Mickey Hand in Epcot and Hat in MGM - Permanent???

[Laur*Tink*85]

I agree on both, although more so on Spaceship Earth. It isn't even related to the ride. It's completely out of place in Future World. I don't like the Hat in MGM either, but to me that park isn't really about aesthetics anyway, so it doesn't bother me as much. I don't remember what the view was like before... isn't the Chinese theatre a little small to see it when you enter the park?

mgm is very much about aesthetics, you are supposed to feel liek you are in old hollywood and the view of the chinese theater, which you could see upon entering, added very much to that theme. i like the hat but think it should be moved. the hand in epcot does not really bother me, but i can see what you mean about how it originally was.

 

[SueM in MN]

I used to work at the Great Movie Ride and it was truly sad watching the hat being built. I believe it has something to do with the rights to the Chinese Theatre, but someone can correct me if I am wrong.

That was what I had read too.
From what I heard, it didn't have to do with MGM or with the rights or losing the rights to MGM.
The theater at the Studio was modeled on the Grauman's Chinese Theater in Hollywood, even to the point of trying to replicate carpeting and wall treatments inside the theater (with the agreement of the owners of the theater in Hollywood).
From what I read, the owners were OK with all that until it got to be that the reproduction theater in WDW was more popular than the original in Hollywood (and I think they thought it cut into their tourism dollars). I heard the thing that caused a rift between the Grauman Chinese theater owners and Disney was Disney's purchase and renovation of the El Capitan Theater right across the street from Grauman's Chinese Theater.
For some reason, they didn't like that
and the hat went up.

 

[UrsulasShadow]

I don't mind the hat at all. The whole park is pretty garish, so it really doesn't clash.
I detest the hand and wand. I didn't mind it as a millennium thing, when it said "2000", but it should have come down after that. It ruins the sleek, streamlined, modernistic theme of the park.

 

[huskies90]

When the top positions at Disney were restaffed after Eisner left, imagineering began a blog looking for ideas FROM the imagineers on how to improve the Disney parks.

One of the things mentioned was the Spaceship Earth/wand situation.

http://imagineerebirth.blogspot.com/

Thanks for the link. I didn't know what the big fuss was about the hat until I saw the picture in the post. Now I get why those who visted the park before the hat don't like it. It really does "take away" instead of "add" and the park looks much better without it. As for the wand, I don't like it but it has never bothered me too much. I think it bothers the disney purists more than anything. I am sure the gold on the castle bothers them too.

By the way, I also enjoyed the post about the anachronistic apects of disney attractions and movies...interesting...

 

[allegracristina]

I am really not a fan of the hand/wand at all. I think it looks completely out of place. DBF really does not like the hat at MGM-he doesn't like how it blocks the view of the Chinese Theater. I don't mind the hat one bit, I think it's cute.

 

[dbm20th]

I think the wand is remarkably cool. It is amazing how big it is and I love the fact that we get the mouse in EPCOT, even if only symbolically.

Now, the hat I like, but I agree that it seems silly where it is. However, I was never a big fan of the theater anyway as a center piece. Everything else that acts as the centerpeice (the Tree of Life, SE, and the castle) are all fantastic and very creative. The theater is...well...a version on the theater. I never liked how that was the best they could come up with.