The information shared at the D23 Expo 2019 is overwhelming. In the last episode of SamsDisneyDiary, we shared The Park and Resorts Panel, which had these major announcements during the presentation: Disneyland Magic Happens Parade, Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railroad in the El Capitan Theater, Zootopia in Shanghai, The Castle of Magical Dreams in Hong Kong which is a tribute and celebration of 13 Disney princesses, along with Frozen Ever After and Wandering Oaken’s Sliding Sleigh in a new Frozen Land, Cirque Du Soleil tickets on sale for Disney Springs, a linked Avenger campus coming to DCA and Disneyland Paris, Guardinas of the Galaxy Coaster, the first Disney Spiderman ride-through attraction at DCA. We got an early look at the Star Wars Galactic Star Cruiser, the ultimate Star Wars adventure featuring a 2-day itinerary departing from the spaceport at Walt Disney World – more details on Rise of the Resistance coming to Galaxy’s Edge in both Disneyland and Hollywood Studios, and a look at the latest Disney Cruise Ship, Disney Wish along with a new port of call, Lighthouse Point, coming in 2022. Also, a new genie that will help you get the most out of your next Walt Disney World vacation…
Outside of that, Disney announced their most ambitious plans ever: a multi-year reimagination that will change the face of Epcot forever. This time on Sams Disney Diary, we dig into the Epcot transformation, not just what was announced but also to look at what has already happened. Let the Epcot transformation begin!!!!
Marty Sklar often told the story of sliding together two Imagineering ideas: a never-ending world’s fair and a park dedicated to technology, science, nature, and the future. Epcot was born as a combination of World Showcase and Future World, with Spaceship Earth welcoming guests on a journey through human communication, and just past it, Future World East (to the left) showcasing the best of the industry with World of Motion, Horizon, and Universe of Energy, lots of 90-degree angles and industrial influence. While Future World West (to the right) focused on the flow of nature with attractions like The Land, The Living Seas, and the Imagination Pavilion with paths reflecting the natural flow of nature between attractions.
We learned at the D23 Expo 2019 that the transformation would break Epcot into 4 neighborhoods. World Showcase being one, along with World Discovery to the left, World Nature to the right, and World Celebration the central spiral from the entrance to World Showcase Lagoon.
The four neighborhoods hint at the scale of the undertaking. If you take a current Google image of Epcot (August 2019) and overlay the concept art from the Expo, you can start to get a sense of scale for what’s in store, and it all starts at the main entrance.
The Millennium Celebration markers at the front entrance will be relocated and replaced with a more natural “evergreen setting”. The concept art show Disney character topiaries scattered throughout the entrance.
In addition, you’ll also notice the fountain in front of Spaceship Earth will be updated to look like Epcot’s opening day fountain. While Spaceship Earth will continue to be the icon of the park, it too will see its share of changes. Instead of following the history of communication, we will be following the power of storytelling with a story light that will bring the entire experience to life with an all new narration and new musical score focusing on the moments and ideas that define our story.
The newly designed exit space for Spaceship Earth will feature sweeping views of the new Epcot in a complexly new space called Dreamers Point featuring a new statue of Walt Disney.
The biggest changes will take place just past Spaceship Earth in the center of the new World Celebration, impacting just about everything “inside the monorail loop”. What will be World Celebration in the center of Epcot with World Discovery (Test Track, Play Pavilion, Mission Space, and Guardians of the Galaxy Cosmic Rewind) to the left and World Nature (The Seas with Nemo, The Land, and Imagination) to the right Today what is the exit of Spaceship Earth, Project Tomorrow, will become Dreamer’s Point.
The new World Celebration will include interactive gardens, a wishing tree that comes to life, a story fountain that celebrates the power and music of Disney storytelling, along with a new pavilion that will be home base for live events and Epcot’s signature festivals. The new Celebration Pavilion will feature a plaza level for live events, mid-expo level, and a park in the sky with a perfect view of Epcot’s nighttime shows.
To the left in World Discovery, which has been under construction for over a year, between Mission Space and Test Track, is the new space restaurant, Space 220. The construction is visible from Test Track ride vehicles. Guests will board a unique elevator with viewports showing your journey to the space station where you will dine with views from 220 miles above the earth, day and night.
The lower portion of World Discovery, which has been a buzz of construction for over a year, was the home to Ellen’s Energy Adventure and the Festival Center, previously the Wonders of Life Pavilion. We have known for some time that the Guardians of the Galaxy would be taking over the space that was Ellen’s; along with the HUGE new construction behind it, we now know that it will be the Guardians of the Galaxy “Cosmic Rewind”, Disney’s first reverse launch coaster. The adventure starts in the Glaxiarum, an interplanetary planetarium presentation that takes us from Earth to Zander and back, get invited to board the Nova Ship – and that’s when something goes wrong and the Guardians of the Galaxy arrive. The storytelling coaster will rotate to follow storytelling elements along the journey.
The new Play! The pavilion will be a digital metropolis, where you will discover an interactive city bursting with games, activities, and experiences that connect you with friends, family, and Disney characters – both real and virtual. As part of this new pavilion, you’ll have the chance to help legendary fashion icon Edna Mode on her quest to rid the world of uninspired style or to make a splash competing in a water-balloon fight hosted by Huey, Dewey, Louie and Webby.
Moving over toward World Nature, the area is dedicated to understanding and preserving the beauty and balance of the natural world. One of the gateways between World Celebration and World Nature will be a lush exploration trail inviting guests to meet and play with magical living water in the Journey of Water inspired by Moana; and just like Moana’s friend the ocean, guests will learn about the importance of the natural water cycle, making their way toward The Land and Seas with Nemo.
In World Showcase, the Regal Eagle Smokehouse: Craft Drafts & Barbecue, is replacing the Liberty Inn in the American Adventure. The new location will be a modern barbecue smokehouse – including a large smoker – preparing the food right on the pavilion’s promenade, the redo also included a redesigned patio.
In China, “Wondrous China” will take guests on a spectacular journey across the country, filmed and presented in a completely seamless 360-degree digital format. Look for this, along with Canada Far and Wide, the new seamless 360-degree film in Canada, Awesome Planet in The Land, and The Beauty and the Beast Sing-Along in France to all be released during the 2020 Festival of the Arts and the Movie Festival…
That leads us to the right to World Showcase Lagoon where Illuminations: Reflections of Earth will make its final performance on September 30th, to be temporarily replaced by Epcot Forever. Epcot Forever will run for a limited time, starting October 1st, 2019, then to be replaced by the biggest nighttime spectacular ever created for a Disney park – celebrating how the music of Disney inspires people all over the world, carrying them away harmoniously on a stream of familiar Disney tunes reinterpreted by a diverse group of artists from around the globe. “HarmonioUS”, the new spectacular, will feature massive floating set pieces, custom-built LED panels, choreographed moving fountains, lights, pyrotechnics, lasers, and more.
If you think that model from the D23 Expo 2019 looks cool, it looks like it may make its way to the Epcot Odyssey Events Pavilion as the Walt Disney Imagineering Presents the Epcot Experience, along with interactive exhibits showcasing the innovation, energy, and excitement that drives the park’s future during the transformation.
