Rumor: EPCOT wand removal!

[angryrubberduck]

This was posted by FIGMENT at Intercot.com. He is a pretty reliable source so when he posts his opinion on a rumor, it is pretty well founded.

"Lets start with something that is very much a rumor but very much good news if it is true. Rumors are now showing up on the net that Disney management is considering removing the Epcot wand for the Epcot 25th celebration in 2007. The word is that management feels to celebrate Epcot's 25 year history having the more contemporary wand on the parks icon, would not be suitable. Oddly, this seems to be the exact opposite of what Disney does regarding icons and celebrations at face value, but looking deeper it makes some sense. Reasonably Disney changes it's icons for celebrations for something different and marketable, well since the wand has become "normal" so to speak taking it down would be exciting and different. The rumor acknowledges that the structure is a permanent one, and management is justifying the budget to remove such a permanent object in that it can generate alot of promotion buzz for the celebration and thus more revenue. Again just a rumor, and the rumor is that they are considering it, but to me the optimist this is good."

I would love to see them remove that awful thing!

Duck!

[Gemini Cricket]

If this is true, great! The wand is an eyesore.

[Dustysage]

Let's hope that they remove the giant hat from in front of the Chinese Theatre at the Studios as well.

[figment1986]

The hat is more permanent than the wand..... ( i heard it has a deep foundation....)

The wand is the but of all jokes... heck their were some hurricaine jokes....

the wand gets picked up and dropped into IOA's lagoon.... in the end.. Universal is calling ME about this piece of junk in their lagoon....

[danyoung]

There's been a lot of chatter around the net about this. One of the indications that it might be true is that the current official WDW vacation planning video dvd seems to be going out of its way to NOT show the wand. A shot of Spaceship Earth will start tight and slowly zoom out, cutting away just as the wand was about to come into view. In another scene, the on screen host is positioned perfectly to show SE, but block the wand.

I'm right there with you all in my hope that they remove this monster. I almost liked it for the turn of the century. But right after it should have been dumped. If they gain their senses and take this down, then we can start nagging about the hat in MGM!!!

[innerSpaceman]

Wow, I think I would actually visit WDW again if they removed the wand.

Disney's got a brilliant marketing campaign called Return to UnMessed Up. They're bringing back Space Mountain to Disneyland in California, and everyone is all ecstatic about the return of a 25-year-old ride. It's better than anything new they've come up with in forever.

Likewise, just returning the outside of Big Ball back to normal would be the best thing that's happened to Epcot in a decade!

If Disney were to just put everything back the way it was 20 years ago, they'd have their best theme parks ever!!!!



(again)

[ti2gr]

I'm wishing upon a star....... Please remove the wand from Epcot. I never liked it from the moment I saw it.

Now if they would return the acrylic sculpture to the fountainin front of Spaceship Earth, all would be good. The so-called fountain looks kind of bare there with nothing in the middle.

[figment1986]

They could do a Epcot pin where you get a piece of the want... like 20,000 leages has a chunk of the sub.....

[Morrigoon]

Thank GOD, I hope this rumor is true!

I agree about the acrylic sculptures too... they were cool!

[BigDaddyKyle]

Let's start a protest...Get rid of the wand!!!!!!!!! Get rid of the wand!!!!!

[ti2gr]

Just received the Disney World Planning Kit and on the Map for Epcot there is Soarin' and Mission Space, but NO WAND over Spaceship Earth

[Cousin Orville]

Rumor just in..

Good news, the wand will be going. The bad news... they are relocating it to spire of of Big Thunder Mountain. They are doing a Hasbro tie in promotion renaming the attraction "Magic Rocks". Wait till you see the day glo paint scheme on the stalagmites.

[Herc]

The wand has got to go. I agree with the return of the acrylic sculpt in the fountain in the front.
While they're at it, please get rid of those ugly tombstone like photowalls. When the park first opened there were no characters running around. Now they are everywhere (which is somewhat of a good thing) . The wand and hand is "too much Disney" in a park that really doesn't need it. Bring back all the symbols of each Future World attraction. Sorry if I got off subject.

[Jerm]

The wand has got to go. I agree with the return of the acrylic sculpt in the fountain in the front.

That could be hard since it is up on eBay right now. I hope the wand is gone soon....I also would love to see the tombstones disapper and bring bash some lush grounds.

J

[Dustysage]

Rumor just in..

Good news, the wand will be going. The bad news... they are relocating it to spire of of Big Thunder Mountain. They are doing a Hasbro tie in promotion renaming the attraction "Magic Rocks". Wait till you see the day glo paint scheme on the stalagmites.

For those who don't know Cousin Orville's wicked sense of humor, there should be a or :devil: after that post. But very funny all the same.

-Dusty

[monorail_rider]

WEll. I know the "wand removal" topic has been goign around since day one. all I have to say is God willing it will be removed... Eaither by Disney...or God. Maybe a small tornado just big enough to tear that "thing" down and then vanish.

[figment1986]

hmm... if i remember correctly... this darned thing wistood hurricains... and wasn't lucky enough to have a tornado take it to open land and destroy it.... so it must be removed by hunans.. and make everything at WDW under 200 feet again and not have that darned blinking light...

[FrumiousBoojum]

Ok... this thread sparked me to finally watch the DVD.

The wand *is* seen several places, such as the Illuminations segment and in a graphic on the Vacation Planning video in the special features.

I see no evidence of them digitally removing it, as was mentioned on another board. The fly-over is merely archival footage.

So, does this prove the removal of the wand? Not quite yet... the tiny graphic in the map and the angle the one segment was shot has isn't enough proof when it's shown many other places. My guess on the map is that SSE was a lot easier to show without the wand on the map -- I'm sure the original was a lot larger, but the artist of it needed to keep everything as simple as possible, which meant a sphere for SSE and no wand.

[Glad Game Guy]

Me hate wand! Me hate wand! Make it go away.

[monorail_rider]

hmm... if i remember correctly... this darned thing wistood hurricains... and wasn't lucky enough to have a tornado take it to open land and destroy it.... so it must be removed by hunans.. and make everything at WDW under 200 feet again and not have that darned blinking light...

:confused: Ok. I thik I got what you were saying.


but see. it can be strong enough to withstand hurricane winds, even the strong ones that just went through. but a tornado is A LOT stronger and hopfuly would suck it up and take it to munchkin land where it could fall on the wicked worlock of the south (Eisner).