Until January 6th, guests at Epcot can enjoy El Mariachi Coco de Santa Cecilia in Mexico at Epcot. The group is performing songs from Coco including the beautiful ‘Remember Me’ and the heartwarming ‘The World Es Mi Familia’ at the outdoor character greeting location.
Sure, the Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival has been giving guest floral and topiary displays for over 20 years now, but what if it was something you could experience daily at the park?
As part of the ongoing expansion project for Epcot, an idea being kicked around is the “Gardens of Wonder”, which would be a series of displays at each pavilion that would capture the essence of that pavilion (Future World and World Showcase alike) and feature a Disney character or characters connected to the theme. These floral and topiary displays would welcome guests to each experience.
For example, Wall-E and Eve in topiary form would welcome guests to Mission: Space, while Anna and Elsa would do so in Norway. The idea is that every pavilion in World Showcase and Future World would receive one of these small gardens. It does make some sense based on the amount of green we see in concept art for the further development of Future World, so natural displays like these will be a big part of the park going forward. However, it would be intriguing to see how these would be maintained all year long, as opposed to just during a 3-month festival.
Concept art of the new look for Future World at Epcot
This idea has not been approved as of yet, and some recent shakeups in the new creative direction of Epcot may lead to this idea getting scrapped, but only time will tell.
Choza de Margarita has finally opened just outside of the Mexico pavilion in Epcot’s World Showcase.
Below, we take a look at the menu:
Here are a few of the items offered:
Tacos al Pastor, $9.25
Empanadas de Barbacoa, $9.75
Guacamole, $7.95
Wild Strawberry and Passion Mango Frozen Margarita, $10.50
Choza de Margarita is now open daily at Epcot.
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Released today at Epcot, there is now a line of World Showcase Epcot 35th Anniversary merchandise to accompany the Future World related items. Below you’ll find all of the items with a picture of the item’s price tag below it:
These items can currently be found at Disney Traders, near the very front of World Showcase at Epcot.
In addition to the “Eat to the Beat” Concert Series, featuring 11 new artists, guests will also want to look for new and returning acts in World Showcase at Epcot during this year’s Food and Wine Festival.
Suroît – New to Epcot, this renowned band hails from Canada’s Magdalen Islands in eastern Quebec. For four decades, their infectious sound has embraced influences from Cajun, Celtic, bluegrass and rock music. Join Suroît on the Mill Stage at the Canada pavilion, August 31 – October 1.
Margret Almer & The Bavarian Band – World-famous yodeler Margret Almer makes an encore appearance at Epcot this fall. She’ll be performing with The Bavarian Band at the Germany pavilion, beginning August 31 and continuing through the holiday season.
Musique Aramenco – Another returning favorite takes the stage at the Morocco pavilion September 1 – December 30. Musique Aramenco presents a fusion of traditional and modern Moroccan music.
Bodh’aktan – Back by popular demand, Bodh’aktan mixes Quebecois, folk and polka to make fantastic rock and dance music. After rocking stages across Quebec, the United States and Europe, this incredibly popular, kilted band is returning for an Epcot encore at the Canada pavilion October 2 – 22.
Raffy – This musical quartet makes their Epcot debut October 23 – November 26 on the Mill Stage. Raffy’s infectious energy has been embraced across Canada through a live tour, appearances on television and radio airplay of their first hit single.
Our latest photo report brings us to Epcot as we countdown to the extinction of the Universe of Energy, the start of the Food and Wine Festival, and the relaunch of Mission: Space…
On July 31st, Siemens packed up shop and abandoned the VIP Center at Spaceship Earth ahead of the end of their contract with Disney.
If you open the front door to the space, you are greeted by a screen telling you that it is closed and will not reopen.
We have a video and photo tour in case you never were able to experience the Siemens VIP Center:
VIPs of course could get “back-doored” onto Spaceship Earth.
The Siemens and Disney contract is set to expire September 30th, 2017, so expect the references to the company to vanish and Project Tomorrow to close by then.
With the Universe of Energy closing forever on August 13th to make way for the Guardians of the Galaxy roller coaster ride, Disney has stationed a PhotoPass photographer outside of the building.
As we near the closing, guests are certainly showing up in larger numbers to say goodbye…
At the exit, Disney has strategically placed a merchandise cart carrying the farewell merchandise for the attraction.
The bridge from Odyssey to Mexico has seen better days…
The repainting of the exterior of the Mexico pavilion continues, but apparently Disney isn’t happy with what they did. Above, you see blue paint starting to ascend the structure last week.
This week, the blue paint moving upwards on the structure vanished.
Work continues on Choza Tequila, now set to open during the Food and Wine Festival.
Some lovely new booths for the festival have popped up, like this one in Africa.
This new Italy booth is rather nice as well. Don’t forget that the Festival kicks off August 31st. And no, that’s not a typo… and I’m upset that it’s not (I don’t want to stand outside and eat hot food in August).
Club 33 preparations have moved into the lobby of the American Adventure.
The Chat Lounge will not return to the Food and Wine Festival this year as a result (also, it appears Chase is no longer a sponsor anyway).
The Torii Gate in Japan was repainted recently and is looking great!
The remodeling of the Mitsukoshi Department Store in Japan continues…
The pearl jewelry area in the store was moved to a new location that is quite nice.
A new jewelry area has opened further into the store.
They were sold out of Yunker, probably because we ate it on the last WDW News Tonight.
Over in MouseGear, there is some new apparel to be found.
The Electric Umbrella has begun to offer mobile ordering.
In what is becoming a more regular occurrence, we witnessed monorail teal getting towed through Epcot a few days ago…
With multiple sources now confirming, it seems likely that Brazil is the new country being added to World Showcase during the multi-year expansion and re-imagining of Walt Disney World’s Epcot. Likely location for the new Brazil pavilion at Epcot The pavilion is rumored to be going between the Italy and Germany pavilions in World Showcase, an empty 1.5 acre plot left for a future pavilion since the park opened in 1982. The pavilion will likely include an attraction, but there are nor rumblings as to what it might be at this time. Brazil will likely be announced for Epcot at the D23 Expo 2017 during the presentation on Walt Disney Parks and Resorts. This rumor dates back to a 2011 story run here on WDWNT.com.
Our latest photo report brings us to Epcot for the first time in a while, although I think the D23 Expo should bring us some news that will make trips to the park a lot more frequent for these reports… Vera Bradley has released an Alice in Wonderland collection at Disney Parks. Dooney and Bourke has a new version of the Sketch design for sale, a good upgrade on the old, IMO. Some new phone cases for sale. Disney seems to be favoring these hard plastic cases now, rather than those with the rubber borders. There’s been so many new mugs released recently that it’s kind of hard to keep track of them all. New to the parks is the “Love is Magical” collection, which bolsters some of the existing wedding related items. Cars 3 merchandise is available at the exit of Test Track now. This pretty neat souvenir cup can be found at various food and drink stands around the park. There have been a lot of construction walls around the planters and railings at the Odyssey for a while now. Some still look pretty battered like above, but some already have new floor lights in place. Some of the grates over the lights aren’t even painted yet. Some are finished. Either way, it’s nice to see them paying attention to this forgotten corner of the park. Work continues on the heavily delayed Choza Tequila outside of the Mexico pavilion. The exterior of the pavilion is still being repainted, I’m not sure how I feel about the darker colors… The bottom portion likely givers us a taste of the finished product for the whole facade. Another look at Choza Tequila. A peek under the wall reveals what should be a rather pleasant bar. I’m woefully behind on dining reviews, but I have one for San Angel Inn that I hope to have out soon. For whatever reason, they laid a slightly updated map of Shanghai Disneyland over the old one. It’s not all that different, but maybe slightly easier to see because the overall image of the park is larger. The Outpost in Africa is back now selling jewelry made from seeds and other natural ingredients. I didn’t notice the “no photography” sign until I after I took this, but how will a picture of the jewelry hurt the sale of it? I understand pictures of art and then you could print them out, but this seems odd. As we reported a few weeks ago, it seems likely that Club 33 at Epcot will go above the American Adventure. The front section of the Mitsokoshi store in Japan was remodeled. It’s very “kawaii.” I learned that from my hipster friends who have been to Japan. I only go to theme parks, so I never learn things like this. It’s just preparation for the Food and Wine Festival at this point, but this is the future home of the Ratatouille ride between Morocco and France. Lots of Ratatouille merchandise can already be found in France. Meanwhile, the U.K. now has a bunch of character merchandise for sale. They also have all of the Disney related teapots for sale. Heading back to Future World… This awesome Figment journal is now for sale!
Disney today released official information and the menu for the Frozen Ever After Dessert Party at Epcot that we told you about earlier this week. The celebration begins at World Showcase Plaza East, an exclusive setting for Guests of the Frozen Ever After Dessert Party. Here, you can enjoy sweet treats, specialty beverages and prime seating along World Showcase Lagoon—with clear views of IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth, the nighttime fireworks spectacular at Epcot. The bountiful dessert buffet features sweet and savory options, which may include: You can raise a glass of your favorite beverage to toast your day of theme park adventures—and the enchantment to come. Drink selections may include: After IllumiNations, you’ll be escorted to the Norway Pavilion, where Guests of the Frozen Ever After Dessert Party will experience the popular attraction Frozen Ever After—a musical boat-ride adventure through the wintry world of Arendelle. The event begins July 17th, 2017. Admission is $79 per adult (ages 10 and up) and $47 per child (ages 3 to 9), including tax and gratuity. Separate Epcot admission is also required. Tickets can be purchased here. Disney Parks and Resorts Chairman Bob Chapek has already announced that big changes are coming to Epcot, making the statement back in November 2016 at the Destination D event at Walt Disney World. While they weren’t ready to spill the beans just yet, the D23 Expo in Anaheim next month seems like a likely venue for the announcement of the multi-year, multi-billion-dollar overhaul of Orlando’s second gate. According to sources, with work commencing this Fall and being executed in phases, the overhaul of Epcot is slated to be completed in 5 years, just in time for the park’s 40th birthday in the fall of 2022. That being said, major components of the expansion will begin to come online starting in 2018, with at least a new E-Ticket up and running in time for Walt Disney World’s grand 50th anniversary celebration in 2021. You may recall that California Adventure went through a similar expansion, starting in 2007 and completed in 2012. So, what is happening to Epcot? While some things are more solid, others are just low rumblings at this point. Below, we go over everything we have heard thus far. Some will come to fruition, some undoubtedly will not, but here’s what might the announced for Epcot at the D23 Expo 2017… Removing the Leave a Legacy “tombstones” and most of the original 1982 structures, Epcot will receive a new entry area to bring it into the 21st century. Siemens is expected to renew its expiring sponsorship deal for the Spaceship Earth attraction and Epcot’s nighttime show, which will likely lead to another update of the classic Epcot ride. We would hope that the problematic finale portion of the attraction created in 2007 will be addressed, but at the very least, a complete overhaul of Project Tomorrow seems likely. Including a new multi-level table service restaurant, a remodeled Mouse Gear, and the demolition of the existing Inventions East and West buildings, a new plaza behind Spaceship Earth will offer easier access to the rest of Future World. Here’s hoping that the Fountain of Nations (and Club Cool) will remain. We have been talking about this one for a while, but it seems as if the announcement of a Guardians of the Galaxy themed land for Epcot is just about guaranteed for the D23 Expo 2017. Cast members at Epcot are already being told that the Universe of Energy will close just after the park’s 35th anniversary on October 1st for demolition, making way for what should be a small themed land that will take guests off-world to explore the galaxy with Star Lord, Gamora, Drax, Rocket, Groot and Mantis. While some are speculating that this area will instead be home to the TRON Lightcycle Power Run, we are still hearing that the TRON coaster is set for Magic Kingdom and not here, especially considering Chevrolet is the sponsor of the ride and they already sponsor Test Track in Future World. It is also likely that the former Wonders of Life pavilion will be demolished and the plot incorporated into this themed land, which will reportedly have multiple attractions. A new on-ride film and a lot of cosmetic upgrades are likely for Mission:SPACE, the first signs of which may even be evident when it reopens from its current refurbishment in just a few weeks’ time. Figment will be sharing the spotlight in a new attraction themed around the Disney-PIXAR film Inside Out, slated to replace the Journey Into Imagination attraction at Epcot. Sadly, Figment will not be getting his own adventure, but will be sharing one with the 5 emotions from the film should this rumor pan out. Figment appears in the actual Inside Out film in a brief Easter egg – a framed portrait of the purple dragon is present in Riley’s imagination. Upgrades for the Living with the Land boat ride and a new film to replace Circle of Life: An Environmental Fable seem likely for The Land, while Soarin’ Around the World will continue to be the headlining attraction for the pavilion. The Nemo and Friends Searider at Tokyo DisneySea While perhaps not a part of phase one, we eventually expect to see the Seas with Nemo and Friends converted into the Marine Life Institute, the fictitious location in Finding Dory which was inspired by the real-life Monterey Bay Aquarium. While the new and popular Searider attraction from Tokyo DisneySea would be a nice addition, nothing solid on this front has come our way as of yet. New country pavilions in World Showcase have been talked about since Epcot Center opened. Several have even been announced (but never built), and thus only two (Morocco and Norway) have been added since the park debuted. We have certainly heard about Disney sitting down with various countries and such over the last ten years to discuss a new pavilion, with rumors that Puerto Rico, Brazil, and Spain are on the short list. Spain seems the most likely as Disney would like a tie-in to the upcoming animated film Gigantic (now pushed to 2020). As it would be an easy change in this screen-based attraction, the upcoming PIXAR film Coco may inspire some changes at the Gran Fiesta Tour starring the Three Caballeros. Why do this after investing in a new end scene for the ride? Well, the addition of the Donald, Jose, and Panchito animatronics was a side project with a very limited budget, and not some major initiative for WDI and the company. Disney wants to invest in this park with more contemporary IPs, and Coco is both contemporary, and (sadly for those of us who love The Three Caballeros) a logical fit. Apparently, Disney will look to keep the Circlevision 360 theater alive by adding Mushu as a narrator for the history of China. Sadly, there isn’t much space to do something else here, but Reflections of China is desperately in need of some change. Whether it ends up being the large-scale trackless ride from Walt Disney Studios Paris, or a new film starring Remy, a redo of the France Pavilion seems all but confirmed at this point. The pavilion already sells a ton of Ratatouille merchandise and Disney is likely chomping at the bit to rip out Chefs de France and Monsieur Paul to replace them with the lucrative Bistro Chez Remy restaurant from Disneyland Paris, where guests can dine at the size of a rat. While it is unclear what might go there, the upcoming sequel to Mary Poppins and the likely closure of the Great Movie Ride may equal Disney’s first attraction based on one of its most popular films of all time for the United Kingdom. Meanwhile, show building that were never utilized for attractions still stand in both Germany and Japan, spaces which may be used for Tangled and Big Hero 6 related attractions, or something else perhaps. Without a doubt, IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth with be ending soon. The show is the oldest continuously-running fireworks show at any Disney Park around the globe. Despite it being a beloved and still-popular nighttime spectacular, it will likely be replaced with something new, and injected with Disney characters and franchises inspired by tales from around the globe. While all of this is likely not what any fan of classic Epcot would like to see, there is a new direction coming in an effort to make it as exciting as the other three Walt Disney World theme parks will be to guests by the time 2022 rolls around. While all the individual pieces of the plans will likely not be announced at the D23 Expo next month, we at least expect Disney to give us a clearer explanation of their vision for the park’s future. Stay tuned to WDWNT’s full coverage of the D23 Expo 2017 in just a few weeks!
UPDATE: Brazil Likely the New Country Being Added to World Showcase During Epcot’s Expansion
PHOTO REPORT: Epcot 7/10/17 (Choza Tequila, Mission Space, Figment, T-Shirt Sale, Etc.)
The Calm Before the Storm
A Trip Around the World
This and That
Epcot Frozen Ever After Dessert Party Menu Released, Tickets On Sale Now
D23 Expo 2017 Rumors – A Brave New Epcot with Way More Disney Character, 5 Year Expansion Plan
New Entrance Plaza
Spaceship Earth Update
Innoventions Plaza Area Overhaul
Guardians of the Galaxy/TRON Replacing the Universe of Energy
Mission: SPACE Update
Inside Out replacing Imagination
The Land Re-Imagining
The Seas with Nemo and Friends becomes the Marine Life Institute
New World Showcase Pavilion
Coco Replacing The Gran Fiesta Tour
Mulan-Related Film for China
Ratatouille in France
Something for the U.K., Germany, and Japan Pavilions
New Nighttime Spectacular to Replace IllumiNations
Stay Tuned for More in WDWNT’s Coverage of the D23 Expo 2017
