The end of Innoventions and why it should return
The end of Innoventions was a bit slow, with Disney undergoing changes as the place became more of a meet-and-greet for characters. The West arm closed in 2015 with a promised overhaul that never came. Segments of the East side were also closed down as Disney prepared for a huge makeover for Epcot. That would have included turning the old Wonders of Life pavilion into the Play Pavilion with the same idea as Innoventions of various interactive exhibits.
Then the COVID-19 pandemic hit to curtail construction for a year and throw a lot of Disney’s plans off. Journey Into Water now occupies the West area while East is now the Connections Eatery. Meanwhile, the Play pavilion was among the many Disney projects canceled in the wake of the pandemic.
While some may have treated Innoventions as something to skip or just walk through on their way to more notable attractions, the place had some great appeal. For folks first visiting it in 1994, seeing anything from a huge collection of video games to the fancy computer stuff was mind-blowing. The VR games may seem silly today yet were cutting-edge tech back then. The way exhibits shifted over time was well done to ensure it didn’t seem dated.
There was also the “edutainment” idea that’s sadly been lacking at Disney in the last decade. Some exhibits may seem more like a standard museum, yet it was a good way for kids to learn about the environment, safety, science, and other stuff while still enjoying themselves. That was what Epcot was meant to be and yet Disney seems to be ignoring that.
More than any other park, Epcot is meant to be not just a celebration of the past but a focus on the brighter future. As much as it could be slammed as a commercial for its companies, Innoventions still held to that, and it’s something Disney should revive. The Play pavilion still has a lot of potential and is something Disney should consider going through with.
30 years after it opened and over five years since it closed, Innoventions’ legacy for showcasing today’s technology is often overlooked, but it was the first exposure many guests had to items we take for granted now. It also housed a spirit of innovation for that name that Disney once did so well and still can. Thus, we can hope, somehow, that the future for Epcot and Disney means a return not of Innoventions itself but the heart it possessed on how great minds can change the future.