Awesome Planet Review at Disney’s Epcot

Awesome Planet Review and Planning Info

Awesome Planet opened on: January 17, 2020.

Pull up a list of all Epcot attraction planning reviews here.

Location: Awesome Planet is located on the second level of the Land Pavilion, above the entrance to Living with the Land. It’s also to the right of Garden Grill. If you ever saw the Circle of Life show that preceded it, then you’ve already been in the same place.

Extra Magic Hours: No.

Show Length: 15 minutes.

Show Schedule:

Shows run continuously with Disney beginning the next presentation shortly after the previous show lets out. The timer on the digital poster on the left counts down to the next show.

Type: Film presentation with the occasional “4D element.”

Similar to: Impressions de France.

Requirements: Only your time.

Scary Factor: Low. Nothing jarring happens.

When to Go: This is potentially a bit of a tough one because the theater for Awesome Planet is so large that it’s one of Epcot’s lowest attraction priorities. The show’s length means that it doesn’t make sense to see it in the morning, as waits rise elsewhere. The best time to see the show is later in the afternoon. You may want to see Awesome Planet before or after lunch/dinner at Sunshine Seasons or around the time that you’re using FastPass+ at Soarin’ or Living with the Land. Currently, the show runs from Park open to Park close. There was some talk that Disney would end the show at 7pm or 8pm each night, which may happen in the future. Double check the Times Guide if you’re planning on seeing the show late. Living with the Land down below typically closes at 7pm.

From a touring efficiency perspective, it doesn’t make sense to see the show before 11am in most instances. With two days at Epcot, and plenty of FastPass+ opportunities, then you could see the show in the morning. The major hassle in seeing Awesome Planet later is that you have to walk all the way over and up to the Land Pavilion.

There are plenty of benches to sit on while you wait and the wall carpet is second to none.

What to Expect: Awesome Planet at least “feels” like an assortment of high-resolution, breath-taking stock footage videos that Disney pieced together into a story. That story follows the recognizable voice of Ty Burrell from Modern Family as he tries to convince you to purchase our planet. Really, that’s it.

According to Disney:

Experience a call to action to protect the Earth. In a partnership with the Disney Conservation Fund, this all-new film uses in-theater effects (including wind, scents, and water) to tell the story of life on our planet and why it’s vitally important to care for it. 

In reality, it’s more of a Discovery documentary with the potential for a slight breeze and a droplet of water to hit your face at some point during the presentation.

You can watch part or all of the film on YouTube here.

Where to Sit: 

The chances of a show filling to capacity are basically zero, with fewer people typically heading further down the stairs to a seat in the front section. The show loads from the top. Potentially, seats in the back offer a better view of the whole screen. Everyone will have to exit on the bottom right. You can head down to a lower seat earlier if the top section looks filled. You’ll have to head down in that direction eventually, anyway.

FastPass+: No.

Total Experience Time: About 20 minutes if the timer outside the theater reads one or two minutes to the start of the show.

When to Arrive: There’s absolutely no rush to get here. Awesome Planet is the definition of an anytime attraction. Try to time it so you enter the waiting area when there’s only a minute or two to showtime. Otherwise, you’ll be twiddling your thumbs for a while unnecessarily.

Rating: 3/10.

Josh’s Take: In this day and age, with so much information and technology at our fingertips, its difficult for Disney to tell us much that we don’t already know. For most people, Awesome Planet is merely filler. The images are pretty, but it’s not much different than an advertisement for a cruise or a visit to another tropical destination. Unfortunately, Awesome Planet is inconvenient filler in a lot of scenarios. Only see the show if you have time to kill or really like watching nature documentaries.