Well here we are as expected. Today was the D23 Parks Panel and wow is there a lot to digest with everything that was announced. Some things were certainly answered, new questions have popped up, and one thing became clear. EPCOT is going to be a completely different park than it is today. So lets get right into it shall we?
I'd like to start where I ended my last blog, with the nighttime show Illuminations: Reflections of Earth coming to an end. Replacing it will be EPCOT Forever which will celebrate the history of EPCOT through the years. It sounds like the show is going to be great. Disney has said that they are going to have some pretty awesome effects going on in this limited time show and the music? Well it's music from EPCOT so it should be pretty amazing. After that will come HarmonioUS. HarmonioUS is the new name for A Celebration of Disney Music, and what a better name it is. The show is going to feature popular Disney music reinterpreted by artists from around the world. What exactly does that mean? I have no idea at all. I'm still hoping for less popular Disney music to take hold in this show over Under the Sea, Be Our Guest, etc, but those tunes done differently would sure be interesting as well. We now also know that this show is going to be the largest nighttime spectacular in the world. I'm pretty excited about the show still. We didn't get a ton of new details, but it's nice to have a better name equipped to it and I am certainly eager to hear the soundtrack.
Well it was inevitable. The wave of Disney IPs into EPCOT has officially washed over the park. In addition to the already announced Guardians of the Galaxy, Ratatouille, and Moana(????) attractions, Mary Poppins will be getting a ride in the UK pavilion. The France pavilion will see the addition of a Beauty and the Beast sing-a-long and a new restaurant (not Beauty and the Beast themed). China and Canada are getting their movies updated, originally I heard rumors of Mulan being in the China one, but that may not be the case? In the new PLAY! Pavilion guests will be able to interact with characters from Wreck it Ralph, Huey, Dewey, Louie, Webby, and Edna Mode. Some of the characters will be virtual while others will be real. The rush of IPs at this convention isn't the least bit surprising, but one character is sitting on the sidelines, Figment.
Figment is so popular that I am shocked that nothing is coming for the little dragon. There were no announcements regarding the much dated Journey Into Imagination or the Imagination pavilion as a whole. All these IPs moving in will surely have kids wanting to visit EPCOT more, but what about everyone's favorite purple dragon? I hope they at least give his pavilion a new paint job. EPCOT is going to look so beautiful, but that area is in serious need of a little love. Time will tell, but overall with all these IP and character related announcements, I'm surprised the one character that many refer to as EPCOT's mascot was seemingly forgotten.
Speaking of popular and synonymous with EPCOT, Spaceship Earth's overhaul was also officially confirmed. The ride will be receiving an all new soundtrack and narration. While it will remain a trip through time, but will now focus on storytelling and it's importance in uniting us as people. The ride will also be getting new scenes installed and an incredible sounding new exit. The new exit area, Dreamers Point will feature a statue of the original dreamer, Walt Disney, and offer an incredible view of the World Showcase. Dreamers Point sounds like it is going to be an incredible area and I can't wait to learn more about it as time goes on. I was so worried about the shape of Spaceship Earth, but now I couldn't be more excited for this ride. Storytelling is something that has been around forever and it's great that we are going to see it's importance showcased. Speaking of importance...
To wrap up part 1 of this blog, some more details came out about the Journey of Water attraction. The attraction will be inspired by the hit animated film, Moana, but as far as characters go, the only one will be water itself. In the movie, the Ocean is basically a character itself and that is what they are going for here. The attraction will be a walk-through and feature meeting and playing with magical water! It will also serve as an education tool explaining the importance of water and the natural water cycle. To me, this is beautiful. Moana is an absolutely beautiful movie and I am hyped to see this trail open mixing fun with water and education about water. I feel like the importance of water gets overlooked so much when discussing nature and even us as humans. This attraction will bring some awareness to that an I couldn't be happier now knowing that it's not going to be a movie based ride or completely character focused.... Well except for water apparently.
Wow there is still so much more to react to about all the changes coming to EPCOT. Stay tuned for that as I throw my feeling out these on the all new layout for the park and the end of the park as well all know it! Thanks for reading!
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