Monorail Mark X Attraction Coming to EPCOT’s Play! Pavilion

One of the things we’re most closely following is the ongoing EPCOT renovation, and we may just have found out about one of its new attractions. In fact, it looks like Disney is developing a Monorail-themed attraction for the upcoming Play! Pavilion.

At the end of the new book by Jeff Kurtti, Vanessa Hunt and Paul Wolski: “The Disney Monorail: Imagineering a Highway in the Sky,” it drops a hint of a new Monorail Mark X attraction that is in the works, and apparently we’ve had it in the concept art for the Play! Pavilion this entire time.

Thanks to Imaginerding on YouTube, we can get a closer look at some of the artwork for the upcoming attraction.

The book gives an in-depth look at the history of the Disney monorail system both in Disneyland, Walt Disney World, and around the world. It includes many old photos, original concept art for the monorail and more information than you ever wanted to know about Disney’s most famous transportation system.

The entire book is gorgeous and we can’t wait to get a copy and read it!

The surprise about a Monorail attraction comes at the end of the book. On the last page, you can see art for the “Monorail Mark X” and at the top the words: “Next Stop…Play!”

That obviously is a reference to the Play! Pavilion which is currently under construction. There is even the symbol for the building on the left.

At the bottom of the art it says: “Arriving at EPCOT in 2021” with the WEDway transportation logo in the right corner.

The caption next to the poster reads, “Calling all pilots! A new way to play arrives at the PLAY! Pavilion at EPCOT in 2021.” 

While the artwork could be old, but it would seem to indicate that we can expect to see the Play! Pavilion open at EPCOT in 2021, that is unless Disney is now no longer able to make that timeline.

What Type of Attraction Will It Be?

First of all, we’re just happy to know that Disney is going ahead with the Play! Pavilion despite huge budget cuts across Walt Disney World after the park closing.

Since the Play! Pavilion was announced, Disney hasn’t really given us much about what type of attractions and experiences we can expect to find inside.

Even though Disney hasn’t made it official, looking at the existing concept art for the Play! Pavilion, we can see that the Monorail Mark X attraction has been there the whole time.

A closer look reveals the facade of the WEDway building in the background with a monorail passing through the building.

What type of attraction do we expect the Monorail Mark X to be? Your guess is as good as mine.

Since the Play! Pavilion looks to be built around technology and virtual experiences, we wouldn’t be surprised if the monorail attraction was a simulation ride of sorts. How cool would it be if we finally got that bullet train simulator that was originally planned for the Japan pavilion!!

Disney could change up the scenery and make it a virtual ride through all the Disney Parks with the monorail system. They could also make it a simulation where you pick the destination out of many locations in the world. The choices are endless.

For now, I’m not going to get my hopes up for anything too big until we learn a bit more about the Play! Pavilion. From the concept art it looks like there could be 5-6 different exhibits/attractions, so it’s doubtful that all of them will be full-on attractions.

Opening Date

When is the Monorail Mark X attraction opening? According to the book “The Disney Monorail: Imagineering a Highway in the Sky” it’s arriving at EPCOT in 2021.

Obviously the attraction can’t open until the actual Play! Pavilion opens, and we don’t expect that to happen until Spring or Summer at the earliest. Construction was delayed on all projects during the closure so there will be some extra time involved.

We can assume Disney would like to have the Play! Pavilion done in time for Walt Disney World’s 50th Anniversary celebration, but since most of the construction is happening out of view from the public, it’s hard to tell just how far along they are at this point.

Technically, Disney hasn’t yet confirmed the Monorail attraction for the Play! Pavilion, and this may be something that was being developed that eventually gets put on the shelf. We are eagerly looking forward to seeing what Disney has in store for the Monorail Mark X and all the other new Disney World rides coming in the next few years.

Stay tuned for more updates as we learn more.

Your Thoughts

I want to know what you think about the new Monorail Mark X attraction coming to the Play! Pavilion…

• Are you looking forward to this new attraction?
• What ideas do you have for it?

Let us know in the comments section below!

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