On the 29th of June, it was divulged to the public that, as of today, Siemens backed out of sponsorship for their stake in Epcot, that being Illuminations: Reflections of Earth and Spaceship Earth, both current cornerstones of Epcot in general. In addition, Siemens will no longer sponsor the Project Tomorrow area located near the exit of Spaceship Earth.
What should be noted regarding this information is that while Spaceship Earth going without a sponsor should not lead to any extreme changes, the lack of a sponsor for Illuminations should be regarded as an implication for either massive overhaul or complete removal.
Illuminations itself in its current incarnation has been around for about 17 years, which, when compared to other shows at Disney Parks, has more than outlived its shelf life.
Thus, it can be assumed that this event will lead to the removal and replacement of Illuminations in favor of a new show as Disney attempts to revitalize Epcot with major overhauls in the next few years.
Spaceship Earth on the other hand will most likely remain in its current form, unless another sponsor decides to replace Siemens and requests another overhaul of the attraction in a similar vein to that of Kodak when they sponsored the Imagination pavilion in the past.
Siemens backing out of any commercial stake in Epcot came out of nowhere. Likely surprised, Disney fans are now questioning to what end and to what extent Disney will be placing money and time into the revitalization of Epcot. Disney will likely capitalize on this, ushering in a new era of Epcot that is not inhibited by corporate sponsors nor dependent on nostalgia and personal history.
Ryan Dorman is a Columnist for the Boardwalk Times.
