Epcot has a big problem.
That “Soarin'”show building (the one that’s currently under construction behind “The Land” pavilion in Future World) is huge. So huge that it’s now looming up behind the “mountains” of World Showcase’s Canada pavilion. Totally destroying the effect that the Imagineers who originally designed Epcot Center back in the late 1970s / early 1980s had labored to achieve.
So what should WDI do about this? Should an attempt be made to somehow hide “Soarin'”‘s show building? Or should the Imagineers just do what they did when the Dolphin and the Swan rose up behind Epcot in the late 1980s and ruined World Showcase’s skyline … which was nothing.
Happily, this time around, WDI has allegedly decided to be much more proactive. The Imagineers already realize that the “Soarin'” show building is having a negative impact on the view from World Showcase. Which is why plans are supposedly underway to do something about this.
(“Why couldn’t the Imagineers just do the smart thing right from the start,” you ask, “and lower the profile of “Soarin'”‘s show building by putting a lot of that structure underground?” Keep in mind that this is Orlando that we’re talking about, folks. Not Anaheim. And that most of the Walt Disney World Resort was built on reclaimed swamp land. Which — understandably — has a very high water table.
So — sure — in California, in order to make sure that “Soarin’ Over California”‘s show building had a relatively low profile, so that it didn’t loom up over Disneyland Plaza like some enormous blimp hangar, it made sense to dig down there. To actually put “Soarin'”‘s operation base and load area over 30 feet underground.
But down in Florida — again taking that high water table into consideration — this wasn’t really an option here. Which is why WDW’s version of “Soarin'” seems to be so much larger than DCA’s version. Anyway …)
So what are the Imagineers going to do to “hide” that enormous new Future World show building from guests strolling around the far side of World Showcase? Simple. The “mountain range” behind the Canada pavilion at Epcot is going to experience a growth spurt.
Mind you, we’re not just talking about a brand new bunch of faux mountain peaks, folks. We’re talking about a large mountain-shaped structure. Something tall enough to effectively hide that enormous “Soarin'” show building from people who are over visiting Epcot’s German and Italian pavilions, but also big enough to contain a brand new World Showcase attraction.
“So what’s this new addition to the Canadian pavilion going to be about?” you query. Well … though WDI is currently remaining pretty tight lipped about this project, it’s been said that this proposed new attraction that’s currently under consideration for construction with World Showcase will be a raft ride. Something similar in design to DCA’s “Grizzly River Rapids” attraction. But — this time around — this attraction will feature a “Brother Bear” story overlay.
This is obviously big news for World Showcase fans. Who have been begging since “The Maelstrom” first opened back in July of 1988 for another thrill ride to be added to this part of Epcot. But this proposed “Brother Bear” attraction is actually even better news for DCA fans.
Why for? Because I keep hearing from my sources within WDI that — as they’re having the bear figures built for Canada’s raft ride — the Imagineers are going to ask that a second set of AA figures be constructed for Disney’s California Adventure. So that — sometime in the not-so-distant future — DCA’s “Grizzly River Rapids” can then also be rethemed so that thrill ride will feature a “Brother Bear”-inspired story line.
Which — given that the Redwood Challenge Creek area has already had “Brother Bear” story elements folded into it — would means that that whole “district” of DCA can then become a mini-“Brother Bear” land. The very sort of things that many of the critics of this troubled theme park have said that Disney’s California Adventure has needed since Day One.
Now keep in mind that this is the Walt Disney Company that we’re talking about here, folks. Which is a pretty dynamic organization. Which means that what’s a definitely-going-to-happen, written-in-stone project today can be cancelled tomorrow. So let’s not get our hopes up too high ’til the folks at Walt Disney World finally get around to officially announcing the project.
But — as of right now — Canada’s “Brother Bear”-inspired raft ride looks like it’s a go. Current WDW construction timetables suggest that site prep could begin as early as the winter of 2005 / 2006, with structural steel being slapped into place sometime in 2006. As of an official opening date for the attraction … the fall of 2007 (just in time for Epcot’s 25th anniversary celebration) would be great. But a late 2007/early 2008 opening for this obviously complicated construction project would probably be a lot more likely.
So there you have it, folks. A negative (a new, too-tall Future World show building ruining World Showcase’s sightlines) being turned a positive (a brand-new thrill ride for Epcot).
Isn’t it nice to have a little upbeat news about the Walt Disney Company for a change?