Today the Disney Parks Blog announced three major refurbishments that will be a part of the huge re-imaging and re-branding of EPCOT as a whole. Along with this are two new pieces of concept art giving us an idea of what Disney has in store for this theme park of the future.
According to Disney, a new interactive play area will reside in the former Wonders of Life pavilion, now EPCOT’s “festival center.” This new area seeks to make this side of the future world more interactive and kid-friendly by adding new character opportunities and hands-on activities. According to Thomas Smith from the Disney Parks Blog,
“This new space will be devoted to playful fun and feature an innovative city that’ll come to life under the dome of the un-named pavilion previously known as Wonders of Life. The pavilion’s city will be bursting with interactive experiences, your favorite Disney characters, hands-on activities and engaging entertainment”
Along with this announcement came confirmation for EPCOT’s “Leave a Legacy” entrance to make way for a new entrance plaza. Taking its design inspiration from the original EPCOT Center entrance, this new design will be less concrete and a lot more green. As seen in the concept art, this new plaza will feature a newly re-imagined fountain, reminiscent of the original EPCOT Center statue. According to the post from the Disney Parks Blog, “Leave a Legacy” will be relocated to a new place in front of the park.
Lastly, Disney announced that a new “Experience Center” would allow guests to preview EPCOT’s future expansion plans in the existing Odyssey Center.
These three new refurbishments will just be a small part of the massive transformation that EPCOT is undergoing over the coming years. Disney did not announce opening dates for the new entrance plaza or the new “Experience Center.” However, the “Play Pavilion” will be open just in time for Disney World’s 50th anniversary. It will be interesting to see how Disney is planning to tie classic EPCOT with this new, IP-driven initiative.
Luke Anthony is a Columnist for the Boardwalk Times
