Epcot Is Getting the 'Largest Transformation of Any Disney Park Ever'

In the 60s, Walt Disney wanted an "Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow" to be built on the company's property, and so he envisioned Epcot. While his idea to make Epcot a real, functional city didn't quite work out, the magic of the Disney's characters and their respective worlds has undeniably created a universe within our universe, with Epcot serving as its technological and urban development showcase. And now, Disney's most recent renovation announcement further proves Epcot's dream to reimagine the future. 

“We are in the middle of what will be the largest transformation of any Disney park ever,” Epcot Vice President Melissa Valiquette told Florida Today. “It’s a multiyear transformation and the future is really bright here at Epcot.”

This transformation is coming just in time. People know Epcot best for rides like The Seas with Nemo & Friends and the NASA shuttle launch simulator, as well as a very worldly selection of restaurants, but it's been a while since we've seen significant changes to the park. Now we're looking at new rides, like a Marry Poppins attraction in England, a Ratatouille ride and restaurant in the French pavilion, a roller coaster based on Guardians of the Galaxy, a whole new Moana area, a "digital city" called the Play Pavilion, and more. 

According to Valiquette, the Play Pavilion will be a place where families can meet both live and virtual Disney characters. 

"They can interact with Edna Mode who just hates uninspired fashion," she said. "And really just have a great time with their Disney friends, and that’s just the tip of the iceberg." 

The new additions to the park will open at different times. All we know right now is that the summer of 2020 will bring the trackless Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure and in 2021, we can expect a ride called Guardians of the Galaxy Cosmic Rewind. 2021 will be Walt Disney World's 50th anniversary, a time for celebrating not only the vision of one man but the ways in which his ideas were preserved and reimagined by the countless innovators who followed. 

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Ruby Anderson is a News Writer for Thrillist.