You can blame Harry Potter for Walt Disney spending the past 14 years heavily investing in improving its Florida theme parks. Before "The Wizarding World of Harry Potter" opened at Universal Studios' Islands of Adventure in 2010, the Comcast-owned theme park wasn't a true rival for Disney World.
Yes, Universal Studios had better roller coasters and more thrills in general, but it was widely seen as an add-on to a trip to Disney World. People would stay the week on Disney property and maybe venture over to Universal Studios as a side trip.
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The two "Wizarding World" lands would have changed that perception had Walt Disney (DIS) been complacent. That, however, is not what happened as the arrival of the boy wizard forced the Mouse House to examine its own faults.
Magic Kingdom arguably needed the least when it came to changes, but the company had to address the perception that Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios were half-day parks. It did that spectacularly by adding "Pandora: The World of Avatar" at Animal Kingdom and "Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge" at Hollywood Studios.
The company also added the "Tron Lightcycle Run" roller coaster at Magic Kingdom to give that park a true thrill ride and it has been working on a broad rework of Epcot. That remodel has been finished and it takes a park that had lost its way and given it a clear mission.
That's especially important now that Universal Studios is preparing its latest attempt to woo week-long visitors, Epic Universe, which opens in 2025.
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Epcot has been fully rebooted
When Epcot opened in 1982 the park's name was an acronym for Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow. The park was meant to be both educational and entertaining while showing Walt Disney's vision for a future city.
On opening day the park had a number of sponsored attractions and those sponsorships at least mildly compromised the educational message. Over the years, as the sponsorships dropped off, Epcot became a theme park adrift.
It had some popular rides, and the World Showcase has remained a draw, but the park lacked an overall theme. Disney fixed that, to a point, by making Epcot the park of festivals.
Much of the year, the theme park hosts one of four festivals.
- Festival of the Arts. January and February.
- Flower and Garden Festival. Late February to late May.
- Food and Wine Festival. Late August through November.
- Festival of the Holidays. End of November up to New Year's.
The Food and Wine Festival is the biggest event, but all four offerings see Epcot add food and drink kiosks, special programming, and festival-specific additions. Disney's renovation of Epcot has finished, and the company has fully leaned into the spirit of its festivals with a new park centerpiece.
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Epcot adds a flexible space
The multi-year reimagining of Epcot has included improving its ride offerings with "Remy's Ratatouille Adventure" being added to the France pavilion and the park getting its first roller coaster, "Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind." In addition, "Journey of Water Inspired by Moana" gave the park a high-capacity walkthrough attraction that's true to its original education mission while also being entertaining.
Epcot's renovation became complete, however, when Disney unveiled Communicore Hall, a new flexible space at the center of the park. It may seem like a modest addition, but the ever-changing nature of the space complements the park's festival model.
"Take a moment to enjoy the offerings at this comfortable retreat. Designed to celebrate the architectural legacy of Epcot, CommuniCore Hall features a façade of geodesic triangles, expressed in innovative materials and configurations—bringing energy and dynamism to the entire area throughout the day and into the night," the company shared.
Currently, the space hosts "Celebration Encanto," a selection of music from a popular movie. There's also an indoor area that hosts a character meet and greet as well as seasonal offerings.
"Enjoy seasonal experiences throughout the year in flexible gathering and event spaces — including art exhibitions, live entertainment, cooking demonstrations, and more," the company shared.
Communicore Hall completes the Epcot transformation by giving the theme park giant a centerpiece location for its festivals. It's not a new ride or themed land, but it's the sort of icing on the cake to help the park lean into its biggest attractions, the four festival seasons it hosts each year.
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