The idea for the Fuji Coaster turned into Expedition Everest. Disney will never build the Mt. Fuji Coaster because they want to be Politically Correct and Mt. Fuji is sacred Mountain to the Japanese people. They don't want to disrespect the mountain by building a copy of it and putting a rollercoaster thru it.
I've only been to Disney World twice, but when I went as an adult Epcot was my favorite park. I liked Hollywood Studios the best as a kid and Epcot second. Maybe my taste isn't the average, but I really enjoy experiences rooted in reality. For me there was such wonder in learning about futuristic technologies, getting small samplings of what it was like to visit countries I'd probably never see for real, or in the case of Hollywood Studios traveling back in time and inside the film industry. Those things were way cooler than cartoon-themed dark rides ever could, though I love those too. Epcot inspired me to be curious about the world around me and to feel awe about human potential. That's so special and I truly hope the park never loses that quality. I say all this as a roller coaster and thrill ride enthusiast-but you can get those anywhere, while what what Disney parks and Epcot in particular has to offer is unique.
I'm old enough to have fallen in love as an older kid with the original EPCOT (I was 13 when I first got there in 1983, when they had 7 RIDES!!) but also still like the new things (I really wish they'd add more to World Showcase than just Ratatouille)
Am I the only person who, even as a kid, loved the world's fair and expo atmosphere? Seriously, I haven't been to Disneyworld since. 2001 (West Coast here - Disneyland is home base), but the things I think of most about Disneyworld are the slightly different Magic Kingdom, the fun themed resort areas (like Port Orleans and Copper Creek) and... Epcot! It was so awesome "traveling the world" and experiencing the future of sustainable living in the same day.
Oh the irony Mrs Marcos! Let's talk about your shoe collection... While I agree Epcot needs a little bit of TLC at the moment, having a park that is a little more thought provoking and not aimed at children is quite welcome. I have always loved Epcot, having grown up with it since 83. Always been my favorite and the favorite of all the new Disney fans I've introduced over the years.
nyssa1049, knowing Imelda, even she was spooked at a U$9 Mln "shoe budget" (she probably though she would be assassinated like Romania's dictator in the late '80s or the Romanov's in Russia in 1918).
I was at EPCOT the year it opened, and the vibe there was so different than it is now. It was definitely a place of education and of hope for the future, rather than a sort of second-rate tourist spot/tchotchke sales area plus a few rides. I still like EPCOT a lot, but I don't know if the times are right anymore for a place so hopeful.
Epcot has always been my favorite park. I love the futuristic messages, the laid back atmosphere and the variety of food is awesome. I'm ok with more rides but would also like more countries and cultural movie experiences as well. Oh, and bring back Cranium Command!
igelkott255 I wholeheartedly agree with you on Cranium Command, because based on my experiences there, it was definitely a must-see, especially for NAUGHTY CHILDREN! Man, it's no wonder there are so many people in my own age group who are feeling at least as nostalgic as old fogeys!
DisKingdom Gaming I agree. When I went back in May, I noticed that a lot of buildings had an 80s/90s look to them. They are well kept, but definitely outdated.
Madison ASMR That's what I always think too. It was built in the 80's with an 80's idea of futuristic in mind, which means that ironically Future World is the most dated looking part of all the parks.
Amazing video as always. I went to the parks yesterday to get away from the constant sound of generators, and epcot was pretty dead. I had my own test track car to myself. I also went on Figment with no other guests in the pavilion. Cant wait for them to start the rejuvination process
I think Epcot is a great tribute to the world's fairs that gave Disney a chance to showcase some of his biggest ideas - unfortunately, I think some people don't get that it was supposed to have rides but I think they do have some more "adult" rides.....another informative video, thanks Rob!
Horizons was on a sink hole so, it had to go although they could have moved it, but i believe eisner was in charge at the time so, maybe that was why, and it wold have been difficult and expensive ti do that. Universe of energy is 40 minutes of educational movie, almost no one rode it, and it was a wast of space. i agree with that one completely
@Eric Biscuit the first closure was due to loss of sponsorship in 1994. It reopened with little warning because World of Motion and the original Universe of Energy were closed. The ride continued to operate until 1999. The ride was in limbo until late 1999 - early 2000, when it was discovered the damage was more serious than originally thought and the foundation may have been compromised to the point the building was collapsing under its own weight. Also add in the fact that you are not allowed to build on top of a sinkhole or within so many feet of one, they were forced to remove the building in 2000 while making a smaller replacement building (the extent of the structural problems were so much that if the state inspected the building again themselves randomly, it might have been condemned by the state of Florida). Although loss of sponsorship was why the ride was initially closed, not knowing what to do is what left it in limbo, and they did consider repairing the ride. However, the sinkhole is what did the pavilion and ride building in for demolition (Disney may not have had much of another choice, given the allegations of the sinkhole are true and sinkholes can cause tremendous damage to buildings, even if its simply one corner of a building). It is thought that the sinkhole appeared either in 1998 or 1999. This is not even the first time Disney was caught off - guard by a sinkhole. During construction of the resort they lost cranes and bulldozers to sinkholes that opened up at various points of the property.
Me too! I'm hoping they find a way to balance the messages of these pavilions with some exciting attractions. I can totally see Rocket and the Guardians mocking us for using fossil fuels and whatnot.
My kids I went to WDW for their first time in 2000 (they were 10 & 13). Epcot was the favorite of all of us! The vibe was great, the world showcase was awesome. If you want thrill rides go somewhere else. They are slowly destroying that park.
Good stuff Rob! Love the production value in your videos and I’m also loving your podcast. Epcot is my favorite park and I hope that even with inevitable changes coming That it still maintains its charm!
Hey Rob I mentioned the River of Poop in one of my Disney vlogs and I added your channel as a feature channel on my homepage. But I the real reason I'm commenting is for a topic suggestion...how about a video on regarding the times that Disney World was forced to closed it's doors...I think Hurricane Irma is the 5th time (not including the time it had to be evacuated for 9/11)
Hey Rob 👋🏻, I'm so glad you talked about this... I was at Epcot recently for the food and wine festival, I have always loved Epcot, ever since my first trip in 1986, but Epcot is looking more and more Empty, lonely, dreary I guess for lack of better description, it's sad because it can be such a great place.
I can remember being there the first year it opened, I was 5 years old. Even without a bunch of rides I loved it, in fact in the subsequent visits I preferred Epcot due to it's difference in tone.
Epcot is my favorite park. It feels less crowded because of all extra space Magic Kingdom lacks. I get to try different foods and drinks with their varying restaurants and festivals and it has plenty of rides I can get on with my little one. Hollywood Studios is my least favorite for this reason. Maybe only one dark ride I get in with my child on (toy story mania) and the rest are bunch of live shows. There’s alcohol for adults but it feels more crowded because it’s much smaller than Epcot. The slinky roller coaster, star tours, tower of terror, rocking roller coaster and the swirling saucers have a height requirement, so we don’t enjoy it as much.
I’ve always loved Epcot. I like that it’s sort of two parks in one. The rides are great and I always enjoy visiting the World Showcase. I wish they’d bring back Body Wars
This is why Epcot is so slow to update and adapt: because Disney has never gone it alone before, and now that they can, they don't know exactly how to do it. That said, that blue sky concept art of Future World they unveiled at D23 looks very promising.
I’m a annual pass holder and I have been since I was little, and I was at the 2018 Flower and Garden Festival last week, and I was wondering how such a theme park with a really great message. Could fall under all of the other Walt Disney Parks radar. It definitely need to be revamped but not with quick cash grab rides that are movie themed, save that for the other parks. I really love that it try’s to be a educational and cultural experience, and it needs to stay that way.
As I said. You can have thrilling attractions and keep that EPCOT feel. Usually I would look at Characters that are found at EPCOT and give them rides. For Example, Baymax and Joy & Sadness are very popular characters. They rightfully deserve a ride based on their films. I can see Inside Out being a replacement for imagination while Big Hero 6 is prepped for an E-Ticket (while it can show the history/future of robotics)
Hey Rob, I feel like you dislike the Animal Kingdom very much... Why? Maybe another controversial video topic idea? Lol. great video, makes me love Epcot even more!
I don't know if there would be enough there for a video. I don't dislike it as much as I just don't have the same connection with it as the other parks I grew up with. It also doesn't help that I'm not a big nature/animal fans, so stuff like the safaris doesn't really appeal to me.
Where Epcot lacks is made up for its overall message. I hope Disney never forgets what it's all about. Epcot is a celebration of humanity, past, present and future. It's like a love letter to human achievement and that's what makes it a unique experience. Not gonna start an argument about Frozen and Guardians but I'm really crossing my fingers that Disney is careful with what they do to this one of a kind place.
I'm still iffy on the Guardians ride, but I guess it's not much different to having two celebrities with TV shows talking education to us. At least this way you have childhood heroes teaching children, and I'm sure they will take it more to heart. As for the park itself, I absolutely love what they do. It's definitely different, but the idea of representing multiple countries was really awesome to walk around, and tasting their foods & coke-brand sodas pulled the experience together. I feel like Illuminations could be a tad better, but all in all it was a solid experience when I went a couple months back, and certainly much better than Hollywood Studios at the moment.
Epcot pre 1998 was one of the best theme parks to ever exist on this planet. Even if it only had five rides at open that's still double what MGM Studios had for a long-ass time.
Answered all of my questions about why the "World's Fair" concept didn't work from a previous comment I left on a video you made IPCOT. Thanks!!! During the economic times of the late 70's early 80's globally Emelda's comment makes sense buuutttt we all know how she went down..."let's get some shoes." LOL. Anywhoo - awesome vid. I really hope EPCOT can make a fair theme park hybrid concept work as it is my fave Disney park.
I trust Disney and imagineering to do justice to Epcot with the new guardians ride! I mean, we all thought Pandora was going to be irrelevant, but they've oriented it to the goals of Animal Kingdom quite well!
Disney/MGM originally opened with *two* rides, right? (And today it's only got four, though that is a temporary situation.) If you think about it, WDW's non-Magic Kingdom parks are all kind of weird, even by Disney standards: they were all conceived as having an emphasis different from having a lot of rides, and even with the expansions that have happened since opening, they've all still got a single-digit number of rides. (I guess Walt Disney Studios Park in Paris is similar, as a quasi-clone of Hollywood Studios, but I think that's the only one like that outside of Florida.) Even Magic Kingdom, with a ride count in the twenties, has fewer rides than you'd expect from even a small regional theme park, though they're not really comparable since they are mostly very elaborate, heavily themed experiences. That's more typical for a Disney park. Universal's parks actually have a similar ride count too. Your typical Six Flags or Cedar Fair park will often have more than 50 rides, though admittedly a lot of those will be little flat rides and such.
Really enjoyable video! I was bummed that I couldn't watch it earlier this week because of studying for a huge, horrible gross anatomy exam, but it was definitely worth the wait. I think it's fair to say that Future World should and will expand and update faster than the World Showcase, but do you think that World Showcase will continue to expand in the next few years past what was announced at D23?
Hope you did well on the exam! To your question: I hope so! I'd like to think that Frozen doing well is what got them to bring France's ride over to Epcot. Perhaps the performance of that will get them to add a new country or two!
I was actually bit concerned about how well Frozen was doing last time that I was there (last summer, the same week that Pandora opened). Watching the wait times, it seemed to stay near 70 minutes, sometimes peaking at 90 minutes but frequently having shorter wait times; my friends and I managed to catch a wait time of less than 20 minutes without FastPasses in mid-morning. Comparatively, I didn't see the wait time for Seven Dwarfs Mine Train dip below 70 minutes. Perhaps some of that difference can be attributed to Magic Kingdom generally being busier than Epcot and to the fact that the Mine Train has to frequently close at that time of year due to lightning. Still, though, Frozen's wait time was often less than that of Test Track and Soarin', which I'm worried might be a red flag for such a new ride and might deter executives from pursuing expansions beyond the previously announced Ratatouille (which I think would be an absolute tragedy). Also, thanks for your well wishes on the exam! I found out that I definitely passed the written part, and I feel somewhat confident that I didn't fail the practical.
And I think Animal Kingdom only opened with like 4 rides (Safari, Countdown to Extinction, Discovery River Boats and It's Tough To Be A Bug) and one of which was a movie and another was a transportation ride.
Because the only reason it opened was because Universal was building a theme park down the road. Basically, slap something together, stick a working studio in it and call it a Hollywood theme park. See Universal is actually copying Disney, lol.
Why doesn't Disney use the Germany pavilion's showbuilding for a ride? Given that recent history has shown that Disney doesn't like spending money on creating a showbuilding when they can use a preexisting one.
Since there are no Eastern European pavilions in Epcot. It could have been a mess it they opened a USSR, Yugoslavia or even a Czechoslovakia pavilion. But one could have been a good idea at the time as the Eastern bloc are known for their acts of self-promotion, Don't have traditionally responsive governments to the populace and Were beginning opening up to the west later in the decade.
I know they would never do this, but I hope that Disney would come up with plans to add say 8 more nations, show them to us including what rides and dinning they will have and then have us vote over say a year and then the winner or winners gets added to the World Showcase.
I absolutely loved Epcot when it opened in 1982! The educational and cultural experiences in my opinion were awesome! Unfortunately we are in a society that is getting stupider and stupider! (Is stupider a word? It must be, I just made it up!) I and my family visited Epcot Center many times in the 80s and 90s and I wish I had a $1 for how many times I heard a whiny voice complaining "This is boring! 😫" "Where's the rides?!" "This is stupid!" "I wanna go back to The Magic Kingdom!" In 1995 I chaperoned a middle school field trip to Epcot Center that was supposed to be educational. As soon as a little brats figured out that there were free video games in Communicore there was no getting them out of there! Lunch in Japan at the Teppan Grill? Nope! Burgers and Fries! Seeing the history of communication in Spaceship Earth? Nope! Video games! Seeing the history of Transportation in General Motors world of motion? Nope! Video games! Seeing how energy is produced at EXXONS Universe of Energy? Nope! Video games! I weep for Humanity. 😢
Shepperd November Man, it's no wonder Cranium Command is missed so nearly and dearly! That attraction was hugely beneficial for NAUGHTY CHILDREN that many older guests couldn't stand hearing tantrums from! It's also no wonder why there are many firm believers in nostalgia being a virtue instead of just being treated like one, as it looks like virtues were much easier to abide by back in the glorious days of the distant past!
I can understand Epcot opening with only five rides because the world showcase is worth admission alone. What I can’t understand is how or why DCA 1.0 was concocted .
I hope Disney returns to building stuff at EPCOT. I love the idea of future world; however, it is easy to Disney just kind of forgot about it. World showcase could be cool, but it honestly is neither interesting nor entertaining. When I went back there on my Disney trip, I found myself bored. It just felt like walking through little cubes of theming (unless I wanted to pay $30+ on a plate at one of the restaurants). I hope once Hollywood Studios is finished, Disney will spend time revamping EPCOT.
Good video Rob, but two further points: 1. The main reason EPCOT the CITY wasn't built is that a CITY has populations that can vote, and Disney had already had problems with some of the areas on the fringe of the property where they'd built housing intended for cast members who might then vote against the company so they "de-annexed" those portions to the neighboring counties and cities. An EPCOT city would have real people living real lives who might not wish their homes, decor, wardrobe, whatever to be dictated by a corporation, let alone their politics and economics. Indeed, this is the story of lots of "model communities" like Levittown and other "company towns" going back to steel towns, Pullman's railroad towns, etc. etc. As soon as the population, mostly employees, has a problem with the employer, the beauty of American democracy takes over and, well, companies don't like that. 2. Re. ride numbers at opening? Let's not forget that even Magic Kingdom, in theory a "clone" of Disneyland only in Florida, opened with far fewer attractions than Disneyland had, albeit spread out over many more acres. The bottomline on all of this is....money. To add a ride is a big price indeed at any time, but to build a park from scratch with all of the infrastructure that is there ride or no ride is HUGE by comparison and without those expenses, the rides cannot happen now or in the future. Getting it up and running enough to be impressive is the goal, not having umpteen rides from day one. Even Disneyland still had workers finishing things at their opening day, and really the "second opening" which added Matterhorn, the Monorail, etc. etc. was promoted as such for that reason.
Thanks! The first point wasn't actually going to be much of an issue. The way Reedy Creek Improvement District was formed gave it a wide reach in authority of the land. Additionally the land is governed by a five person board, and to be eligible for the board you must be a land owner in RCID. The original plan for EPCOT called for all offices, apartments and houses to be rented to the temporary citizens. The only land owners in RCID would have always been Disney, and so they would always control the board and thus the governance of the district. That combined with the districts broader-than-usual powers meant there would have never been any risk of EPCOT citizens taking over or making changes. In fact, this was one of the primary concerns with EPCOT. It was designed well enough that the city would almost never be democratic in that regard. On top of that part of the plan included all residents to be temporary, preventing anyone from settling down in a city where they couldn't own their home or have a say in the way it was run. To your second point, I had ended up cutting it out of the video for the sake of time, but in 1971 The Magic Kingdom opened with 11 rides, over double what EPCOT Center would open with over 10 years later. Though ultimately I agree and (hopefully) stressed as much in the video, the funding issue played a major role in the cutback of the park's offerings. I just found it interesting that at a base level is was such an issue that the new park a decade later had to reduce it's ride offering to less than half of the opening lineup of the first park there. Just shows the relative difference in each park's direction.
Good points Rob, but that leads to a more practical/commercial one. UNDER those restrictions, how many people would willingly sign up to be "temporary" residents of a "city' where they had virtually no rights? I mean, what if they built it and, virtually speaking, nobody came--talk about PR disasters! :) I mean, I've seen (and experienced) some pretty restrictive and nutty condo and homeowner agreements/covenants, but any such as you're describing would definitely be a disincentive to residency, and even if people call something a "starter home" most who move their lives (as opposed to just vacations or even DVC memberships) to somewhere want a degree of autonomy. BTW, those "de-annexings" really po'd the neighboring governments who "inherited" the areas because they'd never gotten any of the building permit, use permit, utility fees and other goodies when the homes/apts were built but suddenly took on the burden of city services, police, fire, etc. etc. without much advance budgetary notice and before any tax revenues could make up for the shortfalls.
I mean that's a good question and a big what if. From what I've read, the temporary nature of living at EPCOT was going to be limited to around a year. Personally I'd totally live at EPCOT for just a year, even if it meant losing those rights, just for the experience. I feel at that point it would feel very similar to living abroad for a year and not partaking in that country's elections. I think the bigger issue that creates though is how do businesses within EPCOT thrive when their employees are being turned around every year? They would have either had to have employees who lived outside of EPCOT who could serve in more senior positions, or I suppose find people willing to live at EPCOT longer under those terms. I made a video earlier this summer on the topic, but I'm in the camp that EPCOT ultimately wouldn't have worked as a city, so I'm pretty glad Disney veered from the idea when the late 70s rolled around.
4:37 that’s hilarious, considering that the Marcos most certainly embezzled and stole FAR FAR more than that from their people during their dictatorship 😂😂😂😂😂😂
Call me crazy but its hard to let go of those "edutainment" dark rides and Universe of Energy leaving brings a tear to my eye even if Guardians will probably be phenomenal. Lay a finger on Spaceship Earth and somebody is getting hurt.
transtremm it's funny you should say that because I remember somewhere in Epcot, keeping my head in a hole and seeing a digital dog come over and you were able to get it to come back and go away but I don't remember where it was
EPCOT is the one park I rarely spent much time in. There is a ton of walking, which gets old fast, and not much to do in the pavilions to make up for that walking. It really didn't feel worth my time to go to world showcase. They didn't have rides or nice sit down shows. Future world was fun but there still wasn't a lot there that was entertaining. Overall I just never became an EPCOT fan likely friends.
I'm REALLY hoping they stick to the foundation messages of EPCOT. If they just put a bunch of cash grab movie based rides in there in will RAGE QUIT. lol though nice video Rob.
Adam Ferry it will be a cash grab. People like cheap thrills and not education or learning about other cultures in this world we share. We use unbelievable technology to distract and please our selfish whims.b
I think they can mix them, have a few movie based rides, Guardians seems like it will have quality and effort and stick to the epcot theme a bit, unlike what they did with Frozen
Educational does not mean boring math problems. New technology and various cultures is what people generally like learning about. If done right, they really could make fun, exciting, and even thrilling attractions with educational undertones. IMHO Magic Kingdom should be the place for Disney's core (like Frozen) and the Studios should be for their extended properties (like Guardians of the Galaxy). EPCOT should be unique. There is a problem, though, with the sponsorships. Technology companies want to promote what they are selling right now at Best Buy, which is not a very interesting vacation. Countries want tourists themselves, instead of paying to enhance a competing vacation destination. But the sponsorship model has been dwindling for some time now anyway.
I need that Mount Fuji roller coaster now. That looks so amazing. It could be like Matterhorn, Everest, and Space Mountain all in one.
The idea for the Fuji Coaster turned into Expedition Everest. Disney will never build the Mt. Fuji Coaster because they want to be Politically Correct and Mt. Fuji is sacred Mountain to the Japanese people. They don't want to disrespect the mountain by building a copy of it and putting a rollercoaster thru it.
I've only been to Disney World twice, but when I went as an adult Epcot was my favorite park. I liked Hollywood Studios the best as a kid and Epcot second. Maybe my taste isn't the average, but I really enjoy experiences rooted in reality. For me there was such wonder in learning about futuristic technologies, getting small samplings of what it was like to visit countries I'd probably never see for real, or in the case of Hollywood Studios traveling back in time and inside the film industry. Those things were way cooler than cartoon-themed dark rides ever could, though I love those too. Epcot inspired me to be curious about the world around me and to feel awe about human potential. That's so special and I truly hope the park never loses that quality. I say all this as a roller coaster and thrill ride enthusiast-but you can get those anywhere, while what what Disney parks and Epcot in particular has to offer is unique.
I'm old enough to have fallen in love as an older kid with the original EPCOT (I was 13 when I first got there in 1983, when they had 7 RIDES!!) but also still like the new things (I really wish they'd add more to World Showcase than just Ratatouille)
Am I the only person who, even as a kid, loved the world's fair and expo atmosphere? Seriously, I haven't been to Disneyworld since. 2001 (West Coast here - Disneyland is home base), but the things I think of most about Disneyworld are the slightly different Magic Kingdom, the fun themed resort areas (like Port Orleans and Copper Creek) and... Epcot! It was so awesome "traveling the world" and experiencing the future of sustainable living in the same day.
Oh the irony Mrs Marcos! Let's talk about your shoe collection...
While I agree Epcot needs a little bit of TLC at the moment, having a park that is a little more thought provoking and not aimed at children is quite welcome. I have always loved Epcot, having grown up with it since 83. Always been my favorite and the favorite of all the new Disney fans I've introduced over the years.
Epcot is underrated I love it to
Although I agree with what she said, I was wondering if anyone else caught the irony of Imelda Marcos' statement!
nyssa1049, knowing Imelda, even she was spooked at a U$9 Mln "shoe budget" (she probably though she would be assassinated like Romania's dictator in the late '80s or the Romanov's in Russia in 1918).
4:31 Philippines - not at Epcot
I was at EPCOT the year it opened, and the vibe there was so different than it is now. It was definitely a place of education and of hope for the future, rather than a sort of second-rate tourist spot/tchotchke sales area plus a few rides. I still like EPCOT a lot, but I don't know if the times are right anymore for a place so hopeful.
Epcot has always been my favorite park. I love the futuristic messages, the laid back atmosphere and the variety of food is awesome. I'm ok with more rides but would also like more countries and cultural movie experiences as well. Oh, and bring back Cranium Command!
igelkott255 I wholeheartedly agree with you on Cranium Command, because based on my experiences there, it was definitely a must-see, especially for NAUGHTY CHILDREN! Man, it's no wonder there are so many people in my own age group who are feeling at least as nostalgic as old fogeys!
igelkott255 me too
It would of been amazing to see 2 mountains in the world showcase!!! Great video!
Thanks!
I went the week it opened when I was 8. Even then I knew this was going to be my favorite park. I miss communicore!
Epcot is a great park but it hasn't dated so well, shame they don't build that Matterhorn & Mount Fiji Rollercoasters now!!
DisKingdom Gaming I agree. When I went back in May, I noticed that a lot of buildings had an 80s/90s look to them. They are well kept, but definitely outdated.
Madison ASMR That's what I always think too. It was built in the 80's with an 80's idea of futuristic in mind, which means that ironically Future World is the most dated looking part of all the parks.
Meagan no it’s not
@@peacelovetv95 I give the "most dated looking" award to Disneyland's Tomorrowland. Such a jumble.
Amazing video as always. I went to the parks yesterday to get away from the constant sound of generators, and epcot was pretty dead. I had my own test track car to myself. I also went on Figment with no other guests in the pavilion. Cant wait for them to start the rejuvination process
To be fair, Hollywood Studios only has four rides right now.
Hollywood Studios opened (as "Disney/MGM") with only TWO attractions: The Great Movie Ride and a backlot tour.
Wow! Kitchen Kabaret! That brings back memories..............thanks, Rob!
I think Epcot is a great tribute to the world's fairs that gave Disney a chance to showcase some of his biggest ideas - unfortunately, I think some people don't get that it was supposed to have rides but I think they do have some more "adult" rides.....another informative video, thanks Rob!
These videos are so informative and well put together. Thank you!
Never forgiving them for getting rid of Horizons, World of Motion Universe of Energy and Journey Into Imagination
Horizons was on a sink hole so, it had to go although they could have moved it, but i believe eisner was in charge at the time so, maybe that was why, and it wold have been difficult and expensive ti do that.
Universe of energy is 40 minutes of educational movie, almost no one rode it, and it was a wast of space.
i agree with that one completely
RedLighting256 Animation that line about Horizons is just an excuse. Real reason is GE dropped their sponsorship. WOM was "too costly"
@Eric Biscuit the first closure was due to loss of sponsorship in 1994. It reopened with little warning because World of Motion and the original Universe of Energy were closed. The ride continued to operate until 1999. The ride was in limbo until late 1999 - early 2000, when it was discovered the damage was more serious than originally thought and the foundation may have been compromised to the point the building was collapsing under its own weight. Also add in the fact that you are not allowed to build on top of a sinkhole or within so many feet of one, they were forced to remove the building in 2000 while making a smaller replacement building (the extent of the structural problems were so much that if the state inspected the building again themselves randomly, it might have been condemned by the state of Florida). Although loss of sponsorship was why the ride was initially closed, not knowing what to do is what left it in limbo, and they did consider repairing the ride. However, the sinkhole is what did the pavilion and ride building in for demolition (Disney may not have had much of another choice, given the allegations of the sinkhole are true and sinkholes can cause tremendous damage to buildings, even if its simply one corner of a building). It is thought that the sinkhole appeared either in 1998 or 1999. This is not even the first time Disney was caught off - guard by a sinkhole. During construction of the resort they lost cranes and bulldozers to sinkholes that opened up at various points of the property.
Enjoyed this Epcot vid a lot Rob! Thanks so much!!
Hi rob, you should tell us your opinion about the monorail.
'I hear those things are awfully loud'.
They glide as softly as a cloud.
xFraxus it’s awesome
The removal of Ellen's Energy Adventure honestly broke my heart when I visited 4 months ago to find it gone.
I've read a lot about this park, but this short video actually explains quite a few things I didn't know. Nice job.
I dunno I have high hopes for the gaurdians ride. I'm hoping it's gonna be a rollercoaster but also at least slightly about energy?
Me too! I'm hoping they find a way to balance the messages of these pavilions with some exciting attractions. I can totally see Rocket and the Guardians mocking us for using fossil fuels and whatnot.
The picture they showed of young star lord at Epcot got me really excited for the ride
Yee McGee me too
My kids I went to WDW for their first time in 2000 (they were 10 & 13). Epcot was the favorite of all of us! The vibe was great, the world showcase was awesome. If you want thrill rides go somewhere else. They are slowly destroying that park.
I ❤ epcot. I went to disney for the first time this year. My favorite part was epcot. Great video. 🌝👍❤
Good stuff Rob! Love the production value in your videos and I’m also loving your podcast. Epcot is my favorite park and I hope that even with inevitable changes coming That it still maintains its charm!
Hey Rob I mentioned the River of Poop in one of my Disney vlogs and I added your channel as a feature channel on my homepage. But I the real reason I'm commenting is for a topic suggestion...how about a video on regarding the times that Disney World was forced to closed it's doors...I think Hurricane Irma is the 5th time (not including the time it had to be evacuated for 9/11)
Hey Rob 👋🏻, I'm so glad you talked about this... I was at Epcot recently for the food and wine festival, I have always loved Epcot, ever since my first trip in 1986, but Epcot is looking more and more Empty, lonely, dreary I guess for lack of better description, it's sad because it can be such a great place.
I can remember being there the first year it opened, I was 5 years old. Even without a bunch of rides I loved it, in fact in the subsequent visits I preferred Epcot due to it's difference in tone.
Epcot is my favorite park. It feels less crowded because of all extra space Magic Kingdom lacks. I get to try different foods and drinks with their varying restaurants and festivals and it has plenty of rides I can get on with my little one. Hollywood Studios is my least favorite for this reason. Maybe only one dark ride I get in with my child on (toy story mania) and the rest are bunch of live shows. There’s alcohol for adults but it feels more crowded because it’s much smaller than Epcot. The slinky roller coaster, star tours, tower of terror, rocking roller coaster and the swirling saucers have a height requirement, so we don’t enjoy it as much.
I love your videos! They're always so interesting and keep my attention!
I’ve always loved Epcot. I like that it’s sort of two parks in one. The rides are great and I always enjoy visiting the World Showcase.
I wish they’d bring back Body Wars
Nice quote by Imelda Marcos, but I was really hoping for a faux quip afterward like "Or maybe I'd buy more shoes with it."
Rob, great as always my man!
Ratatouille in France!!
Merriweather Post Pavilion?
you goin?
bbkangs pls no
in Columbia Maryland?
5 whole rides? Hollywood studios must be jealous
Great video rob ! I think Epcot was better before !!!!!
If there was a Mt Fuji Roller coaster in Japan, then how could I NOT visit EPCOT?!
Cool video! Found out about your channel recently. Could you do a video briefly going over all the closed rides in WDW.
Doesn't Hollywood Studio's have about five rides open right now?
Four at the moment, but that's more a transitional thing. They have 5 rides incoming for that park, so in a year or two they'll be back to normal.
You really do great videos. Should have more subscribers!
Thanks!
Very interesting, thanks for the info....
2 of my favourite rides are from epcot, mission space and test track
This is why Epcot is so slow to update and adapt: because Disney has never gone it alone before, and now that they can, they don't know exactly how to do it. That said, that blue sky concept art of Future World they unveiled at D23 looks very promising.
Has the art been released online? I'd like to see it.
I’m a annual pass holder and I have been since I was little, and I was at the 2018 Flower and Garden Festival last week, and I was wondering how such a theme park with a really great message. Could fall under all of the other Walt Disney Parks radar. It definitely need to be revamped but not with quick cash grab rides that are movie themed, save that for the other parks. I really love that it try’s to be a educational and cultural experience, and it needs to stay that way.
Walt Disney studios park in Paris opened with 3 rides
As I said. You can have thrilling attractions and keep that EPCOT feel. Usually I would look at Characters that are found at EPCOT and give them rides.
For Example, Baymax and Joy & Sadness are very popular characters. They rightfully deserve a ride based on their films. I can see Inside Out being a replacement for imagination while Big Hero 6 is prepped for an E-Ticket (while it can show the history/future of robotics)
I love Epcot. Definitely in my top 4 theme parks at Disney World
Hey Rob, I feel like you dislike the Animal Kingdom very much... Why? Maybe another controversial video topic idea? Lol. great video, makes me love Epcot even more!
I don't know if there would be enough there for a video. I don't dislike it as much as I just don't have the same connection with it as the other parks I grew up with. It also doesn't help that I'm not a big nature/animal fans, so stuff like the safaris doesn't really appeal to me.
Happy 35th Anniversary To Epcot (1982-2017) At Walt Disney World Resort!
Where Epcot lacks is made up for its overall message. I hope Disney never forgets what it's all about. Epcot is a celebration of humanity, past, present and future. It's like a love letter to human achievement and that's what makes it a unique experience. Not gonna start an argument about Frozen and Guardians but I'm really crossing my fingers that Disney is careful with what they do to this one of a kind place.
Epcot has nothing to do with its original message anymore. Now it is nothing more than a giant shopping center where people go to get drunk.
Q&A Question: Are you ever considering bringing back Chesterfields? I loved building on that series and would love to do it again :)
I'm still iffy on the Guardians ride, but I guess it's not much different to having two celebrities with TV shows talking education to us. At least this way you have childhood heroes teaching children, and I'm sure they will take it more to heart.
As for the park itself, I absolutely love what they do. It's definitely different, but the idea of representing multiple countries was really awesome to walk around, and tasting their foods & coke-brand sodas pulled the experience together. I feel like Illuminations could be a tad better, but all in all it was a solid experience when I went a couple months back, and certainly much better than Hollywood Studios at the moment.
Hey Rob can you give us history on Disney face characters and mascots?
Epcot pre 1998 was one of the best theme parks to ever exist on this planet. Even if it only had five rides at open that's still double what MGM Studios had for a long-ass time.
You should do a video like this but talking about why Disney MGM Studios opened with two.
Answered all of my questions about why the "World's Fair" concept didn't work from a previous comment I left on a video you made IPCOT. Thanks!!! During the economic times of the late 70's early 80's globally Emelda's comment makes sense buuutttt we all know how she went down..."let's get some shoes." LOL. Anywhoo - awesome vid. I really hope EPCOT can make a fair theme park hybrid concept work as it is my fave Disney park.
Who misses the ride Horizons? 🙋🏼♀️
I really wish I could've seen Epcot back in the 80s. :'(
I trust Disney and imagineering to do justice to Epcot with the new guardians ride! I mean, we all thought Pandora was going to be irrelevant, but they've oriented it to the goals of Animal Kingdom quite well!
Disney/MGM originally opened with *two* rides, right? (And today it's only got four, though that is a temporary situation.)
If you think about it, WDW's non-Magic Kingdom parks are all kind of weird, even by Disney standards: they were all conceived as having an emphasis different from having a lot of rides, and even with the expansions that have happened since opening, they've all still got a single-digit number of rides. (I guess Walt Disney Studios Park in Paris is similar, as a quasi-clone of Hollywood Studios, but I think that's the only one like that outside of Florida.)
Even Magic Kingdom, with a ride count in the twenties, has fewer rides than you'd expect from even a small regional theme park, though they're not really comparable since they are mostly very elaborate, heavily themed experiences. That's more typical for a Disney park. Universal's parks actually have a similar ride count too.
Your typical Six Flags or Cedar Fair park will often have more than 50 rides, though admittedly a lot of those will be little flat rides and such.
Imelda Marcos would've spent that money on shoes.
Really enjoyable video! I was bummed that I couldn't watch it earlier this week because of studying for a huge, horrible gross anatomy exam, but it was definitely worth the wait.
I think it's fair to say that Future World should and will expand and update faster than the World Showcase, but do you think that World Showcase will continue to expand in the next few years past what was announced at D23?
Hope you did well on the exam! To your question: I hope so! I'd like to think that Frozen doing well is what got them to bring France's ride over to Epcot. Perhaps the performance of that will get them to add a new country or two!
I was actually bit concerned about how well Frozen was doing last time that I was there (last summer, the same week that Pandora opened). Watching the wait times, it seemed to stay near 70 minutes, sometimes peaking at 90 minutes but frequently having shorter wait times; my friends and I managed to catch a wait time of less than 20 minutes without FastPasses in mid-morning. Comparatively, I didn't see the wait time for Seven Dwarfs Mine Train dip below 70 minutes. Perhaps some of that difference can be attributed to Magic Kingdom generally being busier than Epcot and to the fact that the Mine Train has to frequently close at that time of year due to lightning. Still, though, Frozen's wait time was often less than that of Test Track and Soarin', which I'm worried might be a red flag for such a new ride and might deter executives from pursuing expansions beyond the previously announced Ratatouille (which I think would be an absolute tragedy).
Also, thanks for your well wishes on the exam! I found out that I definitely passed the written part, and I feel somewhat confident that I didn't fail the practical.
Where do you get your background music from?!!
I always wanted to know!
I am hoping the ratatouille ride in France will do well. I love that movie! 💛
Rob did you here that they are closing the camping area near fort wilderness!!!! (I can't remember it's name sry)
I have a better question. A MUCH MUCH BETTER QUESTION: Why did Hollywood Studios only open WITH TWO RIDES!?
Great question!
And I think Animal Kingdom only opened with like 4 rides (Safari, Countdown to Extinction, Discovery River Boats and It's Tough To Be A Bug) and one of which was a movie and another was a transportation ride.
Because the only reason it opened was because Universal was building a theme park down the road. Basically, slap something together, stick a working studio in it and call it a Hollywood theme park. See Universal is actually copying Disney, lol.
Point to be made there.
Why doesn't Disney use the Germany pavilion's showbuilding for a ride? Given that recent history has shown that Disney doesn't like spending money on creating a showbuilding when they can use a preexisting one.
El Sanchez it's not a full show building. Just what would have been a load area
Hey at one point it was hard to call Hollywood studios theme park
Can you do one about The Land? I really want to know why it's there.
Since there are no Eastern European pavilions in Epcot. It could have been a mess it they opened a USSR, Yugoslavia or even a Czechoslovakia pavilion. But one could have been a good idea at the time as the Eastern bloc are known for their acts of self-promotion, Don't have traditionally responsive governments to the populace and Were beginning opening up to the west later in the decade.
vro u always got good videos
I know they would never do this, but I hope that Disney would come up with plans to add say 8 more nations, show them to us including what rides and dinning they will have and then have us vote over say a year and then the winner or winners gets added to the World Showcase.
Just open with 5 that insane even magic kingdon open with more rides than epcot but i think this make sense to just open with 5 rides
I absolutely loved Epcot when it opened in 1982! The educational and cultural experiences in my opinion were awesome! Unfortunately we are in a society that is getting stupider and stupider! (Is stupider a word? It must be, I just made it up!) I and my family visited Epcot Center many times in the 80s and 90s and I wish I had a $1 for how many times I heard a whiny voice complaining "This is boring! 😫" "Where's the rides?!" "This is stupid!" "I wanna go back to The Magic Kingdom!" In 1995 I chaperoned a middle school field trip to Epcot Center that was supposed to be educational. As soon as a little brats figured out that there were free video games in Communicore there was no getting them out of there! Lunch in Japan at the Teppan Grill? Nope! Burgers and Fries! Seeing the history of communication in Spaceship Earth? Nope! Video games! Seeing the history of Transportation in General Motors world of motion? Nope! Video games! Seeing how energy is produced at EXXONS Universe of Energy? Nope! Video games! I weep for Humanity. 😢
Shepperd November Man, it's no wonder Cranium Command is missed so nearly and dearly! That attraction was hugely beneficial for NAUGHTY CHILDREN that many older guests couldn't stand hearing tantrums from! It's also no wonder why there are many firm believers in nostalgia being a virtue instead of just being treated like one, as it looks like virtues were much easier to abide by back in the glorious days of the distant past!
Being Filipino who has gone to Epcot several times, it's weird seeing... her in this video.
I think test track was a good replacement but mission space and a potential gotg ride aren't. The frozen version of maelstrom makes sense and is good.
I can understand Epcot opening with only five rides because the world showcase is worth admission alone. What I can’t understand is how or why DCA 1.0 was concocted .
Always thought the Epcot ball was a gold ball.
I hope Disney returns to building stuff at EPCOT. I love the idea of future world; however, it is easy to Disney just kind of forgot about it. World showcase could be cool, but it honestly is neither interesting nor entertaining. When I went back there on my Disney trip, I found myself bored. It just felt like walking through little cubes of theming (unless I wanted to pay $30+ on a plate at one of the restaurants). I hope once Hollywood Studios is finished, Disney will spend time revamping EPCOT.
And let's just add that Hollywood studio only has 4 at the moment. But I know that will change next year with toy story land.
I miss Horizons. Best EPCOT ride.
Good video Rob, but two further points:
1. The main reason EPCOT the CITY wasn't built is that a CITY has populations that can vote, and Disney had already had problems with some of the areas on the fringe of the property where they'd built housing intended for cast members who might then vote against the company so they "de-annexed" those portions to the neighboring counties and cities. An EPCOT city would have real people living real lives who might not wish their homes, decor, wardrobe, whatever to be dictated by a corporation, let alone their politics and economics. Indeed, this is the story of lots of "model communities" like Levittown and other "company towns" going back to steel towns, Pullman's railroad towns, etc. etc. As soon as the population, mostly employees, has a problem with the employer, the beauty of American democracy takes over and, well, companies don't like that.
2. Re. ride numbers at opening? Let's not forget that even Magic Kingdom, in theory a "clone" of Disneyland only in Florida, opened with far fewer attractions than Disneyland had, albeit spread out over many more acres. The bottomline on all of this is....money. To add a ride is a big price indeed at any time, but to build a park from scratch with all of the infrastructure that is there ride or no ride is HUGE by comparison and without those expenses, the rides cannot happen now or in the future. Getting it up and running enough to be impressive is the goal, not having umpteen rides from day one. Even Disneyland still had workers finishing things at their opening day, and really the "second opening" which added Matterhorn, the Monorail, etc. etc. was promoted as such for that reason.
Thanks! The first point wasn't actually going to be much of an issue. The way Reedy Creek Improvement District was formed gave it a wide reach in authority of the land. Additionally the land is governed by a five person board, and to be eligible for the board you must be a land owner in RCID. The original plan for EPCOT called for all offices, apartments and houses to be rented to the temporary citizens. The only land owners in RCID would have always been Disney, and so they would always control the board and thus the governance of the district. That combined with the districts broader-than-usual powers meant there would have never been any risk of EPCOT citizens taking over or making changes. In fact, this was one of the primary concerns with EPCOT. It was designed well enough that the city would almost never be democratic in that regard. On top of that part of the plan included all residents to be temporary, preventing anyone from settling down in a city where they couldn't own their home or have a say in the way it was run.
To your second point, I had ended up cutting it out of the video for the sake of time, but in 1971 The Magic Kingdom opened with 11 rides, over double what EPCOT Center would open with over 10 years later. Though ultimately I agree and (hopefully) stressed as much in the video, the funding issue played a major role in the cutback of the park's offerings. I just found it interesting that at a base level is was such an issue that the new park a decade later had to reduce it's ride offering to less than half of the opening lineup of the first park there. Just shows the relative difference in each park's direction.
Good points Rob, but that leads to a more practical/commercial one. UNDER those restrictions, how many people would willingly sign up to be "temporary" residents of a "city' where they had virtually no rights? I mean, what if they built it and, virtually speaking, nobody came--talk about PR disasters! :) I mean, I've seen (and experienced) some pretty restrictive and nutty condo and homeowner agreements/covenants, but any such as you're describing would definitely be a disincentive to residency, and even if people call something a "starter home" most who move their lives (as opposed to just vacations or even DVC memberships) to somewhere want a degree of autonomy. BTW, those "de-annexings" really po'd the neighboring governments who "inherited" the areas because they'd never gotten any of the building permit, use permit, utility fees and other goodies when the homes/apts were built but suddenly took on the burden of city services, police, fire, etc. etc. without much advance budgetary notice and before any tax revenues could make up for the shortfalls.
I mean that's a good question and a big what if. From what I've read, the temporary nature of living at EPCOT was going to be limited to around a year. Personally I'd totally live at EPCOT for just a year, even if it meant losing those rights, just for the experience. I feel at that point it would feel very similar to living abroad for a year and not partaking in that country's elections.
I think the bigger issue that creates though is how do businesses within EPCOT thrive when their employees are being turned around every year? They would have either had to have employees who lived outside of EPCOT who could serve in more senior positions, or I suppose find people willing to live at EPCOT longer under those terms. I made a video earlier this summer on the topic, but I'm in the camp that EPCOT ultimately wouldn't have worked as a city, so I'm pretty glad Disney veered from the idea when the late 70s rolled around.
Agreed in all respects. Great discussion. Thanks!
Hey...Universal Orlando didn't exactly have a smooth opening year either!
Education is a good thing there are other parks can be for not education stuff.
EPCOT, it gives and gives as fodder for your Vlogs.
4:37 that’s hilarious, considering that the Marcos most certainly embezzled and stole FAR FAR more than that from their people during their dictatorship 😂😂😂😂😂😂
Call me crazy but its hard to let go of those "edutainment" dark rides and Universe of Energy leaving brings a tear to my eye even if Guardians will probably be phenomenal.
Lay a finger on Spaceship Earth and somebody is getting hurt.
If you could design your own Disney attraction with an unlimited but realistic budget, what would it look like? #mydisneyride
When Epcot opened it was like a talking dog. No one really cared what the dog said, the fact that it talked was entertaining enough.
transtremm it's funny you should say that because I remember somewhere in Epcot, keeping my head in a hole and seeing a digital dog come over and you were able to get it to come back and go away but I don't remember where it was
I dread the day that Figment gets the boot
EPCOT is the one park I rarely spent much time in. There is a ton of walking, which gets old fast, and not much to do in the pavilions to make up for that walking. It really didn't feel worth my time to go to world showcase. They didn't have rides or nice sit down shows. Future world was fun but there still wasn't a lot there that was entertaining. Overall I just never became an EPCOT fan likely friends.
Another great one Rob! Notification squad where you at??
yoooo!
It has a giant golf ball
More rides then Hollywood Studios has now.
It honestly kind of sucks that EPCOT is now filled with movie IPs. I wish they would try to come up with more, new park IPs.
I'm REALLY hoping they stick to the foundation messages of EPCOT. If they just put a bunch of cash grab movie based rides in there in will RAGE QUIT. lol though nice video Rob.
Adam Ferry it will be a cash grab.
People like cheap thrills and not education or learning about other cultures in this world we share.
We use unbelievable technology to distract and please our selfish whims.b
Ninja Master No one goes to theme parks be educated. People go to have fun.
I think they can mix them, have a few movie based rides, Guardians seems like it will have quality and effort and stick to the epcot theme a bit, unlike what they did with Frozen
Ninja believe it or not some of us actually like to learn about other cultures even on vacation some ppl like science education. And some even both.
Educational does not mean boring math problems. New technology and various cultures is what people generally like learning about. If done right, they really could make fun, exciting, and even thrilling attractions with educational undertones.
IMHO Magic Kingdom should be the place for Disney's core (like Frozen) and the Studios should be for their extended properties (like Guardians of the Galaxy). EPCOT should be unique.
There is a problem, though, with the sponsorships. Technology companies want to promote what they are selling right now at Best Buy, which is not a very interesting vacation. Countries want tourists themselves, instead of paying to enhance a competing vacation destination. But the sponsorship model has been dwindling for some time now anyway.
nice vid
Thanks!
When I was at Disney world last year Epcot was my favourite part. It was so refreshing not to have kids fantasy stuff shoved down my throat.
I want to see a Wakanda pavilion added to World showcase.
Ironic quote from Imelda Marcos given how she spent public funds!