Earlier this month, the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando opened CommuniCore Hall and CommuniCore Plaza in Epcot, ending years of major renovations at the theme park. The new spaces are billed as the hub for Epcot festivals and home to a new stage show, "Celebracion Encanto!"; a new eatery; and a character meet-and-greet area. Overall, a park that was two distinct areas, World Showcase and Future World, now has four, with Future World transformed into World Nature, World Discovery and World Celebration. Greg Antonelle, owner of the Windermere, Fla.-based agency MickeyTravels, spoke with Travel Weekly senior editor Jamie Biesiada about the changes and what's still to come.
Greg Antonelle
Q: Construction walls are finally down. Now that we can fully see the new Epcot, what are your thoughts?
A: Finally! I joke, but my blog, MickeyBlog, was only a couple of months old when Disney announced the Epcot overhaul. The blog just celebrated its seventh anniversary. Still, I commend Disney for its approach here. The Epcot Center of 1982 proved unsustainable and not really what tourists wanted from the park. The infotainment attractions/pavilions, which I happen to love, came across as a bit preachy to many guests. Also, keeping Future World ahead of the technology curve wasn't realistic, and it was expensive for Disney even to try.
What people really want to do at Epcot is hang out, relax, eat, shop and enjoy themselves. World Celebration Gardens and CommuniCore Hall and Plaza are ideal spaces for this particular park. Because of all the festivals, there's a different approach to a park day at Epcot. The new updates lean into that tourist behavior. So it's a welcome change overall.
Q: It seems like there are still a lot of announcements coming about how, exactly, the hall and plaza will be used. Is that your impression?
A: I suspect that's a feature, not a bug. Disney wanted a general usage space it could overhaul as needed to meet sudden demand. For instance, the popularity of "Encanto" justifies a show. In the future, if Disney has a similar idea about [recent box office hit] "Inside Out 2," it could quickly overhaul parts of this area for a show and/or character spot.
A couple of years ago, Disney could have struck more quickly with "Encanto" when the iron was hot. And it could have done something with "Avatar: The Way of Water," too. To an extent, CommuniCore is a giant flex space that could switch content regularly.
Q: How would you like to see those spaces used?
A: I think Disney should use it as a marketing machine. You can generate more interest in projects this way. As an example, had this space been open last year, "Wish" might have suffered a slightly better fate. A character greeting with Star [a character in "Wish"], or live performances of "This Wish" [a song from the film] might have heightened awareness.
During the holidays, Disney typically sets up live recordings in the Cinderella Castle courtyard or with the Hollywood Tower Hotel as a backdrop. This CommuniCore space should become an anchor part of such Disney presentations.
Also, I believe Disney should lean into its hottest franchises as much as possible. The company doesn't own "Bluey," but it's the hottest show on Disney+. "Bluey" is something that could go into CommuniCore and drive tourist engagement at a level the parks probably haven't seen since the "Frozen Fever" days [around 2015].
Q: Any other thoughts on Epcot's future?
A: I'm excited for what comes next with Test Track [currently undergoing a renovation]. Historically, when GM/Chevrolet [the attraction's sponsor] has asked for changes, the next version has dramatically improved the experience. Test Track 3.0 should be incredible.