I only went to WDW for the first time in 2012 so my knowledge about most things there is very limited — especially when it comes to classic and now legacy attractions like EPCOT’s “Cranium Command.” Today I was randomly scouring blogs and Reddit and found out about this attraction which occupied the Wonders of Life pavilion in Future World.
If you don’t know what “Cranium Command” was or want a simple refresher, according to Wikipedia, “It premiered on October 19, 1989; as of January 4, 2004 it began to operate seasonally, closing permanently on January 1, 2007.” You can take a look at WDW News Today‘s terrific video of one of the last showings of this attraction in 2005.
What a FUN attraction! It’s everything I loved about EPCOT when I saw it in 2012 and full of things many fans feel EPCOT is moving away from.
Sadly, here’s a recent look at what the pavilion is like during most of the year thanks to a brave YouTube-er that snuck in during the off-season:
When we went to Epcot, the pavilion was full of life as it was during Food & Wine. During the festival, it houses the Chase Card Lounge (closest I have come to being inside one of those fancy corporate lounges) as well as serving as the Festival Center for Food & Wine demonstrations, classes, shops, and more. It’s really a beautiful pavilion.
The strange thing is that while “Body Wars” has been dismantled and “Making of Me” has been removed, the theatre which houses Buzzy and “Cranium Command” remains intact!
And Buzzy still has a loyal fan base and is a sought-after commodity! Just check out the recent merchandise that has come out with this cranium commander:
With all this popularity, it makes one think about what the future of this attraction might be. Why keep the attraction intact? If it closed what’s now 8 years ago – why keep him around?
Here’s a theory I saw on a few blogs: does this look familiar to any Cranium Command fans?
How about now?
I bring this up because if you look at the trailer and premise, it’s pretty much the same idea as Cranium Command: your emotions are personified by characters driven by those very emotions.
It’s a timeless and relatable premise that Disney believes in. Is it possible that this attraction closed while this film was in development and refreshing this closed attraction was not outside the realm of possibility? If this film is successful (as most Pixar films are), there’s no reason not to keep this attraction around while the rest of Future World awaits a refresh.
What do you think? Is this an example of a film property layover you might enjoy? Maelstrom’s closure at EPCOT cause a bit of an uproar from the Disney Parks fans. However, the Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage at Disneyland was initially met with praise from fans of the old attraction because it was being resurrected.
It’s all speculation for now, but if you know any better than we do, let us know in the comments below!
featured image source: yesterland.com