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EPCOT
Walt Disney World
Disney Hotels
---- THE LATEST BUZZ ----
(1/9/12) Disney has confirmed at last that not only will Test Track shut down for a very lengthy rehab in 2012, but that we will see a re-imagined version of the ride when it reopen this fall. (MORE...)
(1/4/12) There is an interesting rumor going around trying to connect the upcoming remodel of Test Track to have a Tron theme, but this is not so. However, Disney and Chevrolet may be (MORE...)
(1/2/12) One of our readers has shot and posted the entire amazing New Years Eve fireworks show from Epcot in HD to YouTube. Check it out below.
(12/1/11) MouseSteps drops into Epcot and has posted about 250 new pictures showing off the park’s Christmas decorations.
Ride Rehabs - The following information is not guaranteed to be 100% accurate.
Test Track - April 15, 2012 through September 21, 2012
 General Park News - (1/2/12) One of our readers has shot and posted the entire amazing New Years Eve fireworks show from Epcot in HD to YouTube. Check it out below. Video by Alan S. Dalinka
(12/1/11) MouseSteps drops into Epcot and has posted about 250 new pictures showing off the park’s Christmas decorations.
(11/14/11) Theme Park Review reports that Walt Disney World was testing a new RFID chip based ticket system. A section of turnstyles at the entrance of Epcot was replaced by a new set of “scanners” where you were asked to tap your ticket card on a Mickey logo, and if it turns green, you were let in. New tickets were being used that were a bit thicker and housed the RFID chip, while those with existing tickets or Annual Passes were given a new RFID sticker to attach to theirs.
(10/27/11) Take a virtual stroll around the Epcot Food & Wine Fest with our friends at Westcoaster this week.
(10/14/11) A massive four-part series all about this year’s Epcot Food & Wine Fest has been posted over at DaMouse. Take a look… and Bob Appetit.
(10/5/11) Orlando Parks News takes a look at the latest rehab projects taking place inside Epcot, including Innoventions, Canada, Japan and more.
(9/12/11) Take a stroll around Epcot to see the latest updates and changes at the park over at MouseSteps this week, as the park gets ready for it’s most popular annual event, the Food & Wine Fest.
(8/2/11) Orlando Parks News pokes around Innoventions at Epcot taking in some teaser posters for new attractions and displays on the way.
(6/20/11) Epcot and Disney fans may get a big kick out of this, a Screamscape reader / artist has been making his own retro style EPCOT Center inspired attraction posters in remembrance of the original pavilions and attractions. Journey into Imagination, Horizons, Communicore, World of Motion, World Showcase and many more. There are even three special creations to remember the three destinations you could choose for the Horizon’s finale: Brava Centauri, Mesa Verde or Sea Castle. Plus a few fun other art pieces for things like the Star Jets and Alien Encounter.
While the fastest way to see the art is the link above, if you want to purchase your own copy to have shipped directly to you, click here. Great looking stuff, especially the Horizons Triptych.
(1/7/11) Fantastic news for fans of Horizons, Epcot’s once former premier dark ride experience that was sadly killed and replaced with Mission: Space. For a little flashback to the good old days of Horizons, you’ve got to check out the Horizons: Resurrected website. The plan here is to recreate a virtual 3D space version of Horizons… inside and out, include all the show scenes and animatronics so that someday we can all take a virtual POV ride through Horizons online anytime we like. I’ve got to say I’m impressed with the quality of the work I’ve seen so far and can’t wait to take a virtual spin through Horzions again in the future. (And if you don’t like Horizons... well, your just wrong.)
Fall 2012 - Test Track Re-Imagined - (1/9/12) Disney has confirmed at last that not only will Test Track shut down for a very lengthy rehab in 2012, but that we will see a re-imagined version of the ride when it reopen this fall. The new version of Test Track will indeed be sponsored by Chevrolet and see the queue / preshow area transformed into the “Chevrolet Design Center at Epcot”. While here, guests can try a hand at creating their own custom vehicle designs before being given the chance to buckle into one of the six-passenger “SimCar” ride vehicles to “test out their design on the challenging track of the Test Track course.”
While Disney has not officially offered the official exact dates, they did report that it will close in April and reopen in the Fall, so our April through September timeline is still looking solid.
(1/4/12) There is an interesting rumor going around trying to connect the upcoming remodel of Test Track to have a Tron theme, but this is not so. However, Disney and Chevrolet may be looking to add a Tron-style high-tech theme and look to the ride, which would explain the sleak blue new cars with computer graphic stylings. So not Tron… just a high-tech futuristic theme. Think of it more of a World of Motion: Version 2.
As expected, Chevrolet will become the primary sponsor of the ride in place of the former all-encompassing “GM” branding. This has already been seen with the new Chevrolet branding on the few cars that have been wrapped in the new blue color scheme. If you haven’t seen them lately, scroll down 2/3rds of the way through this photo update at Theme Park Review to find several pictures showing off the different cars currently running with guests.
In fact you can even find a new logo or two floating around backstage it seems, according to a photo posted at Epcyclopedia. They also list the rehab dates as being April 15 through September 21st, 2012.
(10/19/11) Trusted Screamscape sources have confirmed that Test Track will indeed go under the knife, closing down to nearly gut and rebuild almost all of the interior show scenes to create a new revitalized version of the ride experience. Also, I’m happy to report that the junk yard style queue area will also be given a major NextGen style overhaul to add new interactive elements.
(10/11/11) The latest buzz around the internet today claims that Disney is planning a four to five month long closure of Test Track starting in April 2012 which will see it close for the entire summer season of 2012, reopening sometime in September. According to the various rumors, this may tie into those new metallic blue car bodies that have been showing up on the attraction, as Disney and GM may have come to a new sponsorship agreement that will see the theme of the ride updated. According to some rumors, the entire gritty “Test Lab” theme may be dumped in favor of a new more slick presentation showing off the ‘design’ and ‘innovation’ side of GM’s cars, with focus not only on the cars themselves, but the high-tech gadgets going inside. (So can we use OnStar from the Epcot parking lot to get front of line access passes now?) More as it leaks out.
(9/27/11) An interesting new development has started to take place over at Test Track. According to photos posted to The Disney Corner, Test Track is starting to use a few newly refurbished cars on the ride that look very different than the original cars. The body type appears to be exactly the same, but the panels have been given a new deep blue metallic paint job as well as an official Chevy logo on the nose. Well… at least the first ones seen so far have been blue, I imagine other colors will also arrive in the future.
I gotta say that the new color looks pretty slick, and while I really haven’t heard much on this project myself yet, there is a rumor claiming that the ride may receive some kind of upgrade or major renovation in 2012, so this could just be the first phase of it. Anyone know more?
2013/2014 - Soarin’ over the World - Rumor - (10/22/10) Disney and More has an interesting article about the long rumored, Soarin’ over the World attraction, a follow up to Soarin’ that would feature international locations and expand the ride’s use beyond the American parks and into Disneyland Paris, Tokyo Disney and possibly beyond.
???? - New Country - Rumor - (4/23/11) According to this report, Disney is said to have approached the Brazilian government about the concept of adding a Brazil pavilion to Epcot.
(8/13/10) Apparently the sudden push to add a new country to Epcot was stirred up as an idea to add something for the park’s 30th Anniversary, which will begin Oct 1st, 2012. I’ve also heard that there is still talk about doing some kind of expansion to the Japan pavilion as well. Previously we’ve seen two big ideas get designed but never go anywhere, a Ginza shopping district style area and the former Mt. Fuji coaster idea, inspired by the Matterhorn at Disneyland, but evolved to become Expedition Everest at Animal Kingdom. Anyone have a clue just what may be in the works now?
I’m also starting to hear rumors of activity for Future World as well once again with the focus being on sprucing up one of the oldest attractions there (Universe of Energy) or bringing the old Wonders of Life pavilion back to life as something new. Chances are they’ll opt for the later due to the huge cost savings of reusing the existing structure.
(8/12/10) The Orlando Biz Journal reports that Epcot may once again be preparing a possible new country for World Showcase. This time around the popular rumor is Spain. Anyone know more? Is there any truth behind this rumor?
(3/29/10) A Screamscape reader was stopped in Epcot in World Showcase’s Outpost area by a CM and asked to take a brief survey. Just three simple questions, starting with a “How many times have you visited Walt Disney World?”. The next tow questions however are far more interesting. First was a multi-choice question asking which country you would most like to see added to World Showcase: Australia, Brazil, South Africa, Russia or an Other choice to name something else. Following this the next question asked guests which country would they be LEAST upset to see removed from World Showcase.
While this doesn’t mean that Epcot is ready to add a new country just yet, it is telling that they are interesting in getting guest feedback about the possibility. Even more telling is the fact that they are considering doing it as a replacement for an existing country rather than build a new one entirely from scratch. While guests could pick any country they wanted as the preferred one to remove, I would think that perhaps the pavilions without a major attraction inside would perhaps be the most at risk. That list would include: Germany, Italy, Japan, Morocco and the UK and possibly even France, though each of these counties have fairly popular restaurants as well so anything is possible.
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