A WDWMagic.com reader who’s also a JHM fan writes in to ask:
Dear Mr. Hill —
I was wondering if you could help us get out the word about General Grizz’s campaign to save the balloons, fountain & food court over at Epcot’s “The Land” pavilion. Rumor has it that these classic features of this Future World favorite are soon to be scrapped as the Imagineers rethemes the interior of this pavilion. So that “The Land” will be more in tune with its new E-Ticket attraction, “Soarin’.”
Anything you can do to help spread the word about this campaign would be greatly appeciated. JHM readers who’d like to join General Grizz’s on-line call to arms can do so by following this link.
Thanks in advance for your time & help,
A WDWMagic.com reader who’s also a JHM fan
Well, because you’re a JHM fan, I’ll post that link. But I’m not going to say that I support General Grizz’s effort to save “The Land” ‘s interior.
Why for? Well, to my way of thinking, anyway … It’s ill-considered campaigns like this that give Disneyana fans such a rotten reputation among Imagineers and Walt Disney Company management. That make it so easy for the powers-that-be at the Mouse House to just dismiss us all as this weird bunch of obsessed weenies. Rather than being seen as we really should. Which is as a bunch of extremely loyal customers who should be continually courted and coddled.
I mean, don’t get me wrong, folks. I’m sure that General Grizz’s heart is in the right place. And if this guy says that he truly believes that the Sunshine Season Food Court is a little slice of heaven … Well, then who are we to disagree with him? After all, over the years, other people have bonded to odder pieces of the Disney theme parks.
Take — for example — all those Southern Californians who were shocked & saddened in September 1985 when they heard that “Adventure Thru Inner Space” would be closing forever to make way for “Star Tours.” Giving all of the heavy petting that supposedly gone on inside this Disneyland dark ride during its 18 years of operation (Not to mention all of the children who were reportedly concieved while their parents rode its Omnimovers), a lot of baby boomers had an obvious emotional attachment to this Tomorrowland attraction. Which is why it’s easy to understand why they were truly sorry to see ATIS shuttered.
But as for people being emotionally attached to “The Land” ‘s food court, wailing & moaning about how we’re losing something historically significant here … I think it’s also important that we see the forest through the trees here when we talk about this upcoming Future World redo.
General Grizz is asking all of us to join in on his blanket condemnation of the changing of “The Land” ‘s interior. Which (to his way of thinking) just HAS TO be wrong because the Imagineers want to radically revamp the inside of this Future World pavilion. So that Epcot visitors can then make a smooth transition from the outside of this show building right up to the entrance of “Soarin’.” So that the interior of this pavilion would then appear to have a cohesive theme, so that all the decorative elements in this show building will then pull together to tell one single coherent story.
Seriously, folks. Is this really the sort of thing that we should be complaining about? That WDI is willing — eager, even — to spend money in an attempt to upgrade & improve a Future World pavilion? A collection of attractions that even the most rabid of Disneyana fans would have to admit haven’t aged all that well. Shouldn’t this be the sort of thing that we applaud … rather than condemn out of hand?
I know, I know. General Grizz’s main gripe is that the Imagineers want to redo “The Land” ‘s interior so that it will then resemble this stylized transportation center. Where guests can either take a scenic flight over the state of California on “Soarin’ ” or take an educational cruise on board the “Living with the Land” boat ride. Which he sees as being a serious detriment to the pavilion’s original theming.
I say … Is this guy serious? I mean, it’s not like this Future World pavilion has ever had what you could truly call seamless storytelling. Back when Epcot Center originally opened in October of 1982, this attraction had the “Listen to the Land” boat ride (with all of its oh-so-serious talk about hydroponic gardens & fish farming) right next door to “Kitchen Karabet,” arguably one of the strangest shows that WED ever created. Where the whole cracked concept behind this extremely bizarre AA extravaganza seemed to be that the Imagineers were trying to anthropromorphize the very food groups that they were then encouraging “Kitchen Kabaret” ‘s audience to go home & consume.
And don’t even get me started on that 70MM snoozefest that was called “Symbiosis.” Disney sent cinematographers all around the globe with the hope that they’d be able to come up with some compelling footage for this Future World attraction. What they got instead was this high-minded film that was so stultifyingly dull that Epcot visitors were known to doze off 5 minutes into the picture.
This is why — faced with the obvious fact that “The Land” had so clearly missed the mark with the public — that the Imagineers chose to radically rework this Future World pavilion in late 1993 / early 1994. The first attraction to go under the knife here was “Listen to the Land,” which hauled its last boatload of tourists past the space squash on September 27, 1993. After reworking the attraction’s extremely dated narration as well as overhauling a number of the ride’s introductory scenes, the slightly renamed “Living with the Land” re-opened on December 10, 1993.
Less than four weeks later, “Kitchen Karabet” closed its doors for good on January 3, 1994. Three months later, a modernized (and some might say severely dumbed down) version of this same attraction — “Food Rocks” — opened at this same location on March 26, 1994.
“Symbiosis”? That 70MM snoozer shut down on January 1, 1995. Only to be replaced on January 21st of that same year by “Circle of Life : An Environmental Tale.” Whose main claim to fame was that the “Lion King” footage which was featured in this film was actually produced at the WDFA satellite studio located at the Disney/MGM Studio theme park.
And as for “The Land” ‘s food court area … Well, that’s also what makes me a little crazy about General Grizz’s cry that “… we have to preserve the atmosphere and ambiance of the Sunshine Season Food Court.” You see, this area also got significantly revamped during this Future World pavlion’s 15 month long overhaul. How many of you recall the eatry that originally occupied this area? That’s right! The Farmers Market!
(Here’s an interesting bit of trivia for all you Epcot history fans. How many of you recall the automated rooster that used to be located over the Farmers Market? The one that used to crow every 15 minutes or so? Would you like to know where this piece of Future World wound up?
Well, the last time I saw that mechanical rooster and the little red barn-like building that he resided in, they were both outside rotting in the Central Florida sun. This whole artfully designed unit had been left out in the elements beside WDI’s field office [Which is located out behind Epcot’s “Universe of Energy” pavilion]. When I first saw the thing [during a visit with a friend who was working for Imagineering at the time], I couldn’t help but think: “What a waste.” Followed by a second thought: “I wonder if I can stuff this thing in the back of my car while nobody’s looking.” But — alas — I was never able to help Epcot’s rooster fly the coop. Anyway … )
Getting back to General Grizz’s call-to-arms … You see what I’m saying here, folks? It’s a little too late to try & save “The Land” ‘s original ambiance & artistic integrity. After all, all that disappeared during this Future World pavilion’s first redo back in the mid-1990s. When even the much ballyhoo-ed hot air balloons got a brand new paint job.
Okay. I know. In spite of everything that I’ve already said here, there will still be some Disneyana fans who don’t ever want Epcot’s “The Land” pavilion to change. These people just love the peace & the quiet of the Sunshine Season Food Court. They like to dine next to the tranquil albiet-seriously-dated fountain without dealing with the crush of the crowds outside.
Well, this is where I have to remind you guys that the Walt Disney Company is actually a business. And what you may view as a peaceful & tranquil environment to dine in, the execs who are running the Mouse House see as an area at Epcot that is severely underutilized. A section of Future World which is not pulling its weight.
This is why Eisner agreed to allow “Soarin’ over California” to be cloned & shipped off to Orlando. With the hope that this extremely popular DCA attraction might be just the thing to revive “The Land” ‘s sagging attendance levels. That “Soarin’ ” could be the show that convinces WDW visitors that it’s time for them to revisit this Future World pavilion. That there’s finally more to do hear than look at Audio Animatronic prairie dogs.
That’s the real reason that the Imagineers are ripping out the fountain and redoing the Sunshine Season Food Court. Not because these aspects of “The Land” are seriously out of date (Which they are). But — rather — because WDI is anticipating that large numbers of guests will soon start flowing into this Future World pavilion once “Soarin’ ” begins operating on a daily basis. Which is why something needs to be done to “The Land” to in order to accomodate the huge influx of guests that Disney expect to be arriving soon.
Which — in this case — means building a brand-new restaurant that is actually large enough to handle the number of people that we’re talking about here (Which is why the Sunshine Season Food Court is being shut down. So that this 1980s era eatry could then be radically revamped & expanded in order to meet the anticipated demand) as well as creating additional seating for all the extra guests who are expected to begin dining here daily (Which is why that fountain had to go too!). And — to accommodate all those Epcot visitors who might like a “Soarin’ ” souvenir to remember this Future World attraction by — that means that the Imagineers had to create additional retail space inside “The Land” pavilion. Which is why some sections of the old “Food Rocks” / “Kitchen Kabaret” theater are now being turned into a store.
So you see what’s really going on here: The Imagineers are making these changes to “The Land” NOT because they’re out to upset Epcot nostalgia fans like General Grizz. But — rather — because they’re trying to lure crowds back to this Future World pavilion. And — more importantly — WDI wants to make sure that this facility will be able to accomodate large groups of people, should the crowds actually come back once “Soarin’ ” opens for business sometime in the Spring of 2005.
So my apologies to that “WDWMagic.com reader who’s also a JHM fan.” I’m sure that they sent along that e-mail with the hope that’s I champion their cause. Not go out of my way to take the wind out of General Grizz’s sails.
But folks like General Grizz … They always make me a little crazy. For I can never quite understand how someone can arrive at the mindset that says: “The Disney theme parks may never change. They must always stay the way they were when I first encountered them, when I first fell in love with the place. “
Me personally? I’m not a big fan of the idea of an Epcot that’s forever encased in amber. A theme park that only celebrates the future circa 1982. I’d much prefer an Epcot that was always exciting & vital, a place that WDW guests can discover new sights & wonders each time they visit … Rather than a theme park that only appeals to hardcore Disneyana fans.
You see, this is why the Walt Disney Company has always resisted efforts to get buildings in its theme parks listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Sure, it would be a feather in Mickey’s cap if people in power began to recognize the cultural significance of a structure like Sleeping Beauty Castle. But NOT if it then came at a cost of not ever being able to update the look of that Disneyland icon.
That great paint job that everyone’s been “Oohing” & “Aahing” over lately? That never would have been allowed to happen if everyone within the Walt Disney Company thought like General Grizz does. That things must always remain the same because … Well, that’s the way they’ve always been.
Change is healthy, folks. Walt Disney certainly thought so. That’s why he said that “Disneyland will never be completed. It will always continue to grow as long as there is imagination left in the world.” Walt knew that — in order to keep the people coming to Anaheim & Orlando — he’d have to continually make changes to the place.
So — with all due respect to General Grizz — please don’t buy into what this guy is trying to sell. The revamping of “The Land” ‘s interior really isn’t the end of the world. Future World, anyway. Given what a wonderful ride “Soarin’ Over California” is, all these changes will be worth it in the end. Particularly two or three years down the line, when Epcot gets its very own “Soarin’ ” movie that’s filled with footage of incredible sights & sounds around the globe.
But that’s probably a story for another time …
I’m sorry that this week’s “Why For” was so late going up on the site this week, folks. More importantly, that I haven’t exactly been playing my A game lately. But it’s been a tough couple of weeks here at the Stadler / Hill household. Nancy’s Mom died suddenly at the start of this month. And — as you might understand — that threw the both of us into a tailspin.
Well, a couple of weeks have gone by at this point. So things are sort of returning to normal around here. Still, it’s hard to shake off the blues sometimes. Which is why I’ve kind of been maintaining a very low profile at JHM since the tail end of September / beginning of October.
Hopefully, that will change in the weeks ahead. Even so, I’d like to thank Tony Moore, Jeff Lange, Roger Colton, Matthew Springer, Andrew Franks, Sara Allen and David Michael for everything they did to keep JimHillMedia.com up & running while Nancy & I dealt with family stuff. When I needed their help earlier this month, these guys stepped up to the plate — no questions asked.
You really could not ask for a finer bunch of people to work with. Which is why — every day — I’m grateful for their talent & their friendship.
Anywho … That’s enough yammering for this week. Nancy & I have to head off for a wedding in Bar Harbor (Not our own), so I’d best close now.
Talk to you folks next week, okay? Until then, take care,
jrh