Epcot has always had its focus on the future, and the possibilities that lie ahead for mankind. Now, Epcot’s future is in flux while its most extensive reimagining ever is underway. Let’s take a look at what’s coming, and the clues at what’s still unknown.
The Epcot Rosetta Stone
All the clues to what Epcot will become are on display at Walt Disney Imagineering’s Epcot Experience, located at the Odyssey Center between Future World and World Showcase. The experience offers today’s guests a peek into Epcot’s tomorrow through maps, video, music, and a gigantic stylized model.
A seamless 360-degree video display surrounds a projection-mapped model. (That seamless video also acts as a preview for the new Canada and China circle-vision presentations!)
Disney has yet to clarify each of the model’s pavilion updates… But I’d like to break down what is known and what’s on the model that has yet to be announced, along with some good ol’ speculation. This is going to be Disney’s biggest-ever park transformation! Let’s get started.
What We Know About Epcot’s Upcoming Updates
Epcot was Disney’s only park with only two lands. That’s about to change. World Showcase will remain, but Future World will be divided into three new lands: World Discovery, World Celebration, and World Nature.
A lot of Epcot updates were announced at the D23 Expo in August, here’s a “quick” rundown on what is definitely happening:
Entrance & Spaceship Earth Updates, World Celebration
New era, new look. The Leave a Legacy “tombstones” are no more! The new entrance to Epcot will feature pathways lined with lush greenery, complete with a reimagined fountain. Fresh takes on classic elements will pay homage to the park’s original entrance area. No completion date has been shared yet – late 2020 is a likely guess.
Spaceship Earth’s theme will be reworked from ‘communication’ to ‘storytelling’. Many of the show scenes will remain the same… but new special effects, including “the Spirit of Storytelling,” will be added throughout the attraction. There will also be a new attraction exit structure and post-show experience.
Behind Spaceship Earth, the new World Celebration area will feature sprawling gardens, waterways, and a new festival center.
The new three-level festival center will serve as a home base for Epcot’s various signature festivals. It gives off a futuristic World’s Far vibe, and this is one Epcot addition I’m definitely excited for!
Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind
Opening in 2021, the highly-anticipated Guardians attraction will be Epcot’s first-ever roller coaster. Cosmic Rewind will be among the world’s longest enclosed coasters, it will be Disney’s first backward-launch coaster, AND will feature an innovative “Storytelling Coaster” ride vehicle that rotates 360-degrees!
Bob Chapek shared: “On most coasters, the vehicles point straight ahead throughout the ride. But on this attraction, each individual cab will be programmed to direct your eye to the story happening around you. That means instead of whizzing by the action, you’ll be fully immersed in the story from the minute you launch.”
Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind will open in 2021, in time for Walt Disney World’s 50th anniversary.
Journey of Water
As part of the new World Nature area, Journey of Water will take guests on a walk-through journey among interactive waterways. The inspiration from Moana can be seen and heard at the Epcot Experience presentation. These lush gardens will fit beautifully into Epcot and provide a spot to cool down in the oppressive Orlando heat.
Space 220
Epcot’s new space-themed restaurant looks like it’s going to be out of this world – literally.
Space 220 will take you high into the sky (220 miles to be exact), offering views of Earth down below as you launch into space. This restaurant is reminiscent of Disney’s classic Mission to Mars attractions. The “space launch” simulation experience will be similar to The Living Sea’s Hydrolators – more on those later! Once at the top, the entire restaurant will offer fantastic 360-degree views into the final frontier, paired with a delicious celestial-inspired menu. Space 220 is set to open this winter.
PLAY! Pavilion
Replacing the defunct Wonders of Life pavilion, the all-new interactive hub will welcome guests of all ages to experience the power of play. This will also be the new home for guest-favorite character meet & greet opportunities – such as Baymax, Joy, Sadness and others!
Cherry Tree Lane, UK Pavilion
Let’s move on to the World Showcase!
How could we forget Dick Van Dyke surprising us all at D23?! He perfectly set the stage for the exciting announcement of an all-new Mary Poppins-themed attraction for the UK pavilion, which will include a Cherry Tree Lane area.
It seems Disney is still working out the budget and site plan for Mary Poppins. There’s little info for the very-welcome UK addition. Guests will pass Admiral Boom’s house, then the home of the Banks family where their Mary Poppins adventure will begin… This leaves us speculating if this will be a glorified character meet & greet or the Mary Poppins ride we’ve all been waiting for. I’m keeping my fingers crossed for a dark ride! This is another Epcot addition that should be open for the resort’s 50th in 2021, but no official word quite yet.
Ratatouille, France Pavilion
Next summer, “Little Chef” joins Epcot’s attraction lineup in Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure – a family-friendly trackless dark ride, taking guests on a wild chase through Gusteau’s Restaurant.
Just around the corner, a new Creperie will open – operated by the fantastic team of Le Chefs de France. Construction is moving right along! I took these from the Skyliner a few days ago:
Also coming to the France Pavilion: a new Beauty & the Beast sing-along show, alternating between the existing Impressions de France movie, that features a surprise twist ending. This opens January 17th, 2020… I can’t wait to see!
China & Canada Circle Vision Movie Updates
At the China pavilion, the new “Wonderous China” film will take viewers on a stunning journey across China in seamless 360-degree video. No official opening date yet.
…While “Canada Far and Wide”, hosted by Catherine O’Hara and Eugene Levy, will bring an all-new Circle-Vision 360-degree video to the Canada pavilion – opening January 17th, 2020.
HarmonioUS
Rounding out our confirmed Epcot announcements – HarmonioUS will become the park’s nightly World Showcase Lagoon fireworks spectacular, following the limited run of Epcot Forever. The new show will celebrate how the music of Disney inspires people around the world. HarmonioUS will be the largest nightly spectacular ever created for a Disney park. No official start date yet, but it’s promised for 2020.
Other New Epcot Announcements
But wait… there’s more!
Disney just announced a few more Epcot additions:
This Winter, Regal Eagle Smokehouse: Craft Drafts & Barbecues will open at the American Adventure Pavilion. A new fast-casual restaurant, serving classic barbecue and home-style craft brews, celebrating American backyard barbecues. (I’m hoping for some plant-based options too!)
The Land Pavilion will host a new film, Awesome Planet, opening January 17th, 2020
Disney’s DuckTales is coming to Epcot! In the new interactive World Showcase Adventure, you can join Scrooge, Donald, Launchpad, Webby and the nephews in search of priceless treasure around the World Showcase. No official start date yet!
RUMORS: Yet To Be Announced Epcot Attractions
Now, there is A LOT already happening at Epcot – there’s no doubt about that! But there are a few pavilions on the “Future of Epcot” model that weren’t even touched on at D23’s Parks Panel… Let’s take a closer look at what you can expect to be announced in the coming days.
Mexico Pavilion
The pavilion’s iconic pyramid can be seen on the model, paired with some oversized maracas and a guitar… but Disney has yet to announce any changes. Could Pixar’s Coco be making its way into Mexico?
Based on the box-office success of Coco, long-time rumors, and wishful thinking among fans, the Gran Fiesta Tour could be re-imagined to feature Miguel and family. More and more Disney characters are taking residency in the World Showcase, and this seems like an ideal solution to breathe some life back into the ride. What do you think?
Imagination! Pavilion
Although the 2019 D23 Expo brought all sorts of news about the upcoming future of Epcot, there was no info about one of the anchors of the park: what will happen to Figment? Is the Dreamfinder making a triumphant return? Are Joy, Sadness and their crew moving in for an Inside Out takeover? And finally, how will this pavilion fit into the new World Nature area?
The Imagination Pavilion is included on the Epcot Experience model, with no video presentation or announcement as of yet. What hopes do you have for this iconic Future World pavilion? (As long as they fix the current state of Figment’s ride… I’m good.)
Chloe’s *Bonus* Speculative Thoughts & Questions!
New Pavilion Logos
Since opening day, each Future World pavilion was appointed a unique logo. At this year’s D23 Expo, Epcot’s new logo lineup was released. Over the years, we’ve seen some fade away, like Wonders of Life or Communicore, and most recently Energy… but now, we have some mysterious, new logos!
From left to right, starting at the top, here’s what I recognize and can piece together:
- EPCOT/WorldShowcase, The Land, Journey of Water, The Seas
- Odyssey, Spaceship Earth, World Celebration/Festival Center, Imagination
- Test Track/World of Motion, ?, ?, Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind
…I assume one of those question marks is the PLAY! pavilion – and what’s that other one? Maybe Mission: Space/Space 220… Mission: Space has continued to represent the previous Horizons logo, but that’s missing from the new collection.
O, Canada…
I mentioned this before, but it’s worth repeating here – China and Canada are both receiving new Circle-Vision movies… but why is Canada not included on the model? We have a projected opening date for Canada, but not China. Are there more updates in store for the China pavilion? Am I reading too much into this? Probably.
What about The Seas?
The pavilion will fit nicely within the World Nature realm. However, both the aquariums and Finding Nemo attraction could really use some TLC. It would also be an absolute dream to have those famous Hydrolators return in some capacity. We’ve heard rumors… perhaps someday we’ll see them again.
The Seas pavilion was also specifically excluded from Epcot Forever – unless you count those illuminated kites as jellyfish… but without any audio or music from the pavilion, it doesn’t add up for me. Was this intentional? The world may never know.
Test Track
A very small detail I noticed on the Epcot Experience model: why are Test Track’s colors represented by its previous crash-test hues of black and yellow, rather than the current blue, TRON-like theming?
Follow up; after TRON Lightcycle Run opens at Magic Kingdom, will the current version of Test Track seem stale?
Will we ever see a new World Showcase pavilion?
With rumors swirling around a Brazil and/or India pavilion, there is plenty of space in the World Showcase AND our hearts for new cultural representation! (I’m also a firm believer in Africa being represented by a real pavilion – besides Morocco – and not just some theming found at the Outpost or the “go to Animal Kingdom for that” excuse.)
And while we’re on the subject, will we ever see a Mount Fuji coaster in Japan or a boat ride through Venice… please?
Starbucks
With Fountainview closing in early September, making way for World Celebration construction, Epcot is currently the only park at Walt Disney World without a Starbucks location. And boy, is it missed!
A temporary Starbucks location will open on December 20th; along the newly-expanded Rose Walk, near the new Refreshment Port restrooms.
There are Joffrey’s Coffee Carts sprinkled throughout the park for your caffeine fix, while MouseGear is temporarily housing the ever-popular Starbucks x Disney souvenir mugs.
A permanent Starbucks is supposed to reopen in another Epcot location at a future date, though we’ve heard no word on where and when that will be. But once the Epcot Experience closes, a Starbucks Cafe might find its way there.
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Let’s Hear From You!
Which Epcot projects are you most looking forward to? What do you make of what’s yet to be announced, or my speculation? I want to hear all of your Epcot memories and dreams for the future in the comments below!
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