What to do with Future World?

[Mo Noyz]

Well, I'd say one of the biggest contributing factors is that the aquarium itself is in such a sorry state. Compared with 15 to 20 years ago it's darn near empty. When we were there in 2010 I was shocked at dearth of wild life. And that's really the last part of the attraction with any drawing power. I wouldn't be surprised if 10 years from now the whole thing was gone.

[clj2]

Well, I'd say one of the biggest contributing factors is that the aquarium itself is in such a sorry state. Compared with 15 to 20 years ago it's darn near empty. When we were there in 2010 I was shocked at dearth of wild life. And that's really the last part of the attraction with any drawing power. I wouldn't be surprised if 10 years from now the whole thing was gone.

It looked pretty rough in March - but didn't look any emptier than in 2009.

I have a picture on one of my memory cards of the plaque where TLS received the American Society of Civil Engineers award in 1987. Quite the reminder of what it once was. I think Turtle Talk With Crush is more popular than The Seas.

[Mo Noyz]

EPCOT Center, in general, was a phenomenal engineering achievement. I wish they'd revert back to the kind of imagineering and dedication they showed back then to re-imagine Future World today.

[TIx2GR]

Bottom line about FutureWorld: Ellen needs refurbishment if for nothing else than to clean things up and improve the technology to improve the presentation of the show. The WoL pavilion is a shell of it's former self, as is the Imagination pavilion. The Seas tanks need upkeep to stay functional and keep the animals in a thriving environment. That's four of the seven pavilions right there. Future World definitely needs some love simply to stay open let alone stay relevant/fresh. Here's hoping that at least the Test Track refurb will help fuel the fire to link the ideals behind Futureworld as they once were...

[supernova]

Bottom line about FutureWorld: Ellen needs refurbishment if for nothing else than to clean things up and improve the technology to improve the presentation of the show. The WoL pavilion is a shell of it's former self, as is the Imagination pavilion. The Seas tanks need upkeep to stay functional and keep the animals in a thriving environment. That's four of the seven pavilions right there. Future World definitely needs some love simply to stay open let alone stay relevant/fresh. Here's hoping that at least the Test Track refurb will help fuel the fire to link the ideals behind Futureworld as they once were...

The attraction needs to be shortened. There should be ZERO reason to have to warn people that the attraction nside is 37 minutes long and that you cannot escape it once you're on board.

[Mo Noyz]

More like bulldoze it and try again. Even in EPCOT Center's heyday The Universe of Energy was a complete snoozefest.

Even at it's lowest point now, Ellen's Energy Adventure is the worst of all the Future World attractions and pavilions. Let that sink in for a moment. It's still worse than the Imagination ride they duct taped together over on the west side. And the abomination they've turned The Living Seas into.

[JNota0005DakMC]

It's still good for a 30 min relaxing snooze in A/C... Just sayin...

[Mo Noyz]

IMO, the only thing it ever had going for it was the Radok Blocks pre-show. After they cut that out...

I never even found the dinosaurs that interesting. And I was 12 when I first saw it!

[StewbotTalborg]

As someone who's only been to the world twice I actually don't hate Ellen's Energy Adventure, although at the end of the day when the park closed I was wishing I could've spent less time there to enjoy other attractions. So I think it could use a bit of freshing up and trimming down, and even still Future World needs a lot of help.

[clj2]

The attraction needs to be shortened. There should be ZERO reason to have to warn people that the attraction nside is 37 minutes long and that you cannot escape it once you're on board.

Thing is, it easily CAN be shortened if they want to do so. Keep the dinosaur part and all, but whack the films in half, at least. Even that pre-show. That's what I suggest. The ride itself can be left alone, change the films.

[Mo Noyz]

Exactly. The ride itself isn't very long, IIRC.

I haven't been to Universe of Energy in a long time, but all my memories tell me is that the ride itself was almost an afterthought. Seemed like the movies and the excellent Radok Block presentation took up most of the time.

[Mo Noyz]

You know, what really needs to happen to Future World is having somebody take the reins that saw EPCOT Center at it's peak, and work from there. Concessions can be made to make most everyone happy enough. But to complete concede Future World, as they have done over the last decade, is not the answer.

It really is like they've just given up.

It will be interesting to see how this Test Track refurb ends up. Keeping my fingers crossed, but my expectations low.

Or, to put it bluntly, they've never, not once, actually improved Future World with any of the refurbs there. OK, the ascent on Spaceship Earth rocks the house, but the descent pretty much nullifies those gains, IMO. And Test Track vs. World of Motion could be argued many ways.

But, Mission:Space? Ellen's Energy Adventure? The Seas w/Nemo and Friends? Journey into Imagination (unless you want to count this third version against the second...)? Listen To The Land was better than Living With...if for no other reason than a live boat captain vs. a pre-recorded spiel.

Sorry, just being curmudgeonly, I know...

[supernova]

I do appreciate Disney's shift towards faster/shorter attractions. I refuse to ride Ellen's Energy Adventure purely because of the length, let alone the horrible experience. It's also why I won't go back to the Great Movie Ride. Shorten this stuff for us and let us visit the rest of the park. Enough with these 30+ minute rides. I don't think the Beauty and the Beast stage show is that long. Come to think of it, Fantasmic could stand to have about 5-7 minutes shaved off it, while we're at it. It really does start dragging after a while, especially during the water projection scenes. OK, we get it. Character images on the water. Enough already. Move on.

[Mo Noyz]

The Living Seas with movie/hydrolators/seacabs, was what? 10-12 minutes?

Listen to the Land - 14:55

Journey Into imagination - Can't find the ride duration of the original, but the current version is 11 minutes. So we can safely assume the original was around 15 minutes.

Spaceship Earth - 16:00

Horizons - 14:45

World Of Motion - 15:00


Look at that. The bloated ride time of Spaceship Earth outlasts them all! They really need to shorten that ride. It's way too long!

[TIx2GR]

Come to think of it, Fantasmic could stand to have about 5-7 minutes shaved off it, while we're at it. It really does start dragging after a while, especially during the water projection scenes. OK, we get it. Character images on the water. Enough already. Move on.

I wish they would get rid of that whole Pocahontas scene in the middle. I know they did it to make it different from DL's version of Fantasmic w/Peter Pan and Hook, but I always felt as though the Pocahontas part was forced and didn't really do ANYTHING for the story of Mickey's imagination. I mean, not that pre-colonial prejudice was a good thing by any stretch, but is that really what Mickey is dealing with here, or is it Malificient?

/thread drift. Just hit a nerve with Fantasmic. Wishing they'd change it up for years.