A bizarre rumor surfaced recently suggesting that the Land and Sea pavilions at Epcot would be demolished between 2024 and 2026. The rumor, which contradicts other rumors that suggest Disney has plans to update the two pavilions, made a lot of people understandably angry.
Many of those angry people took to social media to ask Disney if the rumors were true. Disney responded on Twitter and disputed the report.
To be totally fair, this kind of response from Disney isn’t too surprising. They have previously made statements similar to these about projects that were well underway and even under construction. Even if these plans were in Epcot’s long-term future, Disney wouldn’t publicly confirm them until they’re ready to make an official announcement.
However, Disney’s statement here combined with the lack of corroborating from other Disney insiders should derail any traction this rumor had. The report also doesn’t line up with Disney’s current strategy of repurposing existing buildings and avoiding complete demolition, as seen with the Guardians of the Galaxy coaster project in the old Universe of Energy building and the Play Pavilion taking over the old Wonders of Life building.
Will changes eventually occur at the Land and Seas pavilions? Probably, but it seems extremely doubtful that Disney would bulldoze these areas completely.