Lauren Cole

Professor Sonnichsen

GEO121WI

Feburary 13th, 2022

Disney’s World Showcase: An Expanded Slate

Epcot is one of the most impressive attractions I’ve ever witnessed. Though I’ve never

seen it in person myself, the videos and articles make it seem like such a fun and lively place that

I look forward to seeing one day. Though it may be impressive, the World Showcase is far from

perfect. It’s hard to showcase one country into just a small section, so a lot of people have their

gripes about how a country may be portrayed. I think that Disney showcases each country

beautifully, but there are also some key things that I would change if it were in my hands. I feel

as if a lot of the countries that are showcased are very well known and, though they are very

important countries, I would like to see a greater diversity of countries that may not be as

prevalent as countries like France or Italy.

From a marketing standpoint, it would make perfect sense for Colombia to be a

forthcoming addition due to the success of the recently-released film Encanto. Encanto is a

beautiful movie with breathtaking art and lively music, and, with the insane rise in the film's

popularity, I’m sure it would be an excellent marketing choice. Every song from the soundtrack

is currently on the Billboard Hot 100 charts, even overtaking “Let It Go” for the highest-charting

Disney song in 30 years (Kim 2022, 1). The movie and its cast have already become wildly

1. Kim, “Encanto Is the Start of a New Disney Franchise, Reveals CEO,” 1.

2. D., Julia. “Colombian Food vs. Mexican Food: What's the Difference?” 1.
popular on many social media sites such as TikTok and Instagram. A Colombian addition to

Epcot would be very aesthetically pleasing, colorful, and have excellent music.

Some may argue that it will be too similar to the Mexican pavilion, and my thoughts on

this stance are mixed.. Though Mexico and Colombia are very similar linguistically and

architecturally, Colombia has its own unique culture and I’m sure that, with the proper research,

it can be a very different and extremely educational experience. One of the main differences is

food; Colombia’s food consists of a lot of rice, potatoes, and plantains along with being a lot less

spicy than Mexican cuisine (Julia 2021, 1). Colombian cuisine also comes in bigger portions and

heartier ingredients while Mexican selections are smaller and lighter. Incorporating Colombian

food would also provide an excellent marketing opportunity because of Julieta from Encanto.

Julieta heals people with her food, so incorporating some of her recipes, like her arepas con

queso, and naming them as such would be a nice touch.

I would also love to see India incorporated into Epcot. I was honestly surprised to see that

India was not already on the roster for the showcase, seeing as it is one of the most populous

countries in the world. Adding India would come with many fun design choices and a new color

palette. Bollywood, one of India’s most well known film industries, is seen as a joke by many

people internationally. When looking in American media, Bollywood is often shown in a

negative light and is known for its bad acting and exaggerated scene transitions. When you take a

closer look into Bollywood, you start to see a much better picture of what it really is.

Ranvir Shorey is a prominent Bollywood actor who stars in many of the most popular

films. He says that, despite Bollywood’s pre-existing worldwide prominence, it is still seen as

some kind of a “novelty or a freak show,” which is very much true (IANS 2015, 1). I haven’t

seen many Indian restaurants, media, or stores during my travels in America, so I think that

1. IANS, “Internationally, Bollywood Is Seen as a Freak Show: Ranvir Shorey,” The Indian Express,
November 6, 2015,
adding an Indian section at Epcot would provide a different dimension to people’s understanding.

Indian music is very unique and fun to listen to, but it is also terribly stereotyped. There are

Korean, Japanese, and Spanish songs everywhere but I never seem to find any mainstream Indian

songs.

The last country that I think should be represented in the World Showcase is Peru. It took

a while for me to think of another country to add that would be both educational and fun, and

after a while, I decided that Peru would be the smartest choice to fulfill these conditions. Now,

Peru probably isn’t a country that most people would think of when thinking about a world

showcase, but I think it would be a nice addition. Though the Incas are an oft-overlooked part of

our world’s history, they played a pivotal role in Latin America’s cultural development. They

were a very key factor in the development of basic tools and roadways that helped the world

advance (Cooper 2020, 1). The Incans lived in a very beautiful part of Peru, with the vast hills

and lush terrain, and there are plenty of beautiful design choices that could be made with this

ancient civilization. Incorporating Machu Picchu would also be a nice touch; the ruins are

considered one of the most important heritage sites in the world and are truly a sight to behold.

One could argue that adding Peru along with Colombia would be a bad idea since they are so

close, but that is not true. There are many countries already in the showcase that are very close if

not right next to eachother; and although they may be similar geography-wise, their culture is

very much unique.

Of all the sections of the Epcot, I think that the American section would be the one that I

would remove. With the attractions already being located in America, I think that it is the only

one I would feel comfortable removing. Don’t get me wrong, I think that every country is

important and would love for every country to be showcased, but that is just impossible. With so

1. Cooper, Mike. “Inca Influence on Today's Society.” Trek And Teach, October 13, 2020.
2. Alison. “List of Countries in Epcot.” EverythingMouse Guide To Disney, November 22, 2020.
many other interesting and unique countries to pick from, I think that America should be

replaced with something else, as I see no point in including a cultural showcase for the country

where the park is already located to begin with. Aside from a diversity standpoint, the food and

the shopping are very disappointing when compared to the other sections of the park (Alison

2020, 1). The American Adventure attraction may be extremely impressive, but it seems like

that’s the only impressive thing about the American area of the showcase.

The Epcot world showcase is truly a sight to behold when visiting Disney but, just like

most things, it has its ups and downs. While trying to fit an entire country’s culture into one

small pavilion can be very tough, I think that Disney does it very well. The additions of

Colombia, India, and Peru would provide a more unknown side to the world showcase. Adding

these countries to Disney’s World Showcase lineup would ultimately provide a wide variety of

educational and aesthetic benefits that would allow tourists to experience the cultures of

often-overlooked countries.

1. IANS, “Internationally, Bollywood Is Seen as a Freak Show: Ranvir Shorey,” The Indian Express,
November 6, 2015,
 Citations

Katie Kim, “Encanto Is the Start of a New Disney Franchise, Reveals CEO,” ScreenRant,

February 10, 2022,

https://screenrant.com/encanto-movie-franchise-plans-disney-ceo-bob-chapek/.

D., Julia. “Colombian Food vs. Mexican Food: What's the Difference?” WOFOCU,

September 15, 2021.

https://wofocu.com/colombian-vs-mexican-food/#:~:text=Corn%20and%20beans%20are%20sta

ples%20in%20Mexican%20food%2C,options.%20In%20Mexico%2C%20corn%20and%20bean

s%20are%20everywhere .

IANS, “Internationally, Bollywood Is Seen as a Freak Show: Ranvir Shorey,” The Indian

Express, November 6, 2015,

https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/internationally-bollywood-is-seen-as-

a-freak-show-ranvir-shorey/

Cooper, Mike. “Inca Influence on Today's Society.” Trek And Teach, October 13, 2020.

https://trekandteach.com/inca-influence-todays-society/#:~:text=Expanding%20on%20technique

s%20acquired%20from%20civilizations%20that%20came,have%20always%20been%20highly

%20regarded%20in%20Inca%20society

Alison. “List of Countries in Epcot.” EverythingMouse Guide To Disney, November 22,

2020. https://www.everythingmouse.com/list-of-countries-in-epcot#epcot-united-states

1. Cooper, Mike. “Inca Influence on Today's Society.” Trek And Teach, October 13, 2020.
2. Alison. “List of Countries in Epcot.” EverythingMouse Guide To Disney, November 22, 2020.