about its No. 1 worst at Epcot and EPCOT Center, and ultimately ending on a positive note, with the finest, most majestic and memorable offering EPCOT has ... and perhaps has ever had. What is it? Read on to find out.

The Worst and Best of EPCOT Center-- #1

Worst: CommuniCore
The idea could have been turned into something extraordinary -- the familiar "world's fair" concept of allowing American (and, today, global) industry to showcase their work and how it will impact our future. A place where we could see, feel and interact with the technologies and the ideas that would shape our Future World. But it never, ever worked. From the start, CommuniCore lacked vision. The "Astuter Computer Review" was rightly one of the fastest-shuttered attractions at EPCOT Center. The computerized coaster was a blast, but even in 1982 seemed like something you could find in other places. The flag game was silly. The computer technology on display was rudimentary even by the standards of the early 1980s. This was supposed to be the "community core" of EPCOT Center, but felt more like the kind of place you wander through without quite knowing what to do. Later, Innoventions would offer more current technology, but with a heavy-handed sales pitch in most cases, and even if it had a more understandable layout, the result was still the same: mostly boredom. CommuniCore should have been one of the centerpieces of EPCOT Center, but wound up as a series of unimpressive "sideshows." From the moment the first artists renderings of EPCOT Center were released, it seemed CommuniCore might be a blueprint for literal community centers that could be replicated around the country, a centralized hub for technology, information and education. But it never happened, not in the real world, and certainly not at EPCOT. Especially given its prominent location at the heart of EPCOT Center, CommuniCore was a bust. Alas, it was replaced by a bust, as well.

Best: Horizons
"All shiny and new" -- that's all you needed to know. Our future was going to be amazing, and we were the ones who were shaping it. There is no question that Horizons exemplified everything Disney did best, as well as encapsulated EPCOT Center's theme brilliantly. Although it wasn't the visual icon of the park, like Spaceship Earth, it may as well have been. I'm not sure many would have complained if Horizons had been dismantled and then put back together inside the geosphere, since it was the perfect EPCOT attraction. Some have pointed out recently that Mission: Space isn't a pavilion but just a ride. The same was true for Horizons, of course. A recent post on the wonderful Progress City blog describes a post-show that never came to be, which would have "filled out" the pavilion. But unlike Mission: Space, Horizons wasn't just a ride; it was a lengthy, immersive, family friendly experience that combined Audio Animatronics, smellitizers, film and even interactivity -- long before the latter was possible with CG technology.

Optimism abounded in Horizons. The attraction wasn't afraid to suggest that our future was a good one, and in our hands it was safe. Keep in mind, Horizons was conceived and built not long after the end of the Vietnam War, as the country was coming out of a recession and energy crisis, after an attempted presidential assassination and the Iranian hostage crisis. We had experienced a fair share of trauma, but Horizons assured us it would all be OK. Of course it was a fairy tale. Of course it was borderline silly. But optimism always is. Horizons was uncommonly brave for being so sure of its happy theme despite evidence to the contrary. The future couldn't be anything but promising if we could dine with friends from Africa under the sea, or watch a storm gather in the desert while hovercraft harvested oranges, or imagine ourselves as part of a family that floated together in an outer-space home. Getting dizzy while diving into the double-helix of a DNA strand may not have taught us anything, but it was infinitely more inspiring, more astounding, than a ride designed primarily to get you sick.

We face new horizons today, but at EPCOT, without this remarkable attraction, they don't seem quite so shiny, quite so new.

The Worst and Best of Epcot-- #1

Worst: Imagination! Pavilion
It's cringe-worthy. Just as Mission: Space splits the family due to its unrelenting intensity, so does the awkwardly named Imagination! Pavilion. (I discovered that the exclamation point is being used by visiting Disney's equally cringe-worthy new "Epcot Theme Park" webpage, which actually compares the majestic Spaceship Earth to a golf ball and includes a picture of the Innovations entrance that hasn't even been touched up in Photoshop -- the "ghost" effect of carelessly removing the word "West" is evident. Meanwhile, "Disney's Kim Possible World Showcase Adventure" is touted as the premiere new "attraction" at Epcot Theme Park. OK, sorry, I digress. Badly.)

From the start, the Imagination pavilion -- excuse me for not using the exclamation point anymore -- was iffy. Yes, it was for kids, but it was almost only for kids. It was as cloyingly sweet as drinking Coke with a mouthful of Bubble Yum. Yes, Figment and the Dream Finder were there, and they had the advantage of being the unofficial mascots of Future World. But adults had a very hard time finding something to love about this place, and if it was fair to "balance out" EPCOT and provide something for the kids, well, fair enough. But then, an iffy pavilion went tragically wrong. A late-'90s, Disney-specific fascination with a gear motif invaded. An already icky-sweet kids ride became a travesty, that ultimately was reworked into an almost-travesty. And a 3-D film that provided more than a few laughs on the first viewing became, somehow, a permanent Epcot attraction. Look here, Disney -- Honey I Shrunk the Audience not only isn't very good, but I can get a better 3-D experience in IMAX theaters around the country today. There's absolutely nothing special about this film anymore, and it certainly doesn't stir the "imagination."

Then again, this is Disney's public acknowledgement of how it perceives the concept of imagination. And that, sadly, says an awful lot.

Best: Illuminations -- Reflections of Earth
Several readers guessed this was coming ... and there is, in the opinion of EPCOT Central, no single better attraction, present or past, at Epcot. Illuminations -- Reflections of Earth is a stunning achievement, one that frankly transcends mere entertainment (which is how, no doubt, most guests perceive it -- just "the fireworks show") and becomes a majestically memorable artistic experience. Without a single Disney character (unless you count very brief glimpses of Mickey Mouse), without a single reference to a Disney work, it embodies all that Walt Disney himself believed: the promise of mankind, the ways in which we are all connected, the glory we feel when we achieve great things, the perserverence we display when challenged. It combines an artistic expression of the creation of the world with a literally glowing display of the diversity, the beauty and the power of our planet and ourselves.

Illuminations -- Reflections of Earth offers soaring music, dazzling lights, and impressive firepower, and few who see it walk away unmoved, even if they can't quite explain why.

It's a beautiful end to a day at Epcot, and a perfect representation of everything the park could be. Illuminations -- Reflections of Earth may have been created to celebrate the millennium, but it continues as a way to celebrate every day, to remind us that we are all on the same journey, ready to make another thousand circles 'round the sun, not knowing the future, but confident it is good.

Bravo, Disney. Bravo, Epcot.

May Illuminations -- Reflections of Earth never go away. It's perfect as it is. Don't tinker with it. Be proud of the fact that if there are flaws in Epcot, this is gloriously, spectacularly, wonderfully perfect.

The Best and Worst of Epcot -- Number 2

2009-01-25T09:07:00.000-08:00

As EPCOT Central moves closer to revealing its Number 1 "Best and Worst of Epcot," it's rather remarkable how the exercise has revealed just how much EPCOT started with a pitch-perfect theme that needed fine-tuning and care, and how The Walt Disney Company has allowed it to devolve into just another "Disney Park." That doesn't mean, though, that the very best that EPCOT has to offer isn't something very special indeed ...

The Best and Worst of Epcot -- #2

Best: The American Adventure
Ben Franklin doesn't make it up those stairs quite as smoothly anymore, and except for the stirring short film at the conclusion, little in The American Adventure has been altered in 27 years, even while America itself has seen remarkable change in that time. How wonderful it would be to see a new scene that acknowledges the Vietnam War, American innovations in technology, or the role of activists like Gloria Steinem and Cesar Chavez, who were still struggling for equality when the show opened in 1982. (Yes, they are both briefly represented in the film.) But carping aside, there are fewer finer examples of Disney showmanship than The American Adventure. No doubt, some readers will take exception to the pro-American theme and the schmaltzy sentimentalism that glosses over what Walt Disney once called "the hard facts that created America."

"Disney Parks" have all but forgotten that rather important element of Walt's opening-day speech at Disneyland, but here, under the veil of Disney optimism, those hard facts are on full display. People die, there are consequences, there are tears that are legitimately earned. The American Adventure is a masterful blend of Audio-Animatronic actors, spectacular set design, a compelling story and memorable music. It is perhaps the pinnacle of Disney Imagineering, and it truly thrills the heart -- not just the body.

Some will say it's boring and it's just a good excuse for a 30-minute nap. I feel sorry for those people, and sorry for the EPCOT that could have been (and, in the spirit of The American Adventure, perhaps still can!) -- it's a pavilion and a show worth visiting time and time again, one that leaves the mind and spirit soaring, and reminds EPCOT guests that pessmism is impossible when they remember the challenges faced by those who have come before us. No theme park in the world offers anything like The American Adventure. No one has dared since. Not, sadly, even Disney.

Worst: Mission: Space
It's a hell of an experience, there's no doubt. But in the end, it's not much different than any other spinning ride, just a lot more elaborate; and you're not actually doing anything except staring at middling CG imagery on a small screen. The lift-off and moonshot moments are thrilling and disconcerting and unique -- but they also make some guests fearful that they may be experiencing a heart attack or stroke, particularly after the dire warning signs plastered on billboards that are big enough for Times Square. Love it or hate it, Mission: Space could, with a few tweaks to the storyline (are we on a training mission, or did we really go to Mars?), have imparted some real insight into the space program and the challenges the world faces in conquering that final frontier.

No, it's not the attraction itself, for all of its inherent flaws, that kicks this one up to the No. 2 spot of EPCOT Central's "Worst of Epcot" -- it's the ride's intensity, which makes it one that only a relatively few people even want to try. It's not appropriate for everyone, which the warning signs make abundantly clear. True, Disney theme parks have had basic roller coasters ever since the Matterhorn opened at Disneyland in 1959. But they were tame, fun attractions that even roller-coaster haters, if forced, would admit weren't nearly as bad as they had feared. Perhaps the whole family wouldn't ride them together, but they could.

Mission: Space takes the opposite approach. It's not for the faint of heart. People who have survived the most extreme of traditional roller coasters quake at the mention of Mission: Space. It genuinely repulses some people. And for those who are not tall enough, brave enough, old enough or in good enough physical condition to ride it, it is forbidden. It splits up the family in exactly the opposite way Walt Disney intended for his theme parks. Uncle Walt once sat on a bench while his daughters enjoyed a dilapidated merry-go-round and felt there should be someplace the family could go to have fun together. Today, he'd be sitting on a bench outside Mission: Space feeling the same thing ... and wondering what happened to his vision.

The Best and Worst of EPCOT Center -- #2

Best: The Living Seas

Imagineers never could crack the ride portion, and that doomed The Living Seas from the very start. It's a shame, because the original attraction, which existed from 1986 to 2003, was one of the most evocative in all of EPCOT Center. But its lack of a compelling ride element caused too many guests to overlook it. Certainly the opening film, with its dramatic narration and astonishing visuals, set the stage better than any other pre-show, creating a legitimate sense of interest and excitement among guests. The exhibition areas were fantastic, and the set design of the interior truly transported guests into a different place. It was at The Living Seas that I first saw a manatee, learned about the damage done by a ship's wake (not good marketing for the Disney Cruise Line), saw the living creature inside the delicious conch fritters I enjoyed in South Florida, learned more about dolphins (porpoises) and understood what a deep-sea diver has to do to prepare. No, it was no Sea World, but it was extraordinary. Beyond that, and thankfully the "updated"/Pixar-ized pavilion still offers this, the 5.7 million-gallon tank was a place in which a guest's mind could get lost. Yes, for most it was a "point-at-the-fish-and-say-how-pretty-it-is" kind of place, but for those who wanted to know more, who were intrigued by what The Living Seas had to offer, it was also the kind of place in which you could spend almost an entire day and still come away wanting to see, learn and know more. It was inspirational. It wasn't just a bunch of talking cartoon sea creatures.

Worst: Italy

There was a lovely, more-or-less authentic Italian restuarant that opened our stomachs to the notion that the mom-and-pop pizza place down the street was the Italian equivalent of McDonald's. And beyond that, there was (and is) nothing. A couple of shops, a few fake statues, a lovely mirror-image replica of St. Mark's Square in miniature. And that's it. The gondolas moored at the front of the pavilion still hint at what could have been -- a gondola ride through the country. But this ain't Italy, folks. Not even close. EPCOT's Italy offers no hint of the complexity, diversity and beauty of the country, and if Germany's Bavaria-heavy pavilion next door is guilty of some of the same sins, at least it offers a genuine entertainment experience at the Biergarten. Italy used to give you some authentic Fettucini Alfredo (it doesn't even do that anymore) and a few occasional street players. Mostly, it's a big waste of space that is of slightly less than passing interest. Does mediocrity really warrant its inclusion on a list of the worst that the "original" EPCOT Center had to offer? Yes. Because even a guest who knew nothing of the project's troubled development was left wondering why there actually anything here. It was and is just a big, fat nothing, a perfect example of why far too many people write off EPCOT as "boring." In the case of the Italian pavilion, they're right.

The Best and Worst of Epcot -- Number 3

2009-01-23T17:34:00.000-08:00

The responses and comments have been great … keep them coming! Of course, this list is just EPCOT Central’s view, which is hardly definitive. And don’t forget – it’s divided into the best and worst of “lower-case” Epcot, as well as the historical best and worst of EPCOT Center. And sometimes, there’s an interesting intersection …

The Best and Worst of Epcot -- #3

Best: Spaceship Earth

The ending still doesn’t work, and many have argued that Dame Judi Dench sounds like a smug schoolteacher. But generally speaking, Spaceship Earth retains is place as one of Epcot and Walt Disney World’s very best not because it tells a particularly coherent story or leaves riders feeling clasically “thrilled.” No, what it does so remarkably well today is exactly what it has done remarkably well for 27 years: It sets the tone for the entire theme park. It offers a well-told tale of where we've been, where we are and where we may be going, optimistically and, speaking as one who actually likes the new, screen-based, Horizons-like ending, with a touch of humor. Even more importantly, Spaceship Earth is the sort of ride that only Disney creates -- or, more accurately, created. Every moment of the long ascent is filled with audio-animatronic magic, and the burning of Rome, short as it is, provides that only-at-Disney jolt to guests who don't expect these sorts of touches at a theme park: "Did you smell that?!" The revamped theme of innovation isn't as specific as the history and future of communications, but in a way, it is the scene-setter EPCOT has always needed. The re-imagined Spaceship Earth would have been right at home at EPCOT Center. Today, alas, it's a bit of an anomaly in the schizophrenic, identity-less Future World. Nonetheless ... it works.

Worst: Universe of Energy/Ellen’s Energy Adventure

Take a perfect theme for an EPCOT pavilion, dumb it down and make it irrelevant and ... you've got the "new" (circa 1996) Universe of Energy. Oddly, Ellen's Energy Adventure has been in place almost as long as the original Universe of Energy attraction, but it feels dated and lackluster in a way that even the admittedly draggy first effort (see below) never did. Ellen De Generes is a great comedian. She's a charming host, and it's hard not to at least be amused by her presence. Once. Ellen's Energy Adventure is the sort of ride that, once experienced, you never want to go on again. Painfully unfunny comedy such as the "humorous" radio broadcasts after the dinosaur sequence; the horrifyingly dated use of "Jeopardy!" and Bill Nye the Science Guy; a "plot" that doesn't make sense even in context; and a murky message made so elementary as to be pointless all combine to make this one of Epcot's absolute worst. There's so much potential here, but even as the entire developed world has made energy use, conservation and development one of its most important priorities, Disney hasn't done a damned thing with the Universe of Energy. In an age of the internet, hybrid cars, consumer solar arrays and hydrogen-powered vehicles, this attraction mentions none of them, leaving it painfully, achingly stuck in the waning days of last century.

The Best and Worst of EPCOT Center -- #3

Best: Universe of Energy

Yes, it’s true that some guidebooks listed EPCOT Center’s Universe of Energy pavilion as the single worst attraction in Central Florida. Boring. Plodding. Simplistic. Biased. And there’s a lot of basis for those negative criticisms. But there’s another way to look at it: The Universe of Energy combined film, audio-animatronics, smell, music, sound and color into an experience that may have seemed dull to some, but was almost certainly never forgotten. The attraction violated Walt’s own vision, put forth during the development of the World’s Fair, that film-based experiences weren’t interesting or involving. Maybe not in a movie theater, but in a traveling theater they became fascinating, particularly when they contained incredible images presented on massive screens. The Universe of Energy had not one but two separate musical themes, and any EPCOT enthusiast c an tell you they may have been trite and jingly, but they were memorable. The audio-animatronic sequences were the heart of the attraction, but today they’re extraneous and feel completely out of place, where in the original incarnation they provided a fantastic centerpiece that truly added to the story. There’s no doubt, particularly in today’s world, that the core message that fossil fuels were really our only good energy option was misguided and painfully tilted toward the interests of Exxon – but it was delivered in a mightily persuasive way. You may not have believed or welcomed it, but you couldn’t argue that it wasn’t told compellingly. Likewise, with its size, its shimmering solar panels, its “Radok blocks” pre-show, its skillful and technologically sophisticated pairing of epic-scaled ride-through and vivid films, the Universe of Energy was a fantastic example of EPCOT Center’s vision.

Worst: World of Motion

There's a painful truth hidden amid loving memories of the "old" EPCOT Center: A couple of the pavilions were, well, not good. The World of Motion was one of them. Yes, it was a quintessential Disney attraction, there's no denying that. It was lavishly produced, beautifully executed, a long and detailed ride-through that in many ways represented the very best Disney had to offer. But it was as bloated as a movie musical from the early 1970s, mistaking "big" for "good," mild humor for passable comedy. On every trip to EPCOT Center from 1983 (my first visit) to 1996, when the attraction closed, I desperately wanted to discover that I was wrong about World of Motion. It never happened. Its history-of-transportation story never felt fully fleshed out, and its music was terrible. Keep in mind, this is coming from a big fan of X Atencio and Buddy Baker. There were, though, a couple of saving graces: the glimmering, shining "city of the future" in the center of the attraction; the gleaming, absolutely beautiful mirrored circle of a building; the curving ascent to the ride that took you outside the show building for a moment and effortlessly conveyed, both to riders and to guests looking at the building, the concept of "motion." EPCOT Central has defended World of Motion in the past, and the flawed attraction is, all things considered, still marginally preferable to Test Track. No, it wasn't very good. But at least it tried.

EPCOT, Obama and the Future

2009-01-20T17:55:00.000-08:00

Today, U.S. President Barack Obama delivered an inauguration speech rich with promise and hope, and as he spoke, my mind surprisingly turned to EPCOT Center.

Twenty-six years ago, Disney created a theme park of remarkable scale and ambition, one that attempted to tell us where America and the world had been, where we are going, and what we may find when we get there. The theme was also filled with promise and hope, with optimism and pride. And for the past decade and a half or so, it has been considered outmoded and cheesy, irrelevant to a nation obsessed with commercialism, consumerism and brand identity.

And yet, on the first day of the Obama Administration, our president admonished us for having forgotten those very ideals, those lofty dreams, the idealism and vision that helped create an entire nation out of nothing during the course of just two centuries.

President Obama said, "Now, there are some who question the scale of our ambitions -- who suggest that our system cannot tolerate too many big plans. Their memories are short. For they have forgotten what this country has already done; what free men and women can achieve when imagination is joined to common purpose, and necessity to courage. What the cynics fail to understand is that the ground has shifted beneath them ..."

These were words that had me recalling the very feelings I first felt as a teenager visitng EPCOT Center. Our country is strong. Our world is strong. Our future is strong, if we just have imagination and a sense of purpose.

Earlier in the speech, he said, "We will restore science to its rightful place, and wield technology's wonders to raise health care's quality and lower its cost. We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories. And we will transform our schools and colleges and universities to meet the demands of a new age. All this we can do. And all this we will do."

Science. Technology. Harnessing the sun and the soil. Joining imagination to purpose. As he said this, I recalled Spaceship Earth, the Universe of Energy, the World of Motion, Living With the Land, Communicore, The Living Seas and all of the audacious ideas and concepts they tried to present. I thought about World Showcase and its humbly unspoken message that we all live next door to each other, we are all working together for the vision of the future that is just on the other shore, so close by, waiting to be explored.

As Obama related the struggles of our forefathers, I recalled that The American Adventure offers a similarly stirring story. But is so often overlooked these days, and Disney has responded not by improving and refining it, but by installing the Kim Possible activity, by encouraging young guests not to explore the true stories of the world's nations and peoples, but rather the fictional adventures of a Disney cartoon.

Today's EPCOT reflects our times.

It is crass consumerism, pointed "brand positioning" and unabashed, meaningless "entertainment." It is like everything else, and our society has come to value things that are like everything else. We want our movies to be the same, we want our TV to be the same, we want our cars to be the same. We value profits and economic growth over hard work and sacrifice, over imagination and progress.

"Progress" was a word Walt Disney used frequently. Obama uses it, too. Maybe it will become part of our vocabulary again. "Progress" is different than "growth." "Progress" is change, imagination, inspiration and promise. "Growth" is selfish gain.

Maybe you don't want to be told these things on vacation. Disney has made sure you don't have to be.

Maybe Disney just wants to make sure EPCOT makes the most money it can. Surely after losing billions of dollars on Hong Kong Disneyland and Disneyland Paris and Prince Caspian and ABC Family, Disney can afford to have one theme park that isn't as much a slam-dunk as the others?

We are faced with the opportunity to answer a call to try harder. To come together as an American and a global family. To see ourselves in the faces of those who look and live differently. To shine a light on the path that leads to the future.

These are all things that EPCOT Center tried to do.

It's a shame that EPCOT has given up this attempt. Because more than ever, as we were told today by our president, we need to set an example for what we can be, what we should be. The next generation of EPCOT did lower its sights, and now we see the outcome.

The time has come, Obama reminded us today, citing Scripture, to put away childish things.

Here's hoping someone at Disney was listening.

The Best and Worst of Epcot -- Number 4

2009-01-16T14:53:00.001-08:00

Many thanks to EPCOT Central readers for great comments and feedback on the first entry in this series. Here's hoping that the No. 4 ranking of the best and worst, current and historical, at EPCOT will trigger equally good, bad, passionate and interesting responses!

The Best and Worst of Epcot -- #4

Best: Living With the Land

Otherwise known as "the boat ride in the Land," this is one of the very last traces of Epcot's roots, and thank goodness Disney hasn't done away with it ... yet. Despite its leisurely pace, its informative nature and its lack of zany, crazy singing Disney/Pixar cartoon characters, Living With the Land is one of those extraordinary experiences that typically has most resistant guests expressing genuine surprise and delight that it's such a memorable, unique attraction. A few years ago, Epcot lovers held their collective breath as Disney did away with the live narrators who had "piloted" the boats since 1982. The most astonishing surprise: The ride improved. No longer was there a chance of getting a newly trained or bored host who recited lines in a flat monotone, or overly peppy guides who hoped one of the guests would be a talent agent and that this was his or her big break. Now, the experience is the same for every guest, and it's a great experience, one that opens a door onto a realm of our everyday life that most of us take for granted. Living With the Land educates, entertains, stimulates and fascinates -- even the early limited-animation animatronic/diorama scenes have an unexpected, rather beautiful quality. This is one of Epcot's very best attractions. It used to be simply first among equals when EPCOT Center's Future World was filled with elaborate, multi-faceted pavilions dedicated to thrilling our minds and spirits. Now, it's one of the few holdovers of that long-gone EPCOT that leaves many guests thinking, "I wish more of Epcot were like that!" Let's hope Disney doesn't do away with this one. It shows off what makes Epcot unlike any other theme park in the world.

Worst: Soarin'

Oh, don't worry -- EPCOT Central is braced for backlash on this one, but here's the reason: Soarin' has absolutely no thematic connection to the Land pavilion or Epcot. It's just a transplanted ride, albeit a wonderful one, plopped down in Walt Disney World. Given it's California theme, it would make as much sense at Disney's Hollywood Studios. And that's a big black eye for Epcot. If taken on its own terms, Soarin' is a terrific ride that combines the feeling of being on a "real" ride-through attraction (sitting in a chair, buckling a seat belt, being lifted) with a stunning IMAX film experience. But it's exactly the same ride that exists at Disney's California Adventure; not even a modicum of effort was made to alter the ride for Florida guests, so, incongruously, guests are taken on a scenic journey over the Golden State that has absolutely no relation to anything else at Epcot. Imagineers even kept, bizarrely, the final scene that takes place over Disneyland in California. With a handful of new shots, this could have been "Soarin' Over the Land," showing off wheat and corn fields, shrimp boats, cotton fields and the like. That might have made some sense. As it is, particularly for those of us who spend time at the California parks, it's just one more example of Disney doing things on the cheap and hoping that guests won't notice that there's really no point to it at all.

The Best and Worst of EPCOT Center -- #4

Best: Norway Pavilion

Poor Norway. An extraordinary country with thousands of years of heritage and culture is represented at Epcot by a restaurant frequented by Aurora and Jasmine, among others, and a creaky ride that sometimes barely functions. Kids deserve to have a good time at Epcot, of course, but there should be some responsibility taken by the parents. Instead, it seems most guests don't want to actually engage themselves in this theme park, they want it to be a passive, come-to-me experience that fulfills the every Disney dream of their four-year-old daughters. Nevermind that The Magic Kingdom and countless resort character dining experiences are just a short drive or bus ride away (not to mention in Future World), as long as there was money to be made, Disney was going to rip it out of guests' wallets. As soon as the Norwegian government stopped funding the Norway pavilion, Disney reckoned it was theirs to do with as they pleased, even if their changes had nothing at all to do with, well, Norway. Knowing full well that many parents will be offended, EPCOT Central will say it anyway: For adults without kids, the Norway princess dining restaurant is a painful, unhappy experience. Rubbing salt on the Scandinavian wound, it sometimes seems Disney hasn't even tried with Maelstrom. The ride has always been too short, but for years was that all-too-rare Disney experience: A ride-through that combined great visuals, sound and animatronic effects with some genuinely unexpected touches. A recent ride showed two torn cyclorama screens, polar bears that growled but didn't move, a tree troll that just barely was able to lift its eyes, and a set of cast members who looked like they were desperate to be anywhere else. The final film, which retains its beauty and awe despite hilariously embarrassing 1980s fashions and technology, didn't even play. As we walked through an empty theater with scratched-up seating and dried on gum all over the carpet, my friends and I shook our heads and said, "What a shame." Then again, I'm not supposed to be writing about the worst of curret Epcot, rather the very best of "old" EPCOT Center. And for quite a wihle, Norway had the single best dining option in Epcot, one of Disney's most imaginative and charming rides, a tiny-but-informative museum exhibit that truly offered (a tiny bit of) insight into Norwegian history, a perfectly themed play place for kids and some of the nicest cast members at the park. Oh, and rice cream, too. It had more character and appeal than perhaps any other pavilion, despite its relatively small size. Now it's mostly a sea of strollers and screaming kids. Ah, but what it used to be!

Worst: The Making of Me

It should have been terrific -- a Disney-produced film about the miracle of human reproduction. Instead, we got Martin Short. Maybe he's an acquired taste. Maybe you just have to be conditioned to like him (or Canadian), but the guy has rarely been funny or even charming. It was like watching your "funny" uncle tell you about the "birds and the bees" because your parents were too embarrassed to say anything. He wasn't funny, his "facts" were slightly suspect, and you came away not actually learning anything. Yes, there were some lovely in utero images and some nice music. That's about it. Anyone over 3 came away wondering why they bothered, anyone under 3 was confused, and most of us got a good chuckle that Disney was trying to offer some insight into the most human, the most basic of functions: sex. Without the sex.

The Best and Worst of EPCOT -- Number 5

2009-01-13T22:34:00.000-08:00

For the next couple of weeks, EPCOT Central will offer its own take -- open to debate and admittedly quite subjective -- on the five best and the five worst attractions and offerings at Epcot.

But Epcot, as fans know, isn't a static, never-changing place. So, the list will offer up the five best current offerings at Epcot, as well as the five best historical attractions at EPCOT Center. Likewise, it will consider Epcot's five worst, as well as EPCOT Center's five worst.

Your thoughts, comments, suggestions, feedback and arguments are most welcome, with the hope that EPCOT Central's list will never be seen as "definitive," but instead open the door to lively conversation, both online and in the real world.

The Best and Worst of Epcot -- #5

Best: China Pavilion

As a top-class World Showcase pavilion should be, China offers much more than the attraction at its center, the CircleVision 360 film Reflections of China. More to love, then, that the film itself is terrific. Exemplifying the best of "old" EPCOT Center and "new" Epcot, the film retains the structure it has had since 1982, which ran for 21 years under the name Wonders of China. It's a beautiful film that transcends the notion of mere travelogue by truly taking guests to a place most of them have never seen, and presenting it in breathtaking, informative way. But China is much more than this film. The extraordinary Dragon Legend acrobats would be worth the cost of admission to Epcot alone. Even more, there are genuinely compelling exhibitions and authentic, immersive shopping experiences -- some of the items are truly exquisite, and there's nary a Mickey or Donald to be found. The dining may never be a journey of discovery, simply because this sort of "mass-appeal" Chinese food is so familiar to most people. Still, Epcot's China presents a beautiful, multi-faceted face in a compact space. You'll never mistake it for the real thing, but you'll also come away realizing that the real thing is vastly more complex and awesome than you may have imagined going in. It's truly a pavilion to be savored and explored.

Worst: Test Track

If judged solely on adrenaline rush and repeatability, Test Track scores high. It's an undeniably fun, sometimes genuinely thrilling ride. True, almost everyone reading this drives his or her car faster every single day, but not on road like this! No, conceptually the ride is pretty good. It's in the execution that it fails miserably, and its huge flaws are only amplified with every passing visit. It starts outside the pavilion, which is a visual mess. There's an exquisite, sleek metal-and-glass building behind there, but you'd never know it. Once through the soulless queue area, the pre-show is a primer on how not to make a pre-show. Few guests pay attention, but rather gab and text throughout. They just want to get to the ride ahead. There's nothing captivating about it at all, wasting an opportunity to set the tone and impart some worthwhile information. Inside the ride, the cavernous inside of the show building feels half-abandoned, as if Imagineers stopped at "good enough." It's difficult to make out most of what's going on, and most riders frankly don't care. What's the point? The final 30 seconds are an undeniable rush. The rest is, to cite the latest entry into the Collins English Dictionary, meh.

The Best and Worst of EPCOT Center -- #5

Best: The World Key Information System

This was the promise of EPCOT Center -- a world we had yet to see, but could experience today! Back in 1982, touch-screen computers and laser discs were truly leading-edge technology. Yet here they were, ready and waiting to be used! Want to know more about something at EPCOT Center? Just touch the screen -- literally, that's all you needed to do. Many of these screens were housed in the CommuniCore area, just at the base of Spaceship Earth, but there were also stations scattered throughout EPCOT, kind of like Vacation Club kiosks today, but useful and thematically appropriate. And if that's not enough, you could make same-day dining reservations by video conference call. (Technically, this was separate from World Key, but combining them seems to make sense.) Though simple by today's standards, this technology was truly a marvel, and would probably be impressive on its own even to those of us currently living in the 21st century. For a time, EPCOT wanted to fulfill the promise of showing us how the world of tomorrow might work, and WorldKey was a wonderful example of that. It wasn't a commercial, it was real, applied technology. It wasn't trying to sell us a new DVD, movie or TV show, it was just showing off what our Future World might be like. It was everything EPCOT aspired to be, and EPCOT was the only place you could find it.

Worst: El Rio del Tiempo

Few Disney attractions have ever gotten off to a better start. The small loading area imparted the flavor of old Mexico, a happy, lovely feeling also conveyed by the costumes of the few cast members working here. The literal "river of time" down which boats floated wound past the still-existing cyclorama of an ancient pyramid and exquisite outdoor scene. On the opposite "shore," the San Angel Inn and small marketplace completed the sense of being in a different time and place. Imagineers weren't aiming for verisimilitude, they wanted to evoke an emotional response. It worked. And then, the ride. A pointless mixture of poorly shot film scenes projected oddly into static displays, it played like the Spanish-class report of a very creative high-school student. The Mexico City scene at the end clearly hoped to be an impressive finale, but came off instead giving a creepy, black-light vibe; a glow-in-the-dark Elvis-on-velvet painting wouldn't have seemed out of place. No sense of Mexico's vast and impressive history, or of its people or places, was truly conveyed, though the song (quite arguably) was at least fun and cheerful. "El Rio del Tiempo" was a beautiful name for a ride that should have been splendid, but wasn't. (Sadly, in EPCOT Central's opinion, the "El Gran Fiesta" update has only exacerbated the problems.)

The Opposite of Brand

2009-01-11T23:36:00.000-08:00

For decades, The Walt Disney Company was a peerless leader in brand development and management. Long before business schools had even defined such concepts, Walt Disney knew that there was Walt Disney, the man, and "Walt Disney" the concept.

Disneyland may be best known as a "theme park," but in essence it was conceived a brand experience. Even if attractions and themed lands like Pirates of the Caribbean and Tomorrowland weren't based on a specific movie, TV show or "entertainment property" (as the phrase is known today), they defined Disney simply by being part of the experience. Prior to their appearance at Disneyland, no pirates had sailed the seven seas in a Disney movie, 999 "happy haunts" were not part of a pre-existing TV series. But because they were created and brought to life by Disney, they became Disney.

Likewise, when he introduced the concept of EPCOT to the world two months before his death, Walt Disney had never revealed publicly his fascination with urban planning and design, transportation technology and sociological issues. But as soon as Walt Disney talked about EPCOT, it, too, became Disney.

When the EPCOT Center theme park finally opened 16 years after Walt's death, it wasn't easy to see how it correlated to his final dream. It was filled with rides, shows and attractions, and even if they weren't the "city of tomorrow" Walt once promised, they were identifiably Disney. They took everything his organization had perfected in the previous five decades and combined them in a way that had never been seen before. The dinosaurs of the Universe of Energy, the dramatic storytelling of Spaceship Earth, the silly inhabitants of the World of Motion, the Dreamfinder and Figment ... all of these things were unfamiliar and new, yet unmistakably Disney.

Disney used to be in charge of its brand, used to revel in the unspoken message that it could define itself any way it wanted to do so. The moment something was created by Disney artists, it became Disney.

Where, then, did Disney lose the ability to define itself?

When did Disney change from being in the creativity business to being in the "brand-management" business?

There can be fewer better (or worse, if you prefer) examples of this than EPCOT Center.

From 1978 to 1982, Disney embarked on a massive marketing and publicity blitz to ensure that every American (for these were, by and large, the days before instantaneous, international communication) knew that "Disney" was now defined by the concept called "EPCOT." Anyone with any awareness of entertainment and popular culture in the late 1970s and early 1980s knew that EPCOT was the newest Disney creation ... even if they didn't quite know what it was.

Viewed from the perspective of today's (ahem) more enlightened marketing perspectives, what Disney did would be seemingly impossible today. The company that was known for lame comedies starring Don Knotts and Dean Jones was dominating the news with a bold message that everything you knew about Disney before would have to be rethought. Disney didn't just mean pixie dust and cartoons, it meant something unexpected, bold and totally out of the ordinary.

That's one of the reasons that it's so disappointing to walk through EPC--, um, Epcot today. Later this month, Disney will introduce a new "Kim Possible" activity at Epcot's World Showcase. Instead of learning about other cultures, sampling their wares and cuisine, and experiencing the underlying message that we're all in this together, Epcot guests can take active part in a commercial for a Disney cartoon. World Showcase just happens to be a great spot for this kind of "synergistic" brand enhancement.

Already, we've seen the Three Caballeros become the representatives of thousands of years of Mexican culture; a journey through the history of this awesome civilization has become a great way to sell some more Donald Duck plush toys.

And, of course, we've seen the awesome mysteries of the oceans that surround us become a tune-filled, happy ride through Nemo's undersea home, with the other high point of Epcot's Living Seas pavilion being a chat with a cartoon turtle, while the real ones go more or less unheralded.

EPCOT Center once "branded" Disney as a remarkable organization that created theme parks unlike any other in the world, with extraordinarily detailed experiences that surrounded guests with truly three-dimensional sets, "actors" and spectacle, that brought a sense of story, purpose and theme to previously unimagined heights.

Had that EPCOT Center concept been allowed to flourish, grow and change, with an eye toward maintaining the notion that "Disney" did not need to be narrowly defined as "benign entertainment for children," it could have been extraordinary.

EPCOT once had a remarkable brand, one that could have been further explored and developed and turned into something that could stand alongside "Disney" as meaning the best that imagination has to offer.

Now, EPCOT is just a meaningless word within the "Disney" brand, and all of its promise and hope have been drained. As a brand opportunity, is has been squandered. It's just 162 acres of staging ground for "brand managers" to play in ... even as they ignore the very concept of what a "brand" actually is. Or could be.

Holiday Hiatus is Over!

2009-01-08T23:32:00.000-08:00

EPCOT Central will return on Monday, Jan. 11, after an extended holiday break. Thank you for your patience while EPCOT Central, like so many of you, were dealing with work deadlines, family pressures, shopping, wrapping, cooking and eating. Even in the Community of Tomorrow, the stress of the holidays will get in the way!

"Future Schlock," by P.J. O'Rourke

2008-12-09T17:21:00.000-08:00

Apologies to readers of EPCOT Central for a long delay since the last post. Chalk it up to the holidays, partly, but also to wondering if everything that can be said about EPCOT has, for now, been said.

And then ... this happens:

A wonderful, incisive, observant article by P.J. O'Rourke in The Atlantic that is not about EPCOT, but easily could be. It's about Disneyland's "House of the Future," and is well worth a careful read. A meaningful excerpt:

"Disney’s Tomorrowland is deeply, thoroughly, almost furiously unimaginative. This isn’t the fault of the 'Disney culture'; it is the fault of our culture. We seem to have entered a deeply unimaginative era."

It can only be assumed what Mr. O'Rourke would make of EPCOT and its squandered promise.

(As an aside, the picture doesn't necessarily correlate with this post, it's just another example of the sad decline of EPCOT -- and, perhaps, "Disney Parks" in general.)

A Whole Lot Less for a Whole Lot More

2008-11-25T20:28:00.000-08:00

Just a few months ago, when gas prices were at their highest and the signs of an imminent economic meltdown were everywhere, The Walt Disney Company did what it did best -- it raised the price on a one-day, one-park ticket to $75.

A scant three and a half years earlier, the price was $59, which means that prices rose by more than a penny every single day in that time.

Today, a family of four who has one day to visit Disney's properties in Orlando (and that's not something that happens infrequently) would pay $300 for admission alone. In itself, that figure would be astonishing, but let's assume that family chooses to go to EPC-- er, Epcot for the day. Here's what they'll find:

Touringplans.com reported this weekend that Disney has unceremoniously shaved an hour off of the opening hours of Epcot -- and, indeed, a scan of the Disneyworld.com website shows that on Fridays beginning in January, World Showcase will be open to the general public (that is, non-Disney Resort guests) from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., or nine hours a day. That family of four is paying $33 an hour to visit Epcot.
The same website also reports that Disney is removing the Viking ship from the Norway pavilion. No doubt, this is a minor development in the scheme of things ... but it's also indicative of where Disney's collective head is at. The ship is an example of the detailed "plussing" that has always been a hallmark of Disney's theme parks. Removing it may not seem like a big deal at all, but given the hugely important role Vikings played in Norway's history (and, indeed, world history), it's really not such a minor thing. Losing the ship means losing an integral part of the theming of this pavilion.
From January 5 to March 22, the Universe of Energy* (aka Ellen's Energy Adventure, which is how it's listed on Disney's website) will be closed for refurbishment. Of course, attractions routinely need to be refurbished, and if there are any changes or improvements to the Universe of Energy, it will be cause for praise. However, keep in mind that ...
Wonders of Life remains closed. An entire pavilion with two major and multiple minor attractions remains a not-quite-literally empty shell, shut off to all guests, and rather vividly displaying Disney's lack of interest in maintaining the integrity of Epcot. From January to March, literally half of Future World's east side will be closed.
Park maintenance continues to be wanting. As EPCOT Central has pointed out before, directional signs don't match, the Fountain of Nations is in disrepair, and public areas aren't patroled nearly as much as in the past. Adding to the disappointments that park guests experience, older Audio-Animatronic figures, notably in the American Adventure and Living With the Land, are creaky and slow, desperately in need of some "spare parts," at the very least. The first image that accompanies this post is of a sign that hasn't been touched up for more than a year -- the word "West" was simply removed and the sign wasn't redesigned or replaced, indicative of how Disney takes more money from consumers but doesn't put it back into the simplest of fixes at its parks.

Remember, all of this comes at the highest price for park entry in Disney's history.

What other industry raises prices to record levels, then cuts back on basic services, functions and even hours of operations? Airlines, perhaps. But does any business want to be compared with the airline industry?

EPCOT was already suffering. If the park experiences a further decline in attendance, let's just hope Disney doesn't try to blame it on the "theme" (what little is left) and acknowledges that there's just a limit to how much the public will accept.

When we pay more we expect more.

When we get this much less and the price goes through the roof, we're entitled to be unhappy about it.

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*Also worth noting is that the Epcot section of Disneyworld.com doesn't even list the pavilion as a major attraction. Like Gran Fiesta Tour, The Circle of Life or Honey I Shrunk the Audience, it's classified simply, and rather sadly, under "Other Attractions." Confusingly, however, Universe of Energy is listed as a "Pavilion," separate from Ellen's Energy Adventure. Got that?

LAST-MINUTE ADDITION (I'm allowed these frivolities!)

A coomment to the main post implied that Epcot Central doesn't "like" EPCOT because the blog is filled with compalining. There's a difference between criticizing and complaining, though some don't agree with that. Here is one of the "rare" complaint-free blogpsots that offers thoughts on what can go very, very right during a visit to EPCOT Center (dang it, I mean Epcot):

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Tuesday, January 23, 2007

I ♥ EPCOT. Honest.

The photograph above is a perfect example of why. I’ve traveled to many points of the globe, and there are few memories more lovely to me than standing on the edge of World Showcase Lagoon at night, after Illuminations has ended and the crowds are leaving.

The view is magnificent, there is blessed isolation (even amid many people) – it’s serene and beautiful. Click on the picture for a larger-sized version.It’s just one of the many reasons I love EPCOT Center (yes, I know that’s no longer the official name).Several people have subtly accused me recently of concurrently bashing EPCOT and caring too much. For the record, I don’t want to do the former and I could never do the latter.

What I don’t like is that the people in charge of EPCOT and of Disney’s Theme Parks & Resorts division don’t seem to care very much at all. They want EPCOT – all of the parks, really – to be easily marketable, to be almost interchangeable. That’s why you’ll now find Nemo at Disneyland, Disney’s Animal Kingdom and EPCOT. It’s why Mickey Mouse is at every park … lest anyone forget that they’re at a “Disney park.”

In this way of thinking, “Disney Parks” are all the same. The joyful individuality they used to have is stripped away; walking through Disney-MGM Studios you’re reminded less and less of the glamour of Hollywood and more and more of the ubiquity of Disney. Likewise, EPCOT has lost its grand themes and has become about buying more Mickey merchandise (even the shops of World Showcase have taken on a sameness).

That’s what I don’t like.

What I do like?

Ahhhhhh … that list is almost too long to detail, though I did take a stab at it several months back.

I love that EPCOT was designed to celebrate the best in mankind’s nature, and still does that to a certain degree. The ingenuity of humans is on display, and that makes me happy.

I love wandering around EPCOT and just … looking. At nothing in particular, just taking in the feeling of being there, the festive environment of World Showcase and the implicit majesty of Spaceship Earth hovering above everything, almost everywhere you go.

I love Illuminations: Reflections of Earth, which is still perhaps the single best attraction of any sort Disney has ever created (and, yes, I know that’s saying a lot, but I love it that much).

I love the moment the curtain rises in the Universe of Energy and you begin moving forward into the world of the dinosaurs; no matter how cheesy and silly the attraction has become, that moment still holds power.

I love rising into Spaceship Earth, despite the jerky, lurching feel that the attraction has taken on. I love hearing Jeremy Irons’ voice intoning, “Like a grand and miraculous spaceship, our planet has sailed through the universe of time.” Wow. Gets me every time!

I love staring at the artificial reef in the Living Seas (oops, the Seas) pavilion; yeah, Sea World is great, but there’s something about this place, about watching the silent little oceanic dramas playing out in front of you, that is really spectacular.

I love Ice Station Cool, though I love it a little less without the igloo (which is strange, because that comment absolutely contradicts everything I generally say and feel about what Disney has done to the old Communicore); it’s one of the most unexpected, meaningless little throwaway, commercially driven attractions, but I still get a sense of discovery about the way other people live when I go in there – oddly, it kind of (as Foxxfur commented) conveys the spirit of EPCOT.

I love the Fountain of Nations, whether it’s performing or not; it’s a bold visual feature, and it just “works.” I love the “upside-down” and leaping fountains in front of the Imagination pavilion; how fun are they? They’re one of the few holdovers from 1982 that haven’t changed at all, and they don’t need to.

I love Listen to the Land. I imagined that I would hate it when they took away the cast members, but I have to admit it works well now, and it’s genuinely compelling and insightful. Even the interior films and limited-motion animatronic figures seem to have thought and care put into their creation.

I love the “splashdown” moment in Maelstrom, when you suddenly feel as if you’ve been transported to the North Sea. That one moment and the entry into the Norwegian fishing village are two perfect little “show” moments that absolutely transport you to another time and place. (For that matter, I still love the Norway travelogue that plays after the ride, no matter how impossibly and unbelievably dated it has become; Norway seems like a fascinating place.)

I love that EPCOT is there to discover at your own pace. If you’re in the vast majority of guests who just care about getting a ride fix and moving on, you’ll get your fill at EPCOT. If, however, you like to move at your own pace, you could (even still) spend three or four days solely at EPCOT and not discover everything there is to see and learn.

Much of EPCOT still works. It’s the parts of EPCOT that are so clearly clearly “malfunctioning” that get me angry and agitated, simply because so much of EPCOT works so well, these problem areas seem that much worse.

EPCOT is still a wonderful place. It has a spirit, and try as they might, they can never quite take that away. The planning, design and execution of EPCOT Center was so strong, a lot of it still shines through, even 25 years later. Try as they might, they can’t take it away completely.

I wish they would quit trying.

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What do you love about EPCOT? I'd really like to know! I hope you'll post a comment and share your thoughts, especially you Disney folks (and I know you're out there). Don't worry, when you choose "Anonymous," you really do remain anonymous ... no one will know it's you. (Even
me!) posted by Epcot82 at 1/23/2007

Tidbits from 25 Years Ago

2008-11-23T11:34:00.000-08:00

It was a surprise to run across the late Steve Birnbaum's Walt Disney World Guide from 1983 during a recent thorough housecleaning. The book is truly a window on a lost Walt Disney World. It's also illuminating and thought-provoking when read a quarter of a century later, as you'll see!

Theme Park Prices

Magic Kingdom Club One-Day Ticket for EPCOT Center or the Magic Kingdom:
Adult -- $14.00
Junior (12-17) -- $13.00
Child (3-11) -- $11.00

Three-Day World Passport
Adult -- $32
Junior (12-17) -- $30.00
Child (3-11) -- $25.00

Four-Day World Passport
Adult -- $41.00
Junior (12-17) -- $38.00
Child (3-11) -- $32.00

Six-Day World Passport
Adult -- $54.00
Junior (12-17) -- $50.00
Child (3-11) -- $42.00

(Note: To put these prices in perspective, try visiting an inflation calcluator, like this one or this one.)

Vacation Package Prices

WORLD VACATIONS -- This is the ultimate vacation experience, with unlimited access to Magic Kingdom, Epcot Center, and dining and recreational facilities in the Walt Disney World Vacation Kingdom.

* Four-, five-, six- and seven-night plans
* Accommodations in the Contemporary Resort Hotel, Polynesian Village Resort Hotel, Golf Resort Hotel or a two-bedroom Vacation, Treehouse, or Fairway Villa
* Admission and unlimited use of all attractions and adventures in the Magic Kingdom and Epcot Center
* Unlimited use of all Walt Disney World recreational activities and facilities
* Breakfast, lunch, and dinner at a wide variety of Walt Disney World restaurants, including breakfast and dinner shows
* Unlimited use of the transportation system in the Walt Disney World Vacation Kingdom

Priced from $496 per adult, double occupancy

Introducing EPCOT Center

"Walt Disney's dream has become a reality. It's impossible to say whether Epcot (sic) Center is consistent in every detail with what Walt would have wrought, but there's no doubt that it embodies the spirit its originator intended. ...

"From opening day, Epcot Center will be the standard by which all other such understakings are measured, and the future phases that are planned will further expand even the current high level of attraction.

"There's never been anything quite like Epcot Center before; it's unlikely there ever will be again."

The Promise of Brighter Days

2008-11-20T21:36:00.000-08:00

EPCOT Center opened in the midst of one of the United States’ more memorable recessions. To this day, the park’s “boring” nature is cited as the reason its attendance declined substantially after its massively hyped opening. (The economic situation the country was experiencing in the early 1980s generally seems dismissed as a primary reason.)

Yet those who visited EPCOT Center in its infancy never forgot the experience. This unique theme park had a genuine theme, and promised a future of hope, opportunity and optimism, a future in which the troubles of “today” would be overcome by sheer determination and cooperation.

While much of this EPCOT Center persisted for years, it ultimately changed – much in the same way our world changed. Optimism was replaced by a sarcasm that barely masked cynicism. Voyages of the mind and spirit were replaced by journeys that provided immediate thrills. Intellectual curiosity was replaced with celebrity.

Now that we’re facing an economic downturn of staggering proportions, it is obvious that executives at The Walt Disney Company and its Parks & Resorts division are sweating the economy like an overweight tourist on Main Street in August. And they’re looking for short-term fixes.

Fixes like giving away days at Walt Disney World. Fixes like cutting back in areas that directly impact guests. And fixes like the new Kim Possible “feature” at World Showcase.

There’s an ugly assumption to that last one: Since kids are more interested in cartoon spies than cultural awareness, that’s what Disney should give them.

Perhaps this myopic view of today’s youth helps shed some light on why USA Today reported that 71 percent of Americans scored an “F” in their understanding of basic civics – they’re not interested in learning about such “boring” topics, and since they’re not interested, no one will try to educate them, just titillate them.

Disney and EPCOT aren’t to blame, but the way they’ve changed in 25 years is symptomatic of a much larger problem.

“Leveraging the awareness” of a pre-existing Disney character in order to get younger guests interested in the offerings of World Showcase (and all of EPCOT) is the cheap and easy route. It’s the opposite of imaginative – it’s mind-numbing. It underscores the consistently unspoken message that learning is not as important as entertainment.

As Americans, we’ve found ourselves in a very deep hole, and we seem to be asking more and more why we’re here. Here’s hoping that Disney is doing the same.

When we’re finally out of this mess, will park attendance rebound? Will people still want the same increasingly mindless entertainment they’ve been getting ... or will they want something different, something that reflects the optimism and spirit they will so desperately need? Will we go back to the way we were, or come out of this as we did in the ’40s and ’80s, urgently needing someone to remind us of our potential?

EPCOT Center was, in many ways, borne out of the situation America found itself in throughout most of the 1970s. Beaten down by an unwanted war, tired of economic struggle, coping with massive social change, Americans were ready to be told there was something better on the horizon.

Once we got there, the message changed. Enjoy what you have! Live for the moment! Buy more Mickey Mouse plush!

Now, times are tough again. Can Disney seize on this desire for change – which extends to all walks of life, and seems to spurn the remarkable materialism that has become the basis for the United States – and (re)build an EPCOT that makes good on the promises that the theme park once offered?

Can Disney (re)create an EPCOT that dares to educate as well as entertain, to thrill the brain as well as the body, to capture the mind as well as the wallet?

Or will Disney succumb to its own need to, as so many defenders of the status quo love to put it, “be a business” and continue EPCOT on its current course of simply being another showcase for Disney “product”?

Of course, change like that only comes if it’s desired. It takes determination.

And it takes something EPCOT desperately needs: vision.

End of the Road?

2008-11-11T21:12:00.001-08:00

Sometimes, change isn't planned, it's simply the only option.

Such may be the case EPCOT soon finds itself facing given the imminent collapse of GM. While Capitol Hill and Wall Street debate whether GM will really go away or get bailed out by the government, it's clear that GM is in deep, deep trouble. And, just as certain, a marketing initiative like GM's sponsorship of Test Track will soon seem like an unnecessary luxury.

GM was one of EPCOT Center's original sponsors, putting its money, name and ideas behind the World of Motion pavilion.

While Disney has never made public the details of its sponsorships, though GM's website indicates that the latest contract was signed in 1994 and actually expired in 2007. Now that GM and Disney have reached the 21st century together, maybe it's the end of the road?

Will Test Track go the way of the 100,000-square-foot ghost town that used to be Wonders of Life, which mostly serves as a reminder of Disney's lack of vision for and attention to EPCOT?

Will it be razed completely so that Test Track, like Horizons, Cranium Command, Body Wars and the World of Motion before it, becomes just a memory?

Will Test Track continue to operate without a sponsor, which likely means without a real post-show, so that the pavilion becomes just an even more meaningless thrill ride, one that lacks any theme or purpose?

Will Disney act decisively to find a new sponsor, one who could bring some much-needed innovation and ingenuity to what is now a 10-year-old attraction (not much younger than World of Motion was when it was shuttered)?

Most tantalizingly, might Disney use this opportunity to stay true to the theme of transportation, but go in a bold new direction, perhaps securing a sponsor that could showcase what the future holds, not just explore the present?

Two things are almost foregone conclusions: GM won't be the sponsor much longer, and Detroit doesn't hold the keys to the future of the pavilion.

Time will tell just what it will be.

EPCOT Central hopes only that it will be something ... and something good.

America: Home of the Hamburger

2008-11-09T09:41:00.000-08:00

This is a special time of year for many EPCOT fans, who enjoy the park's Food & Wine Festival, which offers expanded selections of world cuisines. For those who can get to EPCOT, it's a great experience. For those of us who can't, we've got to make do with what EPCOT offers the rest of the year.

Sometimes, it's wonderful. There are some truly tempting choices, ranging from a great steakhouse at Le Cellier to surprisingly good Middle Eastern fare in Morocco. In recent years, though, EPCOT's culinary selections have become decidedly less adventurous and more middlebrow, perhaps in recognition of the fact that many guests don't like to be "challenged" at mealtime.

Still, the Japanese offerings are distinctly Japanese. The French restuarants are inarguably French. Mexico offers Mexican food.

America offers hot dogs and hamburgers.

The United States has a remarkably diverse population with remarkably diverse regional cuisine, and it wouldn't take too much for EPCOT to acknowledge this and offer a broad selection that reflects the food and flavors that make America so unusually rich in mealtime fare.

The current menu at Liberty Inn, a counter-service restaurant, offers bacon cheeseburgers, chicken nuggets, hot dogs and peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwiches. There's no doubt that these are genuinely "American" offerings -- but is this really a reflection of American tastes?

Travel north from Walt Disney World and into America's Deep South and you'll find gumbo, etouffee and muffalettas.

Journey even farther north, and specialties include pierogies, cheesesteak sandwiches, Buffalo chicken wings and, in our nation's capitol, Senate bean soup.

The Western United States has a rich culinary history and flavor -- everything from such Mexican-influenced fare (with an American flair) as fish tacos ... to San Francisco's famous sourdough bread and cioppino ... to French dip sandwiches (arguably "created" in Los Angeles) ... to the trout and salmon of the Pacific Northwest.

From Boston baked beans and Boston creme pie to Maine lobster rolls and Chicago-style deep-dish pizza, America is an embarrassment of riches when it comes to food.

Our food choices reflect our country. No two places are quite alike, yet it's our differences that bring us together and make us stronger.

While many of these choices are indeed available at other locations throughout Walt Disney World, the same holds true for sushi, pasta and steak. EPCOT's World Showcase is a place where Disney can bring everything together and put it on display, to proudly offer the best the world has to offer.

Just because we like fast food doesn't mean that it showcases America in the best light.

Can't the "American Adventure" reflect our culinary heritage, as well?

Photos for a Friday Afternoon

2008-10-31T09:39:00.000-07:00

Or, perhaps, anytime ...

Top 10 Changes (A Wish List)

2008-10-29T21:25:00.001-07:00

It was an illuminating experience to recently scour the 'net and see what's been written about EPCOT Central. There are, it seems, still many people (Disney employees is always a good guess) who insist that EPCOT Central and EPCOT fans would like to see Disney, its theme parks and EPCOT in particular stay rooted in the past!

Untrue. The root of that belief is likely in the idea that what we'd love to see is EPCOT return to the concepts and theme that made it such an unprecedented and amazing park in the first place.

So, here's an off-the-cuff list of the Top 10 Changes EPCOT Central would love to see at EPCOT -- presented with a hope that you'll share your own additions, and that EPCOT will continue moving forward into a brighter, more exciting future.

10) Train the Cast
While many cast members are absolutely wonderful at their jobs, it's far too easy and common to encounter cast members who are either a bit too socially oriented (ignoring guests for the sake of chatting with each other) or really have no idea what they're doing there, which is unfortunately particularly true of World Showcase cast members. This is not meant to criticize those cast members who are fantastic at their jobs! Rather, it's particularly important at EPCOT because every cast member has a chance to communicate, both through action and through conversations with guests, the basic theme and concept of EPCOT.

9) Bring Back the Buses

Watching an old (yes, "back to the past" -- oh, how awful!) video feature on EPCOT Center, it was terrific fun to see the old double-decker buses that Disney used to offer as transportation -- one of the reasons the walkways around World Showcase are so fantastically wide. Considering how many guets use ECVs and other assistance given the sheer scale of World Showcase, and seeing the ambience and charm they brought to the area, it would be great to see Disney bring these back both as "color" and as transportation alternatives (just like on Main Street -- or, wait, do they offer the "omnibuses" anymore?!).

8) Spruce Up Space

For anyone who rides the attraction, the very, very long exit area of Mission: Space has to be an enormous letdown. Everything about the entry queue is detailed, dramatic and mood-setting. And then, after the ride, there's a long hallway with white walls and what seem more like hospital stripes than theming. Would it be so difficult to add some dramatic lighting and perhaps a large-scale mural to the exit area ... anything to prevent this area from being so unrelievedly boring? It's as if Disney's saying, "That's it, show's over, move along." (And speaking of the exit to Mission: Space, has there ever been a full house at the Advanced Training Lab? The poor cast members there are sometimes reduced to carnival barkers begging people to take part.)

7) Reinvigorate the Restaurants

EPCOT Center used to have, hands down, some of the best dining experiences in Walt Disney World -- perhaps in Central Florida. But recent changes have resuilted in the Coral Reef Room serving only a few fish entrees; the original Alfredo's being converted into a rather standard-fare Italian restaurant; and a general lowering of standards that's likely good for Disney's bottom line but results in one less reason for guests to come back over and over. A great meal with food you don't usually get at home used to be a terrific motivator to visit EPCOT after a full day at another park, but EPCOT's dining choices are less and less appealing lately.

6) Expand World Showcase

A recent EPCOT Central reader argued that World Showcase should stay as it is, with the focus being on upgrading the pavilions already there. That would be fantastic, and would certainly result in more reason to visit EPCOT -- so, in a way, it's easy to endorse that point of view. And since there were some really stellar concepts back in the '80s that never came to pass (the original drawing of the Rhine River Cruise is still perpetually haunting and compelling!), EPCOT would do well to acknowledge that we know more about the world and have more opportunity to travel since 1982. And so do guests from other countries. So, perhaps it's time to aggressively court the tourism boards and major corporations of Brazil (a huge driver of Disney business), Spain, Russia or India? If Disney's worried about not recouping a major investment in World Showcase, consider this: An addition offers the opportunity to market a new attraction no one can emulate -- Universal, Sea World and Busch Gardens have no thematic ability to offer a pavilion that opens a new window on the world for many guests. This is unique to Disney, and it's eminently marketable.

5) Restore the Fountain of Nations

The Fountain of Nations is one of EPCOT's small wonders, offering a show many guests don't even realize is part of the entertainment ... until they watch it with great wonder. In 1994, a show called "Splashtacular" was performed on the south side of the fountain, and a stage was built to accommodate it. Now, that stage is in a sad state of disrepair, while the fountain itself (during three recent visits) had misaligned nozzles and some sections that didn't work. The Fountain is an integral, wonderful part of EPCOT Center and Future World -- it would be great to see it restored.

4) Plan for Change

One of EPCOT Center's key design downfalls was that it required rather significant capital investments every few years to keep it up to date. But less than two years after it opened, a new Disney regime came in and -- giving them huge credit and praise -- turned attention to othe areas of Walt Disney World, investing in the once-brilliant Disney-MGM Studios, building some magnificently themed resorts, and improving the overall infrastructure. EPCOT Center briefly received some TLC, with the opening of the Morocco and Norway pavilions as well as the addition of the Wonders of Life pavilion. But after a while, Disney seemed to lose interest and didn't upgrade the major pavilions on a regular basis -- both giving guests fewer reasons to return, and letting them become woefully outdated. As Disney (hopefully) improves and invests in Future World pavilions, it must be careful to ensure that they keep up with rapidly changing technology and reflect changes in the world around us. The easy, unpleasant way to do this is create an attraction with little basis in reality, such as Mission: Space or The Seas With Nemo and Friends. They're both decent attractions, but have little place in Future World. (Mission: Space could have been part of a brilliant overhaul to Tomorrowland, and Nemo would have been a natural for Fantasyland). The harder way is more rewarding for everyone: A thoughtful upgrade like Spaceship Earth, which adds some fun, new elements (some of us really do like the on-screen fun on the descent!), and tries very hard, mostly successfully, to reflect what we know of the world. In two or three years, a couple of million dollars in one or two new scenes along with new narration will create a vibrant new version of the ride -- at a tiny fraction of the cost of a brand-new pavilion. Careful re-thinking of Future World attractions can go a long way toward keeping them fresh.

3) Create Unique Merchandise

Virtually every retail location at EPCOT, as well as much of Walt Disney World, seems to have decided to stock the same merchandise. In 1999, when Centorium became Mouse Gear, its products also became Mouse-oriented. Now, too many stores stock too many of the same items. Even World Showcase has become more Disney-oriented, with fewer and fewer "homegrown" options. Shopping at EPCOT should be unlike anyplace in the World. As an example, take a look at a store like Mombassa Traders at Animal Kingdom, which offers wonderful, eclectic items. I'm all for Mickey t-shirts and Disney memorabilia -- but does EPCOT have to be just like everywhere else?

2) Bring Back Akershus

This almost made the No. 1 spot -- it seems that vital. Here's a thought: Give us back the unusual, tasty, charming restaurant for all guests that used to exist at Akershus prior to the Great Princess Invasion and -- a serious proposal here -- turn the Odyssey restaurant into the Princess Odyssey. It's a huge, underused facility that has no real theme and doesn't seem to fit in to the rest of EPCOT. It's a big chunk of real estate that should be "monetized." Make that EPCOT's big Princess dining location, and restore the sense of national culture and authenticity to Restaurant Akershus. It's a win-win for everyone!

1) Do Something Absolutely Extraordinary

What does this mean? Not a clue. But someone at Imagineering does. Give us an EPCOT game-changer, something that is so exciting and different and unexpected that it brings a new infusion of life, a renewed sense of purpose and a restored meaning of theme to EPCOT. Wow us. Amaze us. Prove all of us naysayers wrong and show us that Disney is still the most exciting, imaginative, innovative, forward-thinking, creative, brilliant designers of theme-park entertainment anywhere. Remind the world what EPCOT means. Do something that really blows us away. There's enormous room to grow at EPCOT ... both literally and figuratively.

Show us what it means to be inspired by the world in which we live.

It's an amazing place. Remind us of that.

The Best Laid Plans

2008-10-28T17:02:00.000-07:00

Way back in 1786, when this country was just being born, Scottish poet Robert Burns wrote:

"The best laid schemes o' mice an' men /

Gang aft a-gley, /

An' lea'e us nought but grief an' pain, /

For promised joy."

Or, better known to us, "The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry."

In the case of EPCOT Center, we know who the mouse is, and we know who the men (and women) were, and still we're left with some sadness over the promised joy that never came.

Here's a look at a commemorative 1982 booklet that previews EPCOT Center and ends with a promise of much more to come.

We know the endgame here. Horizons is only a fondly held memory, replaced with a thrill ride that, anecdotally, at least, more than half of EPCOT's visitors won't even attempt to experience. The Living Seas, which only mildly fulfilled its original vision, has been turned into a Fantasyland dark ride with an aquarium now seemingly haphazardly attached. (Or is it the other way around?)

The Morocco pavilion may be one of the most exquisite, but it is also one of the most ignored and overlooked by guests (again, that's anecdotal). Those who do venture into its "back areas" and the prayer room often find they are overwhelmed by its beauty and detail. But for the most part, it's wasted space waiting for something grand to happen there, as it has waited for two decades.

Spain and Israel never came to fruition, and though they've never been directly addressed by Disney management or Imagineers (to my knowledge), they likely were a victim of the September 1984 regime change, hardball negotiations by capital-infusion-averse Disney, and the political climate of the 1980s and 1990s.

Equatorial Africa always seemed a bit of a stretch to me, more confirming that geographically illiterate guests (of which there are many, and sadly mostly Americans) would be led to believe "Africa" is a country. Ultimately, it morphed into Animal Kingdom, which has been a terrific addition to Walt Disney World -- and, with the continuing slump of EPCOT, is probably my favorite park to visit, as it gets more beautiful with every year (except the Dino Land area).

It's just sad to see how much enthusiasm there originally was for EPCOT Center, how much the park really did seem poised for growth that upheld and expanded its core theme.

Today, there's little "theme" left in what was once the ultimate "theme park," and many of us are left, it's true (yes, critics of EPCOT Central, come to the fore!), wondering what would have happened had those plans of mice and men actually come to pass.

No Words Necessary

2008-10-24T17:49:00.000-07:00

Hope you have or had a very nice weekend. Thank you for reading EPCOT Central!

Do These Subjects Sound Familiar?

2008-10-16T17:56:00.000-07:00

If you saw or read anything of this year's three presidential debates, or if you've even remotely paid attention to the latest news, you know that there are four issues that loom large in the minds of virtually every American today:

Energy, transportation, the environment and health.

How are we going to fulfill our gigantic and growing energy needs as the country speeds towards 400 million people, and how will we simultaneously manipulate and protect our global environment to do it?

Even if we can figure out solutions to those problems, how do we cope with a society (not just an American society, but a global one, really) that needs clean, efficient, forward-thinking transportation?

And how do we make sure we become healthier, stay healthy and afford health care?

Now, if you've been a regular reader of EPCOT Central, you may recall that Al Gore's Oscar-winning, 2006 documentary "An Inconvenient Truth" provided the inspiration for an article called "A Convenient Theme?" EPCOT Central posed the possibility that all Imagineers and theme-park MBAs needed to revitalize EPCOT was to look closely at the movie.

Some wildly derided the proposition. Others found it intriguing.

Perhaps now is a good time to revisit the concept. Because in the last two years, it has become increasingly clear just how prescient, how necessary, EPCOT Center actually was.

We've learned, or perhaps we are learning, that just because something is "boring" does not mean it is not important. That just because "education" involved not only means we shouldn't dismiss it out of hand -- but we can't. We're learning that ignoring the vital issues only leads to ignorance and a lack of certainty over how to address them.

Consider, then, EPCOT Center's original mission. It still stands outside the park for all to see: "May it instill a new sense of belief and pride in man's ability to shape a world that offers hope to people everywhere." Politics aside, it doesn't seem like we've really gone a long way toward that goal in the past 26 years. EPCOT Central has often quoted the tagline to "That's Entertainment!" and it seems appropriate to do it again: Boy, do we need it now.

EPCOT Center focused, originally, on five key areas of understanding: communication, energy, transportation, imagination and our environment. A few years after opening, health and the seas were added. The park wanted to enlighten guests about the challenges facing the future in these critical areas.

If the park failed to find exactly the right balance of education and entertainment, if it failed to get it just right in the first decade, it deserved an "A" for effort.

Now, more than a quarter of a century later, we're discovering that the global community, and particularly Americans, need to be informed about the potential and the pitfalls, the challenges and the opportunities, the successes and the failures, of these intensely important subjects. And as the third presidential debate made clear, both sides of American politics agree that we have failed to do that as a society. Our children and teenagers aren't aware, and they are growing up to be ill-informed adults who are asked and required to make vital decisions about our future.

The need to find alternative and safe energy sources, to protect and manipulate our environment, to provide reliable and clean transportation, and to safeguard the health of our people -- those are the very subjects that EPCOT Center explored.

And, sadly, they're the ones that Epcot has most tinkered with.

The park, much like society in general, has become fixated on entertaining and distracting its guests, rather than enlightening them.

All right, a healthy percentage of you are thinking, "I don't want education on my vacation!" Fine. Bypass EPCOT. Don't visit. Don't challenge yourself. Don't expose yourself to new ideas. It's all right. You can find all the Mickey-themed entertainment you need at three theme parks, two water parks, etc., etc., and you'll have a great vacation.

But if it's marketed right, a revitalized EPCOT could be proud of informing a large number of people of the challenges we're facing in these critical areas. Attractions like the "EPCOT Poll," ahead of its time in 1982, could be fed to the ravenously hungry online media and instantly reported. Attractions could be redesigned so they can be easily and frequently updated to reflect new information and ideas.

All it would take is commitment.

Imagine the marketing possibilities for The Walt Disney Company -- which would not only have a fully re-imagined theme park, but the ability to showcase its commitment to our future.

Best of all, unlike the massive (and crazy?) billion-dollar overhaul of Disney's California Adventure, the infrastructure is already there. The show buildings are there. The layout is there. The opportunity is there.

And EPCOT Center, as originally conceived, was always excited about opportunity.

Epcot could become EPCOT again, and show that our world can indeed be a better place.

The Sponsor Subterfuge

2008-10-13T20:21:00.000-07:00

In 1979, Walt Disney Productions reported income of $114 million on revenue of $797 million. Although the company made less than that in the fiscal year, it was also spending about $1 billion to build EPCOT Center, the grand effort to rescue Walt Disney's last dream.

At Walt Disney World, its operations, including hotels, recreation, admissions, merchandise and food were bringing in about $370 milion a year, with attendance of about 14 million people. There was only one theme park, The Magic Kingdom, and operating expenses were high. Costs for EPCOT Center, which were originally estimated to be several hundred million dollars, were ballooning.

It made sense, then, that EPCOT Center would take a very successful page out of Walt Disney's creation of Disneyland. Remember, back in 1953-55, Disneyland cost more to build than Disney's company had. So, it sold sponsorships. In return for exposure in what was promising to be one of the biggest tourist attractions ever, companies would cover many of the costs for their ride, show or attraction. In addition, they could have some sway over the content of the attraction. It was a brilliant concept, one that was borne out of desperation but grew into something of a cottage industry. Today, Disney is hardly alone in having a "Corporate Alliances" department, one that primarily ensures that companies like Coca-Cola and Siemens are happy with what they're getting for their money -- and if they're not, to find someone who will be.

If it was an exciting, new and lucrative business a half-century ago, today it's much more difficult. Marketing has become ubiquitous (come on, there are even marketing messages on bananas, for crying out loud!), and it's increasingly difficult to persuade a large corporation to pony up tens, if not hundreds, of millions of dollars to fund a theme-park attraction.

The benefits are obvious. Consumers get to interact with your brand, they see you as a leader, they trust your name, they associate you with something they enjoy.

But 50, 20, even 15 years ago, it wasn't commonplace for consumers to willingly wear t-shirts with your brand name, to spend hours at your online site, to target your message so directly to exactly the consumer you want. You can spend $30 million on a Super Bowl ad that reaches a certain demographic, directing them to your website (where you completely control your message), which prompts them to spend five days playing a "viral" online game that ceaselessly conveys your specific marketing objective.

Or, you can pour $100 million over 10 years into a theme-park ride that reaches a certain percentage of 12 million annual guests, half of whom probably aren't "geo-targeted" to your specifications (that is, they don't live in the country or region in which you do most of your business), and are a mix of demographic targets -- men, women, children, senior citizens, Americans, Brazilians, solvent, insolvent, educated, uneducated, professional, blue collar ... well, it's hard to tell. Plus, the overriding message they're receiving is, increasingly, about Disney, not about you. No longer does Disney want to give over a 20-minute experience to the virtues of Exxon, MetLife or AT&T -- it continues to infuse its own messaging into the experience. "Buy more Disney. Buy more Disney now."

Well, then, it's easy to see why it's not easy to get a sponsor.

And here's the question: Does it matter?

Twenty-six years after EPCOT Center opened its gates, worrying a financially wobbly company and partly leading to the end of many careers, Disney has annual income of $3.3 billion. The Parks & Resorts division generated revenue of $6.4 billion, and had income of slightly less than one billion dollars -- $946 million. That's a far cry from the weak, desperate company that opened EPCOT Center.

In 1982, when EPCOT Center opened, there was no way Disney could afford to shoulder the costs on its own. It absolutely needed the involvement of major corporations, and the beauty is that the park's original design quite literally depended on that involvement. Those companies, once the pinnacle of American industry (AT&T, GM, Exxon, GE, United Technologies, Nestle), are in most cases shells of their former selves. They have grown, or shrunk, changed, merged and morphed so many times that in many cases it's not even easy to really know what they do anymore. Kind of like Disney itself.

But the concept was clear: Those major American corporations would have the opportunity to show the world the virtues of American ingenuity and innovation, and would shine a light down a path toward a better tomorrow.

Obviously, EPCOT Center has changed.

It's not clear, really, exactly what Epcot means to be, but one thing is clear:

The place is falling apart.

OK, maybe that's a tiny exaggeration, but have you noticed the weather-beaten wooden slats that form a rarely (ever?) used stage at the south end of the Fountain of Nations? Or the almost-creaking Audio-Animatronic figures in the Universe of Energy? Of course, you've seen the (literal) shell of a building that used to be the Wonders of Life, and hopefully you've very recently read about the 20-year-old film in the run-down theater at the end of Maelstrom in the Norway pavilion?

The commonly used excuse that Disney lobs out is that these attractions (save Fountain of Nations, which perhaps could use one) now lack sponsors. And lacking sponsors, it is difficult or impossible to maintain the attractions and improve them.

I don't buy it, not for a second.

In 1955, 1971 and 1982, sponsors were critical to getting theme parks built. Disney couldn't afford it.

But today, we're talking about the same company that spent $19 billion to buy Capital Cities/ABC Inc. -- and that was 13 years ago.

We're talking about the same company that spent tens of millions of its money (in conjunction with Walden Media) and then lost it on Prince Caspian.

We're talking about the same company that is probably still trying to realize a return on its $3 billion investment in Fox Family (now ABC Family).

We're talking about the same company that is pouring $1 billion into the failed Disney's California Adventure, hoping it will make a silk purse out of a sow's ear.

You're telling me that a company that realized profit of nearly $1 billion in its theme parks division alone can't afford to make an investment of $400 million or so into the only Epcot in the world?

Of course, Disney can say that Epcot doesn't really need help -- plenty of people visit it just like it is.

But consider this: For the full year in fiscal 1982, Walt Disney Productions reported that attendance at Walt Disney World was 12,560,000 people. One year later, attendance soared to 22,712,000. (Back then, Disney used to report Florida and California attendance figures. What a lovely concept!) That means EPCOT Center brought in 10,152,000 visitors in its first year.

Last year, Epcot's attendance was estimated at 10.9 million. That's an increase of 7% over its attendance 25 years earlier.

On one hand, the argument can easily be made that if attendance has essentially held steady all these years, people must be satisfied.

On the other -- there's no real reason to go to Epcot. The technology isn't particularly exciting, the rides aren't particularly interesting, there's no comprehensible "theme," and other than drinking your way around the world, well, what else is there, really?

Here's what I'd argue: EPCOT needs a massive infusion of innovation, creativity, futurism, global awareness and compelling content. And Disney will have to fund it.

But, Disney says, we can't do anything without sponsors.

Wrong. Twenty-five years ago, that was true.

But a lot has changed in a quarter of a century, and it's time for Disney to suck it up and start taking responsibility for this extraordinary, neglected theme park.

Sponsors or not.

No Love for Norway!

2008-10-11T20:16:00.000-07:00

It's been more than two years since EPCOT Central examined the sad state of the Norwegian pavilion at EPCOT's World Showcase.

Now, Norwegian newspaper Aftenposten has caught wind of the travesty that Disney has made of this country's representation. It quotes a Norway pavilion cast member as saying, "Frankly, I’m embarrassed when I show this outdated film to tourists."

Not surprisingly, Disney proves once again how it is embarrassingly out of touch with actual guest reaction. Disney spokesperson Kim Prunty insists to Aftenposten, "The film is only one of many ways of showing Norwegian culture to our guests, who are generally very happy with what they see at the pavilion."

Has she seen the film? That is, if it's even running.

The theater in which it plays looks like it's Scotch-taped together in places, and the badly scratched 70mm film plays like a time capsule from 1988, barely even hinting at the massive progress that Norway has made in the last 20 years.

Or maybe she's referring to the Norwegian musical group Spelmanns Gledje, which performs at the Norw-- oops, that's right. Disney eliminated that entertainment option a few weeks ago as part of a cost-cutting move.

Maybe Kim's talking about the authentic Norwegian buffet you can find at Akersh-- oh, wait, no, that's now the "Akershus Royal Banquet Hall," which offers such Norwegian delicacies as pasta, hot dogs and cheese ravioli. (Granted, there are apparently still some very basic Norwegian offerings on the menu, but I've yet to hear of childless adults who have attempted to dine there recently.)

Visitors to the Norway pavilion would never know that it is one of the most developed, advanced, peaceful, prosperous and, frankly, beautiful nations in the entire world. If you're at all interested in a basic primer on Norway, check out the well-researched Wikipedia entry on the country.

But whatever you do, don't go to EPCOT. You might find some lovely desserts and a C-ticket attraction (which should be so much better). You'll also find incongruous Disney princesses and you'll have to navigate a sea of strollers, harried parents and screaming children, since the extraordinary Akershus restaurant was converted into all Disney-princess dining a few years back.

There's some blame to be held by the Norwegian government itself. From what I've been told, the government decided not to renew its sponsorship -- which is rather odd, considering how wealthy and prosperous the country is. Given the millions of people who visit the pavilion each year, an investment would almost certainly realize a good return by leading to tourism.

Then again, it's quite possible Disney didn't want the Norwegian sponsorship renewed. If it had been, Disney might actually have to perform maintenance and upkeep on Maelstrom, its barren exit and the rarely changed (but quite good) exhibit inside the stave church -- and they might need to get rid of Middle Eastern Jasmine, French Belle and Cinderella, and German Snow White congregating inside the replica of Norway's oldest fortress.

Norway is an extraordinary country. For fun, here are a couple of pictures I took along the Sognefjord last year. (Yes -- the fascination I had with Norway thanks to visiting the EPCOT pavilion did indeed result in a trip there!)

Norway deserves so much better than it's getting at EPCOT, and it's nice to see that, finally, someone else has noticed.

Try to Imagine

2008-10-09T13:11:00.000-07:00

"Whatsoever Ezra does not know and sanction, that thing is
heresy, worthless for knowing and wicked to consider. ... Such is our
comfortable position and sure faith. Would he not betray himself an alien cynic
who should otherwise portray Main Street, or distress the citizens by
speculating whether there may not be other faiths?"
-- Sinclair Lewis, "Main Street" (1920)

I ran across something rather ... unexpected today.

It's a rather magnanimous, roundabout denunciation of the magnificently haunting and dramatic "pre-show" film that opened The Living Seas. The one that began with the words that, to me, define everything The Walt Disney Company used to be about: “Try to imagine.”

And it opened my eyes to one possible, and possibly rather upsetting, reason for the change in EPCOT from serious examination of the world in which we live to lighthearted fun.

It’s a possibility I had never considered before.

Try to imagine ... that a number of ultra-conservatives who believe in the concept of “intelligent design” (a concept that didn’t really exist until the late 1980s) put forth the view that the scientific theories presented in The Living Seas were at odds with their religious beliefs. And try to imagine that their concerns were brought to Brad Rex, who was vice president of Epcot, and who made no secret of his religious faith and had no problem talking about it openly and publicly.

Now, please understand, I am not opposed to any belief system that is different than mine, with one provision: It should not be forced upon me, nor should it be used in a way that positions itself as superior to anyone else’s. I believe in exposing people to different faiths, different beliefs, different ideas.

That’s why science, to me, has always been so fascinating: It attempts to prove theories using facts, and rarely, if ever, sets forth the notion that its ideas are absolutely inarguable and unwavering; it’s why, for instance, the theories of evolution and relativity remain, to this day, “theories.” If they cannot be proven to any degree that is entirely infallible, they must remain theories.

So I never, ever imagined that anyone would take exception to some basic education, some awareness they might not have had before. Indeed, one of the reasons I lament the passing of The Living Seas was because it presented its offerings so simply, without fanfare – the seas that surround us were shown only to be extraordinary wonders we have barely begun to understand.
And then I read that blog entry.

And I got to wondering. Is it possible that Disney bowed to the wishes of a rather vocal group of ultra-conservative evangelicals and “Nemo-ized” The Living Seas, made it into a happy, un-threatening place, all because a group of people felt that the science on view in the pavilion was antithetical to their religious views?

It’s certainly possible – and possibilities are hard to discount.

Holding this view as plausible, it explains why discussion of man’s role in nature (in “Symbiosis”) was replaced with cute, cuddly “Lion King” characters. The effect of an animated warthog on nature is much less difficult for conservative groups to explain to children than, say, a factory’s impact on the environment.

It explains why, despite the appearance of one of the most visible gay-rights advocates in the country (the world, perhaps), “Ellen’s Energy Adventure” is much less threatening than an exploration of how man’s dependence on fossil fuels is depleting our earth’s resources. (The Big Bang and dinosaurs are still represented, but might they be on the chopping block in future incarnations?)

Perhaps I am too concerned, drawing too many tenuous connections.

But I have to wonder, given the role of faith in life of the executive who was in charge of Epcot, the rather interesting viewpoint expressed by Randall Niles, and the relative inanity (and harmlessness) of The Seas With Nemo and Friends ... is it possible?

Almost by definition, science exists to challenge our notions of the world in which we live. Challenge, it appears, is becoming a scarce commodity – and it’s quite possible that we are paying the price for demanding a world in which tough answers aren’t sought. (I won’t dwell on this idea, except to say I can’t believe that “easy credit” and “easy answers” aren’t related in at least the smallest of ways.) Science is challenging, it is difficult, it can even be confrontational if your own world view conflicts with it – just as it was for those who for centuries insisted the world was flat and the earth was at the center of the universe.

To hear that we are one small sphere amid “a hundred thousand million suns” does indeed fly in the face of any conservative views.

But I wouldn't expect hard science if I were a guest to The Holy Land Experience in Orlando, I likewise don’t expect religious views, or their influence, to factor in to a visit to EPCOT.

Perhaps they didn’t. That's very possible.

And yet ... perhaps they did.

Try to imagine.

One well-placed letter, one influential guest complaining about EPCOT’s lack of “inclusiveness.” One guest threatening a boycott – or, worse, suggesting that his or her family might not buy the new Disney DVD because their sensibilities were disturbed by a dramatic, memorable recitation of the science of the creation of our little planet.

Try to imagine.

In Walt's Words

2008-10-06T22:57:00.001-07:00

"In EPCOT, there will be no slum areas because we won't let them develop."

If Your Heart's Not in the Dream

2008-10-06T06:54:00.000-07:00

There’s no doubt that The Walt Disney Company is a remarkable force in marketing. In the entertainment industry, Disney is respected (though perhaps less admired these days) for its marketing expertise. Disney’s management likes to call it “branding.” In the simplest form, it’s why we get names like “Disney’s Contemporary Resort” or “Disney’s Animal Kingdom,” when in decades past the shorter form would suffice.

Disney has virtually made a science out of the art form of marketing. Through highly paid consultants and outside agencies, through focus groups and incessant testing, Disney has learned its business well.

And yet, Disney’s relentless, inexhaustible marketing machine also has removed any trace of real personality from its products. As Disney Consumer Products head Andy Mooney told the Los Angeles Times a few months ago, the new “Tinker Bell” movie wasn’t made for entertainment value. It was made to make money. Mooney said, “We were fundamentally missing an opportunity in terms of getting Tinker Bell out there as a character. There’s clearly latent demand.”

That’s how Disney thinks: Consumer demand drives creative decisions, not the other way around. And from a long-term value standpoint, the problem is, “the other way around” is exactly how The Walt Disney Company became so successful in the first place.
And all of that, in a roundabout way, brings us to EPCOT.

EPCOT Center wasn’t created because consumers demanded a more adult-oriented theme park dedicated to exploring future technologies and world cultures. If you had asked 100 adults in 1976 if they thought such a place was needed, or even interesting, you likely would have been met with 100 blank stares.

Focus groups weren’t asked if EPCOT Center would make them feel better about Disney or drive their interest in visiting a Disney Park.

EPCOT Center didn’t fill a gaping void in Disney’s theme-park catalog, wasn’t designed to appeal to the company’s “core consumer.”

EPCOT Center was created because it was a great idea that hadn’t been tried.

EPCOT Center was built on a vision. (Yes, you could argue it was a flawed one) It was conceived by creative artists who might have had a limited reach, as opposed to Walt Disney’s, but who were at least aspiring to something new and different.

The consumer proposition came later, as the project was handed off to marketers and merchandisers and publicists, who had the task (enviable, in my book, unenviable to some) of introducing and explaining this entirely new idea to the public.

The idea came first. The selling of the idea came afterward.

The dream was the most important thing.

Twenty-six years later, EPCOT does not fit any sort of “core message” that Jay Rasulo and his marketing team at Disney Parks have devised for the theme parks. That’s a problem. Because while Disney has the collective brain and skillset of thousands of very smart marketing executives, there’s one thing it doesn’t have: a collective heart.

Unfortunately, that’s the very thing that EPCOT and, increasingly “Disney Parks” in general, needs.

Until they can make it into “Disney’s Epcot,” this marketing group, for all of its expertise in other areas, simply can’t sell the thing.

So, instead of trying to understand what they don’t understand (as Pocahontas might say, of learning “things they never knew they never knew”), they’ll keep adding Pixar characters and Disney characters and princesses and kid-oriented activities and cartoons and “magic” to the place until only the architecture sets it apart. And although there will be no good way to explain that giant golf ball, those sleek buildings, the massive pavilions, the unusual layout, and all those weird “country places,” it won’t matter.

It will be “Disney,” as that word has come to be defined. Then they can sell it.

The Disney of today manufactures and markets filmed-entertainment products like Beverly Hills Chihuahua and ever more Pirates of the Caribbean soon-to-be-DVDs, but would not be able to take the bold creative steps that led to, say, Fantasia, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Mary Poppins or The Wonderful World of Disney ... much less Disneyland or EPCOT Center.

In all of those instances, the idea came first. The idea drove the business. And though he is, unfortunately, not recognized for the towering achievements he made to American Industry, Walt Disney’s concept of putting the idea first created a company unlike any other.

Despite his accomplishments, Walt Disney knew he was corny, reveled in it. So it made sense that he would approve of a lyric like, “If your heart is in your dream / No request is too extreme.”

Those who have inherited what Walt Disney built aren’t corny. They want to be hip, cool players in today’s Hollywood. They don’t, as a rule, seem to really understand or appreciate the sentiment behind those lyrics. The idea is secondary; the ability to market the idea comes first.

So they can’t quite understand what happens when your heart’s not in your dreams.

They need look no further than EPCOT.

A few weeks back, a Walt Disney World executive and I were talking about the woes that have befallen my favorite theme park. I reminded him of its origins, its concept, its message, and wondered to him why Disney didn’t try to rebuild that concept.

He smiled at me and said, “Wow, you really believe that stuff, don’t you?”

It made me doubt whether he even knows the lyrics to When You Wish Upon a Star. Or maybe, after 22 years of “Disney marketing,” he’s simply forgotten.

Expunging the Park Completely Of Theme

2008-10-03T15:13:00.000-07:00

Poor EPCOT.

That is, poor Epcot.

Back in 1994, 12 years after it opened, Disney lower-cased the place, and even though it's been known as "Epcot" longer than it was ever known as "EPCOT Center" (14 years vs. 12 years), the lower-casing has failed to have any effect -- except, perhaps, of eliminating any trace of the unifying vision or theme that used to set it apart.

To many, no doubt to most Disney execs who read this, it is ridiculous to continue carping about a change that took place 14 years ago. It's a little like those Star Wars fans who say that it's all been downhill since The Empire Strikes Back. They don't get that Empire is the exception, and that the Star Wars movies they dislike really are the ones that best represent George Lucas's vision. So, they rant and rave and say what a lousy guy that George is. The EPCOT/Epcot conundrum is a bit different, though.

While EPCOT Center clearly did not represent Walt Disney's vision for his great Community of Tomorrow, it was deeply influenced by Disney's dreams. The Community would have included an expansive area in which American companies could show off the best of their current and leading-edge technology (Future World), as well as an internationally themed shopping area that would take guests on a trip around the world without leaving Florida (World Showcase). Those two ideas were central to Walt Disney's concept, and they survived, they were the starting place for what became EPCOT Center.

So, in many ways, EPCOT Center was closer to realizing Walt's ambitions than most people give it credit for. True, there are no residents -- but virtually every other part of Walt's EPCOT actually did get realized, in the grand concept and design of Walt Disney World. Transporation, business centers (albeit with a bias toward retail), hotels and resorts, recreation ... it's all there, though not nearly as ambitiously realized as Walt had hoped and dreamed.

But EPCOT Center maintained one massively important concept, one that was vital to understanding everything Walt Disney was trying to achieve: It brought together corporate giants who were leaders in their industries and offered them a chance to show to the public what they were doing to create a better future. Although EPCOT was never built, exactly, EPCOT Center was, and its very name explained its existence:

The Center of the Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow. The Center of the grand concept. The Center of it all.

EPCOT Center was (and, in word, at least, remains) dedicated to the same concepts Walt Disney wanted to explore further: How to inspire hope and ambition in young people, how to instill pride and optimism in adults, how to make the world better, how to communicate, cooperate and dream.

EPCOT Center, then, was more than a "theme park," it was the world's first (and only) "concept park."

If it wasn't a perfect realization of that concept, it was astonishingly close.

The very idea of EPCOT Center was communicated brilliantly through park guide maps (which used to be much more extensive than the fold-out brochures of today) as well as through technology like the now-defunct WorldKey system. EPCOT Center spent time trying to impart its concept to guests, and even if all they took away from it was, "it's the educational park," that's more than most people ever take away from any "theme" park. (Ask someone what the "theme" of a Six Flags park is -- yes, they bill themselves as "theme" parks.) In its own modest way, that was a major success.

But it went further than that. EPCOT Center's theme was infused into everything it offered and presented. The signs, attractions, restaurants and shops of Future World constantly served up reminders that guests were meant to be experiencing the future ... while World Showcase could not have been more successful in carrying out its international theme. Every ride and show EPCOT Center presented was acutely aware of the concept of the park.

But then something happened. Instead of updating, revising and rethinking each attraction as it grew outdated (a flaw that was absolutely inherent in EPCOT Center's basic concept, and completely unavoidable), Disney's eternal, damaging tug-of-war between Imagineering and Theme Park operations took its toll. The idea that EPCOT was largely outdated and antiquated (which was true enough) was interpreted to mean the park needed a drastic re-thinking.

The fact that Future World's attractions were serious in nature and educational in approach was seen as a flaw. When compared with other theme parks in the Central Florida region, which were competing for the mighty dollar of Disney guests, EPCOT Center seemed "boring." It needed a massive overhaul. It needed humor and relevance. It needed modernization to bring it into the '90s. It needed thrill rides and adventure. It needed to be more like other theme parks.

And that redesign was its undoing. Because at its very core, right down deep in its "theme park DNA," EPCOT Center was "genetically" incapable of being like other theme parks. But damn it all, Disney's largely MBA-educated management was going to try.

Out went a Universe of Energy and in (before she was "out") came Ellen DeGeneres and Bill Nye (who?) the Science Guy. Out went Horizons and in came ... well, for many years, absolutely nothing. Out went World of Motion, in came Test Track and a lot of scaffolding and traffic signs. Out went the extraordinary pre-show to The Living Seas and in came little Nemo. Out went the Wonders of Life, and in came ... oops, nothing. Out went Kitchen Kabaret, in came ... Food Rocks?

And if you are feeling all of that seems somehow frenetic and non-sensical, it kind of was. Because when they threw out the name "EPCOT Center," they threw out the very concept of what EPCOT was -- and they forgot to put anything in its place.

For a while, they tried to show how "timely" Epcot was by putting the year after its name: Epcot '94. Epcot '95. Then they called Epcot the "discovery park" -- which was fine except there wasn't really anything to discover there, and it more or less left out what World Showcase was all about. They brought in lots of Disney characters, because EPCOT didn't feel "Disney" enough, but they failed to realize that EPCOT itself was Disney; characters were almost redundant, like painting the White House red and blue, as well, to emphasize the point. Disney invented EPCOT, so it was, by definition, Disney by nature.

But it's ideas like these that Disney has failed to grasp as it has continued to tinker with Epcot.

Today, Test Track is just a cool ride in a car. (In my last visit to Epcot, the pre-show boarding area wasn't functioning, and guests didn't even seem to realize or notice; it's not integral to understanding the show.) The Seas is an excuse to see Nemo. Mission: Space is a semi-unique thrill ride. Imagination struggles to be about anything, since Disney doesn't seem to care much anymore about either Figment or "Honey I Shrunk the Audience." The stores all sell the same Disney junk you can get at several dozen other stores throughout Walt Disney World. The restaurants sell the same mundane food. Disney Vacation Club kiosks are randomly scattered through the park, reminding guests that all of this is really just about selling you on more Disney.

It's all now seemingly randomly placed, randomly designed, randomly developed. The institutional-white walls that form the "exit" of Mission: Space could be at any Six Flags park. The clamshells guests ride in to experience "The Seas With Nemo and Friends" could have been plucked from Fantasyland.

Even over in World Showcase, which used to seem like a portion of the park that could never really lose its theme, "Kim Possible" is soon to take over (a now-canceled Disney cartoon), and Jasmine and Belle spend their days in Norway. It all, frankly, feels a bit like a mall.

It's beyond sad for me to really contemplate what Epcot has become. When it was "boring," at least it had an identity, it was proudly all of a piece. It was literally a theme park, one that carried out a unified theme beautifully.

Today, it's a "Disney Park" through and through, with all the mediocrity implied by that mundane, joyless moniker. "Disney Parks" need to be able to communicate an instant message -- one of laughing children, happy cartoon characters and beatiful princesses, one of cartoon-style adventure and innocent fun.

EPCOT Center didn't necessarily offer those things, and yet it was a Disney Park. It was a quintessentially Disney Park, before that became a "brand" -- one whose ambition and concept were as daring as Walt himself was, in his folksy, seemingly innocent way.

EPCOT Center was the Disney park, with a theme unlike any other, the ultimate realization of everything that a Disney-designed and Disney-built theme park could be, combining technological prowess with storytelling and an optimistic vision of a future that, this time around, wasn't fake. It was a storybook ending in the real world, one we could all work together to achieve.

Today, Epcot really has no theme. It stands without a unifying concept, without any real direction or ambition. Sadly, I think, it has become exactly what Disney's highly paid, "creative" executives want it to be:

Epcot is just one in a global chain of Disney Parks.

And one way or another, they need it to start acting like the rest of them.

A World We Long(ed) to Share

2008-10-01T07:05:00.000-07:00

Thank you to everyone who has welcomed back EPCOT Central. I was sorry to be away so long, but after a couple of months, it got to the point that it seemed best just to give the site a long, long rest. Yes, I expected it to be permanent, but with every trip to Walt Disney World, my enthusiasm for EPCOT – what it was, what it is, what it promised and what it can be – just grows. I was fortunate (since I don’t live in Florida) to visit three times since EPCOT Central’s last post, and the thoughts just continued to build. At the moment, I’m going to postpone continuing my “Ten Steps to a Better EPCOT,” though I will, at some point, finish those out. For all of you who express enthusiasm for my writing and ideas, thank you. And, as a “re-dedication” of EPCOT Central ...

To all who come to this place of thought, expression, ideas and dreams, welcome. EPCOT Central is yours. I hope you will continue to speak your mind here, and to share in the dream that Disney will someday regain its appreciation of this most unique, daring theme park.

As daring as EPCOT Center was when it opened, 25 years ago, it dared even further with the opening of Horizons. The massive, single-ride pavilion, originally sponsored by GE, made a declaration that, sadly, The Walt Disney Company would prove itself unable or unwilling to realize: “If we can dream it, then we can do it.”

It’s unlikely that, in January 1999, executives at Disney realized just how wrong they would be in assuming that Horizons was antiquated and needed to be replaced. Certainly, they could never have anticipated the outpouring of emotion and nostalgia that so many feel for the attraction.

In many ways, Horizons represented the pinnacle of Walt Disney Imagineering. It boasted a large number of Audio-Animatronics figures, a theme-park innovation that no other company (sadly, including today’s Disney) was ever able to replicated. It offered guests an immersive experience that transported them out of their worlds and, briefly, into another. It improved on an existing ride system and increased capacity, so that while by today’s standards its hourly intake was relatively low (I’ve read about 700 an hour), there was rarely a wait, and the experience felt seamless to most guests. It blended humor, music, nostalgia, optimism, futurism, hope and even smells into a ride unlike any other, before or since.

Its unique “immersion” into “the promise of brighter days” may have left some guests cold, no doubt, but for many others, it offered the glimpse of a world in which, true, we might not all actually wear jumpsuits, but in which we had a chance to know and understand more about our life. It told us we had choices, and each was rife with possibility.

Horizons was markedly un-ironic, and it could not exist in a company that seems to believe post-modern irony is what makes its guests chuckle. No, it wasn’t markedly un-ironic – it was gloriously un-ironic.

Allegedly, Horizons fell victim to a sinkhole that mysteriously appeared a few years after GE failed to renew its sponsorship. How GE, or any other company, was supposed to re-invest in a concept that Disney itself appeared to have lost faith in is something I can’t explain. The “official version” aside (sinkhole, no sponsorship, guest surveys), it’s hard to accept any reason for Horizon’s fate than this: Disney didn’t believe in its basic message. No one understood it, and as Horizons lost its lease on life, so did EPCOT Center’s original theme.

I like to believe that the (Disney) world will be a better place someday. Soon, I hope. Because instead of new horizons, it’s increasingly showing us very limited horizons that look awfully like the world we live in now, filled with glitz and flash, but little substance, and, frankly, very little hope or optimism.

EPCOT Central Returns on October 1, 2008

2008-09-28T10:44:00.000-07:00

Continued Apologies

2008-04-28T22:44:00.000-07:00

EPCOT Central will be continue to be temporarily "on hiatus" for a while longer due to personal issues. Please accept my apologies and many thanks for your continued patience.

Just a little break

2008-04-14T23:27:00.000-07:00

EPCOT Central will be back soon. Unforeseen personal and professional commitments have kept me from posting new entries, but Step No. 7 (for those of you waiting breathlessly) will be posted in relatively short order. Thanks for your patience!

Ten Steps to a Better EPCOT: Step No. 6

2008-04-06T10:23:00.000-07:00

Step No. 6: Engage Educators

Through anecdotal evidence and guesswork only, it's not hard to imagine that hundreds of schoolteachers and home-schooling parents step through the gates of EPCOT every day.

Yet Disney no longer does anything to engage them, to bring EPCOT into the classroom. That needs to change.

From opening until about 1994, when "EPCOT Center" changed to "Epcot," teachers could visit a location in Future World where they could view information about the park and its subjects, explore research material that could help them design EPCOT-themed lessons, and talk to a staff of knowledgeable experts and librarians. No, it wasn't exactly a kinetic, exciting attraction for the whole family to share -- but for moms and dads who were teachers, it was a "side trip" that could be accomplished while the rest of the family visited the exhibits at CommuniCore below.

It was also a much-needed, much-missed way to inspire educators to think of new ways to bring the themes of EPCOT home with them. (And if a kid here or there was intrigued to perhaps visit EPCOT themselves, so much the better!)

As a result of the No Child Left Behind Act, passed in January 2002, there are fewer and fewer hours in a week for teachers to explore topics that aren't in approved curricula. However, this is where Disney could come in. After it disbanded its once-successful Disney Educational Productions unit a few years back (formerly part of Disney Consumer Products), Disney seems to have essentially given up on the educational market. Not a surprise, since it's not exactly the biggest moneymaker imaginable; teaching kids never has been an initiative undertaken to get rich.

But given that it's tougher and tougher, in the wake of NCLB, to teach "off text," EPCOT could stand to make some terrific inroads. By hiring and maintaining one or two staff positions that focus solely on turning the concepts of EPCOT into "NCLB-approved" material, EPCOT could develop innovative, fun and imaginative lessons about transportation, communications, energy, nutrition, geography, math, science and language arts. With a relatively inexpensive marketing effort (with an annual budget in the range of, say, $100,000), Disney could make EPCOT the center of modest educational initiatives ... and, perhaps, drive a few hundred more guests through the turnstiles each year, in the form of teachers and students who want to find out more for themselves.

EPCOT could bring back the Teacher's Center/EPCOT Outreach idea, turning over just a couple of hundred square feet of space to this effort. It's a small price to pay for potentially big returns.

EPCOT was made to inspire. By reaching out to educators in a very modest way, EPCOT could inspire many more than just those who set foot in the park each year. It's an inexpensive way to give back to the community and, in a small way, to help improve American education.

Ten Steps to a Better EPCOT: Step No. 5

2008-04-03T16:31:00.000-07:00

Step No. 5: Capitalize

Walt Disney Company CFO Tom Staggs and his group can rest easy -- this kind of "capitalization" doesn't require heft conversion of the company's resources into cash to fund new projects at Epcot. While that kind of capitalization would be fantastic, it's not in the cards anytime soon, and besides, the idea behind these 10 steps is that they should be inexpensive.

This one certainly fits that bill.

Back in 1994, just 12 years after EPCOT opened, Disney decided to change the name of its most ambitious theme park. EPCOT Center became, first, Epcot '94. Then Epcot '95. Finally in 1996, slightly saner heads prevailed and the idea of changing the name every year, even if it was just an abbreviated year extension, was dropped.

EPCOT Center became just little ol' Epcot.

In fact, it's been Epcot longer than it ever was EPCOT Center.

The funny thing is, that EPCOT Center name stuck. Most guests always shortened the name "EPCOT Center" to just "Epcot" when speaking. But Google the words "EPCOT Center," and you'll come up with more than 1.5 million entries. Pick up a travel guide, and quite often you'll find the name "EPCOT Center" being used where "Epcot" is actually more appropriate.

Why hasn't the name change ever really taken hold?

My theory is this: Everyone loved being able to point out that EPCOT was an acronym. It meant something. Yes, we all know ... those groan-worthy old tram-driver puns aside, it stood for (all together, everyone!) "Experimental Prototype Community Of Tomorrow."

And that was grand.

EPCOT had meaning, even if the idea behind that meaning was pretty vague. As an acronym, "EPCOT" had a purpose. There was a point to this oddity of a theme park. Even if you didn't know the words, EPCOT had a definition.

It's important for a place to be definable. "L.A." is always "Ellay," but we know it means "Los Angeles." The City of Angels. Lost Angeles. Lost Angels. Whatever joke you want to make of the initials, they are meaningful.

"I (Heart) NYC" means something because we understand that "N.Y.C." stands for something important. We all know what it is.

Imagine if we were flying out to "La." Or we were going to spend a weekend in "Nyc." Or heading over the Atlantic to visit friends in "The Uk."

EPCOT was more than a jumble of letters, it was an identity.

Epcot is a jumble of letters. A nonsense word. There's no there there.

Has anyone ever asked you, "What do you stand for?" Well, then, pity poor Epcot. It literally stands for nothing. And that's a problem that's easily remedied.

Once it stands for something again, this amazing park will have a better chance of slowly regaining an identity, one with meaning behind it.

It makes little difference whether "Center" follows EPCOT. Now that the aforementioned Mr. Staggs has made a little project out of creating pocket change for Disney by selling off the hard-won land on which Walt Disney World sits, EPCOT is no longer in the center of anything, not literally. So, go ahead and ditch the "Center."

Perhaps no one at Disney never really cared to notice before, but EPCOT matters.

Ten Steps to a Better EPCOT: Step No. 4

2008-04-02T22:22:00.000-07:00

Step No. 4: Improve the Service

Perhaps it's because I spend more time at EPCOT than any other park during trips to Walt Disney World. Perhaps it's because I've got a high expectation of what Disney service should be. Or perhaps, and quite possibly, it's because I hold EPCOT to a higher standard than any other theme park, whether on or off Disney property.

But lately ... well, I hate to say it, the service at EPCOT is kind of lousy.

Nevermind those obnoxious, pesky Ballzac folks; I've already covered that. But when I think about my last trip to EPCOT, the poor performance of most cast members really stands out. There were exceptions, there's no doubt about that, like Sinead, the lovely server at the Rose and Crown Pub. Or the two hosts at Spaceship Earth (I'm sorry, I didn't catch your names) who actually smiled and said hello before asking how many were in the party and seating us in our "time machines."

More, though, I think about Brenda and her pals over at Soarin', who were having far too good a time doing each others' hair and talking about the weekend -- and when I asked if they could possibly look in on the queue and be concerned about the "show" they were providing for guests, flat-out asked me: "Pardon me -- do you work here? Why do you care what we're doing?"

I think about the intensely bored look on the face of the ride operator at Maelstrom who seemed to be alone in the show building and didn't really care that the queue area was strewn with trash.

I think of the women staffing the coffee cart outside of the Canada pavilion, who didn't care what they left on the counters, in full view of guests, and who expressed confusion when one guest (not me) ordered an espresso. Even though it was there on the menu, they didn't know how to make it and didn't know how to ring it up.

I think about the German cast members all huddled around the check-in desk outside Biergarten, backs turned to the guests, giggling and laughing in German (which one person in our party understands fluently). Let's just say their conversation wouldn't have been advisable in any guest-oriented setting if it were being held in English.

I think about the cast members in the Mexico pavilion who were shutting down their retail locations a good hour before the park closed.

I think about the angry-looking server at the Fountain View ice cream restaurant who kept wiping her chocolate stained hands all over her costume and told people, "Go stand over there" after they ordered.

This was not a pleasant visit.

Disney service used to be without peer and virtually flawless. Now the great experiences are becoming increasingly rare.

In a park that is supposed to present an idealized vision of a future world and showcase the humanity of our different cultures, it seems to me a greater effort could be made to train and educate cast members about interacting with the public.

No doubt, Disney has had a harder time attracting and retaining entry-level cast members. Frankly, I'm always impressed by those who do shine, because it's hard not to remember that they are people who aren't getting paid very well. But for the growing numbers who seem like they couldn't care less about where they work, there's something important to remember:

Those guests you're serving, the ones you're ignoring, the ones you'd rather didn't bother you -- they've paid a lot of money to be here, and they've been told to expect a vision of the future and a journey to places they may never otherwise get to visit. There is a show going on here, a show with a message that is distinct and different from anything else in this Disney World. Perhaps it's not your fault that you're not excelling ... more likely, it's the fault of managers who are told to cut costs, to keep things moving and to care less about "show" than about profits.

So, then, for EPCOT managers, a plea: Show some concern for the guests and the show they're seeing at this amazing place. Even if the attractions sometimes underwhelm, your cast members can make the difference between a humdrum day and a fantastic experience. Spend some time teaching them about what makes EPCOT so rare, and you may just find they pass their knowledge, their pride and their excitement on to guests.

Ten Steps to a Better Epcot: Step No. 3

2008-04-01T22:06:00.000-07:00

Step No. 3: Spice Up the Endings

You've just spent 30 minutes in line and five minutes on an entertaining ride experience. (Well, in the old days, that would have been 10 minutes in line and 20 minutes on a ride, but that's an observation for another time.) If you're like most Epcot guests, sadly you try to make it out of the building fast enough to jam in another ride before your character meal.

It doesn't need to be this way. In fact, it shouldn't. Not at Epcot.

There will always be those impatient park guests who reason, "I paid fifty bucks to get in this joint, so I'm gonna get my money's worth," and think "money's worth" means as much in-your-face entertainment as possible. But, then, Epcot has a chance to challenge those ideas, to get guests to stop and linger, and maybe learn a little something while being (maybe, just a little) entertained.

Back in the day (yes, EPCOT Central critics, I'll refer to the "old days" here again), EPCOT Center's centerpiece attractions were coupled with some fairly intriguing post-show entertainment. There were some attractions, like Universe of Energy and Horizons, that were so elaborate that their pavilions had little room for post-show entertainment. But there were others, most of them, in fact, that offered as much interactive intrigue after the ride as during.

Spaceship Earth and World of Motion were fantastic examples of this. Earth Station offered a practical view of how communications technology might (and, actually, did) revolutionize our lives. From dining reservations to previews of other EPCOT attractions, Earth Station allowed us to interact and experience future technology ourselves. TransCenter, on the other hand, allowed guests to explore prototype cars and even (can you believe it?!) examine the feasibility of a water-powered engine.

These were optional, of course; but for guests who wanted to take part, they added immeasurably to the EPCOT experience.

Now, I'm not going to criticize the Advanced Training Lab at Mission: Space, or the new Project Tomorrow at Spaceship Earth; they're both ways to engage guests, and they both try to enhance the experience. OK, I'll criticize them a little. I'm not sure how Project Tomorrow upholds any ideas we've been exposed to on the ride; and Advanced Training Lab is (in my experience) usually pretty devoid of guests and really more of a high-tech playground.

What a missed opportunity to educate increasingly unaware masses of the amazing accomplishments of the U.S. space program ... or of all global space initiatives!

That's just one example of where Disney has fallen down on EPCOT's goal -- yes, it's still the goal, printed out there on that plaque for all to see -- to "entertain, inform and inspire." They've got the entertainment part down. So here are some suggestions for those last two bits, possibilities for enhancing the post-show area in key attractions:

* Do something about the long, barren, boring hallways that greet visitors at the end of Mission: Space. Paint a mural -- a big one. Add video screens that show great moments from space history. Offer up words of wisdom from astronauts and space pioneers. Anything other than unbelievably boring, monotonous institutional-looking walls. Yes, it's true ... you've got to keep the guests moving out of the building. But look at what you've got over at the 33-year-old Space Mountain as your "post-show," then look at what the infinitely more complex and technologically advanced Mission: Space has to offer. Frankly, it's a major embarrassment.

* Upgrade the Test Track post show; focus on hydrogen cars and non-polluting vehicles -- but don't just show them. Make this more than a glorified showroom. Incorporate far better signage, provide a script and a small show for the cast member staffing the area. Actively invite audience participation by creating constantly updated, five-minute videos that play in a prominent area. Get guests involved and use this as an opportunity to demonstrate that GM wants to help improve our future, and we all play a role in that by deciding what, where, how and when to drive. Toyota and Honda have improved their business by at least pretending to be concerned about our environmental future -- send a similar message from GM to the millions who walk through here every year.

* Add new information and elements to the small post-show area in the Universe of Energy. Utilize that wall space; add moving video images that highlight some key ideas portrayed in Ellen's Energy Adventure, such as a map that shows where solar power is catching on, or where there are wind-farming sites. Add some "energy quizzes" using computer screens and interactive kiosks. Energy is in the headlines every single day; there's a fantastic opportunity to create a small, simple but effective set of displays here that is constantly changing.

* The Seas With Nemo and Friends gets low marks from me because any teenager or adult who has even a passing interest in the silent world below us has seen more impressive displays at aquariums throughout the U.S. But why not use a small part of the massive interactive exhibit areas to attract older audiences, to offer something non-Nemo-ized that makes us think, "A-ha!" Perhaps, dare I suggest it, this could be a great location to show a slightly modified version of the old (and amazing) introductory film to The Living Seas?

* The American Adventure is a wonderful pavilion in World Showcase, but barely even touches on any modern issues. Why not use the post-show exit area (and perhaps part of the entry area!) to explore such pivotal, emotional and perhaps slightly controversial issues as civil rights, inner-city development, and education? There is little in the American Adventure to suggest that America, the host country of Epcot, is a particularly deep or thoughtful country. EPCOT has a fantastic opportunity to show its non-American visitors that the U.S. is much deeper than stereotypes paint it.

* Whether or not the host country can fund it, why not offer a travel kiosk at the exit of each World Showcase attraction? I find it disconcerting that even while Disney tries to grow its own "Adventures By Disney" business, it's almost impossible to find out anything about actually visiting the country you've just "visited." This became particularly noticeable when Norway, which once had some of the most friendly cast members staffing its travel kiosk, closed down their "Visit Norway" location. If EPCOT really is aiming to inspire people, then the least that could be done is to offer a way to explore the feasibility of visiting these countries on your own. It would add another dimension to an EPCOT visit!

These are just a few ideas -- but the overall theme remains the same: The ride or show itself is just part of the experience. Visiting EPCOT can be exponentially richer and more rewarding for thoughtful guests while still being "surface" for those who care only about the next ride. It just takes a little care, a little effort and a relatively quite small amount of money.

I bet there are Imagineers out there who would jump at the chance to take on enhancement projects like these ... and the others that I hope EPCOT Central readers will share themselves!

Ten Steps to a Better Epcot: Step No. 2

2008-03-31T12:20:00.000-07:00

Step No. 2: Update the Movies

Movies can be expensive, there's no doubt about it. These days, the "negative," or production, budget on a feature film can easily run into the nine-figure range, with many blockbuster movies costing as much as $160 million to produce. So, Step No. 2 toward improving EPCOT isn't made without that knowledge. Movies cost a lot of money.

Similarly, theme-park attractions aren't cheap. The new Cars attraction at Disneyland in California is rumored to cost as much as $300 million -- that's nearly 1/3 of the entire cost of EPCOT Center when it was built in 1982.

But it would seem, then, that Disney would want to make sure that it realizes long-term investments on those attractions, to ensure that, year after year, guests are walking through the doors of an attraction and always finding something to entertain and delight them.

So, why can't Disney consistently and regularly revitalize and freshen up the movie-based attractions at EPCOT?

No doubt, it's not a simple process to re-shoot a movie that requires multiple 70mm-sized movie screens, the CircleVision process or 3-D technology. It can't be a logistical and creative walk in the park to design and produce films that can't be shown anywhere else, that utilize production techniques that aren't exactly off-the-shelf methods.

Still ... it's been 26 years since the view EPCOT audiences have of France has been changed. France, on the other hand, has changed a lot. While certain scenes and images may be timeless, France is an exciting, vibrant, thriving country -- and fashion-conscious, too! They even have some modern cars. But you'd never know that from the impressions of France you get at Impressions de France.

If Disney can find hundreds of millions of dollars in its coffers to market Prince Caspian certainly it could find, say, $15 million to update Impressions de France for another, oh, maybe 10 to 12 years?

Then there's poor, poor Norway. If you watch the lovely Spirit of Norway movie, you'd think the Norwegian fashion sense is still rooted in the mid-1980s and that the country is still running off of 25-year-old computers. There are moments in Spirit of Norway that are downright painful to watch. Since Disney is now operating the Norway pavilion without a governmental sponsor, it seems Disney could at least throw that little country up north a bone and move the view of its people and places into the 21st century.

The Universe of Energy is remarkably dated, as well, populated with U.S. TV pop-culture references that don't even make sense to non-Americans, much less to many teenagers visiting the park today, who weren't born when Bill Nye the Science Guy had his little dose of fame.

It's been nice to see Disney update Wonders of China and, even despite Martin Short, O Canada ... but it took them 25 years to get to that point with two movies. Two.

Will EPCOT turn 50 before the other film-based attractions are updated?

The whole point of these relatively inexpensive film-based attractions was that they were easy to maintain, to update, to freshen and to keep people coming back ...

... and, really, isn't that kind of the point?

Ten Steps to a Better EPCOT: Step No. 1

2008-03-30T21:45:00.000-07:00

Over the next few weeks, EPCOT Central will explore 10 relatively easy ways Disney could significantly improve EPCOT.

Of course, these are just opinions, and your voice is welcome!

Also, a note to Disney's legal eagles: This blog is written anyonymously. Therefore, all suggestions and "creative" ideas are yours for the taking. There's no ownership here; if Imagineers or theme-park management likes what's written, by all means -- take the ideas as if they were your own!

These suggestions are written in absolutely no particular order. Step 10 is no more or less important than step 1; they're just ideas, observations and suggestions made in the spirit of optimism and global community that EPCOT Center used to embody.

With that ...

Step No. 1: Clean Up the Clutter

It's springtime, time for a thorough cleaning ... and EPCOT could use one the same way everyone else could!

Most notably are the open spaces throughout Future World. These spaces were designed to be open, to be large, to be easily navigable. The intention wasn't to line them with outdoor-vending carts, particularly those that serve no purpose than to sell random junk. So, we're not talking about getting rid of ice-cream and refreshment carts, though, frankly, those could be better themed and better located.

The most glaring offender here is that stupid Ballzac stand in the Future World East breezeway. In dozens upon dozens of trips to EPCOT, I've never seen anyone purchase one of these silly things. But lest any guest not understand exactly what a "Ballzac" is (am I the only one who finds the name vaguely sexual and a tad offensive?), the poor cast member staffing this location spends his or her shift bouncing the thing around. That can't be very fun, particularly when no one's buying your wares, so the cast member throws the ball around, tossing it to and fro, often losing control and hitting some unwitting guest in the head. Of course, it's not as if these are exactly lethal weapons, but this particular piece of clutter isn't just thematically irrelevant ... it's downright obnoxious. Pay off the Ballzac vendor and let this walkway just be. If you gotta sell Ballzacs, do it at a water park or a location like the Boardwalk or Pleasure Island, where at least the "zany fun" of the Ballzac can be appreciated.

There's also the issue of those early 1990s-era purple "carnival tent" structures. True, from some distance away, they frame the bottom of Spaceship Earth nicely. But even as that sort of visual framing device, the look can only be appreciated from a particular vantage point, and isn't necessary. Spaceship Earth doesn't need that sort of visual "enhancement."

Worse, from anywhere in Innoventions Plaza, it becomes impossible to actually see Spaceship Earth. And isn't that sort of the point?

One of the many visual splendors of EPCOT is to be able to see Spaceship Earth from virtually anywhere in the park. Whether in Future World or World Showcase, it's always there, visually linking the two halves of the park thematically -- depending on where you are, either symbolizing our future opportunities with its giant, silver sphere, or reminding you that we're all passengers together aboard Spaceship Earth.

So, it's ironic that the only place you can't actually make out Spaceship Earth anymore is right there in Innoventions Plaza, when it should be looming over you like a majestic reminder of everything EPCOT is about.

Lastly, there are the twin travesties of Test Track and Imagination. The latter is less offensive, but, still, are those banners and "temporary" signs really necessary to instill a sense of "fun"? Guests don't need all manner of signs outside an attraction to serve as a reminder to check out what's inside ... and if they're the kind of guests who do need those visual aids, well, maybe they just need to be a little more curious. The beauty of EPCOT has always been that inside each pavilion there are many different sorts of things to see and do. Imagination doesn't need garishly colored signs reminding us to check out the various attractions; it's too lovely and unique a place on its own.

But poor, poor Test Track. The World of Motion building used to be one of the most visually impressive structures at EPCOT, outside of Spaceship Earth. It gleamed in the Florida sun, it seemed massive; its sleek lines were simple and pure, and even for those who think "futurism" was overrated, it was impressive. From certain angles it still is -- when you're far away from it, looking at it from the side, crossing the promenade between Future World and World Showcase. But as you near Test Track, it becomes a horrendous visual clutter, looking for all the world like a construction site for a project that has never been finished, with scaffolding and temporary signs. (It always seems to me like those banners should say, "Open during construction!")

The best visual "sales tool" for Test Track are the cars zooming past the front of the building. Why is the rest of the "visual noise" necessary?

A cleaned-up EPCOT could return the park to some of its former glory, while still retaining all that is new (relatively speaking), different and exciting about its attractions.

Sometimes, simple is the best way to go.