Epcot's Communicore- Explore, Discover, and Relax

If you've read this blog for any measure of time, you are well aware of my love for the original EPCOT Center. The park was a masterpiece of design as much as Epic Universe will be for this generation of theme park fans. At the center of Future World is the iconic Spaceship Earth. On the sides of this massive structure was Communicore, duo crescents that offered an enticing display of interactive hands on attractions that complemented the main pavilions. This little piece of concept reveals inviting, wide open spaces. It was a great place to relax and explore until you were ready to go on the park's original, great attractions such as Journey into Imagination, World of Motion, and Universe of Energy. A park of optimism, fun, and ambition. Boy, I miss those days!

(Art copyright The Walt Disney Company.)

Goodbye Test Track 2.0, Hello Test Track 3.0!

Epcot's Test Track is transforming again! Get ready for bits and pieces of the classic Future World attraction World of Motion to be gracefully Imagineered into version 3.0! Am I excited? You bet! Test Track 1.0 was brilliant, but 2.0 not so much. 

This first piece of concept art had already been revealed, giving just a glimpse of what is coming. But wait! There's more.

Here's the new art for the entrance (Top piece.) Do you love the clean lines and classic look? I do too. Like much of the ongoing transformation of Epcot, the best ideas seem to come from what was there before. Take a look at what World of Motion looked like when EPCOT Center opened:

It's Fun to Be Free, the theme song of World of Motion, would be the icing on the cake if it were to return to the ride. Even the queue. 

We won't see this one.

Did you know there's a tribute to World of Motion

in It's A Small World in Disneyland Paris?

I bet there's one thing we won't see. Original scenes full of Audio-Animatronics. But even a few would be nice. 

Why didn't the Epcot of latter years keep our interest? We are the reason Epcot had to change. Check out my detailed theory here.

(Art copyright The Walt Disney Company.)

Rare World of Motion Art

Ah, the EPCOT Center of old! When the Imagineers were forward thinkers and given more reign to create fresh and innovative ideas instead of just expensive promotional attractions for the animation and live action movie divisions most successful films. 

It's fun to be free! Here's a nice, fairly rare, little piece of concept art for EPCOT Center's wonderful and humorous World of Motion attraction. The rest of the pavilion could be explored only after the "E Ticket" ride. But what a ride it was! Filled with state of the art Audio-Animatronics and a clever narration by radio and television's beloved Gary Owens, and a very catchy theme song, it must a must see hit. 

Much akin to Pirates of the Caribbean in the Magic Kingdom, the ride through the history and future of transportation had so much going on that you had to ride several times to catch as much of it as possible. But it seemed like every trip, I would discover something new. There was even a whole scene "lifted" from Imagineer Marc Davis' unbuilt Western River Expedition- a pretty little nifty tribute to the mega complex of attractions that was given the axe when management panicked and brought in pirates instead. (See this.)

Test Track would come along and replace World of Motion, but that was certainly unnecessary. Remember that "blessing of size"? Yeah, me too. Should have had both. Such as shame the Disney suits had such disdain for their old school classics at the time. When they removed this, Horizons, the original Journey into Imagination, and the Universe of Energy, the tore out the heart and soul of the park. It's now just become a showcase for the Company's latest Intellectual Property- but without much intellect. 

(Art copyright The Walt Disney Company.)

Disney Attraction Posters: The New Epcot Collection

Love Epcot? Love EPCOT Center even more? Do you love Disney park attraction posters? Me, too! As you look through this incredible collection of posters for Walt Disney World's once most ambitious theme park, take a look and first read the original vision as inscribed on the dedication plaque:

To all who come to this place of Joy, Hope and Friendship - Welcome.

EPCOT is inspired by Walt Disney's creative vision. 

Here, human achievements are celebrated through imagination, 

wonders of enterprise and concepts 

of a future that promises new and exciting benefits for all.

May EPCOT Center entertain, inform and inspire and above all, 

may it instill a new sense of belief and pride 

in man's ability to shape a world

that offers hope to people everywhere.

 

Let's take a poster tour through what was once Future World and then World Showcase.  The designers of these posters did, and they played on our love for classic EPCOT Center. Nostalgia sells. Disney may be more interested in that than actually improving the attractions from the past that still remain.

 

 

Communicore - and not the upcoming concert venue.  The little blue robot SMRT-1, the one with the playful childlike voice, is the perfect character to capture the innocent and hopeful look of the park. 

 

 

Count me is as a guy that is undecided on this latest addition to my once favorite park. Does Moana belong?  Sure- in another park. But in the context of them also adding Marvel to the park, I guess it will do. Will our journey of water be worth destroying the elegant symmetry of the buildings that were once there? No. Did the park need a refreshing and maybe even some more greenery? Yes. Will I like the new addition? It's possible. Moving beyond the hub / core of the park...

Universe of Energy or Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind? Yes, Epcot needed a coaster to sell to the masses and especially the teens that go to Universal Orlando Resort. Was Marvel the right move or the easy one? So many questions, so little well thought out answers. The Imagineers of old are turning over in their graves.

 

Here I am PLAYing around with a new unopened pavilion and comparing it to Wonders of Life. The character infusion is the new focused of the park whether Imagineer Zach Riddley and crew will admit it or not. Will PLAY! be better than what came before? Hard to say by what is represented by the two attraction posters. Time will tell.

World of Motion and Test Track. Which would you prefer? As I like to say, because of that blessing of size, could we not have had both? If only. Smarter, cooler, longer thinking, heads should have prevailed.

 

 Here, the answer is more obvious. Would an updated Horizons blow Mission: Space out of the water? Yes, 100x over again and again. A space restaurant is clever, however. 

Now, crossing over to the other half of Future World...

A trio of well done posters representing The Land. I like the top one as it represents that old version of the park where each pavilion had multiple pieces to discover instead of one 4 minute long attraction. Ah, Kitchen Kabaret. Fun while it lasted, but too corny for a modern audience- and certainly one that wasn't all that favored by me even at opening. Soarin' the attraction is a winner in any form!

The one, the only, the original Journey into Imagination. Whenever the suits decide they need a quick inflow of cash, they pull out our beloved Figment and Dreamfinder. Nothing in Epcot pisses me off more than seeing how they destroyed this iconic attraction. Nothing.

Turtle Talk with Crush is a delight! Charming and family friendly and definitely something unique. It's a crowd pleaser and an undiscovered gem of this pavilion. The Living Seas was more ambitious- but then, so was the rest of the park back in the day.

The name World Celebration is ridiculous. That said, I was a fan of this project shown above. It seemed to have a sense of ambition and sleekness of the original park design for The American Adventure. It would have been a perfect nod to the past as well as a focus clearly on the future world.

Still one of the best parades Disney has ever produced. Timeless!

May this classic NOT Rest In Peace. May it return one day.

Nighttime entertainment has always been best at Epcot. Dare I say it- Harmonious or Illuminations?  Perhaps they couldn't come up with a good name for this last poster? Has imagination died within the Walt Disney Company? That may be a loaded question when it is applied to this once epic theme park.

 
Are you ready for the attraction posters for World Showcase?
 

 

  

For how well designed so many of these attraction posters are, these just don't do it for me. Coco will come to Mexico some day as this poster lets us know. The Gran Fiesta Tour will end, and the Three Caballeros will move on. All I can say is, where's the poster for the opening day attraction, El Rio del Tiempo? 

 

 

Norway, the Maelstrom, and a very Frozen Ever After. Characters in World Showcase blending with local culture. I've given up and given in. After all, who can resist the very lovable Olaf? But, and I mean this sincerely, isn't this cultural appropriation in the worse way possible? Absolutely.

 

 

After having seen the real Terra Cotta Warriors of China, I am even more interested in the cultural artifacts in this pavilion and its beautiful film. This poster is serviceable. I will never embrace the Dragon, however. Hong Kong needs to be free.

What about that once proposed Germany attraction, the Rhine River Cruise? Appropriate that it is missing in action, but that is a shame. There's a whole article about it here. And there's some incredible (not Incredibles) concept art.

Here at home, we get an overpriced series of eateries and a couple of well done landmark recreations. Tokyo Disneysea gets it all- a gondola ride and a real Soarin' attraction housed in a mega-beautiful building. Why is that? There really is no excuse. And I hope the Pinocchio remake flops.  Disneyland's dark ride attraction in its original form does not belong in this park. If they used artsy puppets and a fresh presentation style to tell the story, I might be interested.

The centerpiece and the only remaining Audio-Animatronic show in the park. Visitors to the park that have not experienced this patriotic but honest show about our country's rich history have missed one of Disney's best. This is a great poster, even if a little simplistic.

Pure and simple- I dislike this poster that represents Japan, one of my very favorite pavilions in this park. Could I do better? No, honestly, I couldn't. Maybe decades ago, but not now. My artist skills have waned. I'm now just a blogger.

 

Morocco. Exotic, stunning, and the most authentic of them all.  It's really worthy of an attraction, but my guess is that ship has sailed. Unless the suits decide to bring an Indiana Jones Adventure to this park instead of one for the Studios. I hope they don't.

 

We never miss visiting France when we travel to the park. The food, the atmosphere, and the beautiful Impressions de France. I'm looking forward to experiencing Remy's Ratatouille Adventure for myself. I've read mixed reviews and seen the on-ride videos, but the source film is my very favorite Pixar movie.

 

Saving the best - that is the biggest disappointment - for next to last. Announcing then not mentioning but seemingly dumping a Mary Poppins attraction? It's a slap in the face to us old school fans- and probably, privately, to Julie Andrews, Dick VanDyke, and even Emily Blunt as well. The U.K. showcase needs an attraction that gives homage to this incredible and beloved film.

 

Oh Canada! Your gardens are beautiful but your Le Cellier restaurant is now overpriced. And yes, your film is now something people laugh at- and not in a good way. Time to respect your own culture.

 

There you have it! All of Epcot's new attraction posters in one single article. Enjoy!

 

(Art copyright The Walt Disney Company. Thanks to the late Alan Littaye for his help on these.)