The last time I had been to EPCOT was way back in 2015, when it was still construction wall city. A lot has changed since then, and I just recently had the chance to re-visit the park. What are my thoughts?
I will say the entrance is a ton better than the old one. They've added trees, greenery, and a little fountain with a sculpture directly in front of Spaceship Earth. Very nice, very aesthetically pleasing. There's also a new background loop which might be better than the old one that used to play in this area. World Showcase still has the same layout, but Future World has been re-vamped considerably. Gone is the Fountain of Nations (R.I.P.), replaced by a concrete area with a garden structure in the middle and some greenery and trees surrounding it. It doesn't feel as open as the area used to, and overall it's not very inviting. The trees and greenery surrounding the new structure light up and glow at night, but the garden structure itself does not (it's still broken). Innoventions has been ripped out, and in its place are a large open stage and a new building called Communicore Hall. Communicore Hall is essentially a large hallway where temporary exhibits can be housed. When I visited, it was hosting "Goofy-Core", which basically uses the space as an area for kids to go crazy and play in. In the middle is a round s\DJ stage where a cast member instructs kids on what to do, even though many seemed to disregard instructions and choose to just play-fight with each other instead. There was very little theming to Goofy-Core, the extent of which was some colorful banners that adorned the walls. Very disappointing as there's not much to do inside and the open air stage is outdoors in the sweltering heat with very little shade. Overall, Communicore Hall is a LARGE downgrade from Innoventions. The only other things worth mentioning is that in the UK area they added a bunch of freaking adorable tiny fairy homes situated around a Tinkerbell topiary. I don’t know if this is just for the Flower and Garden Festival, but I hope it’s a permanent addition. The model train garden in the Germany area is cute as heck too (as it always is). What about the rides and restaurants in EPCOT, I hear you ask. Well, take a seat and get comfy. Let's discuss.
SPACESHIP EARTH - This will always and forever be one of my favorite attractions of all time. It's just so comfy, chill, and cool. That said, it needs a refurb. The narration by Judy Dench is by no means bad, but it is outdated with some very cringe-y jokes and the entire descent to the unload area needs a total re-do. The video you are forced to watch during this portion is very cheap and embarrassing. It resembles something you could create on JibJab back in the day and utilizes effects that were outdated even when it was first introduced.
GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY: COSMIC REWIND - WHAT A THRILL!!! WHAT A RUSH!!! The planet Xandar from the first Guardians of the Galaxy film has set-up an informational exhibit in EPCOT that aims to inform visitors about how cool and great Xandar is, as well as the many similarities Earth and Xandar share, including that both were formed by The Big Bang. During a demonstration of some teleportation technology, the Celestial Eson crashes the proceedings. He steals the Cosmic Generator, which is used to create portals in space to transport vehicles from point a to point b in a flash. He aims to use this device to travel back to before The Big Bang to prevent the creation of Earth and mankind. It's up to us and the Guardians of the Galaxy to stop him, mainly by acting as a distraction until the Nova fleet (Xandar's military) can arrive and contain him. This was my first time on the attraction, and I wasn't expecting much. Boy was I wrong! This baby reaches speeds of 60 MPH and features randomized 80s pop music. I got 'Everybody Wants to Rule the World', and it RULED!!! The queue for the attraction is serviceable. There are total of 4 pre-shows (if you count the initial holding area you wait in for the first pre-show to reset). The first pre-show with Glen Close is great and effective, with some minimal (inadvertent?) motion-simulator elements. The next two featuring Terry Crews...eh, not so much. The teleportation effect is very cool and impressive, but Terry Crews is simply atrocious and annoying. It feels like he was miscast. The coaster itself more than makes up for these flaws though. It's essentially a mixture of Rock 'n' Roller Coaster (The randomized music tracks) and Space Mountain (a family coaster in the dark with star fields projected on the walls and support beams). There are no falls or inversions. This is an incredible and very fun "omni-coaster", so called because the coaster cars rotate to face screens placed throughout the ride which display the Guardians of the Galaxy fighting Eson. The attraction doesn't exactly fit the original mission statement of EPCOT (You could easily argue it doesn't belong or fit in EPCOT at all) despite some minimal educational aspects in the queue. All that being said, I never thought I would say this, but Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind is easily the best coaster in all of Walt Disney World. Be aware there is no single rider option for this attraction, so be prepared to wait upwards of an hour to board (I feel like the long wait times are mostly due to the time spent in the multiple pre-shows).
SOARIN' ACROSS AMERICA - This was perfect. I haven't been on Soarin' Around the World, so all I have to compare this to is the original Soarin'. 'America' certainly isn't as great as 'California', but it would appear to be leagues better than 'World', judging just from videos I've seen of 'World'. This is a genuine throwback to the OG. I LOVE that they brought back the LEGEND Bruce Broughtner to score this temporary update. Jerry Goldsmith scored California and World, but Broughtner scored many classic EPCOT attractions such as 'Honey, I Shrunk the Audience', the Judy Dench version of Spaceship Earth, and Ellen's Energy Adventure. The score for 'America' is very reminiscent of that for 'California', but with some tweaks that help to differentiate it a bit. The first portion of the queue is home to multiple stylized travel posters that pay homage to the previous iterations of the attraction while also teasing some of the new locations we'll be visiting this go-round. The attraction itself is very relaxing, calming and pleasing, with plenty of scents that are utilized including grass, ocean spray, and Louisiana Bayou swamp. The first few scenes do feature some egregious CGI, but it doesn't take long for 'America' to settle into it's rhythm and utilize actual footage of real locations. Overall, this is a total win and should just totally replace 'World' altogether.
LIVING WITH THE LAND - I used to only care about the first indoor potion, but I find that I equally enjoyed the outdoor greenhouse area this time as well. I'm shocked to say that, as of right now, this is likely the overall best attraction at EPCOT.
GRAN FIESTA TOUR - This is obviously not my first time riding this attraction. It's a good ride, and I'll always go on it, but I miss the calm tone and cool (and at times creepy) atmosphere of El Rio del Tiempo. Gran Fiesta Tour is very chaotic and fast-paced, which isn't bad. It's just not my preferred flavor of boat ride. Still worth a ride or several though.
SAN ANGEL INN - This is where we ate lunch/dinner. It's the restaurant located inside the Mexico pavilion and is situated by the first scene of Gran Fiesta Tour (which features a large Mayan pyramid and an erupting volcano). San Angel Inn is basically Walt Disney World's version of the Blue Bayou restaurant at Disneyland. It's always nighttime inside the Mexico pavilion, and this creates a fantastic, cool, and relaxing atmosphere for dining guests. The quality of the food was superb and the menu items weren't exorbitantly priced.
THE AMERICAN ADVENTURE - Always and forever a timeless attraction, even it isn't always fully historically accurate. Some of the audio-animatronics need a bit of work as it looks like some figures' mouths no longer move . That being said, you can't help but be completely bowled over and wow'd with the scale of the show and the dedication and love that went into making it. It never fails to impress, It always gives me chills throughout, and I always tear up at the end. The best show in all of Walt Disney World PERIOD!
REMY'S RATATOUILLE ADVENTURE - Underwhelmed. It works well enough without the 3-D, but you can definitely feel that something is missing (I never got to ride the 3D version, but I could sense its removal). It needs more sets and props as the majority of the attraction is just screens with little theming. My favorite scene is the pantry, where some of the ride vehicles hide the way real rats would. This is a cute ride that has adorable ride vehicles with personality (I honestly think the ride vehicles are the best part of this attraction). I wouldn't wait longer than 30 minutes to ride this.
CANADA FAR AND WIDE - Not as good as the previous two versions, but still pleasing, beautiful, and occasionally moving. Eugene Levy and Catherine O'Hara (R.I.P.) make for decent and entertaining narrators/guides. This is one of the most underrated films/attractions at EPCOT and is always worth a watch. I LOVE Circlevision 360, and this is one of the few of this type of attraction we have left.
JOURNEY INTO IMAGINATION WITH FIGMENT - Easily the weakest ride at EPCOT. Badly in need of a total overhaul. I don't know why I continue to go on this. It's cute enough and the theming is decent at times. I also dig the queue (Where else can you see the real Weebo from Flubber?) Not a fan of the chaos demon this attraction turns Figment into. He's very unlikable and annoying, and this Figment isn't true to the original Figment from the original Journey into Imagination. This attraction is harmless, but it's well past time it's replaced with something better.
TEST TRACK - None of the versions of Test Track have been perfect, but this one is the closest we've gotten. It could use some explanation concerning the male and female voices (maybe a brief pre-show/queue video). The male is human, the female is our car, but what is his role and what exactly are we doing? This isn't exactly a "test track" anymore, but more of a journey into the future of automobiles. The screens in the 'house of the future' portion are the weakest part. BRING BACK THE SPRAYING ROBOTS!!! They would fit the theme of that section, which concerns updating and working on your car at home. The first scene of the ride, where a city street fades into a trillion points of bright blue light, is incredible. I also LOVE LOVE LOVE the 'Fun to be Free' forest joy ride portion before the 65 MPH section. While the outdoor 65 MPH speed section is still thrilling and invigorating as hell, I'd actually say the 'Fun to be Free' portion is the best part of this attraction. I wouldn't say this third iteration of Test Track is perfect, but it's close. BRAVO!!!!
And now, with our tour of EPCOT 2.0 coming to its inevitable end, that means it's time to head back to our hotel. My family stayed at the Coronado Springs Resort and boy, was it gorgeous!!! The main tower, which is inspired by a Disney animated short with a neat history called 'Destino' and opened July 2019, is beautiful. We stayed in the older original area, though and it's equally as beautiful as the new tower, just more homey. Our room had multiple art themed to The Three Caballeros adorning the walls. The food court was very nice. The morning empanadas I ate were some of the best I've had in a while. Very delicious. Overall, I absolutely adored my time here and would more than happily choose to stay here again.
So. that's it for EPCOT 2.0. Overall, I'd say EPCOT 2,0 is a lateral move from the EPCOT of the 2000s. A little bit was gained, and a good deal was lost, but it still mostly feels like the same EPCOT. That being said, there is a good deal of attractions in the park that are badly in need of work or updating, which begs the question: Why is Carousel of Progress getting updated first when there are other offerings more in need of upgrades and renovations in EPCOT? Oh, that's right, because corporate demands their lifelike Walt audio-animatronic be placed in one of their parks. Regardless, I highly enjoyed my time at EPCOT 2.0 and look forward to visiting again, hopefully soon.
