PHOTO REPORT: EPCOT 9/19/20 (Trio of New Minnie Mouse Ears, Iconic Mouse Gear Wall Removed, New Pressed Pennies, and More)

Kevin Lake

Anna in Frozen Promenade Character Cavalcade at EPCOT

PHOTO REPORT: EPCOT 9/19/20 (Trio of New Minnie Mouse Ears, Iconic Mouse Gear Wall Removed, New Pressed Pennies, and More)

Welcome to the weekend at EPCOT! For the first time in recent memory, we’ve got a mostly dry day with blue skies, unlike those weekends with Hurricane Isaias and Tropical Storm Sally, along with the unnamed Florida weather. Aside from the nicer weather, we were privy to a variety of new Minnie Mouse ear headbands and a sad development out of the Innoventions Plaza. Let’s dive in to what’s new in the park.

lucite-pylons-at-spaceship-earth-9-19-20-5480377
lucite-pylons-9-19-20-5197357

At the entrance to the park, we’re still keeping a close eye on the progress of the entrance construction, which should soon be completed to allow for guests to gaze upon the Lucite pylons and the fountain on which they sit.

cosmic-rewind-construction-9-19-20-1-2931409
cosmic-rewind-construction-9-19-20-2-6444177

Our next stop was over at Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind. With all of the solar panel backings now installed, every day offers a glimmer of hope that the solar panels themselves will soon adorn the building. Today, however, didn’t provide us with that treat.

mouse-gear-wall-gone-9-19-20-3-2325585
mouse-gear-wall-gone-9-19-20-1-7606434
mouse-gear-wall-gone-9-19-20-2-6361986

In fact, today was a bit of an unfortunate day when it comes to the EPCOT building elements of days gone by, as the notorious character gear wall met an unceremonious demise overnight.

electric-umbrella-demolition-9-19-20-1-2768103
electric-umbrella-demolition-9-19-20-2-2994822

This development came only one day after the removal of the canopy and beginnings of demolition of the former home to Electric Umbrella.

innoventions-west-demoliton-9-19-20-3798833

Meanwhile, Innoventions West, which for a time was where much of the demolition work seemed to be focused, hasn’t changed much over the last six months.

liquid-layer-walls-9-19-20-7876501

Even Liquid Layer has joined in on the construction wall fun at EPCOT.

play-pavilion-construction-9-19-20-1-5170411
play-pavilion-construction-9-19-20-2-8258632

Rounding out Future World construction, the Play! Pavilion roof work seems to have paused this week, as the crates full of replacement paneling, and the accompanying workers, have been absent from the former Wonders of Life Pavilion.

flavors-from-fire-booth-9-19-20-7919523
donut-box-booth-closed-9-19-20-3235452

As for some of the other happenings in Future World East, soon to be World Discovery, Flavors from Fire returned for the 2020 season yesterday, however The Donut Box still remains in its “coming this fall” state, as it has since EPCOT reopened in July.

new-ears-at-epcot-9-19-20-9687891

Now, let’s get to the good stuff – new Minnie Mouse ear headbands! Three new sets debuted unexpectedly this morning, all featuring Minnie Mouse bow styling.

blue-dot-bow-minnie-ears-9-19-20-2068433

First up are these blue bow polka dot bow ears, complete with a flower on top and no shortage of sequins.

silver-gold-sequin-minnie-ears-9-19-20-6721581

Also for fans of sequins, these silver ears with a gold bow are perhaps an even more lively pair than the previous.

black-and-white-minnie-ears-9-19-20-7075649

Finally, this much more subdued pair features black ears (in true Minnie Mouse fashion) with a black-and-white dotted bow.

mexico-pavilion-line-9-19-20-1-2458597
mexico-pavilion-line-9-19-20-2-1102454

Back in World Showcase, it was a pretty normal (well, new normal) weekend, with a line snaking out of the Mexico Pavilion. A wait to get into the indoor pavilion should be expected on any of the busier days going forward.

park-pass-no-reservations-sign-9-19-20-1533332

While this sign wasn’t found inside the park, its presence at Walt Disney World resorts should immediately indicate to guests that a busy day is on the horizon. We found this sign at Disney’s Riviera Resort as we hopped aboard the Skyliner to check on the progress of the France Pavilion Expansion.

ratatouille-sign-france-expansion-9-19-20-3294951
france-expansion-paver-painting-detail-9-19-20-1-6197147

That progress, thankfully, seems to be moving quite briskly towards completion.

france-expansion-paver-painting-detail-9-19-20-2-4519236

Some of the details being added, such as painted brick work in the walkways, continue to add character to the expansion.

worker-in-ratatouille-fountain-9-19-20-4379417

We were a bit concerned that a worker was napping in the fountain, though. Just kidding, of course — we’re confident he was doing some sort of electrical or detail work, albeit in a very odd position.

american-adventure-sign-9-19-20-6672985
new-american-adventure-pressed-penny-machine-9-19-20-2-7553391
new-american-adventure-pressed-penny-machine-9-19-20-1-7559918

Elsewhere in World Showcase, this new pressed penny machine made its debut, featuring four new patriotic penny styles. For details on the new designs, check out our full post on the new offering.

anna-in-frozen-promenade-9-19-20-4529700
elsa-in-frozen-promenade-9-19-20-8612361

Also within the American Adventure Pavilion, Anna and Else made their usual appearances, though you can catch them anywhere around World Showcase if your timing is right.

alice-in-uk-pavilion-9-19-20-2-6971612
alice-in-uk-pavilion-9-19-20-1-9379885

It seems like Alice has had the U.K. Pavilion to herself lately, with Mary Poppins being notably absent. We’re as confused about it as you are, Alice.

uk-pavilion-flowers-9-19-20-8550181

Alice always has some nice flowers to keep her company in the pavilion, though.

world-showplace-9-19-20-1619421

While no characters appear in World Showplace, it’s a hot spot for many festival favorite food and drink items, and many a guest hide out from the sun here.

food-wine-display-at-epcot-9-19-20-7189101

Circling back to Future World, it’s always nice to see Spaceship Earth looming over the festival display, even with all of the walls and skeletons of the Innoventions buildings on either side.

project-tomorrow-9-19-20-1-2810409
project-tomorrow-9-19-20-2-6531729

At Project Tomorrow, the exit exhibit of Spaceship Earth, the globe display has returned, once again showing the home locations of guests — and their pictures!

spaceship-earth-9-19-20-1152992

Finally, we appreciate Spaceship Earth once again (for roughly the 15th time today), one of the few iconic pieces of Future World which remains standing in a close-to-original state.

Thanks for joining us on our trip around EPCOT today. To stay up to date with the latest Disney parks news, park hours, and more, download WDWNT: The App 2.0 on your phone or tablet!

1 thought on “PHOTO REPORT: EPCOT 9/19/20 (Trio of New Minnie Mouse Ears, Iconic Mouse Gear Wall Removed, New Pressed Pennies, and More)”

  1. Every time we’ve gone immediately to get our postcards and send them from Spaceship Earth, we’ve had zero luck and nobody can find them! We ask for help and since December 2015 nobody has been able to locate a single one right after our ride.

Comments are closed.