After many delays, updates, and cancelations, the years-long EPCOT reimagining is now officially complete with the opening of CommuniCore Hall and Plaza on June 10. The controversial overhaul included several projects, some of which were completed and some of which were announced but never happened.
EPCOT Reimagining
“Project Gamma” Background
The EPCOT reimagining was led by Walt Disney Imagineer Zach Riddley, who has since been promoted to Global Creative Strategy Executive. Disney called the reimagining “Project Gamma” and it was first announced with concept art in 2017.
Announcements kicked into high gear in 2019 with specific experiences confirmed and the opening of Walt Disney Imagineering Presents the EPCOT Experience. The EPCOT Experience was located in the Odyssey Pavilion and included a model of the park. Projection mapping on the model and the walls teased the upcoming attractions and other offerings. There were also photo ops, props, and posters inspired by new and old attractions. The EPCOT Experience closed in March 2022 (but not before some teasers were removed).
Work on the EPCOT reimagining began just before the COVID-19 pandemic hit. When the U.S. went into lockdown in March 2020, Walt Disney World theme parks closed and construction halted. This led to many delays and project cancellations, not just for Project Gamma. That said, the ambitious project would have seen changes and delays anyway. It already did seem to change from 2017 to 2019, judging by the original concept art, and there were construction delays in 2019.
The openings of new attractions and offerings were tied into “The World’s Most Magical Celebration” for the 50th anniversary of Walt Disney World on October 1, 2021; celebrations of the 40th anniversary of EPCOT on October 1, 2022; and the “100 Years of Wonder” celebration, a.k.a. Disney100 honoring 100 years of The Walt Disney Company on October 16, 2023.
EPCOT Demolition
Demolition permits were filed in early 2019 and work began soon after. Most of the park’s entrance and the area behind Spaceship Earth were on the chopping block, all part of what was then known as Future World. Over the next few years, we said goodbye to Innoventions East and West (the latter was completely demolished), Pin Central, the Fountain of Nations, , MouseGear (and then the temporary MouseGear), Electric Umbrella, the old Starbucks, the old Art of Disney, the old entrance fountain, the old “Leave a Legacy” monoliths, Ellen’s Energy Adventure, and “The Circle of Life – An Environmental Fable.”
Art of Disney moved to the American Adventure Pavilion, where it remains. A temporary Starbucks, the Traveler’s Cafe, opened in World Showcase. A permanent location would open later. The Camera Center became the park’s new Pin Trading Headquarters. In 2021, new “Leave a Legacy” panels were installed outside the park between the entrance and security.
What Did Happen
Generic Changes
EPCOT has seen an overall color scheme and design change since 2019. The park’s name was updated to be all uppercase as it had originally been. The park’s old logo was restored, as did the newer EPCOT Pavilions.
The logos would appear on new merchandise, signage, and manhole covers. The parking plaza was updated to include the current logo.
Future World was split and renamed. The new “neighborhoods” are World Celebration, World Nature, and World Discovery. World Showcase kept its name.
With the design changes and new neighborhoods, old signs were removed and new ones were installed. The new signs have a sleek black design with rounded letters matching the EPCOT logo. The signs are also color-coded to each neighborhood: blue for World Celebration, green for World Nature, red for World Discovery, and yellow for World Showcase. Even signage on Living With the Land was updated.
A flexible space next to the Imagination! Pavilion was under construction for a year before finally reopening just before CommuniCore Hall and Plaza. The space previously housed a playground but now features seating and festival booths.
Other minor construction projects included widening pathways and updating the tram loop. The parking lots were renamed after characters, and divided into the categories of Earth and Space.
EPCOT Entrance
Following the removal of the “Leave a Legacy” monoliths, the entrance area of EPCOT was completely redone with more natural elements. The monoliths were replaced with flowerbeds. Flagpoles featuring the pavilion logos frame Spaceship Earth. A new fountain with three lucite pylons —inspired by the park’s original entrance fountain —was constructed in front of Spaceship Earth.
The entrance area also got a new lighting package, including lights on Spaceship Earth. Small lights were placed between the triangular Alucobond panels of the icon and are programmed with different “Spectacle of Light” shows that rotate with various festivals and celebrations.
Creations Shop & Club Cool
Creations Shop is the park’s new flagship store. It replaced MouseGear and is located in the same spot in World Celebration, behind Spaceship Earth. Like the rest of the park, the store has a sleek white design with colorful accents.
The new Club Cool hosted by Coca-Cola opened alongside Creations Shop.
Connections Cafe and Eatery
Creations Eatery replaced Electric Umbrella as the park’s central quick-service location. The attached Connections Cafe is the new Starbucks. The cafe features flooringinspired by Walt Disney’s original design for EPCOT. The “Global Gathering” mural connects the dining venues.
Canada Far and Wide in Circle-Vision 360
The new/updated Canada Pavilion Circle-Vision film premiered during the 2020 EPCOT International Festival of the Arts. It uses footage from the previous film “O Canada!” alongside new footage and narration by Catherine O’Hara and Eugene Levy.
Beauty and the Beast Sing-Along
The “Beauty and the Beast Sing-Along” also debuted in early 2020. The 15-minute film is narrated by Angela Lansbury as Mrs. Potts. It’s a retelling of the “Beauty and the Beast” story with LeFou in a starring role. It’s currently performed in the France Pavilion from 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. while “Impressions de France” is performed in the mornings and evenings.
Awesome Planet
“Awesome Planet” debuted in early 2020 as a replacement film for “The Circle of Life – An Environmental Fable” in the Harvest Theater of The Land. Ty Burrell hosts the 10-minute film, which features an original score by Steven Price. It explores the beauty, diversity, and dynamic story of Earth.
Space 220 Restaurant
Space 220, a new restaurant adjacent to Mission: SPACE, opened in September 2021. The highly-themed venue takes guests into space via the “Stellarvator,” where they can dine at a table-service restaurant or lounge with a view of the stars.
“Harmonious”
This new nighttime spectacular debuted on October 1, 2021, the 50th anniversary of Walt Disney World. “Harmonious” was generally hated by fans, in part because of the giant taco-shaped barges that obscured the view of World Showcase. The barges were originally supposed to move out of the lagoon during the day. Disney later announced they would stay in the lagoon but act as fountains —that never happened. The final “Harmonious” performance was on April 2, 2023. The temporary “EPCOT Forever” fireworks show returned until the new “Luminous: The Symphony of Us” made its debut.
France Expansion and Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure
The France Pavilion was expanded with new promenades leading to Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure. After delays, they opened on October 1, 2021. The dark ride is a duplicate of Ratatouille: L’Aventure Totalement Toquée de Rémy at Disneyland Paris. The expansion also includes La Crêperie de Paris.
Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind
This new roller-coaster replaced Ellen’s Energy Adventure, which closed in 2017, at the Universe of Energy Pavilion. The front of the show building remained as the facade of the Wonders of Xandar Pavilion, EPCOT’s first “Other-world” Pavilion. Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind opened on May 27, 2022.
Journey Into Water, Inspired by “Moana”
Journey of Water, Inspired by “Moana” was confirmed after rumors in 2019. Disney CEO Bob Iger called the walkthrough’s 2023 opening the “completion of our spectacular transformation of EPCOT,” despite most of World Celebration still being under construction. Check out our daytime photo tour, daytime video tour, and nighttime tour. A Moana meet and greet later opened alongside the attraction.
World Celebration
The World Celebration Gardens officially opened on Walt Disney’s birthday, December 5, 2023. The gardens include Dreamers Point with the new Walt the Dreamer statue. In addition to Dreamers Point, the area includes Inspiration Garden, CommuniCore Garden, Creations Garden, and Connections Garden. A planter in the center of the space is shaped like the EPCOT logo. Light-up pavement and other lights in the gardens sync with Spaceship Earth “Spectacles of Light.”
CommuniCore Hall & Plaza
On June 10, 2024, the EPCOT reimagining was officially complete when CommuniCore Hall and Plaza opened. Named after the original EPCOT Pavilion that preceded Innoventions, CommuniCore Hall and Plaza are flex spaces for entertainment and festivals. It includes the new permanent space. For a limited time, the Plaza is hosting “¡Celebración Encanto!” A permanent Festival Favorites booth is also part of CommuniCore. It will serve a rotating menu of favorite dishes from EPCOT festivals. It currently has “Encanto”-inspired menu items. The Hall and Plaza are illuminated at night to match the rest of World Celebration.
What Didn’t Happen
“Wondrous China”
A new Circle-Vision film for the China Pavilion was announced in 2019 to replace “Reflections of China.” The name, “Wondrous China,” was confirmed soon after. There have been no announcements since and “Reflections of China” remains.
Play! Pavilion
Disney announced in 2019 that the former Wonders of Life Pavilion would become the Play! Pavilion. Wonders of Life had long been abandoned, only occasionally used as a festival space. The Play! Pavilion was described as an “innovative, new pavilion” that would introduce an immersive, interactive “city” featuring characters like Edna Mode, Wreck-It Ralph, and Judy Hopps. Several pieces of concept art were released. In 2020, guests could purchase a limited edition Play! seriagraph. The pavilion was omitted from press releases even as construction was underway on the building and it was added to EPCOT maps. Rumors indicate the project is canceled.
Festival Center
Among the original World Celebration Gardens plans was a new multi-level festival center that would become the hub of EPCOT’s festivals. In late 2020, Disney began to refer to a “festival area” instead. With new concept art released in 2022, the confirmed the festival center had been downgraded to CommuniCore Hall and Plaza.
U.K. Pavilion Expansion and Mary Poppins Attraction
In a similar fashion to the France Pavilion, the U.K. Pavilion was going to get a Cherry Tree Lane expansion that included a “Mary Poppins” attraction. The ride was rumored to be a flat teacups-style spinner, later confirmed by leaked concept art. Guests would have entered via the Banks family’s home, Number 17. It was removed from the EPCOT Experience in 2020. Then-CEO Bob Chapek confirmed in 2022 that the “Mary Poppins” attraction was on hold but not canceled, calling it one of his favorite projects. Chapek was later fired and Iger returned to the CEO position, leaving the favorite in flux and likely canceled.
Spaceship Earth Overhaul
Perhaps the biggest postponed or delayed EPCOT update is the Spaceship Earth overhaul. Spaceship Earth previously underwent massive overhauls in 1986, 1994, and 2007. This reimagining was to come aftersponsor Siemens departed in 2017. The ride’s new name would have been Spaceship Earth: Our Shared Story. All scenes leading up to the Industrial Revolution would have been refreshed and the scenes after would have seen changes on a grand scale. It would have received new narration and a new score with a “story light” element tying the journey together. The name was plastered on an EPCOT construction wall in early 2020.
Spaceship Earth was scheduled to close on May 26, 2020. It would have been closed for about 2 1/2 years. However, the closure was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic shutting down Disney in March of that year. Though Spaceship Earth was automatically listed as “closed for refurbishment” on the Walt Disney World website beginning on May 26, it ultimately opened with the rest of EPCOT that July. The delayed closure was perhaps in part because fans didn’t get a chance to say goodbye. However, Spaceship Earth: Our Shared Story was removed from the EPCOT Experience, along with the “Marry Poppins” expansion. There were rumors that the overhaul would begin in 2021 but nothing happened and there has been no official news since. Concept art for the reimagining leaked in 2022.
The Future of EPCOT
The statuses of the projects that didn’t happen remain unconfirmed, although they are all likely canceled, especially given shake-ups in Disney executives since 2017. If any do come to fruition, they will likely have significant changes from the plans we have seen.
We do know Disney isn’t done changing EPCOT, though. The official years-long reimagining may be over, but there are more updates to come.
Test Track Presented by Chevrolet will close on June 17, 2024, to be reimagined. We don’t know much about the new version, but it will take inspiration from World of Motion, which Test Track replaced.
There have been rumors since the reimagining began in 2017 of an in-park hotel coming to EPCOT. This hotel was never officially announced but permits in 2018 supported the rumor. In 2021, real estate agent Ken Pozek shared that bidding for the project was underway. Pozek shared more permits possibly related to the hotel in 2023. Disney still hasn’t announced a hotel and construction has not begun.
Recently, Disney has given some much-needed love to Journey Into Imagination with Figment, including fixing long broken effects. They added a Figment meet and greet to the Imagination! Pavilion and a Figment movie is in the works. Rumors have been flying for years that Disney would reimagine the ride for a third time, hopefully paying homage to its original beloved form.
Again, there have been no announcements corroborating this rumor but some recent moves by Disney have fueled more speculation. These include more references to the original attraction including the Dreamfinder and Dream Mobile, a social media stunt of Figment visiting Walt Disney Studios and Imagineering, and a construction permit for the Imagination! Pavilion.
What EPCOT project is your favorite and which do you wish would happen? Let us know in the comments and on social media.
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Shannen Ace
