We did it(?!)
CommuniCore Hall
For roughly a month, CommuniCore Hall has been open at EPCOT, and many have been… erm… to put it nicely, questioning its value. However, we think we may have figured out some positive uses for the space.
To understand the reaction to CommuniCore Hall, it’s important to understand the context. When EPCOT’s major reimagining was first announced in the late 2010s, the plans for the park were somewhat grand, with concept art displaying futuristic vistas that merged nature and technology in ways not typical to theme parks. However, the reality of this massive project was slightly different.
Due to numerous factors — including the pandemic — EPCOT’s reimagining ended up much smaller than planned. Sure, some projects like Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure, and Journey of Water – Inspired by Moana ended up pretty much as they were supposed to.
Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind
However, some like the Play! Pavilion transformation of the former Wonders of Life, the Mary Poppins dark ride in the U.K. pavilion, and the massive refurbishment of Spaceship Earth were axed entirely (and that’s not even getting into the areas of EPCOT that weren’t touched at all), and others ended up looking so different from their initial concept art that they may as well have been cut.
©Disney || Play Pavilion Concept Art
And that brings us to CommuniCore Hall.
Originally the space that’s currently CommuniCore Hall was supposed to be the World Celebration Festival Center. Disney released concept art for the Festival Center showing a space-age style design featuring a saucer shape, reflective columns and glass, winding staircases, and a rooftop garden.
The original Festival Pavilion concept art.
Along with this art, they also released a description that explained that the World Celebration Festival Center would be “the perfect place for live events, and the home base for Epcot’s signature festivals. It will provide a stunning elevated view of the entire park and an ideal spot to witness Epcot’s nighttime spectacular. This beautiful three-level structure will have one of the most remarkable architectural designs at any Disney park, featuring a plaza level, a middle expo level, and a park that sits in the sky on the top level.”
Suffice to say, the version of CommuniCore Hall that was built — and opened last month as the “final piece” of EPCOT’s reimagining – is… well… not that.
CommuniCore Hall
Instead, many fans have complained that the hall is large, boxy, mostly empty, and taking up a large amount of real estate in the middle of the park, especially outside of EPCOT festival season.
However, believe it or not, there are some benefits to CommuniCore Hall. It’s a large, air-conditioned space that’s mainly empty. In other words, it’s a perfect spot to come for a breather and sit in some air conditioning to relax. This is especially true if you’re traversing the park with young kids and need a place for them to take a nap outside of the sweltering heat.
CommuniCore Hall
Not only that, but we still haven’t seen this space used to its full potential yet. Disney promised that CommuniCore Hall would bring EPCOT International Festivals “to the center of Walt Disney World,” and we’ve yet to see an EPCOT festival since the hall opened. The new space is supposed to be home to all sorts of events and was designed with flexibility in mind. This hall can host a wide variety of experiences with food, art, live music, and more.
And, a demonstration kitchen, a mixology bar, and exhibition and gallery space can be found here as well.
CommuniCore Hall
And, we know that CommuniCore Hall and Plaza will be incorporated into the 2024 EPCOT Food and Wine Festival for the first time when the Festival runs from August 29th through November 23rd! Disney hasn’t officially announced what sort of events will take place here during the Food and Wine Festival, but we’re excited to find out.
Does this make CommuniCore an ideal theme park environment or mean it was “worth” the construction time it took to build? Not necessarily, no. However, that doesn’t mean there aren’t some benefits to be gleaned from the hall for now. Stay tuned to DFB for further EPCOT updates.
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If that’s really all it’s meant to be, it’s the saddest thing I’ve ever heard.
Truly one of the most disappointing changes Epcot/Disney has ever made. No theme, no personality, no fun at all.
We just got back from Animal Kingdom where we would have been drenched had I not learned from DFB where to go during storms. For EPCOT, this Communicore Hall location is a gift for people who are getting overheated and/or need shelter to survive the afternoon summer storms of Florida. AK could use one! (BTW, Flame Tree Barbecue, Navi Boat Ride and Kilimanjaro ride during rain in AK! Animals came out and we stayed dry. Thanks, DFB!)
Funny timing for this article as I just walked through this week! The space had my whole group trying to figure out what it was actually built for.
Although it seems like a nice place to sit and take a break, there were no charging stations so we knew it wasn’t meant to be a lounge area and it was quite obvious the original intention was meant to provide an actual purpose.
I imagine it will be helpful on rainy or extra hot days especially during festivals., seems like a great spot to refresh and even sit and eat
I struggle to understand why people are so confused or letdown by this. It was never presented as an attraction. It’s an event space that was built around the needs of festivals! Unless there’s a festival, the expectation is that it would likely seem sterile no different than any other dedicated event space around the country. It will be great not to have to go to the old Wonders of Life pavilion during festivals any longer. The inside of that space was truly a downer.
It is sad to see the most unique, futuristic and inspirational archetecture in all of WDW has been forsaken for Moana and Communicore Hall. Sad to see the place change for the worse.
I imagine it will be used at Christmas time, so they can get rid of the temporary tent structure new the United Kingdom.
The disappointment is the complete absence of imagination. The original concept was amazing. But this smacks of a stale convention center space that could be built anywhere. When we go to Disney World we want to escape reality and be in the Disney bubble. This is not that space.