Over at the EPCOT Central blog they’re making what some might consider a radical suggestion – adding an environmental awareness overlay to the whole park. Where did he come up with that idea? He was inspired after seeing Al Gore’s An Inconvienent Truth.
As I watched Gore talk about transportation, energy, farming, the
world’s oceans and the use of satellite imagery and the Internet, it
dawned on me that he was talking about all of the basic concepts
inherent in EPCOT Center. Not the hyper-commercialized, overly
thrillivized Epcot that exists now, but the EPCOT Center that was
originally conceived by Disney.
What do you think? Would you goto a park that was going to hit you over the head with a ‘care for the earth or lose it’ message?
I haven’t seen the movie myself, so I can’t comment on it, but I wouldn’t be adverse to a little more of the ‘save the world’ message, especially it it was made practical for the average guest to make a difference. (Link)
[ disney, epcot, al+gore, an+inconvienent+truth, movie, documentary, imagineer, imagineering, epcot+central ]
Epcot adopting an Algore-sponsored theme would be enough to make me NOT ever go to the park again.
I’d much prefer to not be nagged about that nonsense while trying to enjoy my vacation.
Chris
http://amateureconblog.blogspot.com/
Ditto the above comments. EPCOT does not need to head the route of the preacher. It was a little too much that way when they first opened and has only really been cool (with Test Track and Nemo themed attractions) in the last several years. If they start preaching Green to me, I won’t be back til it fails and its over.
I go to Disney to escape reality. This would be a major mistake!
I’m tired of everyone trying to consider and realize Walt Disney’s dreams and hopes for his parks. Disney doesn’t need a conscience, they already have the cricket. Besides, the environment is overrated. Next thing you know they’ll start encouraging book learnin’. I say they gut Spaceship Earth and all that preachy peace stuff and put in a ride that tells the truth about the dangers of trees and the benefits of oil. They could paint the outside to look like a big orange 76 ball. Also, if they took out some of that future farming stuff they could put in a bigger smoking area- that’s what they really need.
Upon further thought, maybe it would be okay if limited to Fantasyland. ;-)
I say it is DISNEY’s WORLD. Let’s see a little more of Walt’s ideas expressed. And BTW the majority of the world and the US do like and want to see and experience the interconnectedness of all species.
Sounds interesting to me. Some mention of the implications of our actions would work, just put the signs in a location where all of the morbidly obese folks can read it from their motorized carts.
I also agree there ought to be more smoking areas and less “pre-show” chatter. Let us get on the attractions where we can chatter with our travelmates, speed through everywhere so we can do it all in one day.
Maybe fill the fountains with soda, too, to free up room in our fannypacks
So how much energy do the Disney Parks use daily? No offense, but to have some kind of environmentally themed Disney Park is ridiculous. If Disney wants to preach about saving energy and the environment then shut them all down, raze them, and build campsites in the swamp. Mickey and friends can sing kumbaya around the simulated campfire (no carbon emissions from firewood, please). BTW, Walt’s city of the future didn’t exactly look like it was built by a bunch of Ewoks.
Would you goto a park that was going to hit you over the head with a ‘care for the earth or lose it’ message?
Well, I do go to DAK once in a while…
There are so many experts that say so many different things, how would you decide what to put into the park? What’s correct? Its rather costly to design and manufacture any major changes to one of the parks, and if you picked the wrong one – oops!
Not only that, but there’s quite enough preaching at DAK if you ask me – let’s leave EPCOT for technology and culture. I agree with the bulk of the posters above.
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