Is the clock ticking on the Sorcerer Mickey Hat icon at the Studios? YES!

[Next Big Thing]

^^TBH, DAK doesn't need that much help. It's in great shape as a park overall. The only bad spot is Chester/Hester, but that's an easy fix. DAK has stuck to it's core value's and original message, it's main problem is that it just doesn't have enough things to do right now. Beyong ROL and Avatarland, it needs another nice expansion/redo, preferably to fix the Chester & Hester mess. Although there are still expansion pads... fixing C&H could wait if it meant park expansion.

But my point was, everyone always lumps DAK in with DHS, but the two couldn't be anymore different. DHS is a jumbled mess and has an identity crisis. DAK knows exactly what it is, it just needs someone to show it some love so that it can fulfill it's potential.

 

[MerlinTheGoat]

I don't disagree with you about Animal Kingdom, not lumping it together with DHS' problems. It needs help too, but just straightforward expansion for the most part. Its future still has some bright parts provided they don't ruin it like they have the other parks.

And yeah Dinorama is a good start after Avatar is done. I know it wouldn't be an "expansion" and just repurposing land, which i'm normally against (I get irritated when they just tear stuff down to build new attractions instead of expand on the new land they set aside for that purpose). But i'll make a very special exception here for the carnival due to how god awfully hideous and distracting it is to an otherwise stunner of a gorgeous park.

 

[lazyboy97o]

Epcot isn't in as dire of a situation and has just enough rides and seasonal events to make people forget about it's short comings.

However, if they don't act soon, the park will soon be in a very similar situation to DHS. I don't think anything could possibly be as bad as what DHS had become, but, Epcot needs some major help. I honestly don't even think $1B is enough right now.

EPCOT Center is more than just a collection of fun rides. It had a greater depth and meaning that it is disheartening to see so many ignore. Disney's theme parks became cultural icons because they were more than pretty amusement parks.

 

[RSoxNo1]

Epcot isn't in as dire of a situation and has just enough rides and seasonal events to make people forget about it's short comings.

However, if they don't act soon, the park will soon be in a very similar situation to DHS. I don't think anything could possibly be as bad as what DHS had become, but, Epcot needs some major help. I honestly don't even think $1B is enough right now.

It is so incredibly reliant on those seasonal events and World Showcase dining it's not even funny. The draw for Epcot right now is food. Many people can hop to that park for dinner and be more than satisfied with the limited time they spend there.

 

[Goofyernmost]

EPCOT Center's philosophy was far more important to the direction of all of Walt Disney World and even The Walt Disney Company than the studio turned movie park. Fixing Disney's Hollywood Studios means a park is a better experience, fixing the EPCOT Center means a shot at fixing so much more.

EPCOT Center is more than just a collection of fun rides. It had a greater depth and meaning that it is disheartening to see so many ignore. Disney's theme parks became cultural icons because they were more than pretty amusement parks.

The harsh truth is although I think that nothing could match the original EPCOT Ctr., it is a dead horse. It was accepted in its beginnings as a great park that everyone wanted to see. Then over the years the edutainment aspect started to lose favor with the general public. They were bored with it, thought it was lame or just plain didn't have the brain power to understand what was happening there. It is more up to date now and with the exception of the empty WoL pavilion, (which I may never forgive them for) and Imagination (the entire pavilion), it is in pretty good shape overall.

The two parks in one concept make it a very difficult park to completely experience in just one day for the first time visitor. The other thing that I'm against is the "drinking around the world" aspect of the park today. Disney doesn't need a bunch of rich drunks destroying the family atmosphere. I just don't understand why anyone would pay park admission and exorbitant prices per drink when they can get the same end result with a $2.00 bottle of Boone's Farm Apple Wine. (It even looks like Champagne.)

 

[lazyboy97o]

The harsh truth is although I think that nothing could match the original EPCOT Ctr., it is a dead horse. It was accepted in its beginnings as a great park that everyone wanted to see. Then over the years the edutainment aspect started to lose favor with the general public. They were bored with it, thought it was lame or just plain didn't have the brain power to understand what was happening there. It is more up to date now and with the exception of the empty WoL pavilion, (which I may never forgive them for) and Imagination (the entire pavilion), it is in pretty good shape overall.

The two parks in one concept make it a very difficult park to completely experience in just one day for the first time visitor. The other thing that I'm against is the "drinking around the world" aspect of the park today. Disney doesn't need a bunch of rich drunks destroying the family atmosphere. I just don't understand why anyone would pay park admission and exorbitant prices per drink when they can get the same end result with a $2.00 bottle of Boone's Farm Apple Wine. (It even looks like Champagne.)

That narrative is simply not true. EPCOT Center was at the height of its popularity when people were supposedly bored with it.

 

[Goofyernmost]

That narrative is simply not true. EPCOT Center was at the height of its popularity when people were supposedly bored with it.

I don't know what that is based on. I first went to EPCOT when it was 4 months old, and went for years after that. During that time the popularity of the attractions were declining and it was easily visible. From reasonable to no queue lines over the years. That isn't the only reason why it changed, but, it was a huge factor. It might have still been popular, but, it was hardly at it's height when change happened.

 

[lazyboy97o]

I don't know what that is based on. I first went to EPCOT when it was 4 months old, and went for years after that. During that time the popularity of the attractions were declining and it was easily visible. From reasonable to no queue lines over the years. That isn't the only reason why it changed, but, it was a huge factor. It might have still been popular, but, it was hardly at it's height when change happened.

Attendance to the park peaked right when it had supposedly become irrelevant, around 1994. Disney was simply no longer interested in having a vision and the results have shown ever since. The themes of EPCOT Center are more popular then ever, just not inside The Walt Disney Company.

 

[Wikkler]

Typical hat lover:

I think it would be a big mistake ... i can´t imagine myself and my family walking around DHS without the hat !!!

Simply it´s an icon.... im totally agree with other comments ... it´s like remove the MK Castle... or Spaceship Earth ..

if you have no choice ... the new icon must be somethig better.. not the chinesse theater or something BORED .. think about that

From: https://www.change.org/p/the-walt-disney-company-save-the-sorcerer-s-hat
Yes, there's a petition. Comment away.

 

[Wikkler]

Now that's Putin your brain to use.
*crickets*

 

[FoozieBear]

Typical hat lover:

From: https://www.change.org/p/the-walt-disney-company-save-the-sorcerer-s-hat
Yes, there's a petition. Comment away.

Like 88 signatures is going to make Disney change their mind....

 

[BrerJon]

Like 88 signatures is going to make Disney change their mind....

Or a ton of Argentinians complaining about the 'sombrero' being an icon.

Speaking of which - for all the people who complained that there woudn't be an icon for DHS anymore, I fixed that for ya and made this:

 

[roj2323]

Like 88 signatures is going to make Disney change their mind....

Where's the Petition to publicly thank Disney for coming to their senses and announcing the BAH removal?

 

[Cesar R M]

Or a ton of Argentinians complaining about the 'sombrero' being an icon.

Speaking of which - for all the people who complained that there woudn't be an icon for DHS anymore, I fixed that for ya and made this:

what do Argentinians have to do with sombreros?

 

[TestTrack Dummy]

Where's the Petition to publicly thank Disney for coming to their senses and announcing the BAH removal?

I would gladly sign that

 

[marni1971]

I don't know what that is based on. I first went to EPCOT when it was 4 months old, and went for years after that. During that time the popularity of the attractions were declining and it was easily visible. From reasonable to no queue lines over the years.

That's subjective. I found the contrary in my 3 visits during it's hey day (aside from the often discussed people eating omnimovers)

 

[MerlinTheGoat]

I visited EPCOT as a child in the early-mid 90's, just prior to the beginnings of the dark ages (stopped visiting in '97 when things began to show signs of going south and didn't return until 2010). Even up until they began renovating the park for the worse, EPCOT was still very popular and attracted plenty large crowds. With comparably sized crowds to present time, and without food and booze festivals to artificially inflate attendance. As is still the case, crowds varied wildly depending on the season, but even in the mid 90's there were numerous times when I stood in line for all of the classic Future World rides (SSE, Horizons, WoM, Imagination etc). It should be noted that (factoring in their approximate capacity/efficiency, and adjusting for both fastpass' manipulation as well as the relative quantity of other popular high capacity/efficient rides for crowd distribution) a comparable average 60+ minute wait for Soarin or Test Track was equivalent to something like a 5-10 minute wait or less for any of the classic 4 Future World E tickets. And i've personally waited in considerably longer lines than that throughout the early-mid 90's for all of those four rides.

The fact that these rides got the sorts of lines seen in this video from 1989 speaks volumes that the park was hardly suffering even many years after opening (and from my own personal experience these sorts of crowds during comparable seasons carried well into the mid 90's before they began closing these old rides and replacing them with crap)-


These sorts of crowds existed both back then and through the early-mid 90's. In spite of these rides being such incredible people eaters, absurdly efficient at loading/unloading and super high capacity. The large quantity of popular high capacity and efficient rides also much more evenly distributed people throughout the park and ensured there wasn't an imbalance like there is now. Not to mention this was the era of Disney World without the plague of fastpass, so there was no artificially inflated lines, just pure and legitimate popularity for quality rides.

 

[BrerJon]

what do Argentinians have to do with sombreros?

I've no idea, but that petition is full of them talking about how much they love it.

 

[Bocabear]

The commenters on the petition are all from Mexico and South America...
Maybe they don't have any understanding of Old Hollywood...
but 50 signatures....and clearly they can move the hat to another spot in the park and make most of them happy...
just glad they have finally announced they are removing it!!

 

[George]

Almost 2500 replies and I've just realized that I need to check myself into the loony bin because I don't see a "clock" never mind one that may be ticking on the BAH at all. Believe me, I've looked and looked for it the last 4 years. Most of the time when I'm in DHS I'm just walking in aimless circles around the BAH (which seems to be about as fun as doing the other activities offered), eyes glazed over, muttering about timepieces. As a result, I have been awarded several free pins and a "Hat's biggest fan" t-shirt over the years by kindly CMs. It is nice, but I'd still love to see the bleeping clock. I've decided it must be like those pictures where you have to get all cross-eyed. Those never work for me either.