Is the Hand Coming off of SE???

[TinkerBell9988]

Is the hand going to be taken down from Spaceship Earth FINALLY?

Here are my reasons:

1. In the new WDW Vacation Planning Video that I just received in the mail yesterday, all of the footage of Spaceship Earth was old, prior to the hand.

2. Also in the package, there is a park map in the WDW pamphlet included with the video. Usually in the maps, the hand is featured next the the pic of SE, but on this map, SE stands alone. (If you still have the 100 Years of Magic WDW Vacation Planning video, look at the map, then compare it to the new video, if you are going to receive it.)

3. If you have visited the WDW Official website lately (www.disneyworld.com), they totally revamped the site. If you visit the EPCOT section of the site, there is a pic of a family in front of SE, without the hand.

4. Also in the Attractions section of EPCOT, click on "Spaceship Earth." Another picture of SE, but the hand was cut out of the picture.

Are we finally going to see a bit of EPCOT CENTER reborn? I guess we'll just have to wait and see...

:animwink:

 

[MobileBadBoy]

I wish it would no matter what the reason. I've never liked, and I never will. It may have been ok for the new millennium, but after that it's pointless (although I think it was from the beginning).

 

[SirNim]

I too have noticed that the Hand is not featured anymore in promotional material... That said, I think we can expect it to stick around maybe another year/couple of years/few years/some years because a.) it was built to last app. 10 years and b.) it was too expensive to be put up just for 3 years and c.) Gemini hasn't started yet and d.) EPCOT Center is no more and e.) M:S is opening this year, so the hoardes of people who will come will have to know their way around the World and the tacky sign at the top of the Hand will lead them to the Promised Theme Park and f.) Epcot can use a little Magic right about now and g.) do we really want to see another Epcot attraction demolished before our very eyes in plain sight?! and h.) since AT&T no longer sponsors SE, SE would be sign-less without the word "Epcot" at top and i.) I'm out of ideas...


:lol: :lol:

 

[BRER STITCH]

Great observations by all!

I naturally figured they just used stock Marketing pictures from the file cabinet that had not been updated in a few years!
(I realize the Marketing Department never makes mistakes, and Sales is always to blame......but THATS my own private hell -- not yours!) But I digress......HAHA! :lol:

Actually, I would guess that the hand is there to stay until they finalize the planning for Project Gemini and the work begins on the EPCOT facelift!

To make any changes before then would not be cost efficient, since they will need all of that equipment in place for at least a year while they re-tool Spaceship Earth into it's new incarnation.

Lets just hope they do it right the first time!

:sohappy:

 

[ToTBellHop]

The sign isn't going anywhere--disney spent far too much time switching it from 2000 to Epcot a year and a half ago to take it down. It will at least be here through 2006, when 50 Years of Magic ends. I personally like the sign...it shimmers and looks nice at night--granted I like the Sorcerer Mickey hat more. If anything, the sign will be edited once Project Gemini is complete--to say whatever Future World's future name will be...

 

[TinkerBell9988]

Thanks for your insights, guys. I personally want the sign to come down, but who knows... Lets just wait and see...

 

[Simba1]

perhaps the reason they don't have the sign over SE in the promotions is the same reason that in all the promotions Disney-MGM Studios is simply called "Disney Studios." What, exactly, that reason is - i couldn't tell you! haha, have a good day all.

 

[ToTBellHop]

I think the issue is that it costs money to take pictures of a smiling family in front of Spaceship Earth, so it's cheaper not to do that. In terms of the maps...I don't know. I would check the park maps before saying anything...Birnbaums has a ridiculously old map, like from 1998, that doesn't show Animal Kingdom (just the logo, no icons) or Animal Kingdom Lodge...it does however put a random dot north of Animal Kingdom and west of Epcot for where Animal Kingdom Lodge is...which, as we all know, is about three miles off...then there is the new video which shows Pop Century...so I don't know. I wouldn't look for the sign to leave soon, however. Cheers!

 

[SirNim]

The Epcot map in Birnbaum's, if I am not mistaken, if I remember, has SE w/out the Hand but also has the old Millennium Central tapestries over Innoventions Plaza...

 

[wdwcrazy]

I too have noticed that on all of the new promotional things for Epcot they haven't had the hand on SE. But Disney also always referes to Disney-MGM Studios as Disney Studios in their promotion but the MGM is still acutally there. I too agree that the sign will be there for at least another few years and I'm glad, it adds some more magic so SE. IT would look naked without it.

 

[SirNim]

The thing with the "MGM" and promotional materials is that Disney and MGM's contract when the Studio opened stated that MGM was not to be used in reference to the park outside of the US, or something like that. Thus, promotional materials, maps, brochures, videos, can easily cross nation lines, and if they end up in another country, and it says "MGM", then Disney would be in trouble. The Hand is pure Disney. Nobody owns any rights at all to it but Disney. Thus, the only reason why it doesn't appear in any promotional material is Disney's secret, and anybody else's best guess... There is legality behind the MGM, but there is something different behind the Hand and promotional material...

 

[Michael72688]

Originally posted by TinkerBell9988
Is the hand going to be taken down from Spaceship Earth FINALLY?

Here are my reasons:

1. In the new WDW Vacation Planning Video that I just received in the mail yesterday, all of the footage of Spaceship Earth was old, prior to the hand.

2. Also in the package, there is a park map in the WDW pamphlet included with the video. Usually in the maps, the hand is featured next the the pic of SE, but on this map, SE stands alone. (If you still have the 100 Years of Magic WDW Vacation Planning video, look at the map, then compare it to the new video, if you are going to receive it.)

3. If you have visited the WDW Official website lately (www.disneyworld.com), they totally revamped the site. If you visit the EPCOT section of the site, there is a pic of a family in front of SE, without the hand.

4. Also in the Attractions section of EPCOT, click on "Spaceship Earth." Another picture of SE, but the hand was cut out of the picture.

Are we finally going to see a bit of EPCOT CENTER reborn? I guess we'll just have to wait and see...

:animwink:

Hopefully not!! I think it looks awesome, it will just make SE look the way it did before, OLD!

 

[ToTBellHop]

Right. It was outdated. We no longer envision a future where everyone wears aluminum (or if you are British, aluminium) foil and thus everything is silver. Future World has been getting more color for a while, and Mission: SPACE and the Mickey Wand build on this.

 

[meeko_33785]

I have a feeling it will be staying for a while. I'm not sure if looking at all the promotional material and saying that because the wand isn't in it, that it will be leaving. It hasn't been on a lot of the planning videos or other material since the Millennium Celbration ended. Somehow I find it hard to believe at this point that Disney would do any construction to a park icon if it wasn't completly necissary. The make too much money selling tourists pictures of themselves in front of them.

Personally I like the wand. It, like Imagination and now Mission Sapce, does make Future World seem more alive and less like a collection of white buildings.

 

[TinkerBell9988]

Well, I hope you guys know that what I said was NOT confirmed, and I could care less if it stays or if it goes...

I'm just passin' along the info....

 

[Goofster]

I have no behind the scenes information to back my reasoning up, mostly just the same as TinkerBell, but I don't think the wand will be around much longer. I personally like it and it gives Epcot a little more of a "fun" feel i think. I wouldn't really care if it left though, but still I would like to know Disney's reasoning behind not putting it in promotional stuff.

 

[ToTallToSlow112]

It was nice for a spell, but I'll be glad if they do away with it.

 

[orangefan15]

Maybe a big giant hurricane will come along and it'll get knocked down

But since that probably won't happen, here's to hoping that Disney takes it down soon.

 

[Pumbas Nakasak]

If images on a video are grounds for a rumour, have you not noticed on the latest planning video that the great movie ride has been digitally removed from all scenes featuring the Hat.


Is it art or a subliminal message??????????

 

[SirNim]

Originally posted by happy snapper
If images on a video are grounds for a rumour, have you not noticed on the latest planning video that the great movie ride has been digitally removed from all scenes featuring the Hat.


Is it art or a subliminal message??????????

It's in preparation for a giant overhaul of the Great Movie Ride! GMR will close down, no one will care because they never knew it existed on those promotional videos, never knew what was behind the Hat because it was their first trip during 100YOM, and so they'll close it with the hat in front of it so that the park's major icon ride will not sit dormant like a sore thumb in the middle of the Park with construction walls all around it...

That's my guess!