Sorcerer's Hat

[PeoplemoverMatt]

Originally Posted by WDITrent

To everyone above, that sorcerer hat is far from cheap. Yes, it's the only time Disney has changed the park icon, but it was a change for the better. Disney Studios can't have the same icon as Hollywood. It needs something unique and special to Disney. It COMPLETELY goes with the theme of the park. This is Disney World. No one has a European castle at the end of their American Main Street, and Hollywood doesn't have a giant sorcerer hat at the end of Hollywood Blvd.

So the park can't have the same icon as Hollywood, even though the Chinese Theatre is an icon but not the icon of the real Hollywood, but it can have Hollywood in the park's name, have 'Hollywood Blvd.' as its main drag, have many buildings as clones of real Hollywood buildings, and have a idealized fantasy of the Hollywood that never was as the park's main theme, just as long as the park's icon isn't a clone of an icon from the real Hollywood? That doesn't make much sense. Also, the real Hollywood doesn't have a Chinese Theatre at the end of Hollywood Blvd. either. Grauman's Chinese Theatre merely sits along Hollywood Blvd. as one theatre among many highly recognizeable and iconic theatres.

The main complaint about the hat is that it's large, gaudy, blank, oversized, cheap-looking, and blocks the view of the Great Movie Ride's entrance which is very much not gaudy, blank and cheap-looking. So not only are the views, especially at nighttime, pretty messed up because of the hat, but the fact that the hat facilitates a pin trading shop antagonizes many people that much more. From there the complaints go off into areas of its out of place, tackyness, cartoony, and some go so far as to say it insults the detail and homage to the Hollywood that never was along DHS' Hollywood Blvd.

Finally, to put a ribbon on the package of cynicism, since the whole legality theory to the Hat has been debunked & we're left with the reason that it's here because of the 100 Years of Magic celebration and just left there like a used hamburger wrapper after a parade, that road leads to the conclusion that the hat's there because some Disney executive thought it would be a good idea to put it there for no other reason than it added more 'magic' to the area. So to the people who complain about the hat for all the above reasons, are further antagonized by the fact it facilitates a pin shop, that kind of explanation sends them into an absolute tail spin. They want their old, unbroken-via-hat intimacy and honeymoon with the Hollywood that never was back. They feel like that will never happen as long as that hat stands.

As for me, my feelings about the large hat walked together with my feelings about the Epcot wand. I didn't think it was the end of the world to have that wand there, but after it was taken down, I was surprised by just how much better the iconic view of Spaceship Earth was without the wand. I believe the views down DHS' Hollywood Blvd. would be similarly improved by the removal of the giant hat, especially since all the cool nighttime effects that brilliantly light up the Great Movie Ride entrance weren't touched after their view was blocked by the giant hat. So put me in the anti-Hat camp. The sooner it goes, the better.

-- PMM

[AraBrokenDreamer]

Why would they take it out? It doesn't do too much harm, it sells merchandise, and it's a symbol for the park. And the GMR entrance didn't look too spectacular from a distance anyway. It's not going anywhere for some time to come: move on.

-Ara

[stevo505]

The Chinese theater was better.

[WDITrent]

Originally Posted by PeoplemoverMatt

Also, the real Hollywood doesn't have a Chinese Theatre at the end of Hollywood Blvd. either. Grauman's Chinese Theatre merely sits along Hollywood Blvd. as one theatre among many highly recognizeable and iconic theatres.-- PMM

I see where you're headed with this, but I don't know why everyone thinks the hat is such an eye sore. It looks great! I do agree that the chinese theater looks a lot better, but the hat, I think, is a more suitable icon for the park. So what I'm saying is that I wish that the hat was there in the first place and the theater was somewhere in another "land". That way the hat wouldn't block anyone's view, and we'd still have the chinese theater as an icon of the park. Also, about what I said about the Disney icon/Hollywood icon thing- What I meant was that it does make sense that Disney would put the chinese theater there, but it doesn't make sense that Disney wouldn't put the hat there.

[PeoplemoverMatt]

All I know is, they didn't build a giant pair of blank Mickey ears in the middle of the hub that ruined the view of Sleeping Beauty's Castle in Disneyland. That's essentially what happened when the giant hat was built directly in front of Great Movie Ride.

-- PMM

[AraBrokenDreamer]

GMR isn't the center of the park, and they chose the location because you can easily see it throughout the park. It's a great place to meet back up, and to guess distances.

-Ara

[WDITrent]

Originally Posted by PeoplemoverMatt

All I know is, they didn't build a giant pair of blank Mickey ears in the middle of the hub that ruined the view of Sleeping Beauty's Castle in Disneyland. That's essentially what happened when the giant hat was built directly in front of Great Movie Ride.

-- PMM

But we're not at Disneyland. We're at DHS.

[PeoplemoverMatt]

Originally Posted by WDITrent

But we're not at Disneyland. We're at DHS.

But you know what I'm talking about.

[WDITrent]

Originally Posted by PeoplemoverMatt

But you know what I'm talking about.

Yeah, I do.
I like it, you don't, I'll just finally leave it at that.

[ozzietropics]

I could take it or leave it...possibly in my backyard. :D

The Chinese Mann Theater is a beautiful building, but because of the contracts and such, we get the Sorcerer Hat, representing the magic of Disney for so many. Plus, it's beautiful at night.

[kmb728]

why would you take it down?? i think it looks great

[HMF]

Originally Posted by ozzietropics

I could take it or leave it...possibly in my backyard. :D

The Chinese Mann Theater is a beautiful building, but because of the contracts and such, we get the Sorcerer Hat, representing the magic of Disney for so many. Plus, it's beautiful at night.

The contract thing is a myth. Its up because they were too lazy to take it down after 100 Years of Magic.

[Jezebel]

Originally Posted by HMF

The contract thing is a myth. Its up because they were too lazy to take it down after 100 Years of Magic.

it seems they are still to lazy. but perhaps they'll do something eventually. they did the same thing in with spaceship earth (waiting 7 years to do something!). but be aware this is the same company that is responsible for producing High School Musical. tacky can be common with disney (especially in their marketing techniques...you know what I mean). they can have some of the most beautiful and well thought out pieces of work in the whole world which bring people to the parks and bring them to love it. but for some reason they do something outlandishly tacky and gaudy like a 100 ft hat in the middle of a "Golden Age of Hollywood" theme park. just offsets the park and makes the theming feel a bit uneven. which usually is my main complaint when a ride changes (will it fit in with the rest of the rides or just be completly out of place? which I feel its happening to tomorrowland. being eaten by disney characters. less is more.)


I say get rid of the thing!

but all in all. it's not the worst thing they've done. in other words: be glad the cinderella castle didn't stay a cake

It needs something unique and special to Disney

I thought the watertower worked just fine as a symbol. but a little vague though. but still it worked

[Aurorasmiles]

They should just move it already...there has surely got to be room somewhere! They could develop a whole new land out of that icon..introducing Disney to Hollywood type theme. There are so many possibilities. So much imagination, isn't that what its all about. But I do love that hat, don't get me wrong!

[AraBrokenDreamer]

Originally Posted by Jezebel

but all in all. it's not the worst thing they've done. in other words: be glad the Cinderella castle didn't stay a cake

I thought the water tower worked just fine as a symbol. but a little vague though. but still it worked

for the other three parks, the symbol is WITHIN the park and you can easily ACCESS it. The water tower is outside the park, not reachable at all, and truth be told, the whole logo on the water tower thing to me seems a bit more like a WB thing than Disney.

And am I the only one who liked th