From the very start of EPCOT, corporate sponsorship has been the key to new attractions and experiences. GM, Siemens, Kodak, etc. Disney's most recent attraction at EPCOT is presented by Glidden paint. It’s called Colortopia and hopefully this will breathe new life into Inoventions East. Inoventions has struggled to keeps guest entertained for many years now. I remember as a kid walking through inventions and it felt more like a world’s fair! The latest and greatest of upcoming technology was featured in a way that immersed you in the future. I saw things there that years later made it to my local Best Buy. Among the most memorable gadgets was Bluetooth. I remember watching a video of a group of kids that were rollerblading around and talking to each other on Bluetooth earpieces. It took 5 years or more before I saw one in a store! More recently (and by that I mean 8-9 years ago) I rode a Segway in Inoventions. This was the next time and last time I saw something featured that was an "innovative invention". Sure, there is the smart home, and a volt parked outside, but anything presented now is setup in a way that really makes you dig to understand it. Personally I have a smart home, I have an electric car, I ride a hover board to work... so I'm pretty tech savvy to say the least. Where was the hover board exhibit before it was available to buy it online? (Now to clarify I mean the smart balance wheel, but it is nicknamed the hover board.) But there are real hover boards, the kind that float. Let’s setup an experience station where you can climb onboard one of these real floating hover boards and let people try them under supervision of a cast member! Is this going to come into mainstream? NO! Probably not, but it gets people talking, and thinking, and it will inspire the next generation to think outside the box. Let’s educate people PROPERLY about electric vehicles presented by Tesla. Let’s setup a booth where they scan you into a video game character presented by Microsoft Xbox or PlayStation... Play as YOU in the Toy Box of Disney Infinity, have your character 3D printed and take it home to your console. I don’t need to learn how to save money by "feeding the pig" or meander through IBM's rather uninspiring expo display. Sorry, this post has gotten away from me... but if any of these ideas come to light I want a finders fee and a name tag that says Imagineer... lol! Back to Colortopia:
Colortopia Presented by Glidden: The world is a carousel of Color, color, (color)... Wonderful (wonderful color. Glidden brings a new experience into EPCOT with Colortoipa. An interactive experience that literally puts a brush in your hand in a Tom Sawyer kind of way! A perfect blend of education and fun emerges as you experience 3 areas of this new experience.
The first area takes place in the "Power of Color" Theater. This area helps you appreciate the impact color has on your everyday life, how it can affect you and make you feel. Red can make you hungry or angry; blue can make you sad or cold. Fun fact: Did you know that the color of the sidewalks in EPCOT was picked by Kodak specifically because it accents the foreground of your pictures makes them look better?
The second area (pictured above) is called "The Color Lab". Here you will use each station to teach children how each color is made by mixing the primary colors. Now, here is where I can see an improvement opportunity already. Similar to Test Track, you should be able to make a color, scan your magic band and bring that color with you into the third and final area.... because.....
In the third and final area you are given a digital paint brush and asked to "Color Our World"! Using your digital paint brush you apply color to the screens located throughout the area. Very interactive and fun for all ages. I would like to see a few cans in the wheel with magic band scanners so you can scan your color and apply it your paintbrush. Also notable is that there is an app for this experience so be sure to download the Colortopia app before you go and collect colors throughout world showcase! Hve you experienced Colortopia? Share your thoughts and pictures of your paintings in the comments and on our facebook page!