We had moved to the greater Orlando area just a few years before, and had APs, so I saw it a lot. I thought it was an interesting concept, and liked the overall look, but that was probably partly due to the fact that I had seen it before and knew I would see it after. I can understand why a first time or infrequent visitor may have been upset.
I didn’t like the huge Mickey arm over Spaceship Earth at Epcot though, and was glad when they finally dismantled it.