As I sit in the airport and wait to board a plane to begin my two-week vacation, I am excited.  I am excited because in a few short days I will be back in the parks and hopefully I can bring back some great content for my column in the coming weeks (STAY TUNED!).  But for this week, because I’ve been away so long, I wanted to briefly address some of the recent happenings all over Walt Disney World and provide my two cents on things. 

The wand is coming down!

            As I’m sure all of you know by now, the infamous wand that has adorned the side of Spaceship Earth is coming down after eight years.  Originally constructed to help ring in the millennium in 2000, the wand lingered, transforming into a permanent fixture that has been the bane of many-a-Disney fans’ existence.  It appears now, with the refurbishment of Spaceship Earth and the Siemens sponsorship of the Epcot icon, guests will see what Spaceship Earth looked like before the wand.  The Disney internet community EXPLODED when they heard this news, and you can still read some reactions in forums and chat rooms. 

            I perhaps am in the minority that really did not mind the wand all that much.  While I did not think it was themed particularly well for Epcot, I thought it did a wonderful job of catching one’s eye, specially from a distance.  Moreover, the wand accented Spaceship Earth in a way that reminded you that Epcot was different from the EPCOT Center of the past.  The park has grown and evolved since 1982 and in that time Disney has learned to effectively balance the park’s original focus of showcasing mankind’s technological and cultural achievements and aspirations and just make it more fun and accessible to guests of all ages (I refuse to use the word “synergy”.)  What better way to do this then to put Sorcerer Mickey’s arm and wand next to a giant metallic golf ball? 

I guess for me, the wand represented more than just a holdover fixture from the millennium; it really stood for the shift in focus we have seen in Epcot over the years. 

A Brief Tangent about Purists

            One of the recurring words that ran through posts and articles about the wand was that “rabid Disney fans”, also known as “purists”, rejoiced and tap danced through their homes when they learned about the wand coming down.  I don’t claim to be a Disney “purist.”  I am a huge fan of Walt Disney World and even spend my free time writing columns like these as an expression of my affection for the World . . . but I am not a “purist.” In fact, I kind of loathe the term “Disney purist” and find it rather pejorative.  Since when did being a fan of Walt Disney World become about the degree or intensity of the fan?

A Disney MGM Studios Facelift

            News and rumors have been springing up about some upgrades to our favorite park, the Disney MGM Studios.  We are seeing the return of an attraction at the ABC Theater, construction on Toy Story Mania is progressing nicely, a portion of the park will be renamed after Pixar Studios, a permanent Jedi Training Academy stage is going to be constructed, a pizza window is opening up in the Streets of America, and we might even see a new film added to the Star Tours attraction sometime in the near future.  Whether fact or fiction, this flurry of talk over the Studios has me anticipating what Disney has in store for the Studios in the future.

While I am just a big a fan of the Studios as our friendly neighborhood webmaster, I have felt that Disney was kind of ignoring the Studios in favor of the other parks.  In recent years, the “working movie and production studio” has been gutted out.  There are no longer animators working on major projects, there hasn’t been any TV or film shooting in the backlot in a long time, and the live action shows Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular and Lights, Motor, Action! have, at least to me, lose their appeal after the first or second time one watches it.  It seemed to me, as if, Disney forgot about the Studios.  But this constant stream of news and rumors makes me very hopeful about the future of the Studios.  I believe that this much needed facelift will reinvigorate the park and perhaps be the catalyst to even greater things to come (read: a new Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular show in time for the release of Indiana Jones 4). 

Well it looks like the flight is boarding.  Next week I will be reporting from Walt Disney World – until then!