The State of Epcot

[belloq87]

Some people "in the know" elsewhere on the net have basically confirmed that if World Showcase gets a new country (which is more likely than not as of right now), it's almost certainly going to be Brazil. Any thoughts?

There could certainly be some nice architecture, and I've heard people rave about the food. Not sure what sort of attraction they could make, but after years of World Showcase neglect, I guess I'll settle for a new, very well themed pavilion as an attraction in itself if it comes to that.

 

[Nick]

To add to what you said, all insiders are saying if any new country gets built, a ride is a certainty. All new countries being proposed have rides packaged in as more ride capacity is thought as a necessity in WS.

 

[Mad Dog]

Some people "in the know" elsewhere on the net have basically confirmed that if World Showcase gets a new country (which is more likely than not as of right now), it's almost certainly going to be Brazil. Any thoughts?

There could certainly be some nice architecture, and I've heard people rave about the food. Not sure what sort of attraction they could make, but after years of World Showcase neglect, I guess I'll settle for a new, very well themed pavilion as an attraction in itself if it comes to that.

I've eaten at a few Brazilian restaurants when I visited NYC. The food was unique, interesting & very good.

 

[UAN17]

Should make for a decent dance festival at least.

Not quite sure what theme they'd go for, for a ride though

 

[Mad Dog]

Should make for a decent dance festival at least.

Not quite sure what theme they'd go for, for a ride though

"Brazilian Attraction concept" Queue: Queue jumping OK and encouraged. Riders are equipped with metal arm pads so they can elbow their way past people in front of them...Ride: Participants are equipped with large bullhorns and various noisemakers as their open people mover cars snake through a track winding around the front of the World Showcase. Riders are given buckets of popcorn so they can throw popcorn at bystanders. Screens are mounted on the front of the cars. Various chants in Portuguese are flashed on the screen & riders are encouraged to shout out the chants.

 

[jtsalien]

I've eaten at a few Brazilian restaurants when I visited NYC. The food was unique, interesting & very good.

Yeah forget an attraction. Just give us a really good Brazilian steakhouse and I'll be good opcorn:

But really, I'd be shocked. Like has been talked about in thread, World Showcase doesn't need more countries, it just needs more things to do. France, the UK, and a couple other countries have to be much easier to find a ride/IP for than Brazil.

 

[Nick]

This concept art was drawn up for a Brazil pavilion only a few years ago (credit to Lee at WDWMagic for releasing this image):



The concept art is from 2014.

 

[Parkscope Joe]

This concept art was drawn up for a Brazil pavilion only a few years ago (credit to Lee at WDWMagic for releasing this image):

View attachment 3948

Oh, that's really bad.

 

[Viator]

If it is real, my god that is terrible.

 

[WAJAS]

This concept art was drawn up for a Brazil pavilion only a few years ago (credit to Lee at WDWMagic for releasing this image):

View attachment 3948

lol what?

 

[Nick]

If I recall, that image surfaced around 2014-ish, so Brazil has been on the table for quite awhile.

Whether or not any of what is in that art survived to the new version is beyond me.

 

[jtsalien]

Oh, that's really bad.

I hope it's just a really bad Imaginations submission.

 

[belloq87]

The good thing about a potential Brazil ride is that there's no obvious IP tie-in. So it would appear likely to be an original attraction storyline, which would help offset some concerns about World Showcase becoming Fantasyland-lite.

 

[Honor_Knight]

What the hell is supposed to be the theme of the ride? Poverty?

 

[belloq87]

Oh, that's really bad.

It's certainly a long way from the days of this sort of thing...

 

[shiekra38]

It's certainly a long way from the days of this sort of thing...

To defend this, all of Epcot's original buildings had design purpose worked into their structure...At the time it was in the 80s therefore these "modern" structures look tacky...It's kind of bizzare...I often think of how modern structures in our time will age as I become older....Will I even notice?

 

[epcyclopedia]

Couple thoughts..

The artwork seems to be intentionally cropped to hide something else that was like around or adjacent or something in that image. I get the feel a marquee is clipped out.

And then looking at what it does show.. soccer. And that weird shaped building in the back (could be rocks? could be a building?) is meant to house a sort of 4D simulator that has you riding around in a POV of a soccer ball being kicked all around the great vistas of Brazil by the legends of the sport. That's literally the concept the people of Brazil wanted built back in the day.

How much that has survived or anything (or if this art even shows that, but the weird round shape suggest it does) remains to be seen.

This info came to me around when Norway was first going up for consideration as it lost its sponsor (sometime after 2002-ish) and i distinctly remember being like "Well, if that's what the people of Brazil want to represent them..."

 

[SkiBum]

To defend this, all of Epcot's original buildings had design purpose worked into their structure...At the time it was in the 80s therefore these "modern" structures look tacky...It's kind of bizzare...I often think of how modern structures in our time will age as I become older....Will I even notice?

The funny thing is that I like how those look. It's like a throwback and has a charm unto itself. I'm not huge into architecture and find some buildings to just look too weird. We primarily use the same style with more or less glass that has been used for a while. Building techniques have changed but the overall look remains the same. The 80's liked hexagons (outgrowth from the 70's) but they still look good. If they want EPCOT to have a futuristic feel, they should incorporate greenspace and water into the design. New architecture is all about green and nature. Buildings have rooftop gardens, bridges have plants and trees, former interstates and elevated rail lines are converted into parks. Go with clean lines, broad walkways, and tree-lined streets.

 

[SeventyOne]

There's a hugely popular Brazilian steakhouse on I-Drive (Texas de Brazil), a similar Argentinian concept in Crossroads. Think Ohana--would instantly be a signature dining hit on a par with Le Celier.

As for a ride, rain forest seems an obvious theme. Wasn't there some rain forest coaster planned for The Land when Soarin' was going to be its own pavilion? And while he's currently in Mexico, Jose the Parrot is technically Brazilian, if the Three Amigos get evicted for that new Pixar movie. Carnival also seems almost too on the nose but could easily be repurposed, to a show if not a ride.

 

[belloq87]

As for a ride, rain forest seems an obvious theme. Wasn't there some rain forest coaster planned for The Land when Soarin' was going to be its own pavilion? And while he's currently in Mexico, Jose the Parrot is technically Brazilian, if the Three Amigos get evicted for that new Pixar movie. Carnival also seems almost too on the nose but could easily be repurposed, to a show if not a ride.

Maybe the Imagineers could dig up their old concepts for the Venezuela pavilion's planned aerial tram ride through the jungle and repurpose/customize them for Brazil...