Attention, all you “Spaceship Earth” fanatics out there.
You can delete any on-line “Save ‘Spaceship Earth’ ” petitions that you may have started. For — in spite of the fact that this Epcot icon recently got a brand-new sponsor (I.E. Siemens AG, a German electronics and engineering company) — the interior of this Future World attraction isn’t in any imminent danger.
According to what middle management at Epcot were told at a staff meeting early last week, officials from the Munich-based corporation toured “Spaceship Earth” earlier this fall. And while they may have found this Future World attraction to be somewhat old-fashioned, these executives still recognized this 23-year-old attraction for what it actually was: the centerpiece of that particular theme park.
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So — while several senior Imagineers supposedly tried to sell Siemens officials on the idea of underwriting construction of a brand-new thrill ride for this futuristic theme park (Which was to have been housed inside of “Spaceship Earth” ‘s 180-feet-tall geodesic sphere) — the Germans would have none of that. They wanted Epcot’s centerpiece attraction to stay pretty much as it is today.
And when I say “pretty much,” I mean “pretty much.” The last 12 scenes of this Future World attraction (which guests mostly experience as they begin their descent back to “Spaceship Earth” ‘s off-load area) will reportedly be slightly revamped. So that this sequence in the ride can then better reflect the changes in communications technology that have occurred in the past 11 years (To explain: The last time that the interior of this geodesic sphere had a significant face-lift was back in the Fall of 1994). Plus “Spaceship Earth” ‘s post-show area will be revamped so that it now serve as a Siemens showcase.
But beyond that … Those of you who were looking forward to climbing aboard a “Time Racer” and whizzing around the exterior of this Epcot icon may be in for quite a wait. Why for? Well, given that Siemens’ partnership agreement with the Walt Disney Company is scheduled to run for a dozen years, it’ll be 2017 before another corporation gets a shot at sponsoring “Spaceship Earth.”
Speaking of waiting … A number of JHM readers visited Epcot’s recently revamped “Living Seas” over the Thanksgiving weekend. And while some people had praise for this Future World pavilion’s new paint job (As well as the light hand that WDI took with placing new “Finding Nemo” -themed elements in this show building), other folks wrote to ask: “When are we going to get to see the front half of this structure again?”
Well, according to what Epcot’s middle management team was told at the same staff meeting last week, it could be as late as the Fall of 2006 before guests once again get the chance to walk through the “Living Seas” ‘s front door.
“What’s the hold-up?,” you ask. Well, part of the problem was that there just wasn’t enough money in Epcot’s fiscal 2005 budget to cover the complete cost of redoing the “Living Seas” pavilion. Which is why construction of this project was broken into two distinct sections: Part I (which was done over the past three months) would freshen up the attraction’s interior. Part II (Which will supposedly begin in earnest sometime after the first of the year) is expected to take the better part of 2006 to complete.
The upside is … Once construction is complete, Epcot’s “Living Seas” will offer theme park visitors a “… whole new experience.” Or so said the company spokesman who talked with that theme park’s middle managers last week. The exact details of what this “.. whole new experience” will entail remain somewhat sketchy at this point. What is known is that the two theaters that used to be used to present this Future World pavilion’s pre-show have been completely gutted. More importantly, the track that the “Sea Cabs” ride used to run on has now been extended by 100 feet. Which will allow the “Living Seas” to feature a “Finding Nemo” -themed dark ride as the new intro to Sea Base.
But beyond these little bits of info … The Mouse is playing this project particularly close to the vest. Partially because the Walt Disney Company wants to officially unveil this portion of the “Living Seas” redo as part of its announcement that the corporation has forged a new distribution agreement with Pixar Animation Studios (Look for Disney & Pixar to hold a joint news conference announcing this development over the next week to 10 days). But also because Mickey’s marketing staff wants the official ribbon-cutting of the ride-through portion of the “Living Seas” redo to be one of the highlights of the October 2006 WDW press event.
“But what about ‘Wonders of Life?,” you query. Well … This Future World pavilion will be opening for the very last time next month. Just so Epcot can better handle the seasonal crowds. But then after that …
Well, there had been some talk that the future of this Future World pavilion might be tied to Disney’s new deal with Pixar. That — as part of its new distribution deal with the Mouse — this computer animation studio might work with the Imagineers to set up a Pixar showcase inside this theme park. This plan would involve retheming WoL’s old “Cranium Command” & “The Making of Me” shows and “Body Wars” simulator attraction into new rides, shows and attractions that would be based on “The Incredibles,” “Monsters, Inc.” and “Cars.”
Mind you, the Imagineers who have been tasked to create new attractions for Hong Kong Disneyland have reportedly been checking on the availability of “Body Wars” ‘s four simulators. Supposedly with the idea that these 26-ton vehicles can then be used to present “Star Tours” at Disney’s newest theme park.
So which proposal will win out in the end? To be honest, it’ll be up to Jay Rasulo — Chairman of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts — and Al Weiss — this division’s new president of Worldwide Operations — to determine what happens next with Epcot’s “Wonders of Life.” Whether or not this Future World pavilion will be turned into a Pixar showcase or just pulled down to make room for this theme park’s next “Mission: Space” / “GM Test Track” -like thrill ride. And given that Siemens AG just refused to pay to turn “Spaceship Earth” into Epcot’s next thrill ride … Well, the latter scenario is actually a lot more likely than you might think.
Oh … One last interesting tidbit out of last week’s Epcot managers meeting: The Walt Disney Company allegedly isn’t looking to find an immediate replacement for Weiss. Which means that the position of WDW’s presidency could be left open for as long as a year to 15 months. What possible impact this decision might have on Disney’s Orlando-based theme parks and resorts remains to be seen.
Anyway … That’s the latest news on Epcot. Where Future World’s future doesn’t look all that rosy. At least to me.
Your thoughts?