When you’re a Disney fan, you get used to being TEASED.
Disney loves to tease all of its new, upcoming projects. You know, things like park expansions, re-themes, and more. The fun part is where we, as Disney fans, get to play a guessing game of projects that Disney will actually see through to completion. Yep, we’ve gotten our hearts broken several times when Disney announced plans for projects and then just…let them die. As we were strolling through EPCOT the other day, we remembered a big EPCOT project that was canceled, and we mourned all over again.
Back in 2019, Disney announced that EPCOT’s United Kingdom Pavilion would be expanded to include Cherry Tree Lane and an entrance at number 17 (the home of the Banks family in the Mary Poppins movie). This entrance would lead to an unspecified Mary Poppins ride.
Fans (ourselves included) had HIGH hopes for this attraction. We wanted to sing along with Mary and Bert, we wanted to hear the 8AM and 6PM cannons, and we wanted a themed gift shop where we could buy Mary Poppins’ tape measure!
We got REALLY hyped up about the potential attraction, and many were convinced it would be a carousel-type attraction — just like you see in the movie.
There was an announcement in July 2020 that the project was put on hold, but there’s been no update since then leading to rumors of its cancellation. It’s almost as if it was never talked about at all!
Of course, you can still explore glimpses of the Mary Poppins lore in the UK Pavilion, and you can even meet Mary herself. However, it’s just not the same! We wish that this project could be revived so that we could truly immerse ourselves into Cherry Tree Lane.
This isn’t the only EPCOT project that was mysteriously canceled, though. Let’s talk about the Play Pavilion, for instance! When Disney World announced the massive EPCOT transformation, it also announced the PLAY! Pavilion, which would be a digital metropolis with interactive games and experiences where you could interact with Disney characters virtually AND in real life. Sounds amazing, right? The concept art was even more impressive.
This experience was going to be built in the former Wonders of Life building. Well, the building is still there, but it’s apparently empty (save for the memories we still have of Body Wars and Cranium Command). The building is just sitting there, waiting for SOMETHING. What’s really interesting is that we’ve seen work being done on that building, making us think that the PLAY! Pavilion was still on the way. But we’ve heard nothing about it, and nothing interesting has happened since. Mysterious, huh?!
Back in 2019, it was announced that Spaceship Earth would be undergoing refurbishment as part of EPCOT’s big transformation. Disney said they would be bringing “new magic” into the attraction featuring great moments of human history along with a focus on storytelling rather than inventions and technology.
Disney said a lot of the scenes in the ride would remain but be brought to life in new ways. They also talked about adding new scenes, story elements, AND narration (we really didn’t — and still don’t — want to say goodbye to Dame Judy Dench!).
Spaceship Earth was supposed to shut down in May of 2020, but we all know how the spring of 2020 went — Disney World as a whole shut down due to the global pandemic. The closure postponed the planned refurbishment of Spaceship Earth, as it did many other construction projects around Disney World.
As the COVID-19 pandemic continued, Disney made the decision to postpone the refurbishment, and we…simply haven’t heard anything about it since then. Yeah…there seems to be a theme here.
What do you think about all these EPCOT projects that were never seen through to completion? Do you think they would have been a success? Of course, there are plenty of projects that ARE actually happening. EPCOT’s CommuniCore Hall and Plaza will open on June 11th, the walkthrough Moana attraction was successfully opened, and Test Track will soon close for a refurbishment as well.
We’ll continue to keep you updated with more Disney News, so make sure to follow along so that you’re always in the loop.
Looking for more Disney projects that are in the works? Click here!
Join the AllEars.net Newsletter to stay on top of ALL the breaking Disney News! You'll also get access to AllEars tips, reviews, trivia, and MORE! Click here to Subscribe!
What do you think of these “canceled” EPCOT projects? Let us know in the comments!
I recently wrote about this very subject. You cannot imagine how disappointed I am about not getting the promised Cherry Tree Lane. I was looking forward to it the most.
The proposed Poppins attraction and development in the English pavilion sounded awesome. Sadly, Disney seems to have chickened out.