The reimagining of EPCOT was highly anticipated for many years, so when it was mostly unveiled at the 2019 D23 Expo (and honestly in small chunks in the years leading up to that on this very website), many were excited to finally see the park get the much needed love it deserved. Flash forward to 2022 and a good portion of the project remains in limbo or has been cancelled, including a second phase of announcements which were anticipated to be made public at some point around right now, at least when the plan was formulated many years ago. While the originally envisioned festival pavilion was canned and Disney remains quiet on the Mary Poppins attraction for World Showcase, they have also been publicly ignoring the existence of the Play pavilion, an announced replacement for the former Wonders of Life in World Discovery (formerly Future World East). According to sources inside the company, that silence will remain through the D23 Expo 2022.
Sources also stated that “the pavilion has either been cancelled or severely scaled down.” The team that was working on it was reportedly moved to other projects and Disney executives then proceeded to remove it from any planned presentations at this weekend’s fan conference.
Honestly, the news comes as no surprise to additional sources in the company who stated that programmers and other Imagineers who were working on the Play pavilion were let go during the initial round of layoffs at the height of the pandemic.
Of course, if you walk by the pavilion on your way to Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, you’ll notice construction fences are still standing and that they went out of their way to also build a planter over what would have been then entrance to the later addition. This isn’t something you typically do if you plan to build a pathway in a space just months later.
Of course, as this is a rumor, it is possible that things can change and as we know from past experience, Disney will respond to “public shaming” from time to time, so the Play pavilion magically showing up on a screen at the D23 Expo 2022 is “Improbable? Yes. Impossible? No.”
What’s your take on the omission of the Play Pavilion? Was it one of the projects you were looking forward to the most, or are you glad they’re focusing on other upcoming EPCOT attractions? Let us know in the comments below.
If our options are “scaled down” or “canceled,” I kind of hope it has just been shelved entirely. I’d much rather see them do something better with the space later on than get a half-baked pavilion now.
We’ll just wait and see. Maybe you can ask a question about it during the presentation. Also thank you for acknowledging that it’s a rumor. Honestly in most of the posts it isn’t the case so thank goodness there is one there.
If they werent so dead set on destroying splash mountain instead of creating an original ride for tiana (outside of the mountains of the louisiana swamp…..) they probably could have done the pavilion as advertised. Disney decisions seem to be horrible lately and not based on logic, but pandering. Sad. I miss the old Disney that was full of magic
I’m happier if they do end up scrapping it. What they had sketched out in concept art (edna mode show, slightly oversize video games, etc) looked like a cheap disney quest knock off – a lame collection of IP-milking activities – heavily utilizing screens and electronics. An amazing pavilion could be made with a “play” theme, but I think it would have an imaginative play focus – perhaps a huge, multilayered playground that would invite explorers of all ages to engage with different kinds of experiences, spaces, challenges and situations. Inspire people to have real fun, be silly, do things besides stare at or interact with screens.
I will not stand against this injustice against Walt Elias Disney he came up with a freaking idea of a park where magic happens but why would they have a right to belittle,berate the original creater of mickey mouse and all of the characters he came up ,this is not right he came up with everything even including the parks the rides the presidents hall the animated movies and yet they want to strip his name off his own creations if I were you stand up against Disney and demand refixing the rides,parks,statues and the magic pass this bullshit needs to stop now I want Disneyland,Disney world back to what it’s supposed to be. I want all live action movies removed and fixed with animation do you hear me Disney fix it or face the court of law and I will make sure you do fix or so help me god you will fix it or pay legal resutution fees
Play is ready to go wdi signed off on it its wdw and chopek fault after that! But play has been ready to go just like wonders could have reopened before hand but no we need NEW though epcot is built on love of its history and those fans! It be nice if they cared we are the only ones whom will be still left when all the tourists go!