its finaly comming down

[paulh]

micky hand at epcot http://www.orlandosentinel.com/busi...cot070507,0,46286.story?coll=orl_tab01_layout
Paulh

 

[raidermatt]

This is the new definition of addition by subtraction.

 

[paulh]

next they might doff the hat
Paulh

 

[Cricket2]

Well, how will I know when I'm in EPCOT now?

 

[DisOrBust]

Amen. i'm sure we can all buy a piece off the nearest cart.

 

[OKW Lover]

Its about time!

Now if they would get rid of the graveyard there and the BAH at the Studio.

 

[EUROPACL]

Well, how will I know when I'm in EPCOT now?

This is just like a Jeff Foworthy joke...

...easy, if you just spent 60 bucks, waited 2 hours to ride a ski lift chair above California and if you're in the middle of a gran mal seizures due to a ride on Mission Space....then Yep you're in Epcot

 

[Luv2Roam]

 

[CanadianGuy]

Amen.. I understand the 'deconstruction' is to start July 9th.

And not a minute too soon!

Knox

 

[Luv2Roam]

Now if only the tombstones in front of SE could come down too. But that won't happen....

 

[crazy4wdw]

I'm ecstatic that its coming down! Maybe there's hope that the sorcerer's hat at Disney/MGM Studios will be removed at some point in the near future.

 

[littlebigdog]

Woo Hoo!!!! That's the best news of the day!

 

[crazy4wdw]

Critics sure to find Epcot's decision on sign wand-erful

Scott Powers | Sentinel Staff Writer
July 6, 2007

The mighty hand of Mickey that has towered over Epcot's signature attraction for nearly eight years is coming down.

Epcot Vice President Jim MacPhee said Thursday that the time has come to remove the Mickey Mouse arm, glove and wand that have served as a colorful, lighted Epcot sign -- and as a lightning rod for criticism from many longtime Epcot fans.

Installed in 1999, the 257-foot-tall appendage can be seen for miles around the Walt Disney World property, appearing to lean on Epcot's iconic structure, the Spaceship Earth pavilion, a 180-foot-tall geodesic sphere.

The dismantling of the 50-ton wand-waving tower begins Monday and should be completed shortly before Epcot's 25th anniversary Oct. 1. Also coming down are the colored stars splashed across Spaceship Earth's roof.

Disney officials maintain that Epcot visitors love the flashy sign and that Mickey Mouse's arm has helped foster a family-friendly image. MacPhee said the wand was a popular symbol that served the park well.

Spaceship Earth will close Monday for five months to complete an updating and overhaul of the ride, which is now sponsored by Siemens AG.

Considering that project, and Epcot's 25th anniversary this fall, MacPhee said, "We think the timing of the removal is right."

Many of Disney's more-critical observers have called for the arm's removal for several years. Independent Disney-forum Web logs such as TheDisneyBlog, MiceAge, Re-imagineering and EpcotCentral have criticized it as tacky. John Frost, editor of TheDisneyBlog, called it "clutter."

Epcot about 'futurism'

"Epcot in its original form from 1982 was about futurism, hope and optimism, and the wand and hand speak instead to the company's cartoon history," said Orlando author Kevin Yee, who writes about Disney in books and Internet postings, including on his own UltimateOrlando blog. "I think Disney knows that removing the wand will please its hard-core fans."

The giant structure, which went up for Walt Disney World's 2000 millennium celebration, initially featured the numerals "2000." When the millennium promotion ended, the word "Epcot" replaced the number "2000," and the arm and wand became symbols of the next campaign, "100 Years of Magic," commemorating Walt Disney's 100th birthday.

Publicly, Disney officials never said much about the wand's long-term prospects. Even as the tower was being constructed, George Kalogridis, then Epcot's vice president, when asked whether it were permanent, said, "We're not sure." As recently as April, a Disney spokeswoman declined to discuss the sign's future.

Another enduring Epcot project that dates from Disney's millennium celebration, "Leave a Legacy," already has closed, though its imprint will stay.

The "Legacy" exhibit features dozens of granite slabs installed between Epcot's entrance turnstiles and Spaceship Earth. Since 1999, thousands of visitors have paid to have their pictures laser-etched onto steel plates mounted on the slabs. But the "Leave a Legacy" sales office closed in June, MacPhee said.

Towering over Disney

When the wand tower went up, it became the tallest structure in any of Walt Disney World's four theme parks. Once it comes down, the tallest theme-park structure, according to Orlando Sentinel research, will be the top of the Tower of Terror attraction at Disney-MGM Studios, at 199 feet. The new Expedition Everest mountain in Animal Kingdom also might qualify; Disney has released its height only as "just under 200 feet." The tallest point in the Magic Kingdom is Cinderella Castle, at 180 feet.

The wand tower is not the only controversial Walt Disney World symbol that is relatively new. The Mickey Mouse Sorcerer's Hat at Disney-MGM Studios, installed in 2001 and considered popular by many guests, has also been denigrated by many of the same critics of Epcot's wand tower.

When asked about the wand's removal, for example, Mike Scopa, a writer for the MousePlanet blog, said he welcomed the news, then added, "Now if they can only get rid of that sorcerer's hat."

Richard Tribou of the Sentinel staff contributed to this report. Scott Powers can be reached at spowers@orlandosentinel.com or 407-420-5441.

 

[EUROPACL]

Many of Disney's more-critical observers have called for the arm's removal for several years. Independent Disney-forum Web logs such as TheDisneyBlog, MiceAge, Re-imagineering and EpcotCentral have criticized it as tacky. John Frost, editor of TheDisneyBlog, called it "clutter."

Looks like somebody didn't get their payment in on time....no love for the Disboards.com

 

[MarkRG]

*shrug* Guess I'm the only one who liked it, and am sorry to see it go. I really thought it brought a little of Disney into the one park where it was sorely lacking.

Now.. the graveyard on the other hand.....

 

[EUROPACL]

*shrug* Guess I'm the only one who liked it, and am sorry to see it go. I really thought it brought a little of Disney into the one park where it was sorely lacking.

There is the Eisner legacy. Thanks to him...giant tacky oversized icons have become "Disney"

 

[ChrisFL]

*shrug* Guess I'm the only one who liked it, and am sorry to see it go. I really thought it brought a little of Disney into the one park where it was sorely lacking.

If by "Disney" you mean cartoons, then, ok slightly....but Epcot, even the city plan of Walt himself had nothing to do with cartoon characters...the Imagineers decided to go the same direction, leaving that to MK

But to call it less "Disney" because there aren't Mickey & Co. running around is inaccurate at best. Walt had many more things he did that had nothing to do with cartoons.

 

[MarkRG]

If by "Disney" you mean cartoons, then, ok slightly....but Epcot, even the city plan of Walt himself had nothing to do with cartoon characters...the Imagineers decided to go the same direction, leaving that to MK

But to call it less "Disney" because there aren't Mickey & Co. running around is inaccurate at best. Walt had many more things he did that had nothing to do with cartoons.

Yes, but to use the most famous quote of all .. "It all started with a mouse."

And yes, let's focus on Walt's idea for second, for a city, not another theme park, so the reality of Epcot and Walt's vision of the city diverged long ago. And yes, the imagineers omitted the characters on purpose, then they had to scramble to come up with some as the giant little people were creeping people out.

And Epcot has always had a slightly more sterile, museum like quality, lacking. To see how the lack of characters can hurt all you have to do is read another thread on this forum, discussing when they removed two most beloved characters from the park, and one still isn't back, and people feel the lack, myself included. But thankfully characters are starting to be more prominent in other ways such as in Living Seas or in the revamped Mexico pavillion, so I do guess they'll make up for the lack in other ways going forward to try to integrate the foundation of the whole thing into the park more.

And, maybe that's the one thing I can't totally wrap my mind around in liking Walt but not the characters. For me, the characters are a direct extension of a facet of Walt's personality, avatars of him, if you will. I see Mickey, Donald and the rest, I'm seeing a part of Walt.

 

[coasterj]

Now if only the tombstones in front of SE could come down too. But that won't happen....

Well at least they have stopped selling them and after the wand is taken down spaceship earth will be in its orginal form on the outside.

 

[MarkRG]

There is the Eisner legacy. Thanks to him...giant tacky oversized icons have become "Disney"

There are some things to totally hate Eisner for, and I don't disagree on that hate.

The Millennium Celebration was not one of them. I horribly miss Tapestry, and I'm a little concerned about Illuminations. And now the last icon of that event is going away. That is what I'll miss. Sorcerer Mickey hearkens to something in all of us, or at least should. And the wand and hat are very prominent reminders of that.