Mouse Extra

Mark Goldhaber of MousePlanet, and the new MouseStation podcast, is reporting information he received from Epcot Vice President Brad Rex, during an interview conducted recently, concerning some changes to the park.  Much of this information has been rumored, but it is nice to confirm it nonetheless.  Let’s take a couple of subjects and discuss them a bit more…

While it’s been known that Turtle Talk with Crush is closing today for its move to the remaining former Living Seas pre-show theater, we now know that the pod that’s now closed (the one that hosted the “Find Nemo” display) will become the queue for the new theater. Once the move has been accomplished, the old Turtle Talk theater will be converted to become exhibit space, and will have some form of the displaced display.

I am not sure what he means by the “some form of the displaced display”, but this is certainly good news that the line will be moved.  The folks at Disney seemed to have no idea when planning Turtle Talk that it would be this popular, but it is.  As a result, much of the open space that made the Living Seas so impressive has been stuffed full of people…just standing there.  From the first time I saw it, I felt the line really damaged the atmosphere and theme of the pavilion, something they have been doing in one form or another for quite some time.  Hopefully this simple change signals that WDI recognizes the damage they have done here and will make some needed changes.

The other bit of news that I want to tell you about concerns an ongoing Epcot rehab…

Rex confirmed on the record what we first reported last year: that the El Rio del Tiempo attraction’s refurbishment will include a retheming to the Three Caballeros.

Ahhh! Finally someone at WDW is talking publically about the worst kept secret at Epcot.  This is one of the more peculiar rehabs WDI has done in recent years.  Adding Jack Sparrow to Pirates of the Caribbean made sense, I mean after all it is the most popular film franchise Disney has had in decades.  Nemo made sense at the Living Seas as well, certainly from a marketing standpoint.  But the Three Caballeros?  This is not a film the general public, at least the general kid public, is very familiar with.  This is obviously not about the word purists dread more than any other…synergy.  But will it work? 

According to Goldhaber, this interview is scheduled to air on this week’s episode of the  MouseStation podcast.  It should be worth listening to.