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There was so much anticipation heading into the D23 Expo on announcements for the parks. During Bob Chapek’s presentation on Sunday, there were both pleasant surprises and shocking omissions. Many of the rumors we heard before this fan event were either wrong or just premature. The focus of this D23 Expo was Epcot and its “historic transformation“, and there are big changes coming there. Future World will be no more as Epcot becomes four neighborhoods.
This episode of The Tomorrow Society Podcast is all about my reactions to Disney’s announcements at the D23 Expo. I give my first thoughts about the Epcot changes and focus on Future World updates. I also discuss announcements for Disney California Adventure plus Disneyland and other Walt Disney World parks. This episode covers these important questions:
- How will the new World Celebration, World Discovery, and World Nature neighborhoods fit within the former Future World space?
- What do I expect from the change to the Spaceship Earth theme to focus on storytelling instead of technology?
- Why is it so hard for Disney to come up with good names for its parades and nighttime shows, especially HarmonioUS?
- What omissions surprised me given all the rumors prior to the D23 Expo?
- Does the Avengers Campus at Disney California Adventure seem like the right choice for Marvel in the parks?
- What were my overall feelings about the future of Disney’s parks based on the news from this event?
It’s a busy time for Disney even without significant announcements for The Magic Kingdom and Disney’s Animal Kingdom. I’m excited to see where Disney and the industry are going. While I don’t agree with every choice, it’s hard to argue with the effort. This episode chronicles my immediate reactions to the D23 Expo and all its major announcements.
Show Notes: 2019 D23 Expo
New Details Revealed for the Historic Transformation of Epcot Underway at the Walt Disney World Resort (Disney Parks Blog – August 25, 2019)
Details Revealed for Avengers Campus and Other New Experiences Coming to Disneyland Resort (Disney Parks Blog – August 25, 2019)
Epcot Disney Parks Pavilion Preview Video (The DIS on YouTube – August 24, 2019)
Hey Dan,
Another great show as usual. Gotta say the off-the-cuff style was refreshing and you should try it more often
I’m still trying to wrap my head around Disneys latest announcements and figure out how I really feel about it. Overall I think I agree with your acessment. Generally positive vibes, perhaps a bit of relief because it could have been much worse
As much as I lament the lost futurism of Epcot, I think it was a very smart move to ditch the Future World name for something new. There are still some glaring theme incompatibilities but it’s not so blatantly obvious as before. The Land, Seas, and “water” pavilions seem like a good fit for the neighborhood their in… But what is imagination still doing there?
While I’m not a fan of Mission Space (in no small part because it is an unworthy successor to the greatest ride ever made), it definitely fits the Discovery theme well. Test Track is a stretch but I’ll cut it some slack because lots of people seem to like it. GoTG is a travesty for which I will never forgive them! I don’t have strong feelings in general about IP at Epcot, but whoever thought Marvel belongs there should be shown the door
Which leaves us with Showcase Celebration. Not sure exactly what that theme means yet, but the 3 floor structure sounds intriguing. The original Communicore was a good central place for people to gather… I wonder if this space will prove to be that ones spiritual successor?
I’m disappointed with the announcement regarding spaceship earth. The “stories” concept isn’t very compelling. In fact it’s very vague. I fully understand & even agree with their decision to kill off Future World… But it would be fantastic if there was one attraction left dedicated to the future. Disney squandered a precious opportunity here, they should have built Horizons V2, and spaceship earth would have been the perfect home for it.
I’m mildly optimistic about the world showcase changes, especially the revamped 360 movies. But my love for world showcase has cooled signicantly in recent years. The biggest reason is the non-stop festivals, and drunken crowds that go with them. Aside from tons of new food & merchandise to buy… These festivals do little to enhance the themes & cultural experiences of the lands theyre in. But as additions go, the Marry Poppins area seems like something my family would enjoy
In any case, it’s good to see Epcot getting some long overdue attention. It wasn’t everything I wanted but I feel it will be a definite improvement over we what it is today
Thanks. Glad you enjoyed the different approach. I’ll probably do something similar for my WDW trip report later in September too. The Epcot change from Future World gives more flexibility, and things like Celebration and Discovery can basically be anything. It’s good to have some unified theme, but it also could lead to more additions like Guardians of the Galaxy I suspect. I’m still wondering if we’ll see characters in part of Spaceship Earth with the storytelling theme. I really hope they find a more inventive way to talk about the concept, even if it is more generic. I’ll hope for the best until we see it. Your point about World Showcase makes sense. My enjoyment really varies depending on crowds and weather. We did have a lot of fun at the Festival of the Arts last year, but part of that was the lack of big crowds in January at the time.
If I were a betting man, I’d bet with almost absolute certainty that spaceship earth will be invaded by characters. It’s anyone’s guess which IP they will choose but it’s almost guaranteed nowadays.
I wonder if things would have been different if Disney still sought sponsors for their attractions. I suppose it’s a tough sell for a multi billion dollar company to ask for sponsorships anymore. It’s been said Horizons was very much a GE project too, not to diminish the genius of the imagineers. The lack of external influences results in an inferior experience. Kind of like a band who once was great but slowly declines because they keep recycling their old work
I suspect that corporate sponsorship is tougher now because companies don’t believe they’ll get enough out of having their names on the attractions. EPCOT Center had the World’s Fair model where the corporation was part of telling the story like you mention with Horizons. Disney would likely be interested in getting some money to help fund the pavilions, though I also wonder if WDI would be so willing to collaborate like they did with GE, Exxon, and others on the shows. It’s hard to say for sure, but the landscape has definitely changed.