One of the most heated debates in the Disney fan community stems from the introduction of characters into Epcot. Since Mickey first came to Epcot, reportedly because Michael Eisner thought a Disney park without characters was a bad idea, the purists have lashed out at the very idea. But in the last couple of years, things of gotten much worse for the purists. They could barely handle Mickey and Goofy in space suits, or even a double-decker bus filled with all the kid favorites, but now we have character driven attractions. And the latest, the Gran Fiesta Tour, is proof the concept can work and will likely move forward.
It amazes me how people were convinced this attraction was not right for Epcot even before they ever saw. Just having characters there, a departure from the original Imagineering concept for the park, was enough to peak their anger. Usually this type of criticism starts with the “Walt wouldn’t want this” nonsense, but the Epcot we got in the early 1980’s was so far removed from Walt’s idea to make any such argument baseless. Instead, we get this idea that the original concept for the park is the best one, with no changes allowed to that vision. This reminds me of my favorite Diane Disney Miller quote about her father…
“…with the park, it’s something you could change, something that can grow. But the people who really love it won’t let them change any of the old attractions. I don’t think he ever thought that would happen.”
She was referring to Disneyland, but somehow the same problem has grown with Epcot as well. Despite the terrific success of Turtle Talk with Crush, and the new Nemo ride, the quality of the experience didn’t matter. What mattered was that it was not like the original Epcot rides.
The problem I have with this argument is that the original concept was by no means perfect, to the point where Disney felt the need to re-work it in order to stem falling attendance. Yes, some of the dark rides were terrific, especially Spaceship Earth and Horizons, but they were all very similar to each other and the overall experience grew dull as a result. The Living Seas is a more entertaining experience now that Nemo and Crush have arrived. The same can be said for Test Track (which replaced the campy World of Motion) and Ellen’s Energy Adventure (which replaced a poorly veiled Exxon infomercial called the Universe of Energy). And nothing better exemplifies an improvement then the Gran Fiesta Tour. The Three Caballeros have injected energy and an entertainment value into a ride which used to be nothing more than a cool dark place to nap on a hot afternoon.
And what is even more interesting, is that these new character driven rides do a better job at immersing people into a new environment than the ones they replaced. Donald and his friends are much more engaging tour guides than the faceless voice of El Rio Del Tiempo. And Crush and Nemo actually get kids excited about the world under the sea, rather than making them sit through a melodramatic documentary followed by a terribly anticlimactic ride through the aquarium.
Perhaps I am letting my own experience get in the way, but I certainly wish the Epcot we have now was there in the 1980’s when I was a teenager. Back then, I enjoyed the park once a trip at the most. If my parents wanted to go back, I would cry boredom and then often go by myself over to the Magic Kingdom to do something fun. If all of the amazing rides Epcot has now were there then, I would have never complained. Now, I find myself there more than any other park. My applause goes to the Imagineers for re-inventing an amazing park and a great ride.
