Skift Take
Epcot, the theme park that once represented Walt Disney's vision of an experimental future, is about to get a transformation that will bring it more in line with the parent company's current strategy.
There was a time when Epcot, the second piece of Florida's sprawling Walt Disney World resort, functioned as a source for slow-paced education about energy, technology, farming, and world cultures. Speedy thrills were for other lands.
In more recent years, the park, which opened in 1982, has added more adventurous (and crowd-generating) components: the speedy Test Track; the multi-sensory Soarin'; the blastoff-simulating Mission: Space; the wildly popular movie-based Frozen Ever After.
But The Walt Disney Company still wants more for Epcot as it pours money into upgrading its theme parks around the world — and especially in Orlando, where competition from smaller rival Universal Studios have proven fierce in the years following the addition of Harry Potter attractions.
"If you look at what Disney's done since Universal opened Wizarding World in 2010, they focused on each of their four parks in succession," said Robert Niles, founder and editor of Theme Park Insider. "Magic Kingdom, then Animal Kingdom, then Hollywood Studios has been getting the most work... It's Epcot's turn now. At some point, they were going to get to Epcot."
Earlier this month, at the fan convention D23 Expo in Anaheim, California, Disney Parks and Resorts Chairman Bob Chapek laid out the plans, meant to shift Epcot to a heavier-trafficked, family-friendlier, more-branded destination. Disney has not put a price tag on the changes at Epcot; Chapek said teams are working to finish in time for the 50th anniversary of Walt Disney World in 2021.
"Work of this magnitude obviously is going to take some time," he said.
The new additions include: a new ride based on Remy the rat chef of the Pixar film Ratatouille, patterned after the popular version at Disneyland Paris; renovations and a facelift to the front part of the park, known as Future World; a new film for the China section; a new space-themed restaurant next to an updated Mission: Space; and, biggest of all, a major attraction based on the blockbuster Guardians of the Galaxy films.
"Our work on the park is centered around a few guiding principles," Chapek said. "We want to keep it true to the original vision while making it more timeless, more relevant, more family, and more Disney."
The family element seems especially important, especially when it comes to a park beloved by lo
