Abandoned - Disney's Communicore / Innoventions

Correction - I mistakenly call the Innoventions West restaurant “Pasta Piazza Ristorante” the “Pasta Pizza Ristorante”. I guess I wrote it down in the script wrong and just never noticed. So… whoops. Still an out of place name.

Communicore was absolutely amazing in the 90s. When computers where still a novel product, it was a great place to see the new and cutting edge in electronics.

As part of Epcot Center's opening crew in the World Key Network, later named World Key Information Service, I had the opportunity to observe the construction of Future World and World Showcase prior to opening and for the next five years before moving on to another department. These were very special, formative years for me that I'll never forget and admittedly it's a little bittersweet seeing the many changes. Thank you for this tribute to what "was."

I went to Innoventions in 2003 and remember making a cell phone and calling my best friend who was house sitting for us. I thought that was the coolest thing ever.

Man Epcot is a goldmine for abandoned attractions. They’re doin my favorite park dirty.

It feels like EPCOT has become a shining example for how far WDW has fallen from it's former grandeur. I'm so glad to have visited the park back in its heyday (several times) because what I saw then still fills me with wonder for the future. Veggie, veggie, fruit, fruit. =)

Having been to Epcot in 2017 the whole park felt tired and lost. The upkeep vs. Universal was astonishing. I couldn't fault Universal at all but Epcot had paint peeling everywhere, abandoned gardening, unkept pathways everything just felt rickety and unloved. I feel the Internet and handheld tech has largely killed off the parks purpose, by the time they've built a vision, something new has come along that's more interesting and advanced. They need someone like Arthur C Clarke with a fictional but not unrealistic mind.

As a 12 year old in 1998, seeing the Innoventions pavilion was mind blowing. I actually managed to convince my parents to leave me there so I could check out all the futuristic tech, videogames, and exhibits, while they went to the World Showcase. I spent almost an entire day engrossed in everything it had to offer; an experience that I know sparked my interest in all things tech that continues to this day. Imagine leaving your 12 year old in one part of the park, while you go to the complete opposite end in today's world. Truly a golden era to grow up in. It's one of those "core memories" I'll never forget.

When I frequented the parks during the 2014-2016 time period, the corridors in innoventions west was my favorite place to escape the crowds at Epcot. It always felt like a secret spot that no one knew about because there was literally nothing there. I loved it.

When I was a child, I could not imagine a more magical experience than going to Disneyland. As an adult, the place is a living freaking nightmare...

I worked at Stargate Restaurant in the very late 80's. Communicore (and the rest of EPCOT) was a wonder at the time.

I was 8 years old when we drove from Texas to visit Disney World in 1985 and I was completely awestruck at the amazing technology, cool gadgets (touch screens! WOW!), and futuristic shows at Epcot. This, along with E.T. dismantling a Speak and Spell, played a huge role in determining my future. I found a college engineering textbook at a thrift store and forced myself to decipher its contents under the covers at night with a flashlight. This made me into something of a child prodigy. I worked at Toshiba designing industrial electronics when I was 15. Today, I am a tech-based entrepreneur with a successful IT business. I've reminisced many times in the decades since, wondering how they kept Epcot relevant as technology catapulted forward. It seems that they tried, seeing this video, but I don't see it inspiring many children in the future the way it did me. That's sad, but I hope they manage to make something great out of it.

As a kid, Communicore was my favorite part of Disney World. Disney has since shifted more towards recreating the movies rather than creating original attractions.

I'm...unsure...if this was sufficiently portrayed in this video, so I'll say my peace (piece?) here. Communicore / Innoventions was supposed to embody the core ideal of Epcot, but in a way that promoted substantive variety under two massive roofs. As such, it was always going to be a place in constant flux as new ideas and technologies were featured. Because of this, not every show was going to be a hit, nor probably intended to be, since experimentation was always at the heart of the pavilion. I remember first seeing the Segway there along with mini-shows like the house of the future. I also vividly recall an incredible motorized wheelchair that could go from a sitting to prone position at the touch of a button. It was a place that celebrated technology that may, or may not, one day find its way into the average home and/or into industrial and commercial spheres. This is PRECISELY what Epcot was intended to be. Not an IP ride-or-die dumping ground nor a jazzed-up LED-lighted forest, but a park where real and practical human advancement was front and center. I just do not understand why the Iger and no Chapek eras can't get that through their titanium skulls. This voracious and disturbingly mercenary pursuit of anything that makes just one extra dollar is going to eventually kill the spirit of the company, at least as far as Epcot is concerned.

When I went to Epcot a few months ago, I was kinda wondering what that wall was for. I assumed it was for the Guardians ride, but turns out it was for this refurbishment. It's so interesting to know the context now as well as the history behind that general area, too

EPCOT has always been my favorite WDW park, I’m so scared of what it’ll end up looking like after it’s “done”, with Bob Paycheck in charge

What's up Jake! Congrats on your 70th episode - you're a bright spot on YouTube. Thanks so much for doing such great work.

Would love to go back in time and see Epcot at it's most popular time.

My first visit to EPCOT Center as a teenager in 1983 was filled with awesome experiences - especially in Communicore! Over recent years, I've seen the park suffer from an identity crisis that saddens me. Thankfully, I have videos, pictures and memories to remind me of the greatest experiences of my childhood.

EPCOT was my favorite park as a kid in the 80s. I will always cherish the memories of my grandparents taking me there. I feel like I was so lucky to experience that.