Test Track Transformation at EPCOT: Canopy Removal and Set Pieces Arrive

Bocabear49 minutes ago

I believe Disney and their reputation for excellence was what always drew people to the theme parks...IP was secondary and part of the equation... Maybe the world is different now and the guests will only visit for a specific IP...which seems shortsighted and ridiculous...like traveling to Italy only for Spaghetti Carbonara... The magic and reputation for the Disney theme parks was built on a variety of experiences and alot of that was the non-current IP attractions and original attractions. Space Mountain, Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Caribbean, Enchanted TIki Room, Jungle Cruise, Country Bear Jamboree, The train, the monorails, the steamboat, Hall of Presidents, Main Street, Tomorrowland, Small World, All of the attraction in the Original EPCOT, all of the attractions in DAK prior to Pandora (except Festival of the Lion King and TTBAB... All of these attractions somehow drew millions and millions of guests...but now they feel like nothing will be successful without a movie plug? I don't believe that...Though one person on here says they come specifically for the IP...so I guess there are those that do... but if Disney started building engaging attractions without a current trending movie IP attached would people be like... Yeah, no I don't want to go to Disney because there isn't a new Stitch ride... I don't think so....

larryz1 hour ago

I just love the Hollywood Burbank production values in that clip!

lazyboy97o3 hours ago

You said you don’t understand why people have an issue. The reason is because the parks are now limited to only doing one thing. Just as people would have an issue if the next CEO announced all movies would only be sequels and remakes. And I’m sure we’d have people telling us the same thing of “The original movies were good but people want sequels and remakes.” Some of us visited before Bob Iger was in charge. People somehow thought to visit EPCOT Center before it had movie rides. Some people even visited Disneyland when it was very lacking in movie rides and the ones it did have were based on movies that didn’t interest people. But it’s kind of amazing to see the suggestion that the likes of Pirates of the Caribbean and The Haunted Mansion couldn’t generate interest in the parks on their own.

Gusey3 hours ago

I never once said that original attractions are bad, which is what you're implying here. In my first post, I clearly said I visit the parks for Disney IP and discover and appreciate the original attractions whilst I'm there. The Disney movies/characters is drawing the majority of guests to visit the parks, so they shouldn't just stop making attractions based on Disney movies. If an attraction based on a Disney movies didn't encourage you're families first visit, what was it?

lazyboy97o3 hours ago

For the same reason people would take issue if every Disney movie only ever had Mickey Mouse in it. Or if Disney announced that from here on out they were only ever making sequels and remakes of movies. Nothing new ever again unless it was for a foreign market with foreign financing.

Gusey3 hours ago

Missing the point. I'm saying the Disney IP is what encourages me to visit Disney Parks over other theme parks in the area. I just struggle to understand why people hate Disney movies being represented at the Disney Parks. If everything was an original attraction, it might as well be called Themed Land

lazyboy97o4 hours ago

All of this talk of “old Epcot is gone” always missed that the new “Evolved Epcot” desperately wants you to think it is related to the old EPCOT Center. EPCOT Center is still something with cultural meaning. Universal Studios Epcot is not.

lazyboy97o4 hours ago

Do you watch a Disney movie for the first time only expecting characters you’ve already seen?

Gusey4 hours ago

This thought process makes sense if you are just a general theme park fan. I only decided to visit Disney Parks because I enjoy Disney movies and want to experience the worlds created, and then discovered the original attractions like Test Track (which this thread is on ;)) by visiting the parks. The movies become "informecials" for the parks when they use IP. As a Disney fan, I cannot think of any IP-based attraction that made me go "I better watch this movie for the first time".

MisterPenguin6 hours ago

This is the Test Track thread.

MerlinTheGoat7 hours ago

Uh, are you under the impression that IP isn't also infomercial? It absolutely is, even more blatantly so than anything in old school EPCOT. You're getting just the infomercial alone, sans the edutainment. IP attractions exist purely to sell movies, TV subscriptions and especially merchandise.

sedati12 hours ago

EPCOT, Edutainment or Infomercial? Technically both, but I didn't realize until I was older how much it was the second one. And I'd take IP over infomercial any day.

Mr. Sullivan13 hours ago

I don’t think anyone, even those of us who think the EPCOT purists are too over the top, has spoken positively of CommuniCore Hall. I’ve spoken positively of the overall spine revamp as I think it’s nice, but that specific thing, no.

Jayspency15 hours ago

we?