Nov. 17, 2006: Not-So-Temporary Epcot Hand & Wand

[Werner Weiss]

The newest article at Yesterland is about the icon that was added for the Millennium Celebration at Epcot. I've had some fun with Photoshop.

Link to The Not-So-Temporary Epcot Hand and Wand at Yesterland.

What are your thoughts about the 25-story Sorcerer Mickey hand and wand at Epcot's Spaceship Earth?

[Alchimedes]

Mike Wasowski would be perfect!

[jcruise86]

Thanks, Werner!

I started a Mouseplanet poll on whether to remove the hand and wand and the response was overwhelmingly in favor of removing them. (That is, if about 25 total votes can really lead to anything worthy of the word "overwhelming," especially when they followed my subjective introductory words.)

The hat at the studios also has many enemies, but I think the wand/hand is even worse because they destroy an original and truly magnificent architectural sight. It's a tad like having an enormous McDonald's sign over the Statue of Liberty, or a 500-foot statue of the Road Runner placed in the center of the Grand Canyon--not that Epcot's geodesic dome ranks with the Statue of Liberty or the Grand Canyon.

[CA_Man_In_HI]

Originally Posted by jcruise86

It's a tad like having an enormous McDonald's sign over the Statue of Liberty, or a 500-foot statue of the Road Runner placed in the center of the Grand Canyon--not that Epcot's geodesic dome ranks with the Statue of Liberty or the Grand Canyon.

Well, sad to say, you might be closer to the truth than you want to be. The Golden Gate Bridge is looking for corporate sponsorship. They say no advertising, but....why does a NASCAR-esque re-decoration of the bridge come to my mind?

More info here
http://www.modbee.com/state_wire/sto...13681764c.html

[TarzanRocked99-06]

Enjoyed the photoshop, quite amusing, but having said that I have always liked the wand and would be sad if they remove it. I can see the top of thewand from my apartment at night and it makes me happy.

[Pacha]

I didn't mind the wand back in '99 when it had the 2000 logo on it. To me, it looked cool back then. I think much like Michael Eisner, the wand's time has come and gone and it's time to retire it.

[PirateRT]

The wand needs to go, I can remember when I was younger that epcot had an ad where the sun was setting behind spaceship earth, that was a great shot of Spaceship Earth.

[ralfrick]

Gather the people that have a near pathological hatred of Stitch; you won't have to look hard. Announce the Stitch idea. I've never seen a mass spontaneous human combustion. Should be cool.

A bientot.

[sir clinksalot]

Love the Mike ball ... but yeah, take out the wand.

[jcruise86]

Originally Posted by CA_Man_In_HI

. . .The Golden Gate Bridge is looking for corporate sponsorship. They say no advertising, but....why does a NASCAR-esque re-decoration of the bridge come to my mind?. . .
http://www.modbee.com/state_wire/sto...13681764c.html

Because the thought drives you crazy?
Because you fear they'll fast track the idea?

[MickeyMania]

I got this huge smile on my face when I saw Spaceship Stitch. That was just brilliant.

DO IT. DOOOO IT.

I'm not the world's biggest fan of Leave a Legacy, but I can't stand to listen to all the calls for removing it. People who do are woefully ignorant of the fact that people paid money to basically leave some mark on Disney World property, and while I suppose they could remove it then they ought to remove the bricks at MK and DL and everywhere else as well. People also seem to forget that it's the final Disney work of John Hench, who pretty much designed Future World. It's probably not the best requiem to his WDI career, but it ought to make people stop before they open their mouths and say LaL is "ruining Future World" in the same way the tacky wand does.

[Nanaimobar]

Don't give the suits any more Pirates ideas, OK?

[jcruise86]

There is a pinkish beige building in front of the geodesic globe (in many of the photos) that is both ugly and uninteresting. Removing that and replacing it with gardens or a smaller, more attractive and less distracting structure would set off the globe even better.

I just hate to see these man-made wonders surrounded by crap. In Pasadena a building is going up that blocks the view of our beautiful city hall dome from parts of an outdoor mall where thousands of people had enjoyed that view each week.

[wdwnut4life]

Leave it!!!!

[cellarhound]

I hate, hate, HATE that ugly excuse of an eye sore... When I first saw that thing, I said they gotta be kidding me... I thought it was some superimpost photoshop thing...

The truth is they are too CHEAP to dismantle it...

But you know, they could turn overlay spaceship earth into the worlds largest ball of twine!



Imagine it... It even comes with a rude Indian who creates pressed penny memorbilia with his mind in the restaurant at the top.