EPCOT will officially drop the Future World name from October 1 as the park becomes comprised of four neighborhoods

Sep 27, 2021 in "EPCOT"

Posted: Monday September 27, 2021 1:34pm ET by WDWMAGIC Staff

Disney has announced that the new neighborhoods of EPCOT will officially debut beginning October 1 2021.

Future World will be replaced with World Nature, World Discovery, and World Nature, while World Showcase lives on unchanged.

While we have known about the new names since the EPCOT overhaul was announced in 2019, the exact date of the changeover was unknown until now.

Here is how Disney describes each of the EPCOT neighborhoods.

World Celebration

  • World Celebration offers new experiences that connect guests to one another and the world around them.

  • The EPCOT entrance plaza welcomes guests with open pathways and sweeping green spaces that beautify the entryway. Bridging the past, present and future of EPCOT is a new fountain at the base of Spaceship Earth with three majestic pylons. The entrance plaza also features new lighting and music, as well as flags flanking the fountain featuring six original EPCOT icons.

  • Beginning October 1, 2021, Spaceship Earth transforms at night into a Beacon of Magic with new lights shining across the geodesic sphere’s reflective panels.* These lights connect to one another in a symbol of optimism resembling stars in a nighttime sky.

  • Creations Shop invites guests to explore and celebrate Disney creativity, inspired by Mickey Mouse. The merchandise location features a bold, sleek design for an open, bright, welcoming environment with large glass walls allowing sunlight to pour in. Artistic homages to Mickey are throughout the shop, including large, dynamic murals that tap into the park’s original artistic spirit.

  • Adjacent to Creations Shop is a revitalized Club Cool Hosted by Coca-Cola. Celebrating Coca-Cola in a fresh new way, Club Cool invites guests to explore tasty drinks from around the world, bringing the global experience of Coca-Cola to life through new magic and classic flavor.

  • As guests pass Spaceship Earth, in the future they will discover a breathtaking new view of World Showcase from Dreamers Point. World Celebration will also feature a new statue honoring the legacy of the original dreamer, Walt Disney, plus beautiful natural environments and global design elements filled with Disney magic.

  • Surrounding this enchanted garden will be new merchandise and dining locations, along with a newly reimagined festival area that will be home to ever-changing events in a unique new environment.

World Nature

  • World Nature is dedicated to understanding and preserving the beauty, awe and balance of the natural world. It includes The Land and The Seas with Nemo & Friends pavilions, as well as the forthcoming Journey of Water, Inspired by Moana.

  • The Land pavilion film “Awesome Planet” showcases the beauty, diversity and dynamic story of Earth. The 10-minute show features in-theater effects and an original musical score from Academy Award®-winning composer Steven Price.

  • Journey of Water, Inspired by Moana will be the first Disney Parks experience evoking the hit Walt Disney Animation Studios film. This lush exploration trail will invite guests to meet and play with magical, living water. Just like Moana’s friend the ocean, water will have a personality of its own, helping guests learn how to protect the natural water cycle in a fun and engaging way.

World Discovery

  • In World Discovery, stories about science, technology and intergalactic adventure come to life.

  • In an expansion of the Mission: SPACE pavilion, the new Space 220 Restaurant is a culinary experience offering the celestial panorama of a space station, including virtual daytime and nighttime views of Earth from 220 miles above the planet’s surface. Guests board a space elevator for a simulated journey to the Centauri Space Station, where they experience the “height of dining.” Once they arrive, guests enjoy meals and drinks while taking in views that are truly out of this world. Space 220 is operated by the Patina Restaurant Group.

  • Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind will be the first “other-world” showcase pavilion at EPCOT. The family-friendly adventure starts in the Galaxarium, a planetarium-like exhibition that explores the similarities and mysteries of the formation of Earth’s galaxy and Xandar. Guests will learn more about the treasures Xandar has to share – until the moment when the Guardians of the Galaxy arrive, and guests go on an intergalactic chase through space and time. The attraction will feature a new innovation from Walt Disney Imagineering – a storytelling coaster that rotates 360 degrees to focus guests on the action, including the first reverse launch on a Disney coaster.

World Showcase

  • World Showcase continues to be a celebration of culture, cuisine, architecture and traditions – infused with new magic.

  • With a grand opening set for October 1, 2021, an expanded France pavilion features the new Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure attraction, where guests feel as if they shrink to the size of Chef Remy and race through Gusteau’s restaurant. Joining this family-friendly experience October 1 in the France pavilion is a delicious new restaurant, La Crêperie de Paris, offering both table- and quick-service options and a menu from celebrity chef Jérôme Bocuse.

  • Also in the France pavilion, the classic “Impressions de France” film is joined by “Beauty and the Beast Sing-Along,” directed by Don Hahn, producer of both the animated and live-action versions of this tale as old as time.

  • “Harmonious” is one of the largest nighttime spectaculars ever created for a Disney theme park. Debuting October 1, 2021, over World Showcase Lagoon, the show celebrates the way Disney music inspires people the world over, carrying them away on a stream of familiar songs reinterpreted by a culturally diverse group of 240 artists from around the globe. “Harmonious” features massive floating set pieces, custom-built LED panels, choreographed moving fountains, lights, pyrotechnics, lasers and more.

  • Regal Eagle Smokehouse: Craft Drafts & Barbecue is a fast-casual restaurant at The American Adventure pavilion, serving classic American backyard barbecue and home-style craft brews. The restaurant takes its name from Sam Eagle; the beloved Muppet hosts a centennial cook-off – a salute to all cook-offs … but mostly barbecue.
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Disstevefan11 day ago

Does that mean no Water filtration plant behind the scenes tour?

James Alucobond1 day ago

Looks like they’re finally adding plantings behind the Journey of Water pump facility to conceal it from the monorail. Hopefully that means they’ll reconfigure the meet and greet queue soon, but we shall see.

UNCgolf1 day ago

I'm just curious. I think it would be nice if there was some separation but I haven't been there since the new hub was opened so I don't have a good sense of where everything is in relation to everything else. It also depends on what the entertainment actually is. The Encanto sing-along they're opening with, e.g., has the potential to be pretty annoying for people elsewhere in the hub if it's really loud (that's the kind of thing that works better in a theater or something similar IMO), but other things might not be.

KeithVH1 day ago

Well, that definitely looks like local city park quality level work . . .

MisterPenguin1 day ago

I thought we were criticizing Disney for the lack of live entertainment...

UNCgolf1 day ago

I wonder how loud it will be. I think they could potentially overdo it and kind of ruin the whole area with noise pollution; I'm sure not everyone in the garden area is going to want to have to listen to whatever is happening on the stage.

tparris1 day ago

Large speakers/sound system being installed on the ceiling above the stage in CommuniCore Plaza.

tparris1 day ago

Gotcha. I’m no expert in that field, so that’s good to know.

James Alucobond1 day ago

Pretty sure they can at least stain and treat it the same way the surrounding concrete is treated in order to better conceal it.

CntrlFlPete1 day ago

cool!! I plan on telling folks that the strange floating rectangle of triangles is an abstract titled 'The Borg ship that assimilated Heihei'.

tparris1 day ago

It’s concrete, they can’t exactly just paint it. What they should have done is cut out the immediate surrounding area and replace it in sections. I would think the intentional cracks all over the ground would make it relatively easy to blend in new sections with the existing ones.

Andrew251 day ago

Hoping they paint it soon... but I'll take this over the ugly wooden boxes

HauntedPirate1 day ago

tparris1 day ago

The temporary boxes around the bases of the circular light fixtures just outside Connections Cafe have been removed, revealing the new bases. They look fine, however the obvious imperfections and different color where they shaved off the “mounds” really bothers me. That part doesn’t look good at all imo