Epcot News & Rumors: Jungle Book in World Showcase, Mary Poppins Spinner & New Hotel
This Walt Disney World news & rumor update is all about the Epcot area. From the new Crescent Lake hotel to a mega E-Ticket Jungle Book attraction and India pavilion to a concerning update on the Mary Poppins attraction in United Kingdom, we cover the latest buzz and share our thoughts on the veracity of each story.
We’ll start with the most boring: the Swan and Dolphin Resort is getting a third tower, built on their current property, and adjacent to Disney’s Fantasia Gardens Miniature Golf Course. This new tower will be built on Swan & Dolphin’s existing tennis courts, which closed at the beginning of this month to make way for the expansion. The new hotel will be 14 stories tall, have 349 guest rooms, and open in 2020. It’ll also have a rooftop terrace, restaurant & lounge, and 21,000 square feet of meeting space.
While Walt Disney World has yet to officially announce any details about the new hotel, developer Tishman and MetLife released a joint press release providing more information and concept art. Moreover, the special event space adjacent to the mini-golf course also closed last week (that space will become new parking for the mini-golf course, which will lose its current parking lot to the hotel), so this is a done deal.
I never thought I would be in a position of contending that something blemishes the thematic character of the Swan & Dolphin Resorts, but here we are. This new resort, apparently, is themed to a suburban office park and the association with MetLife is ironic, because it looks like the kind of place where insurance adjusters would work.
Not that I’m the biggest fan of Michael Graves. To the contrary, I think allowing the Swan & Dolphin to look the way they do was one of Eisner’s biggest blunders at Walt Disney World (see DisneyWar for more on that). Nevertheless, at least Swan & Dolphin have distinct personality and character, and are provocative designs that would be fascinating outside of Walt Disney World.
This new hotel looks like the place dreams go to die, where white collar drones push papers and a sea of middle-managers cook up new and exciting bureaucracy. It could easily be the setting of Office Space 2. All of this is hyperbolic, of course, and plenty of hotels around the country look just as boring and uninspired on the outside. It’s still disheartening to see this at Walt Disney World.
The plus side is that even at 14 stories, this hotel won’t be visible from within Epcot. Even from around Crescent Lake, it’s likely that the Swan & Dolphin’s existing towers will at least partially obscure it from guest view. In actuality, this isn’t any more problematic than the Disney Springs area resorts, but it’s nonetheless disappointing that Tishman and co. are building the blandest hotel possible next to their most outlandish ones. The juxtaposition of styles will be fairly jarring.
Now, the juicy rumors for Epcot. WDWNT is reporting that Imagineering is developing an India pavilion for World Showcase that would be anchored by a lavish E-Ticket attraction based upon the live-action Jungle Book film. While details are sparse beyond that ride, it’s safe to assume the pavilion would also feature retail, dining, and architecture from India. Personally, I’m thrilled at the potential for the Taj Mahal–one that is not entirely CGI–to find its way into Epcot.
Part of the rumor is that the Jungle Book attraction would utilize the same ride system as Shanghai Disneyland’s Pirates of the Caribbean: Battle for the Sunken Treasure. This ride system for an underwater-controlled boat was patented by Disney several years ago, but has yet to resurface in other attractions aside from Shanghai.
It’s already clear the underwater-controlled boat is going to be the chic ride system for future rumors and fan daydreaming (move over trackless LPS!). Previously, it was rumored to be used for Na’vi River Journey in Pandora and it’s also strongly suspected to be what the upcoming Peter Pan ride will utilize in Tokyo DisneySea’s “FantaSea” expansion.
All of this is for good reason: Shanghai’s Pirates is exceptional, and a large part of its success is predicated upon this dynamic ride system. Moreover, it’s easy to envision the Jungle Book being brought to life via a similar mix of ginormous screens and life-like Audio Animatronics. It’s not just the ride system that fits–it’s the overarching style and staging of the ride. I’m not a creative (but I play one on the internet) and even I can see how this movie would be a great fit for the tech.
Beyond the logic of the movie, ride system, and staging working well together, it makes perfect sense that this would be a blue sky pitch. The Jungle Book was a box office sensation with a sequel planned and one goal of Epcot’s re-imagining is to increase the number of attractions in World Showcase. From that perspective, it’s entirely conceivable that this is a concept that’s on the table for Epcot.
Where the wheels start to fall off is once you come to the real world of finite budgets. We’ve heard multiple accounts that the Guardians of the Galaxy attraction has an astronomical budget (varying reports have put it around or above $300 million) and the Ratatouille dark ride will be another $200 million (give or take), which is still less than that attraction cost in France.
Meanwhile, reports have put Pirates of the Caribbean: Battle for the Sunken Treasure’s cost at $450 million. Granted, some of that is likely R&D that wouldn’t have to be replicated. However, construction tends to cost more stateside, and this attraction would entail building an entire World Showcase pavilion. Let’s put the total cost at a very conservative $300 million, which could be too low by around $100 million.
Rumors point to Epcot’s overhaul having an allocated budget of over $1 billion, but those same rumors also suggest that a lot is going to happen beyond what has been announced thus far. From the Central Spine redesign to two new countries in World Showcase to overlays of existing attractions to new restaurants…and so on. As such, it’s hard to imagine that Disney would be willing to allocate ~$800 million of that to just 3 attractions.
This is actually a big reason why the next rumor from WDWNT is more plausible: a Mary Poppins spinner, a la Dumbo, is being developed for the United Kingdom pavilion in Epcot’s World Showcase.
It’s not the first, or even second, time we’ve reported on the rumors swirling about a new attraction coming to the United Kingdom. For the past year, there have been an array of concepts, ranging from Brave to the Loch Ness Monster to Mary Poppins.
In our last update on this rumor just last month, we shared that it appeared Mary Poppins had won out, and a dark ride based upon the film was the most viable candidate for World Showcase. We also offered something of the same caveat as above, that a lot of competing concepts were floating around for Epcot, and they can’t all possibly come to fruition.
We have not heard anything first hand about the status of this potential Mary Poppins attraction, and we have no reason to believe that it’s any closer to becoming a reality now than it was in August. However, a cheap spinner is much more likely not just from a budgetary perspective, but also because it would allow the lucrative World Showplace to remain.
Of course–and this should go without saying–but a spinner is more cringeworthy. Many people, myself included, have come to terms with the reality that characters have come to World Showcase and more are on the way. Frozen Ever After was simply the vanguard of this, and it’s introduction of a fictional country to World Showcase likely made a lot of people numb to future rumors of character additions.
Personally, that’s the case for me. I’m a realist, and I now evaluate new proposals less on the basis of whether they enhance the rich cultural offerings of World Showcase, and more about whether the characters are sensible in context. Under this lower threshold, Ratatouille, Mary Poppins, and Coco all pass muster.
Even as I recognized Disney characters in World Showcase would become the “new normal” never did I imagine that this would occur via amusement park rides. (How naive of me!) Dumbo gets a pass because it’s iconic, but the other spinners are like tumors on their respective lands (except TriceraTop spin, because you can’t have a tumor on a tumor), and the notion of something so tacky being added to the beautiful tapestry of World Showcase makes me cringe extra hard.
In other words, the Mary Poppins spinner rumor is entirely credible. It’s low budget, a terrible fit for World Showcase, and features a hot intellectual property. It’s just our luck that this is what Disney will green light out of all the great concepts floating around for Epcot. I certainly hope it doesn’t find it’s way into the park, but I’ve learned to expect the worst when it comes to Epcot and integrity.
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Your Thoughts
What do you think of these rumors? Would you like to see India built in World Showcase, or is its presence in Animal Kingdom sufficient? Does the idea of an E-Ticket Jungle Book ride appeal to you? What about the Mary Poppins spinner? Thoughts on the third Swan & Dolphin tower? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
Eating meals where there are characters is like eating in a three ring circus . I avoid them and not because I don’t like the characters.
I also don’t do rides at Epcot ,I walk around the world and decide which country I am going to eat at. My husband and I used to sit and talk about what it would be like to travel to these countries and which ones are favorites. A park for big kids!
I might be in the minority, but I have enjoyed Epcot through every version- from the Pavilion heavy first years to everything in between to Festival palooza. While I love continuity in the Magic Kingdom (Still miss the submarines and If You Had Wings), I am ok with updates there that don’t mess with success. (Like IASW or Haunted Mansion.)
Epcot needs updates regularly to keep it dynamic. I wish every country had a ride and more “to do.” I love travel and I want to hang out in each country as long as possible. So adding more characters is just more Disney to love, in my book. And adding more rides or things to do will help with crowds taking up all of the walkway space.
Now, if we can just convince them to put Mystic Manor, Poohs Honey Pots, and most of the Tokyo park plus Shanhai’s POTC anywhere they can find room- I will be a happy camper!
I’m old and have been in many countries, but here’s where I am! The World Showcase, has been for me, and I thought it was truly great for almost everybody a decent experience creating a genuine feeling of being in “that country,” understanding it and respecting it more. For example some years ago when Donald Duck was allowed to get into the show in “Mexico,” I thought it went pretty far toward bastardising young people’s understanding/respect for Mexico. World Showcase, for me, is not to be funny, entertaining, or cheapening, but is best used for building appreciation for what each country is, and creating the feeling “I’ve been there”.
I thought the rumor for the next country they were going to add was Brazil?
That’s still the case. Most credible sources point to 2 countries coming before ~2023: Brazil and ???
I’m becoming afraid that one day, instead of taking my children to WDW, I’ll be telling them about how WDW used to be a place where dreams came true and adventures were had but that it has turned in to a garish amusement park. I can see starting the conversation with “First they started using cheap CGI instead of building sets and AAs, then they started resting on existing IP instead of creating original concepts and stories for the parks (likely with an extensive and bitter rant about whatever will be replacing Illuminations). A Mary Poppins spinner just seems it would be another clear marker of the end of what EPCOT was intended to be. I desperately want to be excited for reimagineering in EPCOT and for a new nighttime spectacular. But at this point I would rather be pleasantly surprised than get my hopes up and be disappointed again.
I sincerely hope that someone with influence at the Walt Disney Company has the sense to be reading your blog along with others echoing these same sentiments.
I agree with Janice that this veers too far from, and marks the end of what epcot was intended to be. Walt must be turning over in his grave. He was not strictly about profits, but about ideals. Epcot was too be about two things as far as I know. A vision of the possibilities of tomorrow, which has exceeded what he could have even imagined with today’s technology. And a desire to make the world a smaller place by educating and introducing people to other countries and cultures around the world. This is what made it distinctly different from the magic Kingdom which was more about characters, fantasy, clean fun, and making dreams come true. Just as his love for fairs, amusement parks, parades, trains, fireworks, and holidays. A place for the “rides”
and pure family- or childlike- fun for all ages, versus a stimulating, thought-provoking, and / or educational and global experience. Yes, perhaps more adult-oriented versus the magic kingdom, but intentionally so. Although it was a growth experience for young people as well, but just not as exciting and adrenalin inducing. Now the crowds have outgrown the magic Kingdom, so much so, that I feel Disney is trying to make epcot more like the magic kingdom in order to attract the children and families. For two reasons really. Draw more crowds away from the magic Kingdom for part of their disney stay, and let’s not forget increasing the potential profits. Thus I disagree with Angela, because “rides” won’t keep more people off the crowded walkways- it will bring more families, children, and crowds there! I don’t get her thinking. I do agree with her that epcot, especially the world showcase, need to be upgraded, updated, more often, so that it is not always the same to return visitors. But it can do that within the keeping of a cultural, more adult, manner than bringing in “rides”- oops “attractions”. Expand MK if they must, but don’t change the intent and beauty of what was epcot, with crassness. All in the name greed imho.
P.S. The more I think about it, the more bothered I become. There are already THREE other parks that revolve around “attractions” and shows and characters, which are inarguably more child / family oriented. There was one park that was oriented towards adults and enlightened families that wanted to expose their more mature and we’ll-behaved children to more educational experiences in a fun way, even if they ARE on vacation. Learning can be fun too. Just in a different way, than a classroom. That was the target audience for epcot. For families on a brief stay, if they are going to not visit one park, it would be epcot, because it is not enticing, or maybe would even be boring, for their children Their three days would be spent at the other three parks. Epcot was slower paced rather than frenzied and frenetic, and child-oriented, and that is exactly what it was MEANT to be. It is about to be ruined from what I am reading, in the name of upgrading the existing, or expanding thru additions. That is not true. They will be changing the very fabric and environment of epcot. A relaxing, leisurely, more adult- or serious- minded audience, and the only one available in WDW. All to increase attendance, whether that be to draw off the overflow from other over crowded parks, to keep families there longer like four days instead of three to go to every park, or to increase their profits in any and all ways possible- ie more character-oriented dining, souvenirs, or what have you. So alas, the haven of peace for adults, which is exactly how I at least, felt about it will be no more. EPCOT in its present state, is a major reason I went to WDW. A day at MK now and then just to be a kid again, but could and did pass up the other two parks even though I had annual passes. They don’t appeal so much to adults without children. So for the children epcot will gain, it will lose adults. The stations for children creating the masks in each country, or the find Dora or whichever scavenger hunt, and the few rides like little mermaid or three callbereros, and the live shows (even tho they featured no characters) that each country featured was enough. Otherwise leave it alone. Let one park be the way Walt intended and appealing to a different audience. Or does our demographic not spend enough on snacks and pins and tee shirts?And while you’re at it get rid of the flower and garden festival because kids could care less about topiaries or gardening shows. And get rid of the fall international food and wine festival because it is not for kids, no explanation necessary. And get rid of the summer music shows in front of the american pavilion because it is retro groups for us baby boomers. Yeah you’ll lose a lot of us for sure. I’d be better off coming once a year if that, but no need to have annual passes, as I went to epcot several times per week just to indulge in the peacefulness and beauty. Not like an amusement park but like a real PARK. It will be no more according to these plans. But I’m sure the money crunchers and the imagineers all love the idea. What about the rest of us? Or at least the MATURE customer? Do you want to lose us baby boomers who are now the major demographic, or do the fewer but younger customers spend so much more money on junk after the initial tickets that it offsets the loss of the previously targeted and loyal audience? Let us keep some of our memories and traditions intact. Keep a place unique to us. If not, I have one word: Greed.
P.S. Rename EPCOT as MAGIC KINGDOM II. Turn the cultural shows of each pavillion – the music, the dancing, the drums, the pantomime, etc. Into shows with a fake costumed stuffed character from a Disney movie. Attractions like aquaculture and aquaponics are entertaining and educational. The history of the evolution of man is educational and entertaining. Seeing Lou the manatee is entertaining and educational. And if you EVER get rid of Figment, forget it! He is old school and lame and there is no movie about him. So he is probably on the chopping block. Even though he is appealing to all ages and has a MESSAGE. He also is educational and entertaining. Just because he isn’t new, or high-tech or have a movie, doesn’t mean that all ages can’t appreciate him. So folks, buy plenty of paraphernalia in that gift shop to keep him alive! That’s apparently what it’s all about. Characters? Purchases of character merchandise? Money makers? Too bad.
At first, I thought that the artist’s rendering of the new hotel between Swan and Dolphin was something Derek Burgan cooked up as a joke for the Saturday Six. It’s getting easier and easier to believe Disney would be OK with that since what I think of as their “standards” have been greatly relaxed in the recent years.
I do enjoy your blog, though, thanks for all your hard work!
I’m a huge Disney World fan and have been many times. I feel like Epcot is getting cheapened a bit with big rides found in the countries. It’s going to be so much more crowded there and I enjoy that is’t not usually awful. I’m fine with future world getting an update but not liking all the changes to the world showcase.
Imagineer Tony Baxter already created the ultimate Mary Poppins ride decades ago. It was called “Jolly Holiday”. Here’s the link:
https://youtu.be/WU6X1eLoVWI
Oh my gosh-this is so cool! Thanks for posting this and I encourage the other readers to go check out this link. This guy is truly an imagineer! What a vision he had way back when. This ride would have been “practically perfect”.
Most excited for a Jungle Book Water Ride. I’ve been pleading for one for years. What I don’t understand, is why didn’t they do one already in Animal Kingdom ( I mean, Jungle Book + Animal Kingdom = No Brainer) Instead of Avatar ( money not as well spent as it could’ve been on a high tech or even low tech Jungle Book ride.) I honestly want to hear the I Wanna Be Like You and Bare Necessities playing while hanging with Mowgli and Baloo. And Please Imagineers, give me a Cave of Wonders Ride and go crazy tech on it. I want to travel with Aladdin on the magic carpet into the Cave, see the gold, find the lamp, escape into safety with a high-tech, larger than life genie and all that fabulous music! The spinner is nice, but either a high-tech adventure or a 7 dwarfs experience would do. *sigh* IMHO, the hotel is by far the worst design out of everything mentioned.
I actually yelled out loud in excitement when I heard about the proposed Mary Poppins attraction. (She’s my FAVORITE!) Then I groaned out loud when I heard it was going to be a spinner. UGH!! If Disney is going simple, than the carousel idea would be so much better. Fingers crossed that more imaginative minds prevail.
Agreed! At least a carousel would be in keeping with the movie!
Tom, I always enjoy reading your posts. They are so very well-written and almost always share my own opinions (haha). While I understand and appreciate the need to add more “life” to Epcot, perhaps through attractions being inserted into pavillions, I’m not sure they need to be something of that caliber. A Mary Poppins spinner, in my opinion, would be grotesque to the beauty of the England Pavillion. I think if rides are to be inserted they need to remain “hidden” indoors like Frozen so as not to remove the feeling of having traveled to another country for those who just truly enjoy to experience the reality of another culture. That being said,I would very much love to see an India Pavillion
While I wouldnt mind seeing the Mary Poppins merry-go-round, I dont think I want it out in tje middle of world passport…. if they somehow put it in a new park like area in the backnornj off to the side where people are drawing chalk art on the sidewalks similar to in the movie, I think it then becomes plausible… It has to be worked into the area though
I agree with the comments about a carousel. Not only Are they pretty, but it fits with both the movie and the land. Kudos if they could have the horses “jump” off and go in a figure 8 or something that could still be astheitically pleasing (and/or not intrusive) and a smaller footprint. That bit might cost money to develop, but a classic carousel wouldn’t.
I don’t mind characters in WS, but I do prefer they are from a real country. I get that Frozen was massive and still holds, but…ugh. It’s a fake place in a “real” place.
I am so upset about this Mary Poppins ride. Let me just say that Mary Poppins is my favorite live action Disney movie of all time, full stop. So a Mary Poppins ride should shoot me over the Disney moon. The rumor on this one does NOT. The UK pavilion, and in particular that garden, is one of my absolute favorite spots in Disney and to think they’re going to rip it apart for a SPINNER is too much devastation. There’s so much land there….expand! I do not get it. Second, I’m of your same mind when it comes to the IP situation in EPCOT. Characters in their appropriate countries is awesome. A gigantic GoTG tower and characters invading all the rides is not what EPCOT is supposed to look like. And I’ll tell you what else… I will be HEARTBROKEN if the show that replaces Illuminations is characters abound akin to Happily Ever After, etc. Ugh…so fired up, lol.
Oh that tower is SO UGLY! Didn’t Disney get any say/final approval? (By the way we love the Dolphin and Swan.)
Is there a new department called UN-imagineering? LOL
For my idea I would make a Mary Poopins ride based on the Peter Pan technology. It would be cool to “fly” with Mary and her umbrella up to the rooftops where the chimney sweeps dance and up where the kites fly. And then go back down to the bank and “feed the birds” animatronic if course.
If not, then some version of the carousel would be my second choice. And I love the idea of the horses coming off the carousel onto a track (I.e after you leave the loading zone). Is it really that hard for Disney to figure that out? The Carousel is a circular loading platform until you get far enough around to obscure the loading view-maybe 270 degrees? And if it is a continuous track ride then ponies could be added during high demand.
That new hotel building is aptly described- the office building so many of us are coming to ESCAPE! I do love the idea of another country (REAL ones!) and ride, and I hope they stay away from more blacklight themed rides- enough glow in the dark already.. Not only has EPCOT’s future world veered so far away from the future, but now World Showcase is leaning Fantasy Land. I agree with above writers re the smaller changes being cheaply done and muddling the thematic waters- more big, bold excitement, and more theming is needed.
Good grief, a spinner is the best they can come up with. I agree with many previous posters, a really nice carousel that plays Mary Poppins music on a carousel organ would be MUCH more appropriate and fit much better and relatively the same budget. You could even plus the stupid thing by putting it indoors and have the walls be giant projection mapped screens that would put you right in the 2D animated world of the original movie. Come on imagineers, you can do better that a spinner.
Ohhhh! I love this idea!