ORLANDO -- After years of construction fences lining the front half of Epcot, major renovations of Epcot are complete. Guests can now wander through Epcot's four neighborhoods unencumbered by barriers -- and fully enjoy what barriers were hiding.
In 2019, Disney announced a massive transformation of the park. Since then, Disney has been at work changing and updating Epcot, which first opened to guests in 1982.
This week, the last of those spaces opened -- CommuniCore Hall and CommuniCore Plaza, which are the hub for all of Epcot's festivals as well as home to the new stage show "¡Celebración Encanto!," running for a limited time (no end date was announced).
Before multiyear construction work, Epcot consisted of two main areas: World Showcase and Future World. The transformation split Future World into three neighborhoods: World Celebration, World Nature and World Discovery.
CommuniCore Hall and Plaza hold a lot of promise. In addition to offering space for performances, a quick-service food and beverage spot will serve favorites from Epcot festivals. This summer, the offerings are themed to the film "Encanto."
These spaces promise to be a buzzy center for festivals, and with a show kitchen inside the hall, the possibilities are many and varied. I'd love to see cooking classes and wine tastings held somewhere in or around the hall during the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival.
Communicore Hall is a place for character meet-and-greets. Photo Credit: Olga Thompson/Disney
Future plans for the spaces are still in the works. In a blog post about the hall and plaza, Disney referenced several things to come, like an announcement about a second performance space in the plaza. The company also noted that "the future of this gathering and event space is limited only by the boundaries of imagination."
I'm glad there aren't many set plans. The flex space is large, and creative minds could come up with any number of ways to fill it (and I hope those ways vary throughout the year).
The "¡Celebración Encanto!" stage show was high-energy and sure to draw in kids with music from the hit 2021 animated film "Encanto." The performers did a great job encouraging children to participate. Parents can enjoy watching from the sidelines, taking a little break while their kids get the wiggles out.
Older "Encanto" fans - or, just fans of songwriter Lin-Manuel Miranda -- will similarly be delighted by singing along to the film's peppiest songs (remember when literally everyone was talking about Bruno?).
In addition to a playground nearby, the show offers something perfect for Epcot's youngest visitors, as does CommuniCore Hall's character meet-and-greet spot, Mickey & Friends.
In a park where drinking around the world is a regular pastime, the new additions -- including Journey of Water Inspired by Moana, which opened last fall in World Nature -- are welcome ones for toddlers.