Mr. Iger, Tear Down That Wand

Does anyone remember the year 1989 and the celebration that occurred with the destruction of the wall in Berlin? I certainly do. It was a day of great celebration and discussion of liberty and freedom as it spread across the globe. While what is happening today is nowhere near as profound an event to the world as the destruction of the wall was back in 1989, to those of us who loved and adored EPCOT Center, it feels that way. You see, today begins a new day for Epcot, a new future, and a new path. At least I hope it does. Today begins the official destruction of the wand over SSE.

Now some may say that it is a fairly inconsequential event, that the removal of this structure means nothing for the future of the park, that it's not going to bring back Horizons, World of Motion, or the original Imagination ride. That is true, but it does signal a change. It shows that someone up top remembers what Epcot once was, the glory that was the original EPCOT Center, and maybe, just maybe they'll chart the future plans for the park in that direction.

I'm also optimistic today due to some other news that came out early yesterday morning. It seems that Jay Rasulo and company have lost their evil grip over the company and in fact may be falling out of favor completely. It seems, from all accounts, that the Where Dreams Come True Global Homogenization of the parks is coming to an end as well. One can only ponder what this means for the future of the Disney Parks as a whole. Does it mean that the development of each individual park will now take place from those who are best able to chart its future, the park presidents themselves? One can only hope.

Just as the fall of the Berlin Wall did not bring immediate change and prosperity to the region, it was a signal of brighter days to come. And the celebration we had on the day the destruction began was something I remember to this day. So I choose to celebrate today as EPCOT's Independence day.