Are they getting rid of the wand at EPCOT?

[mitros]

Since the wand and the hat were done during king Ei$ners reign, I lump them with his other debacle, The Disney Institute, also one of his ideas, although years after it was developed, and it was starting to flounder, he blamed underlings for it's problems, not himself, for coming up with the concept that failed.

 

[dbm20th]

Okay, I'll be one of the few...

I have loved EPCOT from it's very beginning and I think the wand is great! If there is one thing I like, it's that darn mouse amd EPCOT needed a great big mouse injection. The wand adds color to what used to be a virtual black and white icon. Now it's the coolest park icon with the biggest darn mouse you'll ever find. KEEP THE WAND!

Not to be mean, but it seems many folks on these boards simply don't like things to change much at WDW, and that's understandable. If they did nothing to it, it would always remain the definition of magic. But I like some changes now and again, and even though the wand was expensive, it ain't my nickel. Looks great!

 

[ChrisFL]

But I like some changes now and again, and even though the wand was expensive, it ain't my nickel. Looks great!

Really? You visit the parks for free?

 

[DisFlan]

Okay, I'll be one of the few...

I have loved EPCOT from it's very beginning and I think the wand is great! If there is one thing I like, it's that darn mouse amd EPCOT needed a great big mouse injection. The wand adds color to what used to be a virtual black and white icon. Now it's the coolest park icon with the biggest darn mouse you'll ever find. KEEP THE WAND!

Not to be mean, but it seems many folks on these boards simply don't like things to change much at WDW, and that's understandable. If they did nothing to it, it would always remain the definition of magic. But I like some changes now and again, and even though the wand was expensive, it ain't my nickel. Looks great!

It's fine if you like the wand and tombstones. Tastes differ. Changes are fine, too - the new rides are great. But IMO, they didn't put the entrance area changes where they needed to be! While the wand and tombstones were going in, much of the Future World core area was becoming dated and irrelevant. Innoventions isn't, and the hole from AT&T's departure was left depressingly bare for years.

As for being "Mickey-ized", I don't think that was ever the intent of Epcot. If you want Mickey at Epcot, you can find plenty of him in the shops.

DisFlan

 

[raidermatt]

I'm all for positive changes.

 

[jeanylaser]

mickey's hand of epcot is the coolest way so i don't get confused the attraction.

 

[dbm20th]

Really? You visit the parks for free?

Very funny. Budgets are budgets and the wand fit into the budget. Do you think if they didn't put it there that we would all be paying less? Give me a break

 

[dbm20th]

As for being "Mickey-ized", I don't think that was ever the intent of Epcot. DisFlan

That is certainly true, but if by "intent" you are referring to Walt's intent...well they through that out the door before the park ever opened. Using your logic I'd say... you're in WDW! If you want to get away from the mouse, what are doing in Mouseland!

 

[Tampa]

The wand is at the wrong park, since it celebrates magic at a park that celebrates science and international culture. And its design is techno-medieval, clamped onto a Buckminster Fuller geodesic structure.

Smart way to put it! It's like a wizard playing jumbo golf.

When I had subwoofers installed in my ride, I was impressed that I got my money's worth as a single wire could not be found. If I'm going to pay 9 million for an arm, I want to be able to pull hairs from it.. forget that, it would have to be a robot arm... that shoots fireworks! And I certainly do not want to see any of the bones/scaffolding inside it.

 

[raidermatt]

well they through that out the door before the park ever opened.

The counter to that of course, is that they still didn't try to Mousify Epcot when the park opened. That came much later.

Further, isn't there a tremendous potential benefit to finding ways to keep the parks unique from each other, rather than make them more similar? Really, WDW as an entire resort is about far more than the Mouse. Without getting into the specific execution of different ideas, I think that's good, not bad.

If you have 4 Magic Kingdoms, are you really going to attract that many more people than if you had 1 Magic Kingdom? Conversely, if you have 4 very distinct, but very appealing parks, don't you have a better chance at widening you audience. (note, I'm not necessarily talking about thrills vs. dark rides, kiddies vs. teens, etc.)

I know that putting a wand on the BGB doesn't turn Epcot into MK, but clearly that's part of a bigger strategy, and that's what I'm questioning.

 

[Tampa]

Well, from my knowledge, back in the day the rules were, no characters in Epcot. They have no place in the park. This didn't sit right with imagineers and hence, the birth of Hidden Mickey.

I remember as a kid seeing Mickey and Donald walking around in space suits with fish bowl tops. Pretty much like the ones we wear in VMK, but gray. They were definitily fish out of water during the themes of the time period.

 

[coby421]

I wouldn't mind seeing the wand gone but it doens't seem as out of place as the hat at mgm, its just massive.

 

[ChrisFL]

The MGM Hat I thought was going to be a bit of a cover in case they decided to start ripping out the great movie ride and make a new attraction.

 

[Tampa]

maybe just bring the hat on over to the BGB, put it on top (at a slant for the cool hip look, of course) and complete the look?

 

[Maistre Gracey]

The wand never bothered me. In fact, I kinda like it.
The hat on the other hand, is truly ridiculous.

MG

 

[CherCrazy]

I agree 100% with you.

I loved the old entrance to Epcot..without the monoliths, and the mickey THING!

 

[athenna]

The wand never bothered me. In fact, I kinda like it.
The hat on the other hand, is truly ridiculous.

MG

I agree w/you completely. I like the wand, I think it's cool. But I hate that horrible hat in MGM. Ruins the whole view. IMO.

 

[primax]

I personally love seeing the hand and wand. What I am surprised to read is that no one has mentioned the true purpose of the wand.

The wand has become a permanent fixture on the globe for safety reasons. When the Tower of Terror was built it was designed to be above 200 feet in the air, however due to building restriction in the area of disney any building over 200 feet is required to have a blinking red light as a structure indicator for air traffic. This light allows planes to see the structure at night and thus not crash into it. Disney did not feel the blinking red light would fit into the theming of TOT so the build the attraction at 199 feet in the air to avoid the restriction. At the time the TOT was the tallest structure on Disney property but Disney recognized their own ignorance with saftey so the imagineers thought up the hand and wand. The hand and wand is exactly 200 feet in the air with the blinking red light at the top of the wand. The wand is now the tallest structure on Disney property and also acts as the center piece for air traffic to locate Disney property if needed. The air space is restricted however this did not exempt Disney from following the same restriction as any other building near MCO. If any structures exceeds the current 200 feet high point in Disney that structure will need the indicator unless the wand grows!!!

PMX

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=417822

 

[Another Voice]

The wand has become a permanent fixture on the globe for safety reasons.

One would think you could accomplish the same thing by putting the red light on top of a five foot pole mounted on top of the sphere. Adding a huge tower just to hold up a navigation light is a little over-engineering, isn't it? I mean, they can't even paint the trash cans any more so they match an area's theme, but they can drop $9 million is disguise a red blinking light as a wand?

And a pilot needs a wand to tell them they're flying over Walt Disney World? One would also think a giant 200 foot silver sphere might tell them that. Or a two hundred castle. Or the miles of monorail beams. Or the giant Mickey Mouse looking up at them from the Disney/MGM Studios. Or the fifty foot Dolphin/Fishes on top a twenty story pink hotel. Or maybe a two foot tree surrounding by an African veldt.

Sorry, but the wand was just a rather silly "landmark" some marketing consultant dreamed up to make the Y2K party "memorable" - just like dressing up the castle as a cake did for WDW's 25th anniversary. For Disney, it was cheaper to replace the "2000" with "Epcot" than to take the whole thing down.

 

[Lord Fantasius]

I personally love seeing the hand and wand. What I am surprised to read is that no one has mentioned the true purpose of the wand.

The wand has become a permanent fixture on the globe for safety reasons. When the Tower of Terror was built it was designed to be above 200 feet in the air, however due to building restriction in the area of disney any building over 200 feet is required to have a blinking red light as a structure indicator for air traffic. This light allows planes to see the structure at night and thus not crash into it. Disney did not feel the blinking red light would fit into the theming of TOT so the build the attraction at 199 feet in the air to avoid the restriction. At the time the TOT was the tallest structure on Disney property but Disney recognized their own ignorance with saftey so the imagineers thought up the hand and wand. The hand and wand is exactly 200 feet in the air with the blinking red light at the top of the wand. The wand is now the tallest structure on Disney property and also acts as the center piece for air traffic to locate Disney property if needed. The air space is restricted however this did not exempt Disney from following the same restriction as any other building near MCO. If any structures exceeds the current 200 feet high point in Disney that structure will need the indicator unless the wand grows!!!

PMX

...an urban myth waiting to bury itself if ever I've heard one! Can we say "Contemporary Resort," "Mickey Watertower?"

A giant St. Loius-style arch over SE (with EPCOT emblazoned on its side in Art Deco lettering for those that are theme-park-identity-challenged) would have been more dramatic and artistically-pleasing than a cartoon hand and stubby wand.

-R