The Hat Coming Down

[Dr. Emmett Brown]

Screamscape:

Park News - (5/25/09) According to an article posted to WDW Magic at Disney’s Hollywood Studios 20th Birthday event during a Q&A session with a few Imagineers, they left the crowd with the distinct impression that the giant Sorcerer’s Hat may be coming down at some point in the near future.

Discuss.

 

[jme]

If true, then they must be doing it to make the center landmark more functional by replacing it.

The castle in MK is obvious, the globe in Epcot doubles as a ride, the tree in AK has the Tough to be a Bug attraction, while the hat is just a pin station.

But even still, didn't they *just* renovate it in Feb? Why go through the trouble just to tear it down so soon after?

 

[Disneyhead]

The parks center icon is the Chinese theater, not the BUH.

Here is what it looked like prior to adding the hat.

http://www.yesterland.com/removehat.html

 

[HT_NSU]

I heard about this on one of the many Disney podcasts I subscribe to. I really hope it's true. I don't mind the hat too much, but I hate where it is and the fact that it's hiding the Chinese theater.

That picture in the link above is what I remember DHS looking like from when I was a kid, and I would love to see it back that way (although I would hope that some type of update to The Great Movie Ride would come with the change)

Please, oh please move :dhs: If not, take it down completely! :cross:

 

[Beachgurl]

I just wonder if there's any truth to the reason they put it up to begin with... all the legal mumbo jumbo.

 

[ralphoutloud]

I actually like the Hat, it'd be cool if they could just move it elsewhere. It really is nice at night.

 

[some random guy]

i have no problem the hat but it is blocking the icon which was the theater nice hat wrong place

 

[Sledge]

I'm definitely a Disney purist, but even I don't hate the hat. It's more so I hate the location.

 

[YETI PINTRADER]

I like the hat more than the theater. The hat seems to better represent the magic of Disney movies better than an ancient theater with an outdated ride inside of it. Keep the hat. It may not have anything in it but it still works.

 

[some random guy]

I like the hat more than the theater. The hat seems to better represent the magic of Disney movies better than an ancient theater with an outdated ride inside of it. Keep the hat. It may not have anything in it but it still works.

you got a good a point but the hat throws the themeing to me i see all of these hollywood looking buildins and then :dhs: hits you right in face its just the size of this thing that destroys that area but it would look nice over near pixar i think the size of it .....its just to big to me

 

[YETI PINTRADER]

That is like saying, I see all of these old American style buildings walking down Main Street U.S.A then :mk: I see a giant castle! For me the hat really makes me feel like I am really in the Disney Studios.

 

[SpyderDan]

I'm kind of ambivalent to this. Yes, I enjoyed the old look. I can live with the giant hat. Either way, I'm good. I'm just wondering what exactly the Imagineers said to suggest that the hat was coming down. Are people confusing their distaste for the hat with facts about its alleged removal?

 

[Brian G.]

you got a good a point but the hat throws the themeing to me i see all of these hollywood looking buildins and then :dhs: hits you right in face its just the size of this thing that destroys that area but it would look nice over near pixar i think the size of it .....its just to big to me

I'm not really a fan of the hat. The whole point of Hollywood Blvd is to recreate the glamor days of Hollywood. That hat kills the whole vibe. Furthermore, it serves no purpose other then being a Pin shop. If they moved the hat somewhere else, I probably wouldn't have as much of a problem with it.

That is like saying, I see all of these old American style buildings walking down Main Street U.S.A then :mk: I see a giant castle! For me the hat really makes me feel like I am really in the Disney Studios.

Apples and Oranges, Yeti. Main Street is based off of Walt's hometown, but imagineeered to give it that Disney flair. Main Street is "the credits" of the Magic Kingdom. I always viewed it as sort of a metaphor. Main St (Walt's childhood) staring right at his destiny/dreams (the castle).

 

[Scarletwebslingr]

I was satisfied with the water tower. To me the Hat looks just as gaudy and awkwardly placed as the wand did over Spaceship Earth.

 

[YETI PINTRADER]

The problem with the water tower is that you can not see it from many places in the park. Not much of an icon if you can only see it from the road.

 

[Scarletwebslingr]

The problem with the water tower is that you can not see it from many places in the park. Not much of an icon if you can only see it from the road.

You can't see the Hat from everywhere in the park either. You can't see it from the TT/RnR area, Star Wars, Pixar, Muppets, or Streets of America. They should have just centered the water tower since it's been empty forever anyways. The Hat is such an eye sore.

 

[snoman]

My question though is in this economy why does it make any sense to take down or to move the hat unless you have something big planned for that area? Taking down or moving the hat will have no impact on guest admissions. Yes, there are purists that may go to the park more often but the overall impact of taking it down or moving it would be far more expensive than a couple turnstile turns.

So I would either have to chalk this up to rumor or exciting news of something bigger and better to come.

 

[kirby_is_kyaan]

So I would either have to chalk this up to rumor or exciting news of something bigger and better to come.

Those are my hopes. I don't hate the hat all that much, but it would be nice for it to come down (and for the Great Movie Ride to be refurbbed, too), and if I could travel back in time, kill Bob Iger, and take his place , and were given the choice of one or the other, I would rather keep the wand (which didn't affect me much, it was just... there) and get rid of the hat. I think that the way the Studios are suddenly being treated as the center of Disney World will hopefully end up with the park being THE Disney park with all the amazing attractions, as opposed to the way it has always been for me-an extremely crowded half-day park with few things of high interest but still worth adding the $25 for a Florida Resident to park-hop. Several people have mentioned adding a DCA's Aladdin-style show somewhere, which I am all for. Combine this with the completion of Pixar Place into a full-blown land, and maybe they can all add up enough allure to compete with HTR. I can dream, right?

 

[Scarletwebslingr]

Those are my hopes. I don't hate the hat all that much, but it would be nice for it to come down (and for the Great Movie Ride to be refurbbed, too), and if I could travel back in time, kill Bob Iger, and take his place , and were given the choice of one or the other, I would rather keep the wand (which didn't affect me much, it was just... there) and get rid of the hat. I think that the way the Studios are suddenly being treated as the center of Disney World will hopefully end up with the park being THE Disney park with all the amazing attractions, as opposed to the way it has always been for me-an extremely crowded half-day park with few things of high interest but still worth adding the $25 for a Florida Resident to park-hop. Several people have mentioned adding a DCA's Aladdin-style show somewhere, which I am all for. Combine this with the completion of Pixar Place into a full-blown land, and maybe they can all add up enough allure to compete with HTR. I can dream, right?

Where the hat is there isn't enough room for anything grand. An area that small might work for a permanent HSM stage but that isn't really necessary. I agree GMR needs a refub. It's basically the "Great White Movie Ride." Add films like Malcolm X. Keep the opening to the gangster film area but scrap the show/hijack scene and replace it with a pirates theme. Something called the Great Movie Ride should be a continual work in progress considering the "classics" update all the time.

 

[YETI PINTRADER]

You can't see the Hat from everywhere in the park either. You can't see it from the TT/RnR area, Star Wars, Pixar, Muppets, or Streets of America. They should have just centered the water tower since it's been empty forever anyways. The Hat is such an eye sore.

But you can see the hat from the park enterance. That is where it is important.