I think Epcot, maybe more than any Disney park, has such a strong nostalgia pull-myself included. Why is that? Maybe because it was the days of our youth? (Just guessing the ages of posters here-I’m 36). We have such strong opinions of wanting Epcot to go back to how it was when we were 8 because of the memories of have of our families experiencing the park together.
Heck, I went through this as well. A part of me died when Horizons went away...then another when World of Motion went away...and I felt the knife twist when Jeremy Irons was replaced as the narrator of SE.
But where those rides really that great? Maybe my memories of the rides are greater than the rides themselves and I’m instead remembering the great times I had with my family riding them.
Would those rides hold up to today’s park guests’ demands? I don’t think so. Today the GP doesn’t want edutainment. They want to see their favorite characters in rides, shows, and meet n greets.
So I’ve come to accept Epcot’s new thesis. It’s no longer about teaching people about our world on the actual rides. Now, it’s simply about inspiring them about the possibilities of our world. And instead of learning about Mt. Kilimanjaro on Soarin maybe that kid gets home, remembers seeing Kilimanjaro at Disney and decides to look it up online. And maybe that’s ok.
Anyways, I’m super stoked about this ride. Give me all the Rocket you can throw at me please!