This morning, Disney fans awoke to an exciting new Disney Parks Blog post from Walt Disney World Imagineer Zack Riddley showing off EPCOT’s new entrance fountain! The beautiful new monolith pays homage to the past, present, and future of EPCOT… and it is gorgeous!
Last night, the Disney team removed the “progress walls” from the main entrance plaza, allowing fans a first look at the new addition to the park.
Walt Disney Imagineer Zack Riddley reassures us that “while there is still more work to be done here in the future, the area is much more open and welcoming now.”
The entrance now showcases a plethora of planters, pathways, luxurious landscaping and a dazzling new colour palette that will coincide with the four new neighbourhoods coming to the park, entitled World Celebration, World Discovery, World Nature and World Showcase.
The reimagined fountain stands in the footprint of the 1982 original, directly in front of the park’s flagship attraction, Spaceship Earth. While plans for Spaceship Earth’s refurb have seemingly hit a grounding halt, this centrepiece and the rumoured “exterior lighting package” is a nice start!
“Disney’s design team took a special interest in this water feature, as we looked back to the geometry of the original for inspiration while creating some new magic of our own,” claims Riddley.
Framing Spaceship Earth, the fountain’s three vertical acrylic pylons each reach over 16 feet tall and highlight EPCOT’s logo.
The fountain’s centre features a bright light and a “liquid-cooled fixture” with the ability to complement the fountain’s alternating colours. This will coordinate with the aforementioned lighting coming to Spaceship Earth, as well as the World Celebration. The more I think about this, the more I buy into EPCOT 2.0. This lighting alone may very well put an end to the lack of cohesion within the park.
“This new fountain is the centrepiece of EPCOT’s entrance plaza, which we’ve designed as a welcoming area that brings people together. The greenery and use of water celebrate a harmony between humanity and the natural world. This park was built to inspire optimism, and we’re infusing this transformation with the magic of possibility,” concludes Riddley.
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