(UPDATE 6/9/19): Disney has responded to the rumors of The Seas and The Land pavilions in Epcot’s Future World being slated to be demolished and replaced by new attractions sometime in the future and has denied those rumors as being false.
Disney fans worldwide lost their minds a bit when this rumor first came out but it seems like the Disney fan community can rest easy after the official comments by Disney on the situation.
When asked on Twitter by @FluffetteKaz if the rumors about The Land and The Seas were true the official Walt Disney World Twitter account had this to say:
They outright stated that both The Seas with Nemo and Friends and The Land are both planned on being in the long-term plans for Epcot’s future expansion and they aren’t going anywhere.
If Disney is officially saying this then we have to believe that is going to be the case unless they state otherwise. It’s possible they could do some upgrading to either pavilion in the next few years which would be nice, but totally getting rid of them seems like a long shot at this point in time.
We’ll continue to monitor the situation but for now it doesn’t look like we are going to have any changes anytime soon…
(Original Story):
The original rumors would be terrible news for Epcot fans, that two of Epcot’s most beloved pavilions: The Land and The Seas are going to be demolished in Phase 2 of Epcot’s huge expansion/renovation project.
According to wdwnt, internal documents show that Disney is planning on destroying The Land and The Seas pavilions completely and build something completely different in their place. This demolition would take place after the current renovations finished, we’re talking 2024 -2026.
Most likely totally new buildings would go up in their place. In some way or another Disney would have to reuse the valuable real estate that both of these pavilions are built on.
My first reaction is that this is absolutely a crazy idea and I can’t even believe Disney would consider this. Yes maybe The Seas isn’t the most popular pavilion in Epcot, but we are talking about two staples of Future World since practically the beginning.
The Land pavilion opened with Epcot on October 1, 1982 and “The Living Seas” opened shortly after that in 1986. Both have been revamped and have changed since their initial openings, but they are huge components to the Epcot we know and love.
What does this mean for what’s currently located in these two Future World pavilions? Let’s take a look:
The Land – There are two main attractions located inside The Land pavilion: Soarin’ Around the World and Living with the Land. According to the rumors Soarin’ will be saved and would most likely either receive a new separate entrance or have the entrance connect through whatever new pavilion goes up in its place.
Living with the Land though sounds like it’s going bye bye in this scenario though. Yes it is one of the slowest and most boring attractions in Walt Disney World, and it’s severely outdated, but I can’t help but love it anyway. I was hoping that it would get an upgrade at some point, not be destroyed totally. Nothing is mentioned specifically about Living with the Land and there is the possibility it could get saved, so let’s hope!
It’s also strange timing considering that Disney is putting in a the new film in The Land in 2020 called Awesome Planet. I guess this won’t be a super big draw and can serve as a placeholder to keep guests busy during the current Epcot construction work.
The Seas with Nemo and Friends – This pavilion/attraction used to be called: “The Living Seas” and it was re-hauled in 2007 when Disney started adding more Pixar-themed attractions to the parks. In this scenario the attraction “The Seas with Nemo and Friends” would get destroyed, but more importantly to me also the gigantic aquarium that houses it.
When it was built in 1986 it was the largest saltwater aquarium in the world, holding 5.7 million gallons and hundreds of species of fish and water-life. I personally would hate to see this go too, even though I do admit that it needs an upgrade in some way. I can’t even begin to understand how demolition of something this big would be possible or how long it would take.
I also have absolutely no idea as to what Disney would build in either of their places. Whatever they are planning, they would be some absolutely monstrous attractions to sit on real estate so big.
Again these demolition projects if gone ahead with, would take place after the current slate of Epcot renovations which includes:
- The Epcot Entrance Overhaul,
- a Guardians of the Galaxy Roller Coaster replacing the Universe of Energy,
- the France Pavilion expansion and Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure construction,
- the still-unconfirmed Spaceship Earth refurbishment
- the 2 new Epcot Nighttime Spectaculars
- the Play Pavilion going into the old Wonders of Life pavilion.
- Club Cool and Innoventions demolition
- and the rest of Project Gamma including a new Festival Center Center
At this point all of these rumors are still unconfirmed and nothing has been said by Disney so far sos we’ll take this with a grain of salt. I don’t think they’re far enough along to announce anything at this year’s D23 Expo, but it’s definitely something we’re going to keep a close eye on in the coming months and years.
Be sure to check out our Walt Disney World Construction Updates page for more updates on all the projects going on around Disney World as we continue to bring you the latest!
Your Thoughts:
I want to know what you think about the possible demolition of The Seas and The Land pavilions in Epcot…
- Do you think it’s a good idea?
- What would you like to see replace them?
Let us know in the comments section below!
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Wow … Big news! I’m also a great fan of Living with the Land and would be mortified to see it go. I’m still getting over the fact that Spaceship Earth will be closing for two plus years.
I truly hope Disney do not decimate the classic attractions that we all know and love!
They have, and they will
Thanks for commenting Joe. Yeah unfortunately they have left Epcot in a mess. I know it’s never going back to the way it was, I just hope moving forward they can make a place that is immersive and fun to visit. What would you like to see done if you were in charge of Epcot?
Hi Chris, yes I would be sad to see some of the old favorites go too. For sure Epcot is going to look drastically different in the coming years, but I hope there is a way they will make it reminiscent of the Epcot we all know and love. We’ll see what happens but I’m excited either way…
I have an idea for replacements. How about World of Motion and Horizons?
This has my vote !!!!!
Thanks for commenting Roz! Hahaha, mine too! 🙂
Thanks for the comment Michael! Hahaha, that would be nice! 😉
Sad to see it happen. Sure they will save or move Soarin. Gonna miss the Land ride all though it really does need up dates. Living Seas was a land mark I hate to see go. But I can only imagine the replacements are going to be great.
JUST DON’T TOUCH FIGMENT!!!!!!
Thanks Marion! Hahaha, I think you’re right, I don’t want to see Figment touched either except highlighted even more than he is now! Soarin isn’t going anywhere but it doesn’t look like this is happening anyway so I don’t think you have to worry
Completely demolished is absolutely absurd, especially considering the aquarium. Where are they going to put all those animals? The interiors may get gutted and rebuilt, possibly even expanded, but outright demolition is not feasible.
Thanks for the comment Steve. Yeah it doesn’t look like it’s going to happen, and I don’t think it’s feasible, there are too many questions surrounding it as you say..
Ridiculous…
CEO doesn’t get it like Eisner.
Going to turn off many
Hey Greg, thanks for the comment. I don’t think it’s going to happen as Disney has spoken out about it so let’s hope it doesn’t
Even if just a rumor, The Seas would be a better fit in Animal Kingdom. There it could be upgraded with current aquarium technology, attraction technology, and current research facilities. It is getting long in the tooth. Epcot’s Future World has been diverging from its original plan and just like the Magic Kingdom’s Tomorrowland, anything label “future” or “tomorrow” gets dated quickly. It seems more and more of Disney’s future plans will involve Disney’s intellectual property and movie tie-ins. As Emperor Palpatine once said, “It is unavoidable.”
AK is actually not a bad idea seeing as the whole place is animal themed. I don’t think it’s going to happen though but a nice thought. You are right about technology and naming your lands “Tomorrowland” and “Future World”, that makes it impossible to keep up with and you’re asking for trouble, hence why the IP route kind of makes sense in this respect
very good thank you
I’m a licensed SCUBA Diver and Dive Quest has been a go-to attraction for me every year I’m at WDW. Seeing the Seas Pavilion go would truly be a tragedy! Unless they were to build a completely new aquarium to “Dwarf” that of the one in Georgia so they could once again hold the “world’s largest aquarium” title again, and offer SCUBA excursions into it. If I knew that were coming, then it wouldn’t be so bad! 🙂