Am I the Only One Who Likes the Epcot Wand?

[RyMickey]

I don't dig the wand at all.

There's an article on JimHillMedia.com today (http://www.jimhillmedia.com/article.php?id=1866) that links to a site where professional Imagineers are blogging their thoughts about what needs to be done with the parks.

That blog is actually the reason why I asked this question.

Anyway, I like the hat at MGM, too, although I also liked seeing the theater. To me, that's kind of a wash.

I HATED the castle cake, but I do like the current design (except for the mirror for the same tacky reasoning as mentioned above).

 

[Wendy1953]

Well, I don't know if you are the only one...but my whole family would prefer the wand come down.....EPCOT Spaceship Earth was beautiful....the all silver sphere.....what were they thinking adding the hand and wand????? It's definitely gotta go!

 

[Wendy1953]

Now that I've previewed some of the responses.....the Castle decor comes into play also....well my opinion....the gold can stay...but the hideous "mirror" has to go...cheapens the whole castle...and now that I've said that.....how about a new parade in MK.....and a new parade in EPCOT....Tapestry was great, miss it and want a good replacement.....tired of the MK parade too many years of it...change is good!

 

[goofyernmost]

To answer the original question...no you are not alone. I like it, I also liked it without the wand but I think that the wand conveys a message that Epcot is also Disney and that the magic continues here. My only objection is the sparkle stuff on Spaceship Earth itself. They could lose that without breaking my heart at all.

A step further is the hat. I don't mind the hat, I just hate where they put it. A perfect place would have been in the open area in front of the animation building, next to the Little Mermaid show. To cover up the theater is almost sacrilege.

I went to WDW twice during it's 25th anniversary when the castle was a cake. Now I sure wouldn't want it like that all the time, I think for that one year it was well done, bright, cheerful and appropriate, but just that once. I have mixed emotions about the castle right now. It is kind of pretty but I don't like the big screen thing showing the different castles. Just too tacky.

 

[annej]

I love the wand and the hat and the castle decorations minus the mirror! I wouldn't besad to see the wand go as I liked SE before but I sure do like it with the wand. I would be sad to see the hat go as Sorcerer Mickey is my favorite and I think the gold should stay on the castle minus the mirro. JMHO.

 

[Bouncing4Tigger]

I like the wand too!

 

[skiwee1]

I love the wand. I love the hat. I love the castle. I don't like the mirror though.

 

[Tinkerbellz]

I love the castle as is. It will be sad when they take down the celebration decorations. I have pictures on my desk from our Thanksgiving 2004 trip and my desktop is from October 2005. I just think the "regular" castle is beautiful yes, but plain. I love the gold additions for the Celebration.

I love the hat at MGM...

I love the Wand at EPCOT.

 

[goofy4wdw2]

I think the wand adds a little pizazz to SE, but I also remember being in awe seeing SE without it. I am fine with it either way! I can't decide which I prefer!

I don't really care for the MGM hat though...blocking the theater

 

[DizznyChick]

when did they add the wand ? maybe 2000 ? but thats a guess

 

[Amy&Dan]

I love the wand, and my whole family would be bummed beyond reason if they took it down! I see the point about it messing with the scale of SE, but since the whole basis of Disney is imagination and magic, what the heck. I hope they never take it down. I love the hat, but agree the location is not good. I hope they leave up some of the castle stuff but as everybody else states, take down that tacky mirror!

 

[JPN4265]

I agree with you and MinnieMom. What's not to like? I've never heard of anyone disliking it.

Thought I would write and be the first one to tell you it should go. Its been up way to long. I like the original and clean design.

 

[cinmell]

Spaceship Earth was such a cool icon for Epcot. The wand desecrates SE in the same way that the cake decor did for the castle a few years ago I do love but not around SE.

I hated the cake castle!

 

[bellelinus]

I like the wand, but my 13 year old daughter thinks the Epcot ball looked a lot better without it.

 

[goofy4tink]

Well, I like the wand, but liked SE without it also...it doesn't make any difference to me. Love the golden decor of the Castle but hate, hate, hate that mirror. Even my dh, who couldn't care less what they do in WDW, said it looked cheap. The Hat, well....I like the Hat but wish they had put it someplace else. I realize that they were looking for an icon for the Studios, but I think that puts the scale off much worse than the Wand does.
And it would be nice to have a different MK parade now. We've had the same one for years now....I don't bother with it anymore. Of course that does provide more attraction time for us. And a parade in Epcot would be terrific.

 

[eeyoregirl]

I think that the wand on Spaceship Earth reminds everyone that "it all started with a mouse."

 

[disneymaniac24]

when did they add the wand ? maybe 2000 ? but thats a guess

I don't know the exact year but it was during the 100 years of magic (the celebration before this one). You'd have to Ask Dave about the specific day.

 

[tink2020]

The wand was added in 2000, that's correct.

I just posted on another thread that I, too like the wand and ESPECIALLY like the sorcerer's hat. I think as others (feralpeg first maybe?) have pointed out, people just don't like change. Tons of people are complaining about the celebration decorations on the castle. To me, while Cinderella's Castle has always been magical, I think these look breathtaking! I've been several times, and just couldn't stop staring whenever the castle would come glistening into view.

Now I didn't see the pink birthday cake in person. I may have had different feelings about that. I CERTAINLY would have been one of the brides changing my wedding date, though, I can tell you that much!

 

[orljustin]

I just posted on another thread that I, too like the wand and ESPECIALLY like the sorcerer's hat. I think as others (feralpeg first maybe?) have pointed out, people just don't like change.

This isn't about change, this is about ruining an intended effect. The Studio's weenie is supposed to be the Chinese Theater, the thing that draws you down the street. How is sticking a big pin shop in front of that a good thing? Walking into the park, you can believe you are in classic Hollywood, except for the BIG *** HAT a block down the street.

And the geosphere at EPCOT is grand, and an engineering acheivement, piquing your interest in what humans can achieve, when all of the sudden you notice the lamely airbrushed BIG *** HAND next to it. With the word "Epcot" on top of it, even. Epcot? I thought this was Sea World - what freakin' exit did we take? Of course, the Leave a Legacy tombstones in the front don't really encourage a look forward, do they?

 

[goofyernmost]

The wand got there in 2000. In fact it had big red 2000 where Epcot is now. I didn't care for the 2000 feature much but I do like the Epcot attachment minus the magic dust on Spaceship Earth itself.