Walt Disney Imagineering confirms opening timeline for EPCOT's CommuniCore Plaza and CommuniCore Hall

Ayla2 days ago

Next month is this week.

DreamfinderGuy2 days ago

Just the holidays in general. Last I heard they want to start work next month, and I'm assuming with a start date like that the work would be finished by Christmas? That was partly speculation on my part, my bad.

Incomudro3 days ago

I think the lack of ambition as you noted is the biggest failure. Many aspects of this redo are quite nice - when they function. But there should be some sort of awe being felt.

MisterPenguin3 days ago

The Jubilee Year (every 49 years)?

Bocabear3 days ago

Maybe Easter Holiday? Or perhaps the Summer Holiday season?

tparris3 days ago

@DreamfinderGuy when you say the ground lights may be fixed by the holidays, do you mean by the start of Festival of the Holidays, or just around the time of actual holiday season?

DisneyFanatic123 days ago

For sure! I'm not quite sure what they're using for lights underneath, but they should have waterproofed what's underneath the diffuser as well. Given that the pixels on the trees seem to just be regular square node pixels, I doubt what's under that diffuser is any more interesting than an LED strip or something similar. Anyways, if water is the issue, it just amazes me that they didn't waterproof the LEDs inside of the diffuser, since most all of the issues could have been prevented.

Epcot82Guy3 days ago

Oh - I fully agree. That wasn't my point. I meant Disney knows how to design to accomplish several goals at once (like timeless, modern and upscale in the case of Disney Springs). Historically, you could find many examples of this - Hollywood Blvd., World Showcase, DAK, etc. I would argue it was the hallmark of Disney Parks design for much of its history. I was referencing Disney Springs just as an example that capability isn't that far in the past. Is designing a compelling Epcot core difficult? Sure. But, that's what used to be Disney's forte. Creating a space just like you described. Somewhere that transports you to a different place that can only exist at a Disney Park.

Disstevefan13 days ago

Bocabear3 days ago

but do you want the core of EPCOT to look like Disney Springs...a place I can visit for free? I say no. I want and expect a theme park with a high admission price to take me to a different place rather than the regular lifestyle shopping center.... I want to be transported to someplace special and unique... This remodel completely failed at that. They settled for a location that looks like places we visit in our regular lives... It lacked creativity and ingenuity... It feels like a budget cut design.... Which, even if it is, it should never feel that way to guests....

Epcot82Guy3 days ago

That is very fair. The problem I see is, in a park like Epcot, it feels more like chasing trends rather than trying to get ahead of them. I realize futurism is a very different beast in the mid 2020s vs. late 1970s. But, this feels contemporary. It doesn't set it apart. That doesn't make it bad design by any stretch, as you noted. But, I highly doubt we get 10 years out of this before it starts to feel highly dated - let alone 20. Some aspects are very good. But, the overall project doesn't have a distinct character. It's just "very nice". I think that's what's missing most. (Or, on the other hand, a commitment that it will evolve and grow every 5-10 years. That would also work beautifully. But, that's not modern Disney.) EDIT: And before the critics start, I'm not saying the original and 90s version didn't have their own challenges with this too. But, they were more ambitious and more unique than this one. And, you would think we could learn to create something better after 40 years - so I think it's fair to hold the newest version to a higher standard. Not just recreate a modern-looking version of the same problem (or even worse). They know how to do this. I would argue Disney Springs' Town Center is an example where this type of modern yet timeless design worked.

Jayspency3 days ago

One thing I notice when it comes to modern Disney replacements like the new center of EPCOT is that they're still good, but don't live up to what was there before. I see a lot of negativity about these changes, and I feel like they can be underappreciated because of this. I'm not defending replacing things with inferior successors, but I feel like stuff like the new EPCOT garden center deserves a bit more credit.

Squishy4 days ago

To properly fix the ground lights they need to remake a new led diffuser channel that doesn't have the same design flaw of water being able to get in once the caulking gets blown off by a pressure washer.

marni19714 days ago

My bad. I thought you meant the recessed lighting.