Think Epcot's Communicore is Ugly?

[Mr. Banks]

So do the lovely Pixar and Disney professionals behind Re-Imagineering.

Check out the recent post at: http://imagineerebirth.blogspot.com/ and chime in with your own perspective!

[TDLFAN]

Re: Think Epcot's Communicore is Ugly?

I wholeheartedly agree with that blog. CommuniCore, as originally designed was simple, understated and fit the vision of a stylish future. Whether the original look of CommuniCore was bound to pass the test of time.. we won't know. But the so-called improvements to this area for the Millenium Celebration and the changes done since the badly executed Innoventions, this area of EPCOT Center is simply a mess. The purple columns are garrish, the diamond tent is a cable nightmare extending over this area like a huge spider. I personally would like all of that, including that stupid Pins station GONE for good. And don't even get me started about the wand that has overstated it's welcomed....

So yes, EPCOT's once lovely Central Plaza is now Central Mess.

[flynnibus]

Re: Think Epcot's Communicore is Ugly?

The communications core room where they had all the feeds coming in.. showing all the 'information' flowing around the world was pretty neat back then. Too bad compares to about ESPN Zone today.

What's left of communicore certainly has my vote as the most downhill attraction at EPCOT.

[kcnole]

Re: Think Epcot's Communicore is Ugly?

It's not the characters being added to Epcot or the loss of Horizons, etc... that has me the most upset about what Epcot is right now. It's the bastardization of the wonderful architecture and landscape designs that once dotted Futureworld. The area around SSE was the most beautiful thing you could see. Now we've got tombstones and whatever the heck that silly looking stuff is all over the place. Someone completely lost the idea of what they were going for originally at Epcot and just made it ugly. I'd love to see a return to the simple designs that made Epcot such a beautiful complex.

[TDLFAN]

Re: Think Epcot's Communicore is Ugly?

HERE! HERE!!! Well said Seminole Fan.

GO KNIGHTS!!!!

[tloolgb]

Re: Think Epcot's Communicore is Ugly?

Okay, if that article wants to be unbiased it needs to show before and after photos from the same places which it isn't.

[flynnibus]

Re: Think Epcot's Communicore is Ugly?

the sad thing is.. what's that park in france with all the ultra modern architechure? The original EPCOT FW made me think/feel like that place does.. now it.. well... FRANCE seems more Futuristics then FW!

[TDLFAN]

Re: Think Epcot's Communicore is Ugly?

Okay, if that article wants to be unbiased it needs to show before and after photos from the same places which it isn't.

The article I saw *DID* show pictures, but then again, I am an old timer, I remember what it was like versus what it is now, and trust me... the NOW is pretty much down hill.

[kcnole]

Re: Think Epcot's Communicore is Ugly?

you only really need one before and after picture to show you that they have no understanding of what made Epcot the most beautiful park anywhere. That picture is SSE.

Take a look at an old picture, long before the wand, long before the tombstones out front. At that point, it was simple. There was a beautiful piece of architecture, a nice moving line of monorail, and beautiful landscaping around the sphere that really pointed to the immaculate beauty that is SSE.

Now we've got that horrible wand making the whole sphere lose its wonderful symetry. We lose the view up the promenade with the landscaping pointing towards SSE and now have those god awful ugly memory stones. And then if it wasn't bad enough, they didn't figure the architecture of them would actually be understood by people, so they took a sticker of the tombstones and stuck them on the legs of SSE. They've ruined the look of that area.

But I'll go further. Epcot was known for the architecture of its pavilians. The sleek designs. Heck, even the imagineers talk about it in their imagineering guides. Ever pavilian was designed to work with the ones around, to use sleek elegant lines and subtle statements. The best one was World of Motion. It was just a simple wheel design, but when first boarding the ride you moved through the outside briefly and received one of the most beautiful views of the park, of SSE and Horizons in the distance.

Now what do we have in the place of WoM? We have an overworked, garish, and way too busy front that just doesn't fit with the rest of the architecture of FW in anyway. I have no problem with the ride. But the thing the park is losing is its once perfect landscaping and architecture. Where once it all worked together in a cohesive canvas of beauty, it now just feels like it's thrown together and that's a shame. I can understand losing Horizons and WOM even though I miss Horizons greatly. I can understand needing to add some characters to the parks for the kids. What I can't understand is why we've taken one of the most beautiful parks ever made and destroying its character.

[TDLFAN]

Re: Think Epcot's Communicore is Ugly?

You know what I miss the most? The acrylic structures that used to point upwards in the center of the fountain out front by Spaceship Earth. I loved how they had the EPCOT Center logo on them and how the acrylic glass changed colors at night.

[horizonsfan92]

Re: Think Epcot's Communicore is Ugly?

I'm only going to say a few things...If I had to choose then or now, I'm sure you guys could guess which one I'd choose

I feel that the original Communicore design was more serene, intelligent, and soothing. I also feel that it could use a little oomph. How it was executed for the millenium was VERY poor planning. I have and never will like innoventions. The signs seem like they belong on PI rather than at Epcot. Something that always comes to mind for me whenever I walk into Innoventions is: with it's dark interior and chaotic environment it leads to a subconscience feeling that the future is unclear, unpredictable, and overwhelming. Communicore's look, while semi-dated, made a bright, comforting, and safe future. Obviously something had to be done to Communicore, it reeked the 80's. What has happened is not the answer. Simple changes could be made. What keeps me hopefull is what happened with Ice Station Cool. They removed the HIGHLY out of place arctic theme with a simple, classic Epcot entrance. If Innoventions got one thing semi-right it's that the future is sometimes unpredictable.

Well that probably made little sense and was more than a few things but I had to get it off my chest.

[SpectroMan]

Re: Think Epcot's Communicore is Ugly?

You know what I miss the most? The acrylic structures that used to point upwards in the center of the fountain out front by Spaceship Earth. I loved how they had the EPCOT Center logo on them and how the acrylic glass changed colors at night.

Same here. And on my recent trip last week, I was thinking....that fountain in front of SSE still has a nice empty spot in the middle of it...can't they just plop it down there? It's gotta still be in storage.

[figment1986]

Re: Think Epcot's Communicore is Ugly?

Same here. And on my recent trip last week, I was thinking....that fountain in front of SSE still has a nice empty spot in the middle of it...can't they just plop it down there? It's gotta still be in storage.

mouse surplus sold one of 3 parts i think...

but they can recreate it with fiber glass.. and fiber optics... imagine how cool it could look at night changing colors randomly...

[Evoulie]

Re: Think Epcot's Communicore is Ugly?

What Be A Communicore?

[MickeyMania]

Re: Think Epcot's Communicore is Ugly?

First of all, this is not the first time this poster has just made a thread to promote his site. That's what Community Outpost is for.

I personally feel that Epcot and MGM are seriously lacking for shade. It's absurd to have so much space in Florida with no shady options. I'm talking about places like the MGM plaza before the booths, the Epcot entrance plaza, and yes, if not for all the changes CommuniCore would be like that, too.

Yeah, I realize that clean sightlines with simple shapes mingling among the skyline looks very sci-fi, but in the middle of a Florida summer give me shade ANYTIME!

[figment1986]

Re: Think Epcot's Communicore is Ugly?

What Be A Communicore?

long long time ago, when epcot was new through right before 1994, communicore was an area where sponsors of the park could have displays for thigns they do... it was to showcase future items of theres.. as well as other sponsors...

eventually they lost this space and changed everything over to the current innoventions at Epcot...

the older building had more natureal light, and such... currently most of the windows are covered up or removed... (a dark future?)

[yoyoflamingo]

Re: Think Epcot's Communicore is Ugly?

You know what I miss the most? The acrylic structures that used to point upwards in the center of the fountain out front by Spaceship Earth. I loved how they had the EPCOT Center logo on them and how the acrylic glass changed colors at night.

I agree 100% Miss the way that fountain used to look. The only thing I can think of that I miss more in the original EPCOT is the fountain in the middle of Sunshine Seasons Food Fair at the Land, back when the Land was a peaceful, calming pavilion.

Oh, and World of Motion, and Horizons, and....

[captsmith84]

Re: Think Epcot's Communicore is Ugly?

I miss the Hydrolators...

[BigPigletFan]

Re: Think Epcot's Communicore is Ugly?

I miss the Hydrolators...

Me too... :croll:

Hey! I've read parts of it... but anyone notice how our Spookybear's shirts are linked? :cgrin:

It's too bad that the only Epcot... err, rather, Ep-ity-cot that I know is the one that exisits now. Forgive me?

[Jerren]

Re: Think Epcot's Communicore is Ugly?

Hmm any way they could add the signs but keep the shade? Sorry but as a red head with a family of red heads we really need some shade now and then. Look around epcot on a quiet hot day, your see pple standing under the monorail track shadows trying to get shade.... Sorry but I have to agree with Mickey mania on this one.