Photo by Erin Heaton

This is a big week for Walt Disney World’s second park. EPCOT has opened two new attractions that should help draw guests to the park. Soarin’ Over the World arrived at The Land this past Friday, and Frozen Ever After finally took over Norway on Tuesday. There are no other major expansions coming up next, and Disney is banking on these additions. It’s been my favorite park since my first visit there in 1984, but it’s an uphill climb now. What is coming next to EPCOT?

There’s a reason that so many adult fans yearn for the early days. EPCOT Center was a unique park that mixed the optimism of a World’s Fair with a permanent international festival. Magic Kingdom is an easy sell; it takes more nuance to understand EPCOT Center, however. This confusion was also present within Disney leadership, particularly after Eisner took charge. He used a hybrid approach of adding thrills (Body Wars, Maelstrom) but still followed the park’s original structure well into the ‘90s. The sea change arrived with the loss of Horizons and World of Motion.

Despite the shift in tone, EPCOT was still important during Michael Eisner’s tenure. The arrival of Soarin’ and even the terrible Imagination updates showed an interest in making changes. There’s been a different approach since Bob Iger took over Disney. We’ve seen few changes in EPCOT, and it’s mostly succeeded due to its annual festivals and World Showcase. The investments just haven’t kept Future World fresh, however. Universe of Energy and Imagination need serious updates, and Innoventions just keeps closing exhibits. The next changes will make a big difference.

How Much Will Frozen Boost Attendance?

EPCOT is still a popular spot, but I don’t believe it’s a must-see destination for some guests. Frozen Ever After might change that for many families. The chance to visit Arendelle in a brand-new attraction is an easy sell. Hordes descended upon Epcot on Tuesday and created 300-minute waits. How long will those crowds persist? The online videos look stunning, but it’s still a four-minute boat ride.

Given the capacity limitations of Frozen Ever After, I suspect it will draw huge lines for quite a while. The question to look at next is whether that will have a significant impact. Will it draw new guests to the resort or just shift them from other parks? It’s possible that people may spend time in line at this attraction instead of shopping or buying food. While there may be a minor bump in attendance from this addition, I don’t suspect a Potter-like increase from the next change. The reaction to Frozen Ever After has been mostly positive; however, will everyone get a chance to ride it?

Photo by Dan Heaton

Soarin’ and Better Capacity

The big news with Soarin’ centers on its new film, which is an understandable trend. What interests me nearly as much is the addition of a third theater. This change essentially increases capacity by 50%, which is quite significant. After the initial rush of guests, there were signs that wait times were manageable. I’m hopeful that this extra theater will help to avoid waits of several hours for Soarin’ during most time periods. It’s one of the few attractions at EPCOT that regularly draws large crowds, so cutting back the lines would greatly benefit guests and Disney.

A complicating factor is the addition of Frozen Ever After to the Tier 1 group for FastPass Plus. In the past, the big decision was between Soarin’ and Test Track. There are now three headliners in Tier 1 that all draw big lines. I suspect that most will pick Frozen Ever After and gobble up the FastPasses quickly. This still leaves the other two as either/or options, but the availability should improve. It will be interesting to see how wait times trend for Soarin’ and Test Track in the upcoming months. I’m hopeful they’ll be easier to ride, but it’s hard to say for sure.

Now that I’ve discussed the current state at EPCOT, let’s consider four possible options of how Disney will approach EPCOT in the next 5-10 years. I don’t suspect we’ll see many updates in the near future, so I’m really looking at the time after the Hollywood Studios expansion. My cynical side has a strong guess at which option is most likely to come next, but I’m trying to stay optimistic. Leaders change and new strategies emerge, so there’s still potential for great things.

Option 1: The World of IP

Let’s start with a scenario that scares many fans of the original EPCOT Center. After the success of Frozen Ever After, Disney could decide to double down and place more IP all over the parks. In World Showcase, they could add Ratatouille in France and a Studio Ghibli attraction in Japan. There’s even a chance Star Wars could arrive in Future World. Chad Emerson talked on the podcast about Disney taking a serious look at that possibility. The TRON Lightcycle Power Run attraction in Shanghai wouldn’t look out of place in EPCOT. Disney’s already brought Nemo, The Three Caballeros, and Anna and Elsa to the park. Are there any limits?

I have mixed feelings about this prospect. On one hand, Disney would be investing a lot in a park that needs it. EPCOT would be a top destination once again. The obvious downside for me is the total loss of the place I loved in the ‘80s and early ‘90s. Some fans claim that it’s already happened, and they’re not completely wrong. This move would signal that Disney had little interest in preserving the park’s legacy.

Photo by Erin Heaton

Option 2: A Refocused Future World

This is the pipe dream choice from the group. A small part of me still hopes that Disney will decide to re-dedicate Future World. EPCOT’s 40th anniversary is coming in 2022. Why not use that opportunity to re-theme the entire land? New technology could help depict the future in ways that weren’t possible even a few years ago. There is valuable real estate at the Universe of Energy, Wonders of Life, and Imagination pavilion that wouldn’t need to start from scratch.

There’s a big opportunity to reshape Future World into something amazing. A park that presented the possibilities of technology and our future wouldn’t need to be dull, either. You could still include thrills and crowd-friendly attractions centered on those concepts. There are visionaries around the world looking for new ways to tackle space travel, energy challenges, and transportation. I’d love to see what Imagineering could do alongside these brilliant minds. There’s no limit to what could exist with a dedicated effort.

Option 3: The Hybrid Approach

Honestly, I doubt that the previous option could happen. My best hope is that Disney will recognize the potential in not abandoning the original theme. Merging familiar IP with an optimistic look at the future could pay dividends. Particularly with the Universe of Energy, they could spice up the ride without losing the theme. Like I mentioned earlier, there are obvious tie-ins in World Showcase that wouldn’t be as disruptive as Frozen Ever After. Using the Inside Out characters for Imagination also makes sense. That time has passed, but it would connect without seeming forced.

Future World pavilions once flowed seamlessly and now feel incongruent. Would trying to have it both ways make the situation worse? At least if new attractions emerge next, the park would be fresher. It might not have a coherent theme, but it wouldn’t be stagnant. Fans expect the parks to provide different experiences regularly. Disney could sell the mixed approach if they replace outdated areas of the park. It would show a commitment to EPCOT that is currently lacking.

Photo by Dan Heaton

Option 4: Business as Usual

This prospect scares me even more than the IP focus. It’s also sad to walk by the closed Wonders of Life and remember that vibrant pavilion. This isn’t just nostalgia for vintage attractions that are now gone. Replacing a 3D experience at Imagination with previously released short films is just lazy.

My goal here is not to be negative; I still love visiting EPCOT. I’m concerned by the trends of recent years, however. The festivals are vibrant events, and the park still looks amazing. I’m bothered by the more limited offerings, though. Cutting back on entertainment and attractions shouldn’t happen, especially as prices rise. We aren’t in Hollywood Studios territory, and I hope we never get there.

If We Can Dream It…

Many EPCOT Center fans believe the park is beyond saving; I’m not in that camp. There’s still so much that I enjoy about it. Impressions de France, The American Adventure, and Living with the Land are still going strong. I also love Test Track and Soarin’, so I’m not just trapped in the past. Walking around World Showcase is still a thrill, and Illuminations knocks me out every time. The foundation remains for making EPCOT an incredible park once again. My favorite Walt Disney World park deserves better; will Disney remember the magic?

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