There has recently been a lot of talk surrounding upgrades and changes coming to Epcot in the near future. These changes and new rumored additions take place in both the Future World and World Showcase sections of the park. I have outlined below some rumors for each area of the park and identified some more information about them. These rumors are from various websites along with my own research, and I should state the obvious - but these are rumors!
If you have heard any other rumors for Epcot that haven't been mentioned in this article, be sure to let us know either via Twitter or using the commenting system at the bottom of this post. If we find credible sources of the information, then we may add the rumor to this post! Be sure to check back on our 'Rumors' page of this website for up-to-date information about all rumors we have heard about and their status. We will also be tweeting information about WDW rumors as we get them, so be sure to "follow" us on Twitter. Future World - We have heard very strong rumors about the addition of a new theatre facility for Soarin' behind the existing locations. This has recently been backed up by the filing of a permit by the Walt Disney Company for the Soarin' location. This permit was filed under the name "Project 87" which happens to be the number of seats within each Soarin' theatre. The Soarin' attraction in the "Land" pavilion at Epcot, has been extremely popular since its opening in May 2005, and still today regularly reaches queue times of 1.5 - 2 hours. The Soarin' attraction at California Adventure is about to undergo an extended downtime and refurbishment, which too suggests that changes and additions may be coming to the Epcot attraction in the near future. - The rumor surrounding a new film for the Soarin' attraction has been a topic of discussion for years. The installation of a California attraction was only meant to be a temporary solution, which would be replaced with a Floridian version soon after its opening. This attraction has been operating for close to 10 years and nothing has really changed. The rumors are that all Soarin' attractions around the world (Epcot, California Adventure and soon Shanghai Disney) will get a new 4K video entitled "Soarin' Over the World" or similar. There was some filming above the Walt Disney World Resort in April this year, which was thought to be for the new Soarin' video. Nothing has officially been confirmed regarding this, although it would not debut until after Shanghai Disney has opened. The installation of 4K projection technology and re-programming of the ride movement etc. would take time and would require the ride to be closed for a considerable period.
- It has recently been advised that the Test Track attraction will soon be getting PhotoPass's next generation on-ride video. This will be linked to your account using MagicBand's and photos can be linked using any ticket media using the screen touch points. Test Track is expected to receive the same on-ride video treatment as Tower of Terror and Seven Dwarfs Mine Train have got already.
- There has been rumor of changes to the Imagination pavilion for quite a while, although new rumors have recently surfaced regarding some ideas about what would replace the two current attractions - Journey into Imagination with Figment, and Captain EO. The biggest rumor that we have heard is that the Muppet Vision 3D attraction from Hollywood Studios will be making its way to replacing the Captain EO show in the pavilion. The MuppetVision3D attraction in the Studios is near an area rumored for further development, so may be put at risk by that. Figment would either be updated by keeping the same theme, or would too be replaced with a Muppets ride of some sort - probably using the same ride technology currently installed. It is unknown if the Imagination pavilion will undergo any changes in the near future, but these rumors sound feasible.
World Showcase - It has recently been confirmed that a Frozen themed attraction will replace Maelstrom in the Norway pavilion. The budget for the new attraction and subsequent changes to the Norway pavilion is expected to be around $75 million. The project is suspected to take around 12-18 months, and is rumored to be opening in December 2015. The attraction type and ride system will remain the same, although the track and therefore ride, are rumored to be extended. The ride vehicles will change, and the queue is thought to be being redesigned during the ride closure. The Norway pavilion will also get a "Royal Meet and Greet" with Anna and Elsa.
- For the past few years it has been rumored that a Ratatouille Ride will be installed in the France pavilion. This attraction would be a copy of that at Disneyland Paris, which opened earlier this year. The attraction would be a trackless 3D dark ride, with elements of dome projection. The budget for the Paris attraction was around $270 million. This attraction is quite large in size, so may not physically fit in the France pavilion at Epcot, although could be housed in a show building behind the existing pavilion. Nothing has been confirmed nor hinted by Disney, and this should therefore be treated as a 'pie in the sky' rumor.
- The nighttime show at Epcot, IllumiNations Reflections of Earth is also set for an upgrade in the near future. A permit has recently been filed for communication system between the islands in the middle of the lagoon. The show is also set for upgrades of pyro, lighting - including new lasers. The show may also experience a whole overhaul in a couple of years time, although no details are currently rumored about this redo. Changes to the show are regular, with new features and changes occur on a monthly basis - recently a change in pyro colors and minor lighting upgrades and adjustments.
General Epcot - With the upgrade to Soarin' and the upcoming addition of the Frozen attraction in the Norway pavilion, it has been suggested that the tier system for FastPass+ selection may be removed. The attraction demand will change with the new additions and therefore Disney would no longer need to limit guests to only one Tier 1 ride.