Wand finally coming down?

[phichi17]

It`s a sign of the times if walking beneath an 180ft Geosphere - with attraction inside - that rests on 6 legs isn`t enough to get a `wow` factor from regular guests. In this context, the sign has merit; cantilevered over another building, freestanding yet hurricane proof. However next to SSE it pales in significance.There again, it`s no surprise really that a cheap sign makes a regular guest get excited when it seems the same guest - on average - can only cope with 5 minutes of attraction before needing to move onto the next. EPCOT Center is dead. As, on a whole, are the types of people who enjoyed it.

That is very fatalistic don't you think? I enjoyed EPCOT Center then and EPCOT now. I am a hardcore fan, however many people I know enjoyed the 80's version as much as the current version. WDW has always been evolving, this version is just a part of that.

 

[marni1971]

Not at all. It`s out of the scope of this thread, and there are many threads about it, but Epcot today as a whole is such a mess compared to what should and could have been - I don`t mean a "do nothing" approach BTW. IMHO of course. It`s not too late, indeed it looks like we may be past the worst, but there`s a long way to go yet. And I love the park as much as the next person.

 

[GlitzySnowQueen]

I like the wand, it doesnt look like a giant golf ball as much w/ the wand up!

Hah.. true. Now it looks like a giant golf ball with a wand beside it.. but still, I don't see the problem with the wand? It's kinda tacky but who cares?

 

[Xadllas]

Agreed, its a giant weenie, which I think works very well. Regular (not hardcore fans), get a kick out of seeing the wand. It adds to the wow factor of arriving at Epcot.

It doesnt make me go wow. It makes me think its Micheal(sp?) Eisner's arm showing off the horror that was Project Gemini...:lookaroun

 

[jedimaster1227]

I highly doubt that they will be removing the wand just to put it back again less than a year later. If any changes will be made to the wand, they will be purely cosmetic, possibly a removal of the Sorceror's arm, changing it to something else. I don't forsee anything else...

 

[CBOMB]

Right of course they dont all automatically like it. However, I do think that the fan community see things very differently to the millions of regular guests. That was my point.

I think the whole debate over the Wand boils down to this one simple point. Also if you take the loyal fan base of Walt Disney World, I bet you will find it pretty evenly devided. Some people dislike it, some people like it, and some people do not care whether it stays or goes. I just think that people who hate the Wand are much more passionate about their feelings in their post. I like it myself, I always have, and always will. However, I will not throw myself over a cliff if it comes down. All things will change in time. I just don't see the Wand going away by October. I guess we will all have the answer for that in at least 7 months.

 

[dxwwf3]

Right of course they dont all automatically like it. However, I do think that the fan community see things very differently to the millions of regular guests. That was my point.

Oh, of course and I know what you were trying to say. But I feel that some people tend to overgeneralize the "majority" opinion :wave:

 

[CBOMB]

Oh, of course and I know what you were trying to say. But I feel that some people tend to overgeneralize the "majority" opinion :wave:

....and how does one get the true "majority" opinion?

 

[Pumbas Nakasak]

Not at all. It`s out of the scope of this thread, and there are many threads about it, but Epcot today as a whole is such a mess compared to what should and could have been - I don`t mean a "do nothing" approach BTW. IMHO of course. It`s not too late, indeed it looks like we may be past the worst, but there`s a long way to go yet. And I love the park as much as the next person.

However, viewed simply as a "theme park" it is a pleasant way to spend a day. And the average Joe wont give the ifs whats and maybes a second thought.

 

[dxwwf3]

....and how does one get the true "majority" opinion?

Personally I don't think it's possible to get a "true majority", but I would have to say that the surveys done by Disney and those done by independent parties especially the Unofficial Guide. My main thing is, the majority of people do not ALWAYS disagree with the fans, which is basically what some would have us believe :lol:

 

[phichi17]

However, viewed simply as a "theme park" it is a pleasant way to spend a day. And the average Joe wont give the ifs whats and maybes a second thought.

Exactly. We fans can obsess all day and night about this, the average joe doesn't give a hoot whether the wand is there or not. I would guess the average joe even likes it...

 

[CBOMB]

Personally I don't think it's possible to get a "true majority", but I would have to say that the surveys done by Disney and those done by independent parties especially the Unofficial Guide. My main thing is, the majority of people do not ALWAYS disagree with the fans, which is basically what some would have us believe :lol:

I certainly agree with your statement that "the majority of people do not ALWAYS disagree with the fans," I just do not think they have a passion about the Wand, as some fans seem to have. I think the average guest going to Walt Disney World does not give "The Wand' a second thought. This doesn't mean they are stupid, just that they accept the park as it is presented to them. I seriously doubt if most guest go home, and debate the issue of "The Wand" with their friends. I think that's why WDWMAGIC.COM is loved by so many fans. It's a place for people with different opinions, but a love for WDW to get together, and discuss these things. These are fans from all over the world, a truly amazing thing in it's own right. I always look forward to the pictuers, debates, and opinions from everyone who chooses to participate. :wave:

 

[dxwwf3]

I just do not think they have a passion about the Wand, as some fans seem to have.

I don't think there's any doubt about that. Therefore, they can gladly take it down and the casual guests won't care :lol:

 

[CBOMB]

I don't think there's any doubt about that. Therefore, they can gladly take it down and the casual guests won't care :lol:

As much as I like the wand, I would certainly agree with your statement.

 

[Tim G]

I was checking Re-Imagineering, the blog created by Disney fans at Pixar, and I just noticed this post: http://imagineerebirth.blogspot.com/2007/02/cannonballing-down-through-sky.html

Now, I normally would ignore this information coming from just about anyone else, but these folks are not just "anyone."

I was checking my mind... :lookaroun and came to the conclusion that the wand is NOT coming down...

Because...

My mind knows... therefore I know... and therefore y'all should know...


Ciao!

 

[tonganprince]

If they could eluminate SSE a little better than there is no real use for the wand. My kids love seeing the wand from the road, it makes them excited beyond belief. I like the wand for my kids.

 

[marni1971]

However, viewed simply as a "theme park" it is a pleasant way to spend a day. And the average Joe wont give the ifs whats and maybes a second thought.

Exactly. As an aside, maybe that`s why some of us are so passionate about the park. We can lament the passing of the original attractions, the scope, the sheer daring of the 1982 concepts, or we can enjoy Soarin', Mission Space and that Nemo ride. Oh, and the neat fireworks. Average Joe goes away happy, and his admission goes into the bank.

 

[Urbish]

I used to be in the camp of not caring about the Wand. But some people mentioned that they like Epcot whether its there or not. I agree with this, but only to an extent. The Wand itself doesn't detract from my park experience, but the concept that the Wand purpotes definitely does. I don't enjoy Epcot nowadays nearly as much as I used to, and I think in the last decade it's taken a significant departure in its theming.

That's what the argument comes down to, at least to me. I mean, sure, who cares about the Wand? It's not a horrible eyesore, and I'm sure there's people who like the idea. I just think it alters the theme of the park. Fix the old Future World rides before you put up a giant Wand, that's all I'm saying. I don't even go to FW anymore, I just bypass it entirely for the WS where I can relax and eat some good food and enjoy myself with very minimal and relevant character meet-and-greets.

I'm more the type to go on Living With the Land than Mission:Space, and maybe that's part of the bias here too. Epcot was all about learning and dark rides to me, an I guess that's how I want it to stay. The Wand is kind of a sign that that theming is going away to be replaced with character branding. And don't get me started on the whole pre-recorded computer-run Living with the Land dialogue now...that just gets me mad.

As for your argument that these changes have helped Epcot get back on its feet, wdwmagic, attendance has been dropping only slightly in ALL American theme parks since 1997. Epcot has been in 3rd place on a constant basis and always hovers around 9-10 Million visitors per year. The first year for it to jump back up at all (to 9.4 Mil from 9 the year before) was in 2004 when they added Mission:Space, a ride more akin to the old sciencey (yeah, that's a word) Epcot than this new character-feuled realm.

Honestly, I don't care if the Wand stays or not. I just want them to fix Epcot.

 

[Iakona]

I was checking my mind... :lookaroun and came to the conclusion that the wand is NOT coming down...

Because...

My mind knows... therefore I know... and therefore y'all should know...


Ciao!

AHH, one of those I was waiting for to weigh in.

Not nice of the re-imagineering blog to get everyone so worked up if it is not true. Especially this far from April Fools day.

 

[ToTBellHop]

"Get people worked up"? People have been worked up with confirmations of the Wand coming down since 2001. Don't blame re-imagineering. The Wand is permanent. End of story. Anything "temporary" at Disney that is around for 8 years is permanent. Disney doesn't remove things for its health. The only way the Wand would come down is if Siemens put up the money to do so (and they have been sponsors for awhile, now, so the odds of that happening have fallen quite a bit) or if Disney wanted to place something new there, and since you would be hard-pressed to fit more than a churro cart on its footprint, it's not going anyway. I doubt Disney gets many complaints about the wand (certainly not as many as they might get about something like Stitch's Great Escape!), so there is really no impetus to put forth the cash. I would rather they spend that money (and it would be relatively expensive to remove) on something else.