Credit: Jess Colopy, Inside the Magic After seven years, updates are coming to an interactive attraction at EPCOT. The news comes years after the COVID-19 pandemic led Disney to indefinitely shelve several planned additions to the park for Walt Disney World Resort’s 50th anniversary in 2021. Canceled projects included the Play! Pavilion, a Spaceship Earth overhaul, and a Mary Poppins (1964) attraction in the United Kingdom World Showcase Pavilion.
Unfortunately, the latest updates at EPCOT don’t include any of the projects that were shelved five years ago. However, the ongoing improvements in the World Discovery neighborhood are sure to make a huge difference for families visiting the theme park.
Updates in the World Discovery Neighborhood at EPCOT
On February 18, guests walking through the World Discovery neighborhood at EPCOT encountered yellow “caution” tape and other temporary barriers blocking an interactive playground near Test Track and Mission: SPACE. The play area opened in 2018, when the area was still known as Future World – East.
The World Discovery Playground closed to guests last month, but the latest update from BlogMickey indicates that Walt Disney World Resort is making significant changes to the attraction. The outlet shared this photo taken from above the “caution” tape and rolling shrubs intended to block the ongoing work:
Disney cast members are replacing the weatherproof, padded flooring in the World Discovery Playground to make it safer for young EPCOT guests. They’ve also significantly expanded the space’s footprint and installed a low wall at what now marks the end of the play area. New shade umbrellas tower above the temporary rolling shrubs, offering more protection from the beating Central Florida sun.
Walt Disney World Resort hasn’t said when the World Discovery Playground will reopen or shared anything about its plans for the attraction. Follow Inside the Magic for updates on this and other projects around Magic Kingdom Park, EPCOT, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park!
What should Walt Disney World Resort add to the playground in the World Discovery neighborhood at EPCOT? Share your ideas with Inside the Magic in the comments!