The France Pavilion at EPCOT is looking a bit bare today as six out of the ten trees that normally lined the fountain area along the street into the pavilion have been removed.
We’d recently seen a number of managers and planners scoping out different areas along the pavilion in preparation for the upcoming expansion and Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure. We half expected the garden area off to the side of the pavilion to be impacted first, but it seems they’ve decided to streamline the center street of the pavilion for the time being.
Five trees flanked each side of this fountain and adjacent garden planter. The six that surrounded the fountain are now completely gone, with concrete filled in where the trees used to be. The base of each tree was surrounded in steel fencing and square metal grates traditional of an upscale Parisian city.
Temporary waste bins for the remainder of the Food & Wine Festival now reside next to the benches.
Four trees remain near the back of the street, surrounding the garden planter that now features themed Christmas ornaments.
These trees have also had their base fences removed, so only time will tell if they will remain.
As work gears up for the pavilion’s upcoming expansion, it seems they want to be able to accommodate a higher influx of guests to the area. Guests will start pouring in for the new upcoming Beauty and the Beast Sing Along that’s coming to the Palais du Cinéma in January for the Festival of the Arts. Later that summer will be the opening of Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure and La Creperie de Paris, so there’s lots still to come.
Here’s a look at what the street used to look like prior to these recent changes. What do you think of the new look for the France pavilion, sans trees?
Having trees is much better. Hopefully they come back!
I hate it! We need to be finding a way to add more trees to our planet, not removing existing ones.
Shame on them. They were beautiful and provided shade in the Summer. They’re ruining EPCOT.
The trees added so much beauty to the area and is exactly what you would find in Paris What example does this set for all when the environment is a concern for all. We seem to be losing what is the charm of Disney more and more each day.
That’s really disappointing. Disney needs MORE trees and shade, not less. And it was so beautiful with them there.
Whose bright idea was this? Does not jive well, does not look/feel like Paris. And do those trees really take up that much room that they would hinder traffic through the pavillion? At this point, expect the fountain to also be removed.
The trees added so much beauty and much needed shade. What a shame. :(
Seems Disney is getting more and more about the money poor Walt is rolling in his grave I bet. He would be ashamed of what Disney has become.