D23 2017: Recapping Everything Happening At Epcot – Ratatouille, Guardians, Ellen’s Closing, Space Restaurant

Everyone knew that change was coming to Epcot in Walt Disney World, but they may not have expected it to be this much. During the Walt Disney Parks and Resorts presentation at the D23 Expo 2017 on Saturday, Bob Chapek revealed a ton of big news and Florida’s second Disney Park was the focus of the majority of it. The chairman of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts revealed a ride is closing, two new ones are coming, and a lot more is happening at Epcot.

The Walt Disney Parks and Resorts is the biggest presentation at the D23 Expo, which is held every two years. It lets everyone know what the company is doing. This year, they had more than enough to reveal and some rumors came true, while others were left behind and not even mentioned.

Some of the biggest news involved Epcot in Walt Disney World, as an almost complete overhaul will be taking place at the park. Chapek confirmed that they are still looking to overhaul the park with the original vision in mind, while also making it more family friendly and enjoyable for everyone.

Let’s take a look at all the Epcot changes announced on Saturday at the D23 Expo.

First of all, Ellen’s Energy Adventure will be closing its doors for good on Aug. 13, as reported by the Disney Parks Blog. A new Guardians of the Galaxy attraction will be taking its place, but there is no opening date, even though they hope to have it open by Walt Disney World’s 50th anniversary in 2021.

After the success of Guardians of the Galaxy Mission: BREAKOUT! at Disney California Adventure, this doesn’t come as much of a surprise. Guests in Walt Disney World will have their own chance to rock through space to some awesome tunes.

Another big change coming is that Mission: Space will get a brand new mission when it reopens later this summer. Imagineer Tom Fitzgerald came out on stage and made sure to let the fans know that they never forget about the food at Epcot, even in space.

“We know our guests love dining at Epcot – and the restaurants really are out of this world. Now we’re about to create one that takes that literally.”

Going along with that attraction is the brand new restaurant which doesn’t have a name as of yet, but it will bring guests into space to dine. It kind of lends the idea of the Coral Reef Restaurant, but in outer space.

Chapek and Fitzgerald said the new dining location would be located “adjacent” to Mission: Space, which means it could end up going where the old Wonders of Life pavilion currently stands.

Last month, permits were filed for Disney which had a lot of changes coming to the land behind the France pavilion in Epcot. Rumors of a Ratatouille attraction being built started swirling, and those rumors were confirmed at the D23 Expo on Saturday.

Working off of the extremely popular 4D Ratatouille attraction at Walt Disney Studios Park in Disneyland Paris, the attraction will be built behind the Eiffel Tower in Epcot. This is going to be huge and it could be one of the most iconic attractions in all of Walt Disney World.

Epcot received a lot of attention at the D23 Expo on Saturday and it will receive even more over the coming years. There are not a lot of completion dates for the new attractions, but we do know that Ellen’s Energy Adventure closes next month and that Epcot will have a whole new look by the time of the 50th anniversary.

You could easily say that Epcot is going to be almost an entirely new park with all of the changes. Some Disney fans may not be happy about it, but you can’t help but feel some excitement for the new things taking place over the coming years.

The D23 Expo 2017 has one day remaining, but the majority of the big news has already been revealed and Epcot was the focus of the bulk of it. All of these changes will keep a lot of the history and true feel of the park while incorporating Ratatouille and Guardians of the Galaxy. If you’re a fan of Ellen’s Energy Adventure, you need to ride it soon as it will be closing in less than a month and the overhaul of Epcot will truly begin.

[Featured Image by Danny Cox]