Wand finally coming down?

[imagineer boy]

Well I can give a few reasons why I don't like the wand:

1. To me, it looks cheap and tacky. The fot used for the "Epcot" looks like it took a vacation in the 1970's and never left.

2. Spaceship Earth just flat out looks better without it.

3. And it does feel out of place in Future World. It worked just fine for the Millennium Celebration, but much like Reflections of Earth, has aged ungracefully for me and I'm ready for both to go.

Now, just because I hate the wand doesn't mean that I hate the hat at MGM. Sure I wish that we could have a clear view of the Chinese Theater again, but the hat fits perfectly in the park and looks wonderful at night.

I don't hate the wand because it wasn't in the park during the 80's or because of some greater idea for the park. I just think it cheapens the park and looks tacky.

Good points. There are better ways to let unimformed guests know that epcot is a Disney park. For example, change the name to "Disney's Epcot" or even better "Walt Disney's Epcot." Something along the lines of that. It's like a movie, you don't have to throw Mickey Mouse into the Pirates of the Caribbean movies to let them know that its a movie made by Disney.

 

[phichi17]

Just curious, was there ever any official reason they left it up? As other posters have mentioned they took down the various castle decorations after the HCOE event was over, what reason did Disney give, if any, for leaving the wand in place. I said earlier I wasn't a fan of it, but by no means does it haunt my dreams. I can live with it.

 

[phichi17]

Well said! I think that Spaceship Earth is such a monument to Disney Imagineering that it should stand alone. I feel that the wand distracts from the meaning and purpose of Spaceship Earth.

I don't think it was intended to distract from the meaning of SSE, unfortunately most folks can't get past it.
SSE is EPCOT's weenie (Disney's words), where else would you put a modifier like this at EPCOT? I agree with those that say EPCOT needs a Disney symbol, anyone have any suggestions?

Again, I am not a fan of the wand, but it does serve a purpose.

 

[George]

I'm a middle of the roader on this one. I would prefer to have the wand removed, but as I found out on my last vacation my wife and in-laws like it. I would assume that the reason the wand was left up was that it took effort to erect and would take a bit more to remove. Thus, now that it is in place there would have to be a reason to remove it. Therefore, if you feel really strongly about the wand you need to skip Soarin', TT, SSE, AA and the rest of WS, Turtle Talk, MS, etc. and write management a note saying that merely looking at the wand fills you with such hate and negative energy thatyour day at EPCOT is ruined and you will not set foot in the park again until it is removed. Does anyone really feel that strongly about the wand? I sure don't. And it is an impressive engineering structure. Actually, I think the wand is a lot better than those Leave a Legacy things that muddy up the entrance. However, none of those things are enough to keep me out of EPCOT.

 

[goofyfan13]

Actually, I think the wand is a lot better than those Leave a Legacy things that muddy up the entrance. However, none of those things are enough to keep me out of EPCOT.

I agree, but it still doesn't make the wand a good thing. It's like saying rabbit turds are cuter than horse manure, both are gross.

 

[mousermerf]

A week ago I'd say people were full of crap..

This week, one Innoventions sign is entirely gone, it's replaced with paving stones, another is merely a refurb wall box, probably soon to also just be paving stones.

They've trimmed away overgrown bushes (near Fountainview) and trees (near Guest Relations) away from the Millenium Circus tent supports and that to me suggests that stuff is coming down too.

So, perhaps the wand is going as well.

 

[EpcotMark]

What if I told all of you that Siemens made arrangements for the wand to go now that they sponsor SSE. Am I right? Just wait a year and see.:lookaroun

 

[SirNim]

What if I told all of you that Siemens made arrangements for the wand to go now that they sponsor SSE. Am I right? Just wait a year and see.:lookaroun

:lookaroun

 

[phichi17]

:lookaroun

:drevil: methinks this is a great corporate takeover idea:drevil:

 

[Thurp]

HA! That's funny.

I gotta say that I sort of enjoyed the wand when it first went up. It was a nice way to commemorate the new millennia at Epcot.

When the "2000" changed to "Epcot" I started liking it less. It looked like it was there to stay and it totally threw off the scale of SSE on pictures. Before I set foot at WDW as a teenager, I always saw pictures of SSE and how it raised way past the palm trees. I still remember the awe I experienced when I saw SSE for the first time in the early 90s.

Over the past 7 years I've learned to tolerate the wand and on occasion (mostly at night all the way from the World Showcase, with some beers in my system) enjoy it. However, if they are truly going to take it down, I say "good riddance." It'll bring SSE back to its original scale, look and feel that wowed me in my teens.

 

[EpcotMark]

 

[unkadug]

:lookaroun

Ladies and Gentlemen....you saw it on the internet so it MUST be true! :hammer:

 

[haveyoumetmark]

:lookaroun

Wow. Sirnim you are as good as they get when it comes to photoshop. :wave:

 

[Dagger]

I don't even notice it anymore... I think it'd be pretty bare without it.


Now the Studios hat eyesore...

 

[Omnispace]

I think we have to remember that Epcot has to appeal to the wider audience for it to survive. If that means adding some Disney feel to the place, I dont see a problem.

That's funny you should say that. There used to be a wonderful attraction at Epcot that included many comical scenes designed by Marc Davis as well as a delightful attraction designed by Tony Baxter that appealed to the creative side of all of us. There was also a very impressive look at the future that was a worthy follow-up to the Carousel of Progress which we all know was one of Walt Disney's personal endeavors. They were all full of very detailed and immersive settings, included sophisticated effects, and had wonderful music to accompany them. If these shows didn't give the "Disney feel" to Epcot I don't know what could.

It's ironic that we should now look to a gigantic cutout wand on a steel scaffold to provide that for us.

 

[XS-Spence]

That's funny you should say that. There used to be a wonderful attraction at Epcot that included many comical scenes designed by Marc Davis as well as a delightful attraction designed by Tony Baxter that appealed to the creative side of all of us. There was also a very impressive look at the future that was a worthy follow-up to the Carousel of Progress which we all know was one of Walt Disney's personal endeavors. They were all full of very detailed and immersive settings, included sophisticated effects, and had wonderful music to accompany them. If these shows didn't give the "Disney feel" to Epcot I don't know what could.

It's ironic that we should now look to a gigantic cutout wand on a steel scaffold to provide that for us.

Well said.

 

[kcnole]

I am reading their blog as we speak, and I agree it is a very well written and informative site.

I still say that this is humor. Nowhere on that page does it say that this is something about to happen. The only written word pertaining to the picture are song lyrics!

I think you are trying to read too much into this. :wave:

Except that humor doesn't fit in with the normal way of things over at the re-imagineering blog. It's a place where they point out the missteps that Disney is making (along with the good steps) and how they think it should be done. One thing they have constantly called for is the removal of that wand so for them to just put up a picture saying oh wouldn't it be nice if they did this without any truth to back up their hope just isn't the way they operate and would be totally out of character.

Something tells me they have heard from some credible people that this is in the works. However my guess is also that it hasn't been finalized and is in the discussion stages. This would be there way of saying, this might actually be happening finally. If it were anybody else but them or someone like Al Lutz on the internet I'd just toss it off, but when they've reported something they've been accurate and have worked very hard to not have the reputation of someone like screamscape. So if they're putting it out there, I'm guessing its at least being discussed seriously. I sure hope so as an entire rework of all that millenium stuff needs to be done.

As for branding Epcot, I have no problem with it being branded as a Disney park, since it is a Disney park. The wand is entirely the wrong way to do it however just as the hat was the wrong way to go about giving an icon to MGM. I agree that they needed to do something so that the chinese theatre didn't become the icon, but to completely cover the place up with a pin shop was a bandaid.

As I've said all along, if the wand comes down and SSE goes back to being wandless, then in my heart, that's all of the 25th celebration I'll need. If they want to make it better, they could move leave a legacy to somewhere else as well so we could go back to having the beautiful vista that SSE once was. The vista that originally inspired me as a child to dream. From the time I first visited that park at 10 years of age I was captivated by the idea behind what SSE and EPCOT Center had to offer. To me the wand is as if someone put grafiti all over my favorite monument to human ingenuity.

One more thought. I agree that I liked the wand for the 2000 celebration as a temporary addition. It's only when it became much more permanent that it really bothered me. I liked the gilded castle for the HCOE as well, but had that become the permenant castle I'd have complained just as loudly.

 

[8<:-)]

If it truely does go...we will miss the nice sparkly effect.

But like all things..it will fade to become a 'remember that' fond moment kinda like Tapestry (for us anyway).

We'll still be in love with EPCOT. So it's all good.

-thedisneycast

 

[cupanudles]

Please get rid of that horrible wand and the circus tent garbage surrounding precious Spaceship Earth!!!:sohappy:

 

[Urbish]

I think NASA has some of the best points in this thread. The wand does not belong at Epcot, or at least shouldn't belong in the OLD Epcot. The old Epcot (at least in Future World) focused on science and the study of nature and the world around us. In Disney's (and every other major corporation's) need for synergy they tried to incorporate aspects of all their products into all their properties...thus a Mickey hand and wand over Epcot, and the re-branding of The Living Seas (which, while I actually find really cool and entertaining, has lost a little bit of its educational approach).

Mickey doesn't BELONG in Epcot. The Magic Kingdom is his realm and that's where he should stay. A stronger argument can be made for the hat being in MGM than the wand being in Epcot. The hat ties into the movie Fantasia, Walt's masterpiece. MGM is also the only park where Mickey is available for meet and greets in his Fantasia costume.

But Epcot? Where does Mickey fit in? We see him in the topiaries, and in the merchandise. But other than that, he's only seen in the hidden mickeys around the park, and that's the way it's meant to be. Subtle ties to the fantasy world of Magic Kingdom are fine at Epcot. There should be a little "magic" in the park. But most of the "magic" should come from observing the little magic and wonders that occur in the world around us. That's what Epcot's all about. It shouldn't be blatantly proclaimed from the top of Spaceship Earth.

Epcot has certainly changed over the years, even before it was built. But it was never intended to be another Magic Kingdom. The wand isn't just a departure in design, it's a departure from the original idea of Epcot! wdwmagic mentioned earlier in this thread that "The wand is appropriate because like it or not, Epcot IS a Disney park. Ultimately, without Mickey Mouse, Epcot would not be there. Why shouldnt there be some recognition that Epcot was born out of Disney?" When Walt did his live TV spots about nature, and when he was having talks with his TV viewers while tigers sat on his desk, Tink wasn't flying around sprucing up the action. When his idea for the Jungle Cruise came about it wasn't focused on his animated characters getting into an escapade on the river. It's about real life (though the Jungle Cruise takes a little bit of a fantasy dip; but then again, it's in the MK).

Epcot doesn't have to appeal to a wider audience to survive. <a href="http://www.coastergrotto.com/theme-park-attendance.jsp">Epcot was the third most visited in the US in 2005</a>, and when the first official TEA/ERA Amusement Park Attendance Report comes out in April I'm sure it will still be near the top.

The only thing at this point that's hurting Epcot is becoming obsolete. The way to fix that is not to inject superficial "magic" into the park. Get back to the roots of what the park is supposed to be about and enhance those sections. When's the last time Universe of Energy was updated (or widely attended)? When is Journey going to get it's groove back? Is Body Wars ever going to open back up (and does anybody really want it to)? Epcot's got a lot of problems, but the solutions that have been put forth lately seem to detract from the park's message, not help it.

Just my opinion.