Over 6 years in the past, Walt Disney Global introduced the Play Pavilion would substitute Wonders of Existence at EPCOT. It nonetheless has no longer opened, and most probably by no means will. This stocks background, idea artwork, building growth (or lack thereof), and remark in regards to the overhaul of the previous Long run Global.
The Play Pavilion used to be meant to interchange the defunct Wonders of Existence, and be offering interactive reviews dedicated to family-friendly a laugh. Previous to that announcement in 2019, the Wonders of Existence pavilion had served as an occasions heart all over the Meals & Wine Competition. It had additionally been the topic of rumors starting from a Wonder addition to Within Out.
The Play Pavilion used to be in the beginning slated to debut all over Walt Disney Global’s fiftieth Anniversary in 2021. That didn’t occur. Walt Disney Global in any case equipped an replace in January 2023, pointing out it used to be “re-evaluating the unique idea that used to be deliberate” for the Play Pavilion at EPCOT. It’s been radio silence since then. Apart from roof paintings, the Play Pavilion has paused because the parks closed, and Disney has no longer made any bulletins within the final 2+ years.
The newest replace is that rumors are swirling that no longer handiest is the permanently-paused Play Pavilion by no means going down, however that the Wonders of Existence pavilion is slated for entire demolition someday in 2026. I’ve noticed chatter about this on social media, however as absolute best I will be able to inform, the rumor originates at the WDWMagic boards. If there’s every other direct supply, I haven’t noticed it.
I will not discuss to the credibility of that poster or the veracity of this rumor, which comprises no element past a imprecise it’s going down. What I will be able to say is this moves me as superficially believable, however I’m nonetheless skeptical. The Wonders of Existence getting demolished is a kind of issues that passes the odor check for me given the passage of time because the Play Pavilion used to be paused and because this used to be final a real appeal, however there’s nonetheless abundant explanation why for doubt.
At the one hand, there’s the subject of precedent.
It’s exceedingly uncommon for Walt Disney Global to demolish the rest, despite the fact that it’s been defunct for many years and sits unused with 0 long run possibilities. Glance no additional than Pop Century’s Mythical Years, River Nation, Disney Institute, Discovery Island–the checklist is going on and on. Demolition isn’t unfastened, and generally does no longer happen till a alternative is slated and introduced.
On this case, there are not any allows filed–both regimen ones for demolition of the Wonders of Existence construction or extra concerned ones that will be a precursor to redevelopment of the parcel. This isn’t essentially dispositive of there being no demolition deliberate, however we’d generally see Disney laying the groundwork for any such venture by the use of allowing. It’s for those causes that I’m skeptical.
However, the Wonders of Existence pavilion has been bothered for years.
Lengthy ahead of this, rumors swirled that the roof had severe problems that had been past restore, and there have been problems with leaking or flooding inside of. Balfour Beatty, the overall contractor that labored on rehabbing the construction as a part of the Play Pavilion transformation, supposedly reached that conclusion.
That’s all rumor and phrase of mouth that we’ve got heard. Even failing that, in depth roof alternative over the process a number of years has been observable from on-the-ground in EPCOT. It’s evidently glaring that there are or had been issues of the roof.
It’s additionally notable that the large-scale allow for the Play Pavilion that indexed Balfour Beatty as contractor used to be filed after the idea that used to be reportedly shelved. Balfour Beatty is considered one of Walt Disney Imagineering’s heavy-hitter basic contractors, and so they care for primary initiatives. Disney don’t have introduced them on board for regimen upkeep, resulting in the logical conclusion that one thing used to be nonetheless deliberate for the Wonders of Existence pavilion till as lately as final 12 months.
Irreparable roof problems would give an explanation for why Balfour Beatty’s paintings at the pavilion during the last couple of years by no means yielded any bulletins for the distance. If the ones issues nonetheless exist, it’s fully believable for Disney to have reached the realization that ongoing upkeep bills would over the years exceed the one-time demolition price.
If so, demolition could be pragmatic despite the fact that there’s no fast plan for the parcel. That’s very true if there’s no viable long-term use for the construction. This is the reason the Wonders of Existence demolition passes the odor check.
In asking round in regards to the rumor, I’ve discovered completely not anything to corroborate it.
However for that subject, I additionally haven’t discovered the rest to debunk it. What I had prior to now heard used to be that Disney nonetheless meant to fix or outright substitute the roof tiles (once more) and (try to) put the construction to make use of. That’s no longer a brand new building, and plans may’ve modified since then.
As I’ve discussed somewhere else, it’s my working out that a number of initiatives are slated for EPCOT within the subsequent a number of years, even with out a primary enlargement deliberate. Walt Disney Global has introduced upgrades coming to Remy’s Ratatouille Journey over the approaching months (together with a temporary closure in November to take away 3-d) and that Frozen Ever After is being enhanced with subsequent technology Audio Animatronics of Anna, Elsa, and Kristoff.
My expectation is that those initiatives are coming forward of the long reimaginings of Spaceship Earth and Adventure into Creativeness. This has been mentioned within the remark to numerous posts, so no new to belabor the purpose.
Even though I haven’t heard the rest in regards to the long run possibilities of the Wonders of Existence pavilion, my hope used to be that it used to be getting the Animation Courtyard remedy. Or that Walt Disney Global would proceed pivoting on CommuniCore Corridor, which is already no longer the competition heart all over Meals & Wine (there isn’t one!).
That both the previous Wonders of Existence would change into every other indoor area for households with small children (so mainly, the Play Pavilion however through a unique identify) or that GoofyCore Corridor would change into the long-term use of CommuniCore Corridor, ensuing within the Wonders pavilion as soon as once more getting used because the competition heart area. Paradoxically sufficient, the retrofit Wonders of Existence is a greater flex area than the purpose-built flex area. It might paintings as numerous various things!
It’s been our working out for some time that Walt Disney Global has refurbishment and reimagining initiatives coated up for EPCOT. The primary of the ones used to be clearly Take a look at Monitor, which reopened from its year-long reimagining previous this summer time. Take a look at Monitor 3.0 is a spoil luck, averaging the best wait time at Walt Disney Global since its go back.
Between the recognition of that journey reimagining and the uptick in attendance that EPCOT has noticed within the final 12 months, it could appear that Walt Disney Global would need to stay the momentum going with different ‘singles and doubles’ initiatives within the park.
Play Pavilion–or no matter this area finally ends up being–might be one such sooner and less expensive addition. It might additionally supply every other indoor area that would provide households a reprieve from the warmth and humidity. With the brand new Magic of Disney Animation and Walt Disney Studios Lot changing Animation Courtyard at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in 2026, this can be a an identical addition in mid-2027.
If plans for the Play Pavilion are unpaused, they’ll nearly for sure be revived in spirit versus substance.
The unique announcement drew liberally from 2018’s Ralph Breaks the Web, and it’s most probably truthful to mention that movie used to be a manufactured from its length and received’t stand the time in addition to maximum Walt Disney Animation Studios motion pictures. You could even argue that we were given fortunate the Play Pavilion by no means got here to fruition, because it’d already be dated.
There are numerous highbrow homes with extra of a undying high quality which may be highlighted within the Play Pavilion. It might be used to offer better parks presences to Moana, Zootopia, Within Out, Lilo & Sew, Coco, Tangled and the Incredibles. All of those homes are extremely fashionable, however have minimum illustration at Walt Disney Global. They may simply be built-in into the Play Pavilion.
For our section, we’d love for this to be an interactive kid-friendly providing. My dream is for a revival of the ‘Well being Pavilion’ idea that includes Baymax and an collection of different characters. Disney has already carried out so much with Giant Hero 6 in different parks (together with an ‘workout expo’ at Shanghai Disneyland that used to be, amusingly, subsidized through Pepsi), so probably some property and concepts might be reused. Sadly, a well being pavilion idea is most probably fraught with attainable landmines.
Then there’s the Walt Disney Corporate’s funding in Epic Video games and deliberate partnership for Fortnite Universe for Disney IP, which opens the door for a brand new twist at the paused pavilion idea.
The idea that artwork for this Epic Video games x Disney partnership seems greater than just a little like the unique idea artwork for the Play Pavilion at EPCOT. Reviving the Play Pavilion plans with a Fortnite-style pores and skin may for sure make sense–and provides that addition speedy attraction with more youthful players.
It can be a complete circle integrations with the park that will be a lot more fashionable than no matter used to be deliberate for the Play Pavilion. It is also funded with sponsorship cash, with Epic Video games footing a portion of the invoice and helping with property to stay the pavilion contemporary.
There’s numerous untapped attainable for crossover between the digital worlds of video video games and the in large part bodily worlds of theme parks. That is already glaring in Tremendous Nintendo Global at Common (and different previous experiments carried out through Nintendo), and Walt Disney Global may benefit from this in its personal techniques.
In the long run, that is all beautiful inconclusive–a mixture of unconfirmed rumors, hypothesis, and what we are hoping occurs given the bigger-picture trajectory of Walt Disney Global and EPCOT. On the finish of this, we’re nonetheless left questioning what the long run holds for the Wonders of Existence pavilion.
Will the Play Pavilion in any case be unpaused? Will the construction be demolished fully? There’s a variety of chances for this area, from proceeding to take a seat empty to a non secular successor to the Play Pavilion with different underrepresented IP to being a Fortnite-centric “resolution” to Tremendous Nintendo Global at Epic Universe to being an empty parcel of land till EPCOT’s sixtieth Anniversary in 2042.
My sturdy suspicion is that we’re going to look a ‘stealth’ 2d segment of the EPCOT overhaul, with a number of ‘singles & doubles’ (and perhaps a triple or within the park house run) in the following few years. Optimistically, the Pavilion Pavilion might be amongst them, debuting in time for the 2027 Cool Child Summer season. With not anything introduced at Vacation spot D23, it doesn’t look like the rest is at the horizon within the close to time period, however we’ll stay you posted as extra turns into recognized and is formally introduced!
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Your Ideas
What do you suppose the long run holds for the Wonders of Existence pavilion? Assume the construction might be demolished, changed through an empty parcel? Or will or not it’s unpaused and changed into Play Pavilion, however with IPs rather than Ruin-It Ralph? Or is the possibly consequence merely the established order: not anything in any respect? Ideas at the bigger-picture long run of EPCOT? Do you settle or disagree with our ideas right here? Any questions we will be able to assist you to resolution? Listening to your comments–even while you disagree with us–is each attention-grabbing to us and useful to different readers, so please proportion your ideas underneath within the feedback!
