It's official: Wand is GONE !!!!

[WeLComeHomE OKW]

Forgive me if this is a stupid question, but why? :veryconfu

I wrote this in the "MGM Studios Hat" thread. But, i will copy it over. Here's the story, of a lovely la...err....hat,

It began when Mann was bought out by paramount and warner brothers, which gave them the Graumans Chinese theater, and so, when the original contract between Mann and Disney was done (about the disney-mgm studios version of the theater)... newly owned Mann's went into negotiations with Disney, and they made a few things very clear.

a) the Chinese theater at mgm cannot be the icon, because its "their thing". and Disney cant use their own icon.

b) disney cannot put in celebrities hand prints in front of the theater anymore, cuz again, thats "their thing".

so, basically, mann (but really paramount and warner bros.) was all like "yo! disnaaayyy!! why you stealin all our stuff? we're in the tourism business too, plaayaa!!" So, Mann let them keep the theater there...but without all the pizazz and publicity. (p.s., when they refurbished the theater, they came to the disney-mgm studios to make sure they had all the details right)

So, since they couldnt use the Chinese Theater as the icon, they needed to make a new one...thus, the hat was born.

Like it or hate it...it isnt going anywhere until the chinese theater goes somewhere or they re-negotiate the contract.

stupid paramount/warner bros.
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[Pumbas Nakasak]

Forgive me if this is a stupid question, but why? :veryconfu

cause no one has a head big enough to wear it

 

[WeLComeHomE OKW]

cause no one has a head big enough to wear it

well...thats the OTHER reason.


...there was this one guy, but...:lookaroun *whispers* we dont talk about it around these parts :zipit:

 

[joel_maxwell]

WOW!!! I just get back from a few days at Mackinac Island and open up this site to see this, talk about an awesome welcome home as well as a late birthday present. AMAZING NEWS!!! :sohappy:

i hadnt seen you on any of these threads... and for the record i havent actually read every page, but i was about to PM you and make sure you were still around. good news isnt it! :wave:

 

[CrashNet]

Forgive me if this is a stupid question, but why? :veryconfu

The only stupid question is the unasked one.

GMR was becomming the unofficial icon of the park. Magic Kingdom has the castle, Epcot has Spaceship Earth, and Animal Kingdom the Tree of Life. The Theatre isn't a Disney owned trademark, and MGM needed an icon that wouldn't be a potential legal issue. Thus, the hat, built in front of the Great Movie Ride to clear up once and for all the icon representative of MGM.

 

[Tinkrbell]

The wand will be down just a few short weeks before I am there once again because my next trip starts on October 3. It will be the first trip since I was 4 that wont have a wand in my pictures of SSE. What a wonderful 18th birthday present for me... a trip to WDW & no wand!

 

[Dragonrider1227]

Am I the only one that thinks this wasn't all that big a deal? I mean, sure it looks better without it but really, I don't think winning the war in Iraq would get this much praise :lol:

 

[CaribbeanGreen]

correct me if I'm wrong, but I seem to recall from trips in the mid-late 90's that the Earful Tower was positioned a bit as the park's icon over at MGM... was this not the case? I understand the location is different, but..

 

[Mansion Butler]

Am I the only one that thinks this wasn't all that big a deal? I mean, sure it looks better without it but really, I don't think winning the war in Iraq would get this much praise :lol:

Well of course it wouldn't.

. . . on a message board 100% dedicated to talking excusively - and obsessively - about Disney World. What do you expect? Compared to alot of things even at Disney it's not a big deal. Guaranteed a return of 20K, Mr. Toad or JII would garner even more insanity.

You've got to know what you're getting into when you join a message board.

 

[sillyspook13]

correct me if I'm wrong, but I seem to recall from trips in the mid-late 90's that the Earful Tower was positioned a bit as the park's icon over at MGM... was this not the case? I understand the location is different, but..

And it appeared as the park's icon on napkins!

 

[dmmgp2000]

Here's an interesting "Editorial" from the Sun-Sentinel



http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/opinion/editorial/sfl-editgsmickeycapnbjul07,0,7639528.story

 

[Pumbas Nakasak]

Well of course it wouldn't.

. . . on a message board 100% dedicated to talking excusively - and obsessively - about Disney World. What do you expect? Compared to alot of things even at Disney it's not a big deal. Guaranteed a return of 20K, Mr. Toad or JII would garner even more insanity.

You've got to know what you're getting into when you join a message board.

Yes cause a we all know that theme park themeing is far more important than the lives of servicemen and women.


Ill send the Cirque your resume I hear they are looking for clowns.

 

[Mansion Butler]

Yes cause a we all know that theme park themeing is far more important than the lives of servicemen and women.


Ill send the Cirque your resume I hear they are looking for clowns.

Where in that post did I say it was more important?

 

[Pumbas Nakasak]

Where in that post did I say it was more important?

I don't think winning the war in Iraq would get this much praise :lol:

Well of course it wouldn't.

. .

Or does that not imply less importance to you?

 

[goofyfan13]

i hadnt seen you on any of these threads... and for the record i havent actually read every page, but i was about to PM you and make sure you were still around. good news isnt it! :wave:

Not good news, GREAT news. But yea, I haven't been able to post as much as I've wanted to this summer so far. I've just been really busy and haven't been able to get to a computer all that much. :shrug:

 

[Epcot82Guy]

Here's an interesting "Editorial" from the Sun-Sentinel



http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/opinion/editorial/sfl-editgsmickeycapnbjul07,0,7639528.story

While I understand the sentiment of this, I have to point out one thing that is left out here. Perhaps... just perhaps... some kids are not enamored with the doe-eyed characters as much as the approach, the creativity of the parks. They both enjoyed the Disney films, but the parks were another league. That is the sole reason the enjoyment came. Perhaps fantasyland attractions don't need to be everywhere. Character meals aren't that important. But, at the drop of a hat, they still would beg to go to Disney World like any Princess-obsessed 8 year old in 2007.

My point is not that the characters are not a major market. THey absolutely are. In fact, I am not arguing that a greater presence of characters is a good thing for the parks overall. But, as this editorial suggests and some modern Disney marketing schemes seem to take as mantra, draping everything Disney in Mickey and Pirates may not attract more. In fact, it may off put. It may pull in a few families for a year or two, but it may lose the long-lived love that exists for some.

There was a time when it seemed Disney was evolving something for everyone. It was a very cool time. The MK was really centering on the characters and the children. It maintained some classics, but the focus had been drawn. MGM was focusing more on reality and thrills, appealing to the "Universal" set. And, Epcot was still something different. Appealing to the creative and the intellectual. It was something some had to grow into. It was decidedly un-Disney while being perhaps the best representation of Disney at its hopeful, creative best.

Children are like people. They don't all seek the same thing, necessarily.

 

[DisneyMissy]

I am sad to see it go, I am one of the few who actually liked the wand, it will look so plain now.

 

[ToTBellHop]

I am sad to see it go, I am one of the few who actually liked the wand, it will look so plain now.

I know...those first 17 years of Epcot's existence were mind-numbingly boring. If they take out the tombstones and replace them with grass and trees, I'll just stop visiting the park altogether. You don't have to deal with crap the grass, trees, and artistry at Six Flags, so I'll go there instead.

 

[Glasgow]

Maybe they should put the Mgm Hat on top now ... I kid, I kid

Farewell flashy-wand-with-old-millenium-2000-sign-that-looked-like-Elton-John-glasses

 

[dxwwf3]

I know...those first 17 years of Epcot's existence were mind-numbingly boring. If they take out the tombstones and replace them with grass and trees, I'll just stop visiting the park altogether. You don't have to deal with crap the grass, trees, and artistry at Six Flags, so I'll go there instead.

:lol: :sohappy: