In a recent interview with Gizmodo, Walt Disney Imagineer Zach Riddley provided some more detail about how World Celebration will essentially become a massive, programmable light display. Riddley shared that when the World Celebration neighborhood is completed next year, there will be an astonishing 12,000 “programmable LCD fixtures”. While that is somewhat vague, Riddley does paint a picture of essentially an entire city block with what amounts to a synchronized Christmas light show.
At night [World Celebration] can be programmed in the way that Spaceship Earth is in terms of lighting, music, and color. We have over 12,000 programmable LCD fixtures once this is complete—and so take “Rainbow Connection,” but entirely immersed.
Right now, we know that there are 1,861 individual “Points of Light” on Spaceship Earth. While not all of the “programmable LCD fixtures” will be Points of Light style fixtures, it still sounds like there are an astonishing amount of fixtures yet to come. Riddley talks about how iconic illuminated pavement is to the EPCOT experience. Imagineers will bring some new tech to the illuminated pavement concept and embed it in the shape of the EPCOT logo.
As international festivals continue to become more of an integral part of the EPCOT experience, Disney Imagineers are creating new spaces that will bring these events into the heart of the park in the new World Celebration neighborhood. In several new artist concept renderings released recently, you can see how the transformation of EPCOT will take shape as you walk past Spaceship Earth and begin your journey through the park.
World Celebration will offer a beautiful hub divided into several different gardens, with a central planter based on the five-ring EPCOT logo. Filled with ample seating and shade, you’ll be invited to connect with one another and the nature around you in this lush new area. Each of these gardens will have its own identity, and they’ll change along with the festivals throughout the year.
At night, the gardens will take on a whole new life, as you can see here. They’re designed to be enjoyed in the round, where lighting immerses you in the nighttime experience that will evolve through the seasons.
This all surrounds CommuniCore Hall and CommuniCore Plaza, a multi-use facility and outdoor event space, respectively, that bring the park’s international festivals to the center of EPCOT. CommuniCore Plaza will have the flexibility to host intimate musical performances that extend out into the nearby gardens, as you can see in the rendering above, as well as large-scale concerts.
CommuniCore Hall will be a flexible exhibition and gallery space, offering a wide variety of experiences that highlight art, live music, food – complete with a demonstration kitchen – and more. In addition, adjacent to CommuniCore Hall will be a new Mickey & Friends location where you can meet some of your favorite Disney pals.
This new facility, which you can see in the upper-right side of this rendering, is inspired by the original EPCOT aesthetic apparent throughout the park’s transformation, including the timeless triangular geometry most prominently featured in Spaceship Earth. Even the CommuniCore name reaches back to the origins of EPCOT while also emphasizing the park’s central idea of community.
As always, keep checking back with us here at BlogMickey.com as we continue to bring you the latest news, photos, and info from around the Disney Parks!