Your an Imagineer in charge of adding a New Country to Epcot

hunter88 · Post by **hunter88** » Mar Sat 28, 2009 12:06 pm

I would put in a Australia World Showcase first, then possibly if that does not go over i will try for Russia, Egypt, or an Artic one because the guests may like an Artic one in the summer time and imagine frozen drinks

i bet kids would like that too and ice cream there would be just the begging.

DaRkNeSs · Post by **DaRkNeSs** » Mar Sat 28, 2009 1:16 pm

Brazil - would be very interesting a large country in South America rich with culture.
A great ride would be a amazon river ride with peaceful moments and some adventure, kind of like the pirates.
Food- not to exotic but could offer new tastes to try!

Future Guy · Post by **Future Guy** » Mar Tue 31, 2009 11:09 am

figmentaholic wrote:I would like to do one in an area that is not represented at all.

The land of December summers

The land of platypus, kangaroos, and the biggest crocs and sharks in the world.

There is an Australian pavilion in the Food and Wine Festival, every year, so a restaurant that served that food would work.

I know there is already a few river rides, but I could see a river ride through the various climates of Australia and New Zealand, kind of like "Living with the Land" would be nice.

I unfortunately do not know where there is land available, but I would suggest closer to the France/England side, since there are less rides on that side.

What do you guys think?

That's a great idea! After all, Australia is not only one of the world's largest countries, it's also a continent! It's also fairly non-controversial.

Jacca5660 · Post by **Jacca5660** » Mar Tue 31, 2009 11:57 am

Discomick wrote:Jacca, I think you've made valid opinions in all of your posts. But, I'm not sure we would have China in the showcase right now if we followed some of your rules. And that would absolutely be horrific...

I thought of this also and you are correct. The loss of China would be a bit tragic. I know my family enjoys it very much.

bryceran · Post by **bryceran** » Apr Wed 01, 2009 12:30 pm

I vote for Brazil. Having lived there for 2 years in Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo, I think it would be beautiful. There is sugarloaf mountain, the Christ redeemer statue, Carnaval, Churrasco restaurant (so good!), along with the possibilities of great coffee houses or even juice stands.

Mr.ToadWildRider · Post by **Mr.ToadWildRider** » Apr Wed 01, 2009 3:14 pm

MagicKingdom Fairy89 wrote:Australia!!!

There could be a surfing ride, and BBQ's.

I believe it should have its place within the world showcase as there is nothing to represent it anywhere is disney world really

There's a whole section of IASW dedicated to Australia/New Zealand!

DisBeamer · Post by **DisBeamer** » Apr Fri 03, 2009 2:41 am

There was a pretty big Australia section at Food and Wine last year that seemed fairly popular (but not as popular as the Louisiana part). I think Australia would probably be the one that fit in best with the kind-of-exotic-but-not-too-exotic feel most of WS has.

I mean, if you think about it, the majority of the pavilions aren't all that foreign in the really "This is somewhere else" sense for the majority of North American travelers. Mexico, Norway, Germany, the American Adventure, Italy, France, the UK and Canada are all pretty ... inoffensively generic. Yes, they have unique theming, but they're all pretty structurally similar. China and Japan aren't really all that different, either, I suppose. The only one that's really doin' its own thing is Morocco.

Personally I'd like to see more of Africa or South America represented, but I'm not entirely sure how well they'd fit in overall, or how popular they'd be. That said, I remember the Brazil part of the Millennium Pavilion being pretty cool. They had an Israel part, too, but I don't think we ever got to look at it. Those are the only two countries I remember from in there.

I dunno - who has the best food? Put them somewhere around the lagoon. That's what we really go to WS for anyway, right?

Mr.ToadWildRider · Post by **Mr.ToadWildRider** » Apr Fri 03, 2009 7:48 am

DisBeamer wrote:I mean, if you think about it, the majority of the pavilions aren't all that foreign in the really "This is somewhere else" sense for the majority of North American travelers. Mexico, Norway, Germany, the American Adventure, Italy, France, the UK and Canada are all pretty ... inoffensively generic. Yes, they have unique theming, but they're all pretty structurally similar. China and Japan aren't really all that different, either, I suppose. The only one that's really doin' its own thing is Morocco.

I'm not sure I totally agree with this sentiment. I get where you're going with it, and I will say I always thought Canada was an odd choice (sorry to any of our friendly neighbors to the north), it doesn't have much of a cultural impact, although it is a beautiful country. I think, however, that the vast majority of Americans will not see Europe and am rather positive this holds true for China and Japan. If one actually were to go to these places it would be clear how non-"generic" they are. I'm not really sure how more different a country can be culturally from the US than China. I think what you're talking about is the food as opposed to the culture? There are a lot of Chinese food restaurants in the US (and Japanese and Italian and Mexican) and many American foods are inspired out of European cuisine so that's why my thought is you're refering to the food when you say generic? I'm still not sure I can agree. I think that the pavillions are all fairly exotic in their own way (okay Germany, UK, and France maybe not so much and not Canada only cause of the totems) so if the food isn't exotic enough it's by design. The Chinese food that China serves is Americanized Chinese. Norway has increasingly become Americanized. Mexico isn't quite a Taco Bell chain as they do have more traditional fare but they're got their healthy dosage of the American Mexican standards. Italy, again (going off of Alfredo's old menu only sorry) sticking strongly to the dishes Americans are mostly familiar with (although to be fair Italian dishes are generally traditional even in America). I just think it's a hard sell to put a WS country in specifically for exotic food, especially when it will presumably when it'll be Americanized. Perhaps I missed your point, and by generic you were referring to the whole pavillion. I suppose w/ the exception of Morocco and I would argue Norway, the selections for the countries are rather "safe" - they're all familiar to Americans (I realize there are guests from other countries but I'm not really addressing them here). They represent many of the largest sources of immigrants to the U.S. so generally they are cultures we are familiar with, or perhaps even self-identify with. Maybe someone will consider that boring, but I think it makes sense as well. If WS were comprised of Uruguay, Kenya, Poland, Malasyia, Sri Lanka, Panama, Iran, Jamaica, Khazakstan, Iceland, Tonga etc. I'm sure it would be exotic to people, but would it have the same draw?

As for African countries, as far as I'm concerned they are representing several African nations in both DAK and AKL and both Boma and Jiko offer African fare. That's why I'd tend to lean away from those countries.

kcarts · Post by **kcarts** » Apr Fri 03, 2009 12:42 pm

Portugal.

Post by **js3901** » Apr Fri 03, 2009 4:23 pm

I don't believe that Disney would put anything from Africa into WS, outside of the "refreshment port" that's already there. They shut down Discovery Island once AK was built. they couldn't have 2 places called Discovery Island and that housed animals - that would be too confusing. I believe that the same would hold true if they built an African country in WS, why go to Epcot when you have AK/AKL with all the African influences you need.

also, let's not forget that Morocco is an African country already in WS...

and before I forget, while Israel would be an interesting choice, I don't believe they would add it. There are several countries out there that do not believe that Israel is even a country (religion based governments (Islam, for the most part). and most of the Middle Eastern countries are too unstable to really add them into WS.

I think the best options would probably be Australia, New Zealand, or some other island nation. I think maybe a country in the caribbean might do the trick...

theBIGyowski · Post by **theBIGyowski** » Apr Fri 03, 2009 4:58 pm

They could just do Oceania...which is the collective region for Australia, New Zealand and New Guinea. It would be similar to the way they have the United Kingdom instead of just England, Ireland, and Scotland.

I think Brazil could have their own spot as well since it is so large and they have many landmarks that people would recognize.

DisBeamer · Post by **DisBeamer** » Apr Fri 03, 2009 6:29 pm

Mr.ToadWildRider wrote:I will say I always thought Canada was an odd choice (sorry to any of our friendly neighbors to the north),

I'll let it go. This time.

I think, however, that the vast majority of Americans will not see Europe and am rather positive this holds true for China and Japan. If one actually were to go to these places it would be clear how non-"generic" they are.

I agree completely. What I wouldn't agree with is that the pavilions around WS really grasp that. That was my point. It's cartoon-ized versions of the countries that have been kind of sanitized to be palatable to the theme park crowd. Which is completely reasonable, considering this is Disney World. Doesn't make it not true, though. What I appreciate about Morocco is that it feels less like part of Fantasyland and more... un-theme-parky, y'know? Granted I doubt it's all that much like real Morocco, but it's more off the beaten path than, say, Italy or the UK for most North Americans.

I just think it's a hard sell to put a WS country in specifically for exotic food, especially when it will presumably when it'll be Americanized.

If you're referring to the last bit of my post, that was a joke. Not that I don't want good food in WS.

Perhaps I missed your point,

That's okay; it was late for me so perhaps I wasn't clear.

and by generic you were referring to the whole pavillion.

Yep. Though for what it's worth, I 100% agree that the vast majority of the food served in WS is Americanized, else it wouldn't sell. Which is reasonable, as far as I'm concerned, 'cause this is Disney World and probably not the right place to go for a cultural awakening. That's a two-way street, of course; if foreign visitors hadn't complained about 'lack of American food', there'd still be a fancy restaurant in the American Adventure instead of a burger joint.

They represent many of the largest sources of immigrants to the U.S. so generally they are cultures we are familiar with, or perhaps even self-identify with. Maybe someone will consider that boring, but I think it makes sense as well.

Okay, well, wait; this was pretty much my point, so perhaps you didn't miss it after all.

What I would like to see in WS, and what I think would be accomplished by adding more from Africa, or South America, or perhaps Oceania, would be things more outside of people's comfort zone. I think North Americans (picking on us since we're the majority visiting group to WDW) are way more likely to go to the UK or Italy or Germany or Mexico than they are to go to Brazil or Argentina or Kenya, or even Egypt. I think the choices were safe to appeal to the visitors, and since Disney is a business and not the UN, I think it's reasonable for them to do it. I just like it when they push the envelope, and I think it would be nice to expand some horizons.

Epcot used to do that, from time to time. It was cool.

If WS were comprised of Uruguay, Kenya, Poland, Malasyia, Sri Lanka, Panama, Iran, Jamaica, Khazakstan, Iceland, Tonga etc. I'm sure it would be exotic to people, but would it have the same draw?

Probably not, which is why I said:

Personally I'd like to see more of Africa or South America represented, but I'm not entirely sure how well they'd fit in overall, or how popular they'd be.

As for African countries, as far as I'm concerned they are representing several African nations in both DAK and AKL and both Boma and Jiko offer African fare. That's why I'd tend to lean away from those countries.

I guess that's fair, and not something I'd considered. Strictly in terms of WS, I'd like to see more African representation, but if you're considering the whole of WDW, then yes, I suppose AK/AKL have it better covered.

samuraiblue · Post by **samuraiblue** » Apr Fri 03, 2009 6:36 pm

I've gotta agree with ya DisBeamer.

The fact of the matter is that as far as World Showcase is concerned, It is a collection of countries that most American Visitors would be "interested in", or "willing to visit". Larger countries, with more of a "front page" appeal.

True, while I would like to see more of a South American or Oceanic Pavilion put in, as for right now, we'll just have to be happy with their representations during Food and Wine.

Peerless83 · Post by **Peerless83** » Apr Sat 04, 2009 2:47 am

what about a pavillion dedicated soley to guam..or maybe an el savador/equador combined pavillion...I just dont see how Disney continues to overlook these

Captain Schnemo · Post by **Captain Schnemo** » Apr Sat 04, 2009 5:50 am

samuraiblue wrote:It is a collection of countries that most American Visitors would be "interested in", or "willing to visit".

I think that's probably true by design, in that the home countries sponsored each pavilion, and they are all essentially advertisements to come visit. Norway did that pretty explicitly, if I remember correctly.

Obviously South America is a glaring omission, but most Americans would probably be wary of visiting there.

For a lot of these other places, you'd first have to explain to Americans that these nations exist before you could suggest travel plans.

I'd actually like to see Iceland, but then that's just another European-ish nation. And I can't think of any landmarks, although it would be cool learn some.

Africa is definitely underrepresented, and while I get that there's a lot of it in AK, to me that's more of a mistake of basing the Animal Kingdom theming on human culture.

OK, so, what's done is done, but given that this is most likely the closest a given guest is ever going to get to Africa, would it really hurt to show us a little more, especially if the context and focus are different?

Anyway, I'd like to see more nations that would show me something I didn't know rather than just reinforce some comfortable stereotype.

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