We have a serious fascination with abandoned areas at Disney World, and another spot has caught our attention!
When you think about it, Disney World is full of abandoned things from restaurants, to attractions, to hotels. With that list growing larger, it’s hard not to worry about a once popular spot turned practically vacant.
Walking around the Disney World parks and hotels every day will get you very acquainted with everything… and we mean everything… there is to see around you. We’re trained to look at it all from the big picture to the smallest details and any change in between. When we started noticing a decline in one particular area of EPCOT, we have to say it started to raise a few alarms for us.
If you’ve ever ventured past The Land and up the walkway by the jumping fountains, you’ve probably taken notice of the Disney & Pixar Short Films Festival that plays intermittently just inside the building on the hill. If you’re still scratching your head at where we’re talking about, you can find it just up the stairs as you’re exiting ImageWorks from Journey Into Imagination with Figment.
This show is made up of various Pixar shorts that typically play before the feature film they accompany and have grown in popularity to even have their own titles to stream on Disney+. During the show, you’ll sit in a theater to view a handful of shorts that have been crafted together while the theater seats move along to various parts of the film on the screen. This is also the same theater where Captain EO staring Michael Jackson once played in the park.
During Disney’s 100 Years of Wonder celebration, visitors may have gotten a surprise as they entered the building because both Mickey and Minnie were using the front waiting area as a meet and greet location decked out in their platinum anniversary outfits. While that celebration ran for just a little over a year, the meet and greet with the dynamic duo continued on for several more months while we all waited for their next permanent spot to be completed at the Mickey & Friends area of CommuniCore Hall.
Since the characters have moved over, the meet and greet spot has sat mostly abandoned, however, we did spot Donald and Daisy meeting there recently just to try it out.
But… other than a chance meet and greet with another great pair of characters and the enjoyable Disney & Pixar shorts, there’s just not much up there in the huge building. Sure, the Pixar shorts to see on the big screen, and we realize not everyone has a subscription to Disney+, but admittedly we could see Disney phasing this version of the attraction out soon thanks to the stream-ability of the same films.
To further our argument, we’re even turning our attention to the ImageWorks area of the Imagination pavilion. This serves as the exit for an attraction but with the former character meet and greets with Joy and Vanellope dwindling down to just a meet and greet with Figment…
…an almost ghost-town of an area to super impose yourself into Disney themed photos, and a gift shop (it’s a Disney World ride, duh)!
There’s just not a whole lot going on in this area either. We could totally see the upstairs member lounge of Disney Vacation Club look to expand their area into one of these previously mentioned spaces should Disney World decide to do something more immediate with minimal work.
It seems though only time (and possibly attendance) will tell. Who knows — we could get some big news at the upcoming D23 The Ultimate Disney Fan Event that could very well hint at more EPCOT changes in the future.
We’re always talking about what’s going on at Disney World so be sure to stay tuned with us at Disney Food Blog for even more Disney news, updates, and changes!
BAD NEWS: Disney+ Is Getting MORE Expensive
Join the DFB Newsletter to get all the breaking news right in your inbox! Click here to Subscribe!
WE KNOW DISNEY.
YOU CAN, TOO.
Oh boy, planning a Disney trip can be quite the adventure, and we totally get it! But fear not, dear friends, we compiled EVERYTHING you need (and the things to avoid!) to plan the ULTIMATE Disney vacation.
Whether you're a rookie or a seasoned pro, our insider tips and tricks will have you exploring the parks like never before. So come along with us, and get planning your most magical vacation ever!
Which other Disney World buildings or attractions are you worried about? Give us your full list in the comments below!
Dave says
They should bring back Honey I shrunk the audience. This was a great show