Epcot has kicked off its reinvention in a big way in 2019, with the opening of The Epcot Experience Center as well as the Epcot Forever nighttime spectacular. However, Disney isn’t done just yet, as two more additions are coming before the end of the year, plus an early 2020 character experience has just been announced for this park as well!
1. Regal Eagle Smokehouse: Craft Drafts & Barbecue (Winter 2019)
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Walt Disney World has announced a new fast-casual barbecue restaurant that will replace the former Liberty Inn quick service restaurant in the American Adventure pavilion. This new location, which will be named Regal Eagle Smokehouse: Craft Drafts & Barbecue will open just in time for the holiday season, and will include several BBQ-inspired menu items, including an all-American burger topped with BBQ pork and an onion ring and a plant-based BBQ burger made with a plant-based patty topped with BBQ jackfruit served on vegan garlic toast.
Though no specific opening date has been confirmed yet, Disney has said that this location will open in a few weeks, just in time for the holiday season!
2. Space 220 (Late 2019)
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Though Space 220 might seem like a strange name for a restaurant at Walt Disney World, the number actually refers to the number of miles above Earth diners will have to “travel” to get to this new dining location, which will be opening later this year at the Mission: Space pavilion.
Though Disney hasn’t shared all the details yet, guests who show up to the entrance of this new restaurant will be able to board a special elevator outfitted with windows that let guests take in the views of the earth below them as they blast off into space and travel from Earth to this out-of-this-world dining location.
Then once guests step into the dining room, they will be able to see amazing views of space with intergalactic scenery in the background, including a space station and a friendly astronaut floating nearby. Diners will be waited on by an international crew, and then, once their meal has concluded, will ride the elevator once again to return to Earth from their space dining experience.
No specific details on the menu have been made available yet, but we do know that this dining location will will offer internationally-inspired cuisine courtesy of Executive Chef Theo Schoenegger (who previously worked at Maria & Enzo’s Ristorante) as well as over 1000 bottles of wine and craft beer will be available when Space 220 opens before the end of the year
3. Mickey Mouse Imagination meet and greet (Early 2020)
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Because of Epcot’s central spine redesign, many of the character meet and greets in this park have had to move to new locations. However, soon guests will be able to meet Mickey Mouse in a new permanent meet and greet area in the Imagination Pavilion as part of the Disney & Pixar Short Film Festival. Mickey Mouse will be moving in to a new area of the indoor queue space for this attraction and have a special film strip background that will showcase this beloved characters’ history.
4. Awesome Planet (January 2020)
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Earlier this yearDisney announced Awesome Planet, a brand new original film especially designed for Epcot, which will be coming to the Land Pavilion in the space formerly occupied by Circle of Life: An Environmental Fable. Here’s the official description:
An on-screen exploration of the realm we call home, showcases the spectacular beauty, diversity and dynamic story of our earth with all the grandeur guests have come to expect.
With spectacular nature photography, immersive in-theater effects, and space sequences created by none other than Industrial Light & Magic (which provided the cinematic foundation for the Star Wars franchise), “Awesome Planet” will stir Epcot guests and deliver an environmental message that will resonate far beyond its final scenes.
Of course, this description is fairly general and vague, but the concept behind this new film still sounds really interesting and the ecologically-friendly message in Awesome Planet is definitely something that will align with the overall theme of the Land Pavilion, but will hopefully feel more up-to-date than its Lion King-themed predecessor. We’re also excited about the prospect of the Harvest Theater being upgraded to facilitate the special effects detailed above in the description of the new show.
5. Canada: Far and Wide (January 2020)
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The current O Canada circle-vision attraction closed in August 2019, and will be replaced by an all new Circle-Vision 360 movie at Epcot’s Canada pavilion, which will open in January 2020. Using all new seamless digital technology, the new 360 movie, Named Canada: Far and Wide, will include new scenes, story and music.
6. Beauty and the Beast Singalong (January 2020)
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Last year it was announced that a brand new new Beauty and the Beast sing-along attraction would be coming to Epcot’s France pavilion, and will play in the theater that is currently home to “Impressions de France.”This new show will play in addition to the French film, and is being created by Don Hahn, producer of the animated and live-action “Beauty and the Beast” film. This new film will debut early next year.
7. Wondrous China (TBA 2020)
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A brand new film named Wondrous China be coming to Epcot’s China Pavilion sometime in the near future. Presented in a new seamless digital 360 degree format, the movie will include new scenes, music and locations. Because of the seamless format, the current CircleVision theater is being refurbished, and this film will open sometime next year.
8. HarmonioUS (TBA 2020)
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Though Epcot Forever will run in 2019, in 2020, a new permanent nighttime spectacular named HarmonioUS will debut. This new show will be a celebration of Disney music, and will show how Disney music inspires people around the globe, and will feature large floating set pieces, custom-built LED panels, kites with special effects, choreographed moving fountains, lights, pyrotechnics, and lasers. Confirmed Disney IPs that will be featured in this new production include Coco, Hercules, and Moana. Moving forward, this will be the permanent replacement for IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth, and the infrastructure for this show is under construction as we speak.
9. Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure (Summer 2020)
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Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure, the new name for the Ratatouille: L’Aventure Totalement Toquée de Rémy ride which is being cloned for Epcot is now under construction and is set to open in Summer 2020. This Ratatouille-themed 3-D dark ride will use trackless technology to “shrink” guests down to the size of a rat, and is being constructed in an expansion pad behind the France pavilion.
10. Crêperie hybrid restaurant (Summer 2020)
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The most recently-announced addition to the France pavilion is a brand new unamed hybrid quick/table service restaurant that will feature the cuisine of celebrity chef Jérôme Bocuse, the mastermind behind the pavilion’s Chefs de France brasserie and its celebration of gourmet cuisine, Monsieur Paul. This new location will feature a menu inspired by the Brittany region of France, and will have savory crepes called galettes and sweet crepes. And though the France pavilion already has plenty of places to eat (this will be the fifth dining location in this pavilion), this new hybrid restaurant should be a nice addition to the lineup with a simple menu with familiar options.
This new location will open in summer 2020, alongside the afroementioned Ratatouille attraction.
11. Spaceship Earth: Our Shared Story (TBA 2021)
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As part of the Parks and Resorts Panel at the 2019 D23 Expo, it was announced that Epcot‘s iconic Spaceship Earth attraction will be transformed with new scenes reflecting the universal nature of the human experience as well as a new guide and narration that will “focus on the storytelling that brings people together”.
Spaceship Earth will adjusting its theme away from the history of communication and “towards storytelling”, which will be reflected by the new Spacehip Earth: Our Shared Story name, which was recently confirmed with the opening of the Epcot Experience preview center earlier this year.
This new version of this attraction will have a new narrator in the form of a story “Light”, that will guide guests through this enhanced attraction, that will include both familiar scenes with plussed up effects (as you can see above), and into new scenes as well. This new character will be present in every scene and will also be speaking to guests throughout the attraction, explaining how storytelling has changed throughout time.
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Disney has announced that as part of this massive overhaul, they will be creating a brand new exit area called Dreamers Point which will include lush gardens, a wishing tree, an interactive new fountain and a new statue celebrating the legacy of the original dreamer, Walt Disney.
This refurbishment will be a massive undertaking and though Disney hasn’t announced a closing timetable yet, we’d imagine that guests who want to experience this ride in its original form will probably want to do so before the end of the year, as rumors currently suggest that this attraction will close early next year, and will remain shuttered until sometime in 2021, when the new version is expected to open.
12. Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind (TBA 2021)
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It has been almost two years since Disney confirmed during the 2017 D23 Expo in Anaheim that a Guardians of the Galaxy-inspired attraction, and now during the most recent 2019 D23 Expo it was revealed that this new thrilling new attraction will be named Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind!
Disney has developed a new ride system for this attraction that will feature elevated roller coaster trains that conceal track underneath, and can also move independently, spinning around to face screens or setpieces, similar to the roller coaster trains used by Universal’s Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts attraction.
Disney has also announced that this attraction will be a first-of-its kind roller coaster that will feature a new innovation from Walt Disney Imagineering a special ride vehicle that rotates 360 degrees so guests can focus attention on the action of the ride.
13 Journey of Water: Inspired by Moana (TBA)
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Disney announced recently that the first-ever attraction based on the Walt Disney Animation Studios hit film Moana is coming to Epcot. Named Journey of Water, Inspired by Moana, this new attraction will let guests interact with magical, living water in a beautiful and inspiring setting. Though we don’t know exactly where this new walkthrough attraction will go, we’d guess that it will be some part of the reimagined Central Spine of the park, which will lead to new lands in the area of the park formerly known as Future World.
14 Unnamed Mary Poppins attraction (TBA)
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In an effort to inject IP into almost every feasible corner of Epcot, Disney has announced that the UK pavilion in the World Showcase will be getting a Mary Poppins facelift in the near future, with some notable additions now confirmed to be coming to this part of the park.
Disney has announced that as part of the Mary Poppins enhancements to the UK pavilion they will be building entirely new neighborhood at the pavilion: Cherry Tree Lane. This new section of this part of the park will have recreations of Admiral Boom’s house as well as Number 17, which is of course the iconic home of the Banks family.
Though guests will only be able to look at Admiral Boon’s House, they will actually be able to enter Number 17 Cherry Tree Lane, to see a recreation of the house made famous by the Mary Poppins films. And once they enter this house, they will be able to “start their adventure”, as this will lead to some kind of attraction. Disney has not shared what kind of attraction this will be, but rumors seem to indicate that there will be some kind of carousel or themed flat ride in this space
15. “Play” Pavilion (TBA 2021)
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After more than a decade being used as a Festival Center, it looks like the Wonders of Life pavilion is finally being turned into attraction space once again, and is being re-designed and re-branded as Future World’s new “Play” pavilion (we’re not quite sure if this is the official name or not). This updated space will be designed to look like an innovative indoor city that’ll come to life with interactive experiences, including ones that will include Disney characters. Though no specific IPs or attractions have been confirmed for this new pavilion, the concept art above features Mickey Mouse, as well as characters from Inside Out, Zootopia, the Aristocats, Sleeping Beauty, Peter Pan and Frozen, which is certainly exciting for Disney character fans!
Though no specific opening date was given for this area, Disney did confirm that this new pavilion will open just in time for the 50th anniversary of Walt Disney World Resort in 2021. Zach Riddley, portfolio executive, Walt Disney Imagineering had this to say about this new “Play” pavilion:
“This innovative, new pavilion is beyond anything we’ve ever created and is completely unique to Epcot. Built on the power of play, it introduces an immersive and interactive ‘city’ where you can explore, create, and interact with some of your favorite Disney characters. This is an experience worthy of our bold vision for Epcot – and another signature element of our transformation.”
16. Permanent Festival Center (TBA)
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A permanent Festival center for Epcot’s signiture events is coming to the central area of the park. This location will host live events, and will provide a stunning elevated view of the entire park and an ideal spot to witness Epcot’s nighttime spectacular: HarmoniUS. This beautiful three-level structure will have one of the most remarkable architectural designs at any Disney park, featuring a plaza level, a middle expo level, and a garden area on the top level.
