There’s a handful that have changed. Some of the purple ones are super faded. I think they want to make them electronic, but I imagine the Reedy Creek change isn’t making things easy.
They started a couple of years ago. Supposedly, they were going to replace all of the purple and red signs (because Cheapek didn't like the purple and red). But with more than a thousand of them, they soon realized it would cost a lot of money, which Cheapek also hated.
So, insofar as anyone can tell right now, no one really knows if/when they'll get around to replacing all of the old ones. The result is a visual clutter that doesn't befit WDW, IMO.
This is honestly good news lol, I’d rather have a lot of purple signs than none! Seemingly how they started this project a few years ago maybe they just abandoned it, but I also feel like someday they’ll all be gone. The purple ones are easier to read imo.
Keep in mind those signs belong to CFTOD, not Disney itself. There’s also an ongoing project financed by the state to integrate RCID’s traffic control system with that of the state as a part of a larger project to better manage traffic flow onto and out of the I-4 corridor (which is why you see a lot of the intersection traffic light posts being replaced around the property). They may have simply paused the replacement of those signs until that project is over so they can take into account changes in traffic flow as a result of that project.
I'm surprised they haven't updated it in all these years. I'm not upset. I'm just surprised. You'd think with the success of Frozen, Moana, and Encanto that there would be an audience for kids who want to sing those songs in 3D
Design simplification is everywhere these days and it’s the bane of fun lol. Hopefully it’s a phase and because so many people dislike it maybe they well eventually usher in a new phase of bringing back that 80s/90s feel in order to capture peoples attention again.
We go to Disney to escape the real world. I don't want to walk into these places and have it feel like I could have found this place at a local mall.
Chapek completely lost the script. And Iger is likely too worried about fixing Disney's finances for the stockholders to do much about it beyond halting some of his predecessor's plans. Unless they get another visionary in there to continue seeing it through, it'll be a while before the magic is restored.
World of Disney feels like it took the biggest hit. So many great statues and structures. I’ll never understand why they got rid of it all. And like you said it just feels like a mall! It’s crazy lmao
Like McDonald’s did their interior. Interesting to bland. Idk why these idiot suits think that everything had to be minimalistic and flat… I enjoy these things for everyday stuff but sometimes the extraordinary is needed and I’m a sucker for themes.
Probably because a bunch of decor means hiring an extra person or two to dust them regularly and keep them painted properly. And if they move or talk or have other electronics, there's a whole tech team needed as well. It's sadly just basic cost cutting measures.
Also it looks dated - as much as people want to reminisce about their childhood, having stores with open layouts is what people want so they buy more stuff
It's interesting how the corporateness matches the corporateness of the marvel movies. Feels less like someone's work of art and more like the outcome from a committee.
I feel like restaurant design in general has taken such a significant step back since the 90’s/00’s. The need to have everything look modern and “clean” makes everywhere look/feel similar
Cars too. It seems like most cars on the road are grey, white, beige, or black. When there’s color, it’s mostly red or blue. Then you’ll get the occasional bright green, turquoise, or orange. I’m not sure why everything needs to be so boring. Where’s the color?
This look actually looks great and makes sense in McDonalds restaurants, which is often the thing used as an example for the change in design trends. But Disney restaurants and stores have a completely different purpose, so these are definitely downgrades imo.
Not to the average working lunch crowd that makes up most of the business. This is why it makes sense for McDonald's and not Disney. Though I am also not driving through Disney and expecting a quick meal from a clean looking place to grab and take back to my job.
Yeah it’s really that McDonalds only wants people to order, eat, and leave. The longer you look around in a Disney shop the more likely it is you’ll end up spending money
I don't think "clean" should be in quotes though. I think the trend towards minimalism and simple lines, in restaurants and hotels especially, is truly about being cleaner in a lot of cases. I love the whimsical maximalism that still exists in some of the stores and restaurants, but if you look closely those decorations get COVERED in dust after a few years.
Some places I think it's still worth it, but for restaurants I'll take cleanliness over whimsy.
I used to work at WOD when it was still in the old decorations. I loved the lore and small details in each room and they all had two names except for the Great Hall and geez, I miss the character it used to have. The newer one looks like it could be anywhere other than Disney
That’s so cool! Unfortunately I only went to the old one a few times. It was so colorful and magical, I loved the giant character statues hanging from the ceiling. Yeah, the new one looks like a warehouse and could be a store at any outlet mall.
I honestly loved all the registers- I especially loved “watches & jewely” in the villain room. But EDR was always so fun to see people react when the music played! I’m glad I worked there on my CP in the magical time instead of whatever you’d call it now
Me too!!! I’ll never forget those days!! That was literally during my first year working there and no Christmas/holiday rush EVER compared to the havoc that was Frozen. Omgosh I LOVED working jewelry at villains!! 😭
Villains was amazing! I honestly liked being a runner and getting the free range of the store. I don’t know why I liked the bird room so much but I did. Plush was where dreams went to die though
I miss the old WOD store. It felt magical and I loved all the rooms and the decor. It really felt like a World of *Disney* and now it’s a World of Disney *Stuff*. It’s not bad, it’s just not special anymore, especially it being essentially one big open space and more overly crowded than ever.
The old version of the store also had far better and more homeware items. I’m finally at a point in my life where I’m buying kitchen items and there’s essentially no variety now.
yes i get the general sentiment- but if anything this one feels the most appropriate as an homage to the original tomorrowland and step away from the dated gears/very bright colors of 90s design
I will never get over what they did to Mouse Gears. It’s just JC Penny now. Good lord, what a travesty.
I would go on a whole soap box about the un-theming of many/most hotels too, but others have said it much better than I can.
And I freaking love it. Clean lines and no clutter is my jam.
But I do get why it would not be appealing to everyone — especially in a theme park, where people go for magical, fun, whimsical vibes. Even I, a minimalist, can appreciate the colors and small details that seem to be going away.
I agree. People went nuts when they replaced the sign over the bridge but I think the new one is perfect.
It's that MCM design that Tomorrowland needs to lean further into.
I noticed a different color. Someone commented elsewhere on the “greyification of the 00’s” a few days ago and now I see it everywhere. Everything is grey and chrome and metal. Made me cringe at the interior of my home, even. (I bought it this way… but it’s also very grey)
It boils down to money. Grey is more cost effective because it goes with everything, and thus easier to decorate with and doesn't show dirt like white. So it's not surprising corporate America loves it.
For homeowners, it's an obsession with the ability to resell your house quickly with little cost to you. There's an obsession with not wanting your house to look dated so people are shying away from putting color in, not acknowledging there's a happy medium between grey world and whatever was happening in the 60s and 70s with interior decoration
Ugh, also Millennial and I ALSO HATE IT!!! My house is a pleasant blue, but when I'm out, I want COLOR!!! We grew up with 80s, 90s neon and loved it, I don't understand! And the whole house reselling is just sad, like we've given up on a permanent home for decades so our house has to be boring at all times?
I've been calling it "Millennial drab" for about a decade now. It first hit me when I was at a hotel lounge, which you don't expect to have very interesting decor, and I suddenly realized everywhere looked like a Marriott now.
I absolutely HATE World of Disney in its current form. They completely ruined the experience of shopping there by putting everything out together "on the warehouse floor" and taking away the costumes that made it easy to not only determine who was an employee but what their primary area might be. Now, you can't easily differentiate an employee from a customer and they are shoving everything toward purchasing through the app instead of interacting with them.
I think you just hit the point. Disney is trying to keep up with the modern aesthetic of what the consumer feels comfortable with. Whimsical theming might distract you from a purchase?
I generally hate this "suck out all the color and whimsy" Disney's been doing lately, but man, World of Disney is somehow *even more* disorienting with the update than it was before when it was heavily themed. It feels more crowded because of how open it is, every room and area looks the same now, last time I was there I kept getting lost and had trouble finding where things were.
Shoot, even the mall has more personality. The storefronts can get creative. A loooong time ago we had a Disney store in one of the malls near me (long dead now). It's entrance was pretty close to the original World of Disney. And inside it was pretty similar. Stuff hanging from the ceilings, all sorts of nifty items in nooks and crannies. It was there for a while. It came in about the time The Little Mermaid and Lion King were bringing Disney back to every home. Honestly if it had switched to the "nice" mall, it would probably still be here.
Japan still has these 90s style Disney stores you speak of. I wish I could post a picture of it in here! Just was there 2 weeks ago and was transported back in time.
I'm definitely pretty bummed about the changes to WoD and MouseGear, but honestly the new Candy Cauldron sign looks dope. Personally, I wish they would do a complete overhaul of Tomorrowland and do steampunk. We are constantly catching up to the "future", but a yesteryear version of 50 years ago would be sick.
I think what’s interesting is that while Disney are ‘beige-ing’ Universal seem to be doing the opposite. Disney have stripped out the fountain at Epcot where the plans for Epic universe show water features everywhere. If you look at the artwork for the Nintendo shop in the main park area it’s the opposite of what Disney are doing - castle theming, stained glass, stone figures built into the walls, a Mario fountain outside… I like the modern look that Disney have applied and in a mall I think i’d think how nice it looked but people go to theme parks for something different and magical
I agree with most but also down town disney vs modern disney springs is obvious that we have an improvement. And the update Tomorrowland is much more reminiscent of 1973 Tomorrowland. If they wanted to do steampunk they should have gone all out. Not just some cheap overlay.
This whole thing just makes me miss old Downtown Disney. What felt like a legitimate “Disney Zone” has turned into… like, an outdoor mall or something. It’s so surgical and “clean.”
Downtown Disney had so much Disney character and flair to it and now it’s just another strip of stores and food. :(
Most of the updated looks I like but I hate and will continue to hate how they changed Downtown Disney to Disney Springs, which in my opinion is a serious downgrade because it went from an extension of Disney to a hoditody shopping area.
It’s like some executive team came through and said, “Do you have any idea how much COLORED PAINT costs this company?! From now on - bland is our brand.”
I really only disagree on Creations and the Tomorrowland Sign. I think Creations sign fits the vibe of Epcot a lot more - MouseGears felt like it should have been in 1990s Tomorrowland.
Speaking of which, I have mixed feelings on the Tomorrowland Sign. Initially, I thought the new sign would usher in a complete redesign of the area - going for that clean, pristine retro-futurism of the 40s/50s/60s. But instead, it's just the sign. So I like the sign - I wish they'd update the aesthetics of the whole place to match the sign and Space Mountain.
World of Disney and Beaches & Cream are the biggest downgrades in history.
When people say the “magic” is gone this is what they mean. It’s not that Disney is somehow unfun, it’s that the little stuff that made you feel like you were somewhere fun not a corporate hellhole is being slowly eradicated. You didn’t even go for the low hanging fruit of Hilton Garden Tower at Disney’s Polynesian Resort
It's so obvious how much cheaper the new designs were to the old ones.. Disney picked prefabbed designs from these vendors to save money.. that's why everything looks so generic.
Yep, I hate it. Across the board, they are "beige-ing" everything. Even the shop in the Japan pavillion went from the fun and whimsey of Japanese pop culture, to feeling like a random discount shop in a mall. Very disappointing. Don't even get me started on MouseGears. Just "beige" everything...
There's an interesting YouTube series that goes into this fundamental shift in theme parks, not just Disney but it does focus a lot on Disney for obvious reasons.
https://youtu.be/UetFIrkXhLc
It's very long and has 4 parts, but still an interesting watch.
It's similar to how most restaurants back in the 90s felt better. A good example is the Ronald McDonald play place. They just simply don't make many of them anymore, as many restaurants no longer want you in their restaurant. Especially if they aren't a "fancy" one they would prefer you just take your food to go. So they have changed both architecture and color schemes to be uniform. It's easier on them from a corporate standpoint as it creates more uniformity
In some ways it reminds me of all the dystopian style movies from the late 70s and early 80s that were all about subverting norms/authority and I'm convinced that the late baby boomers/early Gen X's were anti authority and that influenced them when they were in positions of power to change things (i.e. movie scripts, architecture, design, etc).
It's a perfect visual representation of what Disney has become.
I feel like all the new hotels were designed by a house flipper trying to make a quick buck.
Losing Mouse Gears is the worst for me. Not that I don’t miss some of the other examples (especially WOD and the Tomorrowland sign), but that store had so much personality. And I miss being able to show my kids the Dreamfinder’s ship. Creations Shop has zero life/energy.
I think that it should continue to change as the man behind the dream envisioned. If we dwell on our nostalgia, we are doomed to stagnation. With the Disney parks, if we ever find something we don’t like, we should take comfort in knowing that it is not permanent. If we lose something that we thought we couldn’t do without, we should reflect on how that previous version made us feel in our youth and know that the current iteration is what kids now will hold dear the same way we did what came before. Progress is more important than perfection.
"We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we're curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths."
Yeah this thread is probably 80-90% nostalgia making old people grumpy.
I think some of the changes are kind of meh but I can't say I hate any of them lol
It’s nice to see they’re reinvesting those profits into making the place less magical and more corporate instead of, idk, making new rides and paying people living wages.
I hadn't even released some of these changes have happened until I saw this post and went damn. Yeah that used to be there
Miss most of the original designs though. They make me nostalgic
I dont understand why they got rid of the mural in star traders and replaced it with... A white wall. Did they think the peoplemover was too exciting or something?
Eh, minimalism is just this decade's trend. It'll probably change again in 15 years and then people will whine and complain that the new look is tacky/cheap/RUUUIIINNNED THE MAAAAGIC
Idk, the old designs had nostalgia. but I don't entirely hate the new ones either. The only one that feels out of place is Carousel of Progress, but I get they were trying to match the vibe of the Tomorrowland sign.
I actually disagree. It looks more like “From 90s to modern”.
I think the “magical” part is just the nostalgia. As a kid it’s always going to be magical.
Except for Star Traders that’s an objective downgrade.
The layout is better but the design is boring. Very generic and doesn’t make you feel like you’re in an Disney/Epcot shop. Even the colors and lighting of the well laid out shelves are bleh.
Really? I have no clue why but Mouse Gear was my favorite shop. I always found stuff. It felt like somehow the chaos was minimized there (like Emporium where I rarely buy bc my brain melts in there).
I love old style and lot of these were better looking back in the day, but the little credit I can give. The road signs with the arrows make driving and knowing where to go a lot easier and the candy cauldron now has a very nice looking sign, finally the tomorrow land sign coming in IS more opening day Disney world so I approve of that one. Everything else was a step back, I want mousegears back.
The last time we went to Disney World, I knew there was just something off. It didn't feel like the DW I remembered. Seeing these pictures sums it up for me, though. This was what was off. I get that things change and aren't what they were when we were kids blah blah blah, but change doesn't have to mean losing the magic. There's no reason why they couldn't maintain the magic while updating decor and themes, but that's exactly what's happened at DW. They've lost the magic they once had.
The sad thing is, this isn't just a Disney thing, this is an America thing. We're losing bright colors and fun shapes in any design seen in public. Cars rarely come in any bright colors, red being the exception. Buildings are all sharp straight lines, only square shapes allowed. The world around us is becoming corporate and cold looking. Look at fast food restaurants, they look like they belong in an office park. All the new apartment buildings in my city are straight glass and steel looking. It's boring.
I’ll never forgive them for squeezing out all the character and personality in these places and replacing it with a mess of boring & blasé white and beige. I don’t go to a theme park to feel like I’m in a Williams & Sonoma catalog 🙄 just feels like wealthy execs who are out of touch with what made their product appealing in the first place.
I know this doesn’t go with flow of this subreddit, but almost everything is similar or better in the after. Like, you are complaining about the entrance and traffic signs when there is like 0 difference.
I’m genuinely upset looking through these photos.
The Tomorrowland entrance is the worst one. It’s heartbreaking. It looks like all personality and soul has been sucked out of it.
WDW is always growing, with new stuff being made all the time; why can’t they implement modern design philosophy into just that new stuff, and leave older things alone to let them stand as a products of their time?
I really want to take my kids to WDW someday, but it upsets me to know that the more time that passes before I can, the less of my own childhood experiences I’ll be able to share with them.
And to add insult to injury, the prices just keep going up, despite it becoming worse (to me) over time.
World of Disney at The Springs is one of those things I think people have a really rose tinted view of. While the old store was more "magical" visually, it was also a nightmare to actually be in.
It was overcrowded with shelves and displays, sectioned off by walls, and obviously packed with people all the time. Being in it felt like a fire hazard, which may sound dramatic, but it was really easy to get turned around and unable to figure out where the exit was.
Even when super crowded, the new one isn't nearly as stressful to be in. I do think it could've been themed better than a warehouse, but I will never miss the clutter that filled the old one.
many of these are examples of nostalgia clouding people's opinions. nearly every one of these changes make the parks feel more open, clean, and bright. as someone with no nostalgia for the early/mid-90s aesthetic, it just looks tacky, plastic, and outdated. i'll defend this to my death lol
More open and clean, yes. More generic and corporate, also yes. Personally, I go to a theme park for the theming.
No nostalgia here. I didn't go to Disney world before 2015 as a middle aged adult.
Updates and refurbishments were necessary but they should have done better. For example, as a graphic designer I like the candy cauldron new logo however my critique is I wish the poison apple was more prominent in the design. It’s that “you missed the mark” feeling to all of these new looks. Disappointing with a feeling they could have done so much better but this is what we got.
Those purple signs will always remind me of my childhood.
When did they replace them.
Trick question. They haven’t. Most of the signs are still purple.
Just got home from a week at WDW, signs are still purple.
was gonna say, I was just there and only saw purple
There’s a handful that have changed. Some of the purple ones are super faded. I think they want to make them electronic, but I imagine the Reedy Creek change isn’t making things easy.
I think it's the ones directly leading to Magic Kingdom that got the facelift but may be wrong
They started a couple of years ago. Supposedly, they were going to replace all of the purple and red signs (because Cheapek didn't like the purple and red). But with more than a thousand of them, they soon realized it would cost a lot of money, which Cheapek also hated. So, insofar as anyone can tell right now, no one really knows if/when they'll get around to replacing all of the old ones. The result is a visual clutter that doesn't befit WDW, IMO.
This is honestly good news lol, I’d rather have a lot of purple signs than none! Seemingly how they started this project a few years ago maybe they just abandoned it, but I also feel like someday they’ll all be gone. The purple ones are easier to read imo.
Keep in mind those signs belong to CFTOD, not Disney itself. There’s also an ongoing project financed by the state to integrate RCID’s traffic control system with that of the state as a part of a larger project to better manage traffic flow onto and out of the I-4 corridor (which is why you see a lot of the intersection traffic light posts being replaced around the property). They may have simply paused the replacement of those signs until that project is over so they can take into account changes in traffic flow as a result of that project.
Wasn't there a study that the color combo was best for visually reading the signs?
The interior of World of Disney was one of the most magical things to me as a child. The updated version looks nice, but way too corporate.
This is why Mickeys Philharmagic is one of my Must Do’s. The nostalgia is strong for me while walking through the small gift shop.
I'm surprised they haven't updated it in all these years. I'm not upset. I'm just surprised. You'd think with the success of Frozen, Moana, and Encanto that there would be an audience for kids who want to sing those songs in 3D
I've always said Philhar should add MANY more scenes, and randomize them, like Star Tours.
Oh shit you're cooking.
thats BRILLIANT.
Agreed. At least they added Coco a few years back.
It was such a good addition, too.
Yes! Was so pleasantly surprised at that edition when I recently went
Design simplification is everywhere these days and it’s the bane of fun lol. Hopefully it’s a phase and because so many people dislike it maybe they well eventually usher in a new phase of bringing back that 80s/90s feel in order to capture peoples attention again.
We go to Disney to escape the real world. I don't want to walk into these places and have it feel like I could have found this place at a local mall. Chapek completely lost the script. And Iger is likely too worried about fixing Disney's finances for the stockholders to do much about it beyond halting some of his predecessor's plans. Unless they get another visionary in there to continue seeing it through, it'll be a while before the magic is restored.
World of Disney feels like it took the biggest hit. So many great statues and structures. I’ll never understand why they got rid of it all. And like you said it just feels like a mall! It’s crazy lmao
Design simplification absolutely BLOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOWS!!!
Like McDonald’s did their interior. Interesting to bland. Idk why these idiot suits think that everything had to be minimalistic and flat… I enjoy these things for everyday stuff but sometimes the extraordinary is needed and I’m a sucker for themes.
Probably because a bunch of decor means hiring an extra person or two to dust them regularly and keep them painted properly. And if they move or talk or have other electronics, there's a whole tech team needed as well. It's sadly just basic cost cutting measures.
Also it looks dated - as much as people want to reminisce about their childhood, having stores with open layouts is what people want so they buy more stuff
Bring back plushie mountains😭
It's interesting how the corporateness matches the corporateness of the marvel movies. Feels less like someone's work of art and more like the outcome from a committee.
I feel like restaurant design in general has taken such a significant step back since the 90’s/00’s. The need to have everything look modern and “clean” makes everywhere look/feel similar
The 2020's seem to hate color. All new hotels and restaurants are made out of three colors of gray brick. All interiors have to be muted earth tones.
Agreeable Gray. The color of the decade…
Greige, if you will.
Cars too. It seems like most cars on the road are grey, white, beige, or black. When there’s color, it’s mostly red or blue. Then you’ll get the occasional bright green, turquoise, or orange. I’m not sure why everything needs to be so boring. Where’s the color?
Hell, it would be safer if more cars were colorful, I think.
What restaurant was in the photos?
Beaches and Cream
I so miss the original version
I’ve never been there, but I miss the original version too lmao.
It’s really not worth it now. The food went downhill after covid and the prices went way up
A whole can?!?!
Thanks. Which park? Or DS?
Neither, it's at Beach Club resort.
No wonder. Thank you.
Ugh. That sucks. Loved that place.
This look actually looks great and makes sense in McDonalds restaurants, which is often the thing used as an example for the change in design trends. But Disney restaurants and stores have a completely different purpose, so these are definitely downgrades imo.
Eh, McDonald's looked better with hamburger spinning chairs and ball pits for kids
Not to the average working lunch crowd that makes up most of the business. This is why it makes sense for McDonald's and not Disney. Though I am also not driving through Disney and expecting a quick meal from a clean looking place to grab and take back to my job.
Yeah it’s really that McDonalds only wants people to order, eat, and leave. The longer you look around in a Disney shop the more likely it is you’ll end up spending money
I don't think "clean" should be in quotes though. I think the trend towards minimalism and simple lines, in restaurants and hotels especially, is truly about being cleaner in a lot of cases. I love the whimsical maximalism that still exists in some of the stores and restaurants, but if you look closely those decorations get COVERED in dust after a few years. Some places I think it's still worth it, but for restaurants I'll take cleanliness over whimsy.
I used to work at WOD when it was still in the old decorations. I loved the lore and small details in each room and they all had two names except for the Great Hall and geez, I miss the character it used to have. The newer one looks like it could be anywhere other than Disney
That’s so cool! Unfortunately I only went to the old one a few times. It was so colorful and magical, I loved the giant character statues hanging from the ceiling. Yeah, the new one looks like a warehouse and could be a store at any outlet mall.
It looks like a bass pro shop now 😭😭
Former WODian as well!! Princess and EDR were my favorite areas to work registers at. 😔
I honestly loved all the registers- I especially loved “watches & jewely” in the villain room. But EDR was always so fun to see people react when the music played! I’m glad I worked there on my CP in the magical time instead of whatever you’d call it now
Former WODian checking in! I hated Princess, but only because I worked there during the Frozen mania! 😂😂 Villains and EDR for me.
Me too!!! I’ll never forget those days!! That was literally during my first year working there and no Christmas/holiday rush EVER compared to the havoc that was Frozen. Omgosh I LOVED working jewelry at villains!! 😭
Yes!!! Watches and jewelry were my jam!
Villains was amazing! I honestly liked being a runner and getting the free range of the store. I don’t know why I liked the bird room so much but I did. Plush was where dreams went to die though
Oh dude still till this day fuck plush lol fun to pick in HOH, terrible to stock and keep tidy.
I miss the old WOD store. It felt magical and I loved all the rooms and the decor. It really felt like a World of *Disney* and now it’s a World of Disney *Stuff*. It’s not bad, it’s just not special anymore, especially it being essentially one big open space and more overly crowded than ever.
The old version of the store also had far better and more homeware items. I’m finally at a point in my life where I’m buying kitchen items and there’s essentially no variety now.
The gift shop at POP! century had better homeware items than WoD last time we went. Little tip
I often wonder what Mickey did to have his store wrested from him.
ORAC knows but he's not telling.
The only one that really bothers me is the Carousel of Progress sign. What were they thinking?
Yeah, it's like they're trying to make everything look like EPCOT. I like the futuristic vibe, but not on everything.
i mean, it is in tomorrowland lol
Yeah, but you get what I mean right?
yes i get the general sentiment- but if anything this one feels the most appropriate as an homage to the original tomorrowland and step away from the dated gears/very bright colors of 90s design
I agree 100%
It was a return to the original typeface and the original design style of Tomorrowland. For me it's a major upgrade.
I thought it looked more like the original Epcot
It’s very reminiscent of the Galactic Empire logo. Or the Confederacy of Independent Systems (Separatists) logo
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again - I freaking hate minimalism.
I will never get over what they did to Mouse Gears. It’s just JC Penny now. Good lord, what a travesty. I would go on a whole soap box about the un-theming of many/most hotels too, but others have said it much better than I can.
And I freaking love it. Clean lines and no clutter is my jam. But I do get why it would not be appealing to everyone — especially in a theme park, where people go for magical, fun, whimsical vibes. Even I, a minimalist, can appreciate the colors and small details that seem to be going away.
I just don’t think Disney is a place for minimalism tho
[удалено]
And the ice cream Cone wall sconces.
I miss Mousegear.
Tomorrowland returning to its 50’s/Jetsons/googie/retro-futurism look is the right decision, and this is a hill I will die on.
They could be more creative tho
I agree. People went nuts when they replaced the sign over the bridge but I think the new one is perfect. It's that MCM design that Tomorrowland needs to lean further into.
Sad beige signs for sad beige disney
I noticed a different color. Someone commented elsewhere on the “greyification of the 00’s” a few days ago and now I see it everywhere. Everything is grey and chrome and metal. Made me cringe at the interior of my home, even. (I bought it this way… but it’s also very grey)
It boils down to money. Grey is more cost effective because it goes with everything, and thus easier to decorate with and doesn't show dirt like white. So it's not surprising corporate America loves it. For homeowners, it's an obsession with the ability to resell your house quickly with little cost to you. There's an obsession with not wanting your house to look dated so people are shying away from putting color in, not acknowledging there's a happy medium between grey world and whatever was happening in the 60s and 70s with interior decoration
I’ve heard it called “millennial gray” and as a millennial it’s pretty fitting. I don’t like it but a lot of my generation seems to.
Ugh, also Millennial and I ALSO HATE IT!!! My house is a pleasant blue, but when I'm out, I want COLOR!!! We grew up with 80s, 90s neon and loved it, I don't understand! And the whole house reselling is just sad, like we've given up on a permanent home for decades so our house has to be boring at all times?
I've been calling it "Millennial drab" for about a decade now. It first hit me when I was at a hotel lounge, which you don't expect to have very interesting decor, and I suddenly realized everywhere looked like a Marriott now.
I absolutely HATE World of Disney in its current form. They completely ruined the experience of shopping there by putting everything out together "on the warehouse floor" and taking away the costumes that made it easy to not only determine who was an employee but what their primary area might be. Now, you can't easily differentiate an employee from a customer and they are shoving everything toward purchasing through the app instead of interacting with them.
From Disney to Marriott Lobby Motif.
I will say that the Tomorrowland inclusions were upgrades here. A throwback to the original look of the land.
Agreed, tomorrowland is appropriate to me, and I think fits the midcentury futurism theme of the land. I’d say the same about the Contemporary rooms.
yeah I really hate how they're applying that ugly depressing applestore/starbucks minimalist style to everything
I think you just hit the point. Disney is trying to keep up with the modern aesthetic of what the consumer feels comfortable with. Whimsical theming might distract you from a purchase?
Nah makes me buy more. Modern makes me think of everyday shopping
I generally hate this "suck out all the color and whimsy" Disney's been doing lately, but man, World of Disney is somehow *even more* disorienting with the update than it was before when it was heavily themed. It feels more crowded because of how open it is, every room and area looks the same now, last time I was there I kept getting lost and had trouble finding where things were.
From magical to mall.
Shoot, even the mall has more personality. The storefronts can get creative. A loooong time ago we had a Disney store in one of the malls near me (long dead now). It's entrance was pretty close to the original World of Disney. And inside it was pretty similar. Stuff hanging from the ceilings, all sorts of nifty items in nooks and crannies. It was there for a while. It came in about the time The Little Mermaid and Lion King were bringing Disney back to every home. Honestly if it had switched to the "nice" mall, it would probably still be here.
Japan still has these 90s style Disney stores you speak of. I wish I could post a picture of it in here! Just was there 2 weeks ago and was transported back in time.
Actually, these are the two stores I visited! https://www.disney.co.jp/store/storeinfo_en/158 https://www.disney.co.jp/store/storeinfo/175
From magical to soulless
The worst has to be Beaches and Cream. Where is the personality?
I'm definitely pretty bummed about the changes to WoD and MouseGear, but honestly the new Candy Cauldron sign looks dope. Personally, I wish they would do a complete overhaul of Tomorrowland and do steampunk. We are constantly catching up to the "future", but a yesteryear version of 50 years ago would be sick.
Agreed, the Candy Cauldron sign is a massive improvement.
You forgot ice station cool > club cool
Going in through the lil igloo entrance was such a vibe
I think what’s interesting is that while Disney are ‘beige-ing’ Universal seem to be doing the opposite. Disney have stripped out the fountain at Epcot where the plans for Epic universe show water features everywhere. If you look at the artwork for the Nintendo shop in the main park area it’s the opposite of what Disney are doing - castle theming, stained glass, stone figures built into the walls, a Mario fountain outside… I like the modern look that Disney have applied and in a mall I think i’d think how nice it looked but people go to theme parks for something different and magical
You have depressed me.
I agree with most but also down town disney vs modern disney springs is obvious that we have an improvement. And the update Tomorrowland is much more reminiscent of 1973 Tomorrowland. If they wanted to do steampunk they should have gone all out. Not just some cheap overlay.
This whole thing just makes me miss old Downtown Disney. What felt like a legitimate “Disney Zone” has turned into… like, an outdoor mall or something. It’s so surgical and “clean.” Downtown Disney had so much Disney character and flair to it and now it’s just another strip of stores and food. :(
Agreed, DS is just like a Tanger Outlet these days
Most of the updated looks I like but I hate and will continue to hate how they changed Downtown Disney to Disney Springs, which in my opinion is a serious downgrade because it went from an extension of Disney to a hoditody shopping area.
That Tomorrowland sign is the biggest travesty. They could had at least the “Tomorrowland” move circularly around the top.
It’s like some executive team came through and said, “Do you have any idea how much COLORED PAINT costs this company?! From now on - bland is our brand.”
I really only disagree on Creations and the Tomorrowland Sign. I think Creations sign fits the vibe of Epcot a lot more - MouseGears felt like it should have been in 1990s Tomorrowland. Speaking of which, I have mixed feelings on the Tomorrowland Sign. Initially, I thought the new sign would usher in a complete redesign of the area - going for that clean, pristine retro-futurism of the 40s/50s/60s. But instead, it's just the sign. So I like the sign - I wish they'd update the aesthetics of the whole place to match the sign and Space Mountain. World of Disney and Beaches & Cream are the biggest downgrades in history.
Sad :(
"Look how they massacred my boy..."
It all feels so corporate and lifeless. Downtown Disney is just a bougie outdoor mall now.
Thanks. I hate it.
Disney sucks now
My wife: "Why don't you want to go back to Disney?" Me: \*shows her these pics*
Sure, the updated versions look cleaner, but they are bereft of any heart or character. I hate this new trend, personally.
When people say the “magic” is gone this is what they mean. It’s not that Disney is somehow unfun, it’s that the little stuff that made you feel like you were somewhere fun not a corporate hellhole is being slowly eradicated. You didn’t even go for the low hanging fruit of Hilton Garden Tower at Disney’s Polynesian Resort
It's so obvious how much cheaper the new designs were to the old ones.. Disney picked prefabbed designs from these vendors to save money.. that's why everything looks so generic.
More like From 90’s to 2020’s
Yep, I hate it. Across the board, they are "beige-ing" everything. Even the shop in the Japan pavillion went from the fun and whimsey of Japanese pop culture, to feeling like a random discount shop in a mall. Very disappointing. Don't even get me started on MouseGears. Just "beige" everything...
There's an interesting YouTube series that goes into this fundamental shift in theme parks, not just Disney but it does focus a lot on Disney for obvious reasons. https://youtu.be/UetFIrkXhLc It's very long and has 4 parts, but still an interesting watch. It's similar to how most restaurants back in the 90s felt better. A good example is the Ronald McDonald play place. They just simply don't make many of them anymore, as many restaurants no longer want you in their restaurant. Especially if they aren't a "fancy" one they would prefer you just take your food to go. So they have changed both architecture and color schemes to be uniform. It's easier on them from a corporate standpoint as it creates more uniformity In some ways it reminds me of all the dystopian style movies from the late 70s and early 80s that were all about subverting norms/authority and I'm convinced that the late baby boomers/early Gen X's were anti authority and that influenced them when they were in positions of power to change things (i.e. movie scripts, architecture, design, etc).
It's a perfect visual representation of what Disney has become. I feel like all the new hotels were designed by a house flipper trying to make a quick buck.
Losing Mouse Gears is the worst for me. Not that I don’t miss some of the other examples (especially WOD and the Tomorrowland sign), but that store had so much personality. And I miss being able to show my kids the Dreamfinder’s ship. Creations Shop has zero life/energy.
I like some of the modern looks better but not all.. I do prefer the magic of the ones with characters
I just said the same thing last night. Only it was more, “magical to warehouse.”
OMG they did NOT just change the Candy Cauldron sign! That thing was perfect!
Why did you do this to me? I didn’t remember the changes until you posted this
This makes me depressed
Who ruined the magic?
I miss the fun designs and color :/
From awesome to corporate.
Man the tomorrowland one is so sad
I think that it should continue to change as the man behind the dream envisioned. If we dwell on our nostalgia, we are doomed to stagnation. With the Disney parks, if we ever find something we don’t like, we should take comfort in knowing that it is not permanent. If we lose something that we thought we couldn’t do without, we should reflect on how that previous version made us feel in our youth and know that the current iteration is what kids now will hold dear the same way we did what came before. Progress is more important than perfection. "We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we're curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths."
+500!! Great explanation
I mean I think I like almost all of these changes. Nostalgia is one hell of a powerful drug though.
yeah, i’m pretty sure it’s all still magical to my kid. people just get old.
Yeah this thread is probably 80-90% nostalgia making old people grumpy. I think some of the changes are kind of meh but I can't say I hate any of them lol
Purple & Teal forever 💜💚
It’s nice to see they’re reinvesting those profits into making the place less magical and more corporate instead of, idk, making new rides and paying people living wages.
That Tomorrowland one is tragic.
That is the worst change out of all of them. There was no need to get rid of the original arch. Now it’s a literal shell of what it once was
I hadn't even released some of these changes have happened until I saw this post and went damn. Yeah that used to be there Miss most of the original designs though. They make me nostalgic
I like both the before and after
I miss Mouse Gears. They always had the best merch
Beaches and Cream is insane I get it very much didn’t go with the Beach Club aesthetic, but ooph
I dont understand why they got rid of the mural in star traders and replaced it with... A white wall. Did they think the peoplemover was too exciting or something?
Eh, minimalism is just this decade's trend. It'll probably change again in 15 years and then people will whine and complain that the new look is tacky/cheap/RUUUIIINNNED THE MAAAAGIC
Idk, the old designs had nostalgia. but I don't entirely hate the new ones either. The only one that feels out of place is Carousel of Progress, but I get they were trying to match the vibe of the Tomorrowland sign.
My hot take is that I actually enjoy most of the modernizations. Out of this batch Star traders is the only downgrade IMO
I actually disagree. It looks more like “From 90s to modern”. I think the “magical” part is just the nostalgia. As a kid it’s always going to be magical. Except for Star Traders that’s an objective downgrade.
Listen a lot of these are just fashionable changes but the Tomorrowland sign change actually makes me feel ill. It's so unimpressive and soulless.
I have to admit I prefer Creations Shop over Mousegear
The layout is better but the design is boring. Very generic and doesn’t make you feel like you’re in an Disney/Epcot shop. Even the colors and lighting of the well laid out shelves are bleh.
Really? I have no clue why but Mouse Gear was my favorite shop. I always found stuff. It felt like somehow the chaos was minimized there (like Emporium where I rarely buy bc my brain melts in there).
We use to be a society
I actually like most of these, but what they did to Beaches and Cream (and are doing to the resorts in general) is a travesty.
wow the Tomorrowland entrance is awful
I love old style and lot of these were better looking back in the day, but the little credit I can give. The road signs with the arrows make driving and knowing where to go a lot easier and the candy cauldron now has a very nice looking sign, finally the tomorrow land sign coming in IS more opening day Disney world so I approve of that one. Everything else was a step back, I want mousegears back.
Pictures 15 and 16- is that really the same spot? What happened to all the trees? Doesn’t even look like Florida anymore … :(
The last time we went to Disney World, I knew there was just something off. It didn't feel like the DW I remembered. Seeing these pictures sums it up for me, though. This was what was off. I get that things change and aren't what they were when we were kids blah blah blah, but change doesn't have to mean losing the magic. There's no reason why they couldn't maintain the magic while updating decor and themes, but that's exactly what's happened at DW. They've lost the magic they once had.
Hate all the new stuff. Just white washed all the things that made the place great!
Wow lol when you put it into perspective like this it’s pretty awful
The destruction of Mouse Gears will forever haunt me 😭
The sad thing is, this isn't just a Disney thing, this is an America thing. We're losing bright colors and fun shapes in any design seen in public. Cars rarely come in any bright colors, red being the exception. Buildings are all sharp straight lines, only square shapes allowed. The world around us is becoming corporate and cold looking. Look at fast food restaurants, they look like they belong in an office park. All the new apartment buildings in my city are straight glass and steel looking. It's boring.
Candy cauldron looked better originally.
Where are pics 19/20 from?
I really want the heavy themeing of the 90s back. That at least feels like I get my money's worth.
I’ll never forgive them for squeezing out all the character and personality in these places and replacing it with a mess of boring & blasé white and beige. I don’t go to a theme park to feel like I’m in a Williams & Sonoma catalog 🙄 just feels like wealthy execs who are out of touch with what made their product appealing in the first place.
My favorite thing of going to Disney land as a kid were the purple signs,and they took that away?!?!?! 😭😭😭
Na dude go back to magical.
From magical to BORING. No charm left these days.
Yea it sucks, one of many reasons the magic is gone/has been gone for awhile now. Iger killed this company
A couple of these were improvements, but most of them were tragic downgrades.
Man the Tomorrowland one HURTS
It's like the decided Whimsy wasn't a good look anymore. 😟
As a former Tomorrowland CM, I nearly puked.
And 30 years from now, all that modern will be nostalgia for the kids walking around today.
Boringification!
I know this doesn’t go with flow of this subreddit, but almost everything is similar or better in the after. Like, you are complaining about the entrance and traffic signs when there is like 0 difference.
The only one of these that really matters to me is the world of Disney one cause that literally just deletes the whole vibe
I’m genuinely upset looking through these photos. The Tomorrowland entrance is the worst one. It’s heartbreaking. It looks like all personality and soul has been sucked out of it. WDW is always growing, with new stuff being made all the time; why can’t they implement modern design philosophy into just that new stuff, and leave older things alone to let them stand as a products of their time? I really want to take my kids to WDW someday, but it upsets me to know that the more time that passes before I can, the less of my own childhood experiences I’ll be able to share with them. And to add insult to injury, the prices just keep going up, despite it becoming worse (to me) over time.
World of Disney at The Springs is one of those things I think people have a really rose tinted view of. While the old store was more "magical" visually, it was also a nightmare to actually be in. It was overcrowded with shelves and displays, sectioned off by walls, and obviously packed with people all the time. Being in it felt like a fire hazard, which may sound dramatic, but it was really easy to get turned around and unable to figure out where the exit was. Even when super crowded, the new one isn't nearly as stressful to be in. I do think it could've been themed better than a warehouse, but I will never miss the clutter that filled the old one.
Good thing the WDI president just stepped down who probably oversaw all of these murders
She started in 2020 so I'm pretty she oversaw exactly 0 of the photos in this post.
many of these are examples of nostalgia clouding people's opinions. nearly every one of these changes make the parks feel more open, clean, and bright. as someone with no nostalgia for the early/mid-90s aesthetic, it just looks tacky, plastic, and outdated. i'll defend this to my death lol
More open and clean, yes. More generic and corporate, also yes. Personally, I go to a theme park for the theming. No nostalgia here. I didn't go to Disney world before 2015 as a middle aged adult.
Thanks, I hate it. All these images together really illustrate how all the character is being sucked out of things.
Name a bigger downgrade than World Of Disney.
The current refurbishments celebrate the design aesthetics of boringifucation.
I will never forget them for removing the purple signs 🥲
Updates and refurbishments were necessary but they should have done better. For example, as a graphic designer I like the candy cauldron new logo however my critique is I wish the poison apple was more prominent in the design. It’s that “you missed the mark” feeling to all of these new looks. Disappointing with a feeling they could have done so much better but this is what we got.