NEWS: Disney Releases New Details on Upcoming Projects at EPCOT
Walt Disney once said EPCOT “would always be in a state of becoming” as a place that changes with the times. The theme park is delivering on that promise in a whole new way as it continues the biggest transformation in its history. As we near the opening of Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind in the World Discovery neighborhood, we can now look forward to the next stage of the transformation of EPCOT, the new projects yet to come in World Celebration and World Nature. Disney has released new concept art and details on what’s to come. Catch all the details below.
Here are all the details from Disney Cast Member Jeremy Schoolfield:
As international festivals continue to become more of an integral part of the EPCOT experience, Disney Imagineers are creating new spaces that will bring these events into the heart of the park in the new World Celebration neighborhood. In several new artist concept renderings released today, you can see how the transformation of EPCOT will take shape as you walk past Spaceship Earth and begin your journey through the park.
World Celebration will offer a beautiful hub divided into several different gardens, with a central planter based on the five-ring EPCOT logo. Filled with ample seating and shade, you’ll be invited to connect with one another and the nature around you in this lush new area. Each of these gardens will have their own identities, and they’ll change along with the festivals throughout the year.
At night, the gardens will take on a whole new life, as you can see here. They’re designed to be enjoyed in the round, where lighting immerses you in the nighttime experience that will evolve through the seasons.
This all surrounds CommuniCore Hall and CommuniCore Plaza, a multi-use facility and outdoor event space, respectively, that bring the park’s international festivals to the center of EPCOT. CommuniCore Plaza will have the flexibility to host intimate musical performances that extend out into the nearby gardens, as you can see in the rendering above, as well as large-scale concerts.
CommuniCore Hall will be a flexible exhibition and gallery space, offering a wide variety of experiences that highlight art, live music, food – complete with a demonstration kitchen – and more. In addition, adjacent to CommuniCore Hall will be a new Mickey & Friends location where you can meet some of your favorite Disney pals.
This new facility, which you can see in the upper-right side of this rendering, is inspired by the original EPCOT aesthetic apparent throughout the park’s transformation, including the timeless triangular geometry most prominently featured in Spaceship Earth. Even the CommuniCore name reaches back to the origins of EPCOT while also emphasizing the park’s central idea of community.
We’ll have much more to share on the transformation of EPCOT here on the Disney Parks Blog as the center of the park continues to develop, so be sure to keep checking back to learn more. And also head over to Instagram where Imagineer Zach Riddley @thezachriddley provides more insight into the work Walt Disney Imagineering is doing at this park we love.
RELATED ARTICLE: EPCOT: What’s New & Coming – The Historic Transformation Continues at Disney World
by Chad and Cindy Nykamp
Walt Disney once said EPCOT “would always be in a state of becoming” as a place that changes with the times. The Walt Disney World Resort theme park is delivering on that promise in a whole new way as it continues the biggest transformation in its history, bringing the next generation of immersive storytelling to life. Since 2019, Disney has been hard at work working on bringing this new EPCOT to life with many projects now completed and many more yet to come. Learn more about what’s new and what’s still to come below.
1 – Goodbye Future World
As of October 1, 2021, Future World is no longer a part of EPCOT. Instead, the park is unified with four neighborhoods that each speak to important aspects of the world and its people: World Showcase, World Celebration, World Nature, and World Discovery. These neighborhoods are filled with new experiences rooted in authenticity and innovation that take guests to new destinations, where the real is made fantastic in a celebration of curiosity, discovery and the magic of possibility.
2 – World Showcase
World Showcase continues to be a celebration of culture, cuisine, architecture, and traditions – infused with new magic.
Expanded France Pavilion
An expanded France pavilion is now open and 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 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.
Click here for our review and what you need to know about Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure.
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
“Harmonious” is one of the largest nighttime spectaculars ever created for a Disney theme park. The new show on World Showcase Lagoon 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. We’ll have more on this new show soon!
Regal Eagle Smokehouse
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. Read our Regal Eagle review by clicking here.
3 – World Celebration
World Celebration offers new experiences that connect guests to one another and the world around them.
Redesigned Entrance Plaza
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.
As part of the 50th-anniversary celebration, Spaceship Earth now 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
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.
Click here to learn about the new flagship shopping location at EPCOT – Creations Shop.
Club Cool
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.
Click here for details on the all-new Club Cool at EPCOT.
Dreamer’s Point
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.
4 – 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.
5 – World Discovery
In World Discovery, stories about science, technology, and intergalactic adventure come to life.
Space 220
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
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. This new coaster will open on May 27, 2022.
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