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Credit: DisneyIt’s been just about a year since Disney unveiled its updated EPCOT to the world. The public’s response has ranged from underwhelmed to disgusted over the changes and lack of theming.
Guests have focused their ire on CommuniCore Hall and Plaza; The plaza has been blasted for having broken lighting and turning the Fountain of Nations into a boring dance party. On the other hand, guests are still waiting for CommuniCore Hall to live up to its billing as a themed space for festivals.
Instead, in the eyes of some fans, it has turned into a bland catch-all with no real purpose. Now, a year into the transformation, Disney fans still have some serious complaints about the project that took more than five years to complete.
Fix the Lighting
Part of the transformation was creating World Celebration Gardens with seating. The crowning achievement would be lighting on the sidewalk that would sync up with Spaceship Earth to create a stunning illusion for guests.
Ever since they opened, the sidewalk lighting has caused problems. Two weeks after opening, the lights were broken. Shortly after that, Disney fixed them, but they were broken again.
So we just gave up right? pic.twitter.com/ws6iSGEuSA
— Original Orange Bird (@ogorangebird) May 26, 2025
Now, a year later, the lights appear to be permanently broken. It is unclear why Disney can’t get the lighting right. At first, it appeared that the plastic placed over the lights was destroyed by the hot Florida sun.
Disney has tried everything to fix this, but none of the fixes seem to work. Fans wonder if Disney has just given up on the EPCOT lighting.
What’s CommuniCore Hall?
This week, Disney transformed CommuniCore Hall into GoofyCore Hall as part of the Cool Kid Summer. Early views show a redesigned CommuniCore Hall with a Goofy Dance Party.
FIRST LOOK at "GoofyCore" at CommuniCore Hall for "Cool Kid Summer" at Walt Disney World!
Speaking as a Dad of a toddler, EPCOT is beginning to have lots to offer for the little ones to burn off some energy on a long park day! #CoolKidSummer #GoofyCore #EPCOT pic.twitter.com/l0kczgSRHn
— DSNY Newscast (@DSNYNewscast) May 26, 2025
Families love the new space, as it gives them an air-conditioned area to let their kids run around for a little while. On the other hand, Disney adults, who tend to populate EPCOT, especially on the weekends, hate the new area.
One guest wrote on X (formerly Twitter):
Well, they could get a character and do a “dance party” for kids… oh wait.. they are already doing that. I suppose the next lowest-cost option would be this: nothing. How long before Disney finally admits the retheme of EPCOT is a complete failure?
Well, they could get a character and do a "dance party" for kids… oh wait.. they are already doing that. I suppose the next lowest-cost option would be this: nothing. How long before Disney finally admits the retheme of Epcot is a complete failure? https://t.co/KaLRl1oBi5
— Savethemagic (@Savethedmagic) May 29, 2025
With CommuniCore shuffling between festivals, it’s hard for guests to understand what the space is supposed to be. Some of the rethemes have been interesting and offered guests something different, while others have taken on the look of a “community college cafeteria.”
After a year, it does not seem likely that Disney will make wholesale changes to the World Celebration area, but at the very least, it needs another update to fix what’s wrong right now.
What do you think of the CommuniCore area of EPCOT? Let us know in the comments.