ETWB did win a
Thea award for Outstanding Achievement. So, it seems like the industry at least things more highly of it than some of this board.
Personally, I view it this way: M&Gs are inevitable and I'd hope that Disney makes them the best they can be. With ETWB, they took a relatively straightforward M&G concept and plussed it quite a bit. That's a good thing and something that they should be commended for. I think the bigger issue is not what ETWB is, but rather than the whole Fantasyland Expansion was way too light on rides especially given the space involved and what was replaced. ETWB would have been a fine addition as part of the expansion as long as there were some additional rides as part of it.