The State of Epcot

[Alicia]

You're assuming AT&T was pushed out and wants to come back.

I don't care who sponsors it, I've just grown to hate the monitors and would rather see anything, literally anything physical on the way down again. Whether just lights and music like the 80s or a long commercial for a company like AT&T was in the 90s utilizing small-scale sets and visual effects.

The dusty black blankets on the sides of the track make me sad. We can do better than that, blacklights, and lightly painted leftover triangles on the way down.

 

[Nick]

You're assuming AT&T was pushed out and wants to come back.

Right. Corporations don't need/want to sponsor attractions anymore. In the 80's, it was great advertising... then the internet happened.

If you guys notice now, there are almost no sponsors left in all of Epcot. Now the only sponsors left in Epcot are Chevrolet (GM) and Chiquita (they also sponsor Crush 'n Gusher). Every pavilion used to have a sponsor or multiple, some countries were even sponsors. Now we have an entire Pavilion that closed down due to loss of sponsorship and both sides of innoventions that went dark due to sponsor loss.

The good thing is that there is a plan to fix the mess they've gotten themselves into due to relying on sponsors so much, but don't expect much of a cohesive theme.

 

[Alicia]

Right. Corporations don't need/want to sponsor attractions anymore. In the 80's, it was great advertising... then the internet happened.

If you guys notice now, there are almost no sponsors left in all of Epcot. Now the only sponsors left in Epcot are Chevrolet (GM) and Chiquita (they also sponsor Crush 'n Gusher). Every pavilion used to have a sponsor or multiple, some countries were even sponsors. Now we have an entire Pavilion that closed down due to loss of sponsorship and both sides of innoventions that went dark due to sponsor loss.

The good thing is that there is a plan to fix the mess they've gotten themselves into due to relying on sponsors so much, but don't expect much of a cohesive theme.

Welcome to Dug's Adventure through Spaceship Earth!

 

[LieutLaww]

Death Star makeover rumours incoming then

 

[Mr. EPCOT]

Assuming this is true, this makes me SO ANGRY.

The end of the sponsorship comes amidst rumors that Siemens offered Walt Disney World a new monorail fleet for free so long as they were company branded, but Disney reportedly declined.

 

[Alicia]

Assuming this is true, this makes me SO ANGRY.

Yikes. When parts are literally falling off that might've been something they could've used.

 

[Parkscope Joe]

Assuming this is true, this makes me SO ANGRY.

I have zero confidence in that report and if it's even remotely true it doesn't paint the whole picture.

 

[Mr. EPCOT]

I have zero confidence in that report and if it's even remotely true it doesn't paint the whole picture.

You're probably right.

 

[Nick]

There's no way Siemens wanted to stay SO BAD that they offered free monorails and so what if they were company branded? When has Disney ever been known to reject sponsorship/advertisement before?

Definitely not the whole story if there's even any ounce of truth to that.

 

[RevFreako]

Are there any reports on this that don't source back to WDWNT?

 

[JoeCamel]

I have zero confidence in that report and if it's even remotely true it doesn't paint the whole picture.

Are there any reports on this that don't source back to WDWNT?

@Marni1971 posted a while ago that Siemens had renewed but today said that he heard from two people they had not. Sounds like a done deal

 

[belloq87]

Whatever the reason for Siemens not renewing, if that eventually leads to the removal of Spaceship Earth, I will be furious. I've seen too many of my favorite rides close - or be in immediate danger of closing - in Orlando (at both resorts) to stomach the loss of Spaceship Earth.

 

[Nick]

SSE is not going anywhere.

 

[AlexanderMBush]

So no matter what, it will be updated; but it may finally lose a proper sponsor?

 

[Alicia]

So no matter what, it will be updated; but it may finally lose a proper sponsor?

Maybe the update might not be much more than a new script, narrator and removal of all Siemens related signage, cartoon for the desent and post show, but yea, it'll be updated.

I've never been the biggest fan of the "building the future" storyline. Although I do like the computer scenes that were added better than the tele-video scenes of the AT&T days.

"Think of it as the first backup system," "Rome built the first World Wide Web," and "Thank the Phoenicians" always make me cringe. (No offense to Dame Judy Dench.)

 

[Parkscope Joe]

@Marni1971 posted a while ago that Siemens had renewed but today said that he heard from two people they had not. Sounds like a done deal

I'm not denying the fact Siemens is leaving, I'm arguing the point of "they would donate free monorails!"

 

[belloq87]

SSE is not going anywhere.

I hope you're right, but Marni1971's phrase on another site was, "Be afraid."

 

[Nick]

I hope you're right, but Marni1971's phrase on another site was, "Be afraid."

Maybe the loss of sponsorship could mean that the planned update will get postponed, but the ride should at the very least stay the same.

Let's just hope the project doesn't get into the wrong people's hands because of this.

 

[Mr. EPCOT]

Let's just hope the project doesn't get into the wrong people's hands because of this.

It already is in the wrong people's hands. It's called "The Walt Disney Company"

 

[Nick]

It already is in the wrong people's hands. It's called "The Walt Disney Company"

It's always been in their hands, it's more a problem of the direct people calling the shots. Namely Bob Chapek and Tom Fitzgerald (Lead Epcot Imagineer). There are some people at WDI that get it, but considering their ideas make sense and fit the original EPCOT Center look and feel, it probably just means they aren't likely to get approved.