DHS 25th Anniversary Rumors... Hat Removed?

The Empress Lilly

Well-Known Member
If the hat is needed as a marketable icon, then the plaza in front seems the golden option.

I'd rather it be send to the new Animation Resort, or simnply gotten rid off altogether.
 

tirian

Well-Known Member
Yeah, who cares if it creates sight line problems in Epcot.

I do, and luckily, so do both Imagineers and Execs. That's partly why it hasn't been moved there yet.

I'd rather have that plastic hat in its current location than ruin Epcot's theming with a giant plastic tip over World Showcase. :p
 

flavious27

Well-Known Member
Many have argued that the hat ought to be removed to the entrance plaza.

This would free the view down Hollywood Boulevard on the Theatre, while leaving the hat for its fans and for marketing purposes.

Yeah, something like this:

dhsentrancewithhat.png


I would like to see them move the hat as part of an overall renovation project at dhs. I am use to seeing it there and have gotten use to it, so it is not so much of an eyesore to me. If they move it, as long as it makes sense.
 

flavious27

Well-Known Member
I think those "high profile attractions" on the "verge of getting approved and built" are really just wishful thinking by fans. That this is Screamscape saying it makes it even more comical. I'm sure there's plenty of proposals by WDI to do any number of things with DHS, but it's clear that TDO isn't in the mood to spend much money on anything until after FLE is done. If they even want to spend big after that, instead of just taking a year or two off and maybe getting around to another something in 2014 or '15.

Correct me if I'm wrong or have forgotten something, but the list of "potential high profile attractions" rumored for DHS over the last few years goes something like this, mostly dreamed up and contemplated by fans on message boards, in order of probability of ever seeing the light of day from most probable to least probable;

  1. Monsters Inc. Coaster added
  2. Tram Tour Major Rehab/Rethink/Retheme
  3. World of Color clone replacing Fantasmic!
  4. The two spinner rides from Cars Land added
  5. Radiator Springs Racers from Cars Land added
  6. A clone of Cars Land in it entirety added
  7. Indiana Jones Adventure replacing Indy Stunt Show
Oh, and The Hat? That's been a removal rumor for several years. It comes and goes every year, like the autumn leaves. I'll believe The Hat is going only when the bulldozer operators take their second coffee break of the day and the thing is sitting in a thousand pieces. :lol:

Don't forget a star wars land and or a lucas land.
 

flynnibus

Premium Member
I hate the stage they put up in front of the BAH more then I hate the hat these days... if they get rid of the BAH, they need to veto any efforts to put that stage back up except in VERY special circumstances
 

tirian

Well-Known Member
Then you might want to direct your hate towards the Swan and Dolphin...;)

5336203166_11f87da87f.jpg

(http://www.flickr.com/photos/7411850@N04/5336203166/in/photostream)

That is not an excuse.

Blame Michael Eisner....

The thing is, those resorts can only be seen from one side of World Showcase, and they are part of WDW's architectural wonders in their own right. There's a big difference between the Swan and Dolphin and the plastic hat. :wave:

FWIW, Eisner was horrified when he saw what the Swan and Dolphin did to Epcot, and had WDI research mountain ranges and other sorts of berms to hide the hotels. Eddie Sotto mentioned this in his incredible thread.

Every WDW project after the S&D paid close attention to sightlines, even the hat.
 

WDWTrojan

Well-Known Member
For everyone defending this ridiculous looking thing... it'd be one thing if they built the surrounding area (and the area leading up to it) in a similarly whimsical way. Or if they didn't have a great centerpiece to the park already built sitting right behind it. The Chinese Theater was built to symbolize the "Hollywood that always was and never will be..." and meshes perfectly with the theme of Hollywood Boulevard. Alas, instead of finding a way to "plus" that great landmark, or in a worst case scenario, redoing the facade to make it something more familiar, they dropped a hat in front of it. So you basically have one landmark, which a lot of effort went into producing (or reproducing, as the case may be), completely blocked from view by another landmark that does not fit at all with the theme.

Think about it like this... how would you feel if they dropped the broom from Fantasia right in front of Cinderella Castle? Or if they put Mary Poppins' umbrella in front of the Tree of Life? Neither of those make any less sense than the hat being placed in front of the Chinese Theater. The point of DHS is to transport you into the world of show business and a comically oversized hat does no such thing except take you out from the "Hollywood That Always Was.." and place you smack dab in the middle of a tacky tourist destination with a gift shop underneath.
 

The Empress Lilly

Well-Known Member
Yeah, who cares if it creates sight line problems in Epcot.
A move to the plaza out front will make very little difference. I doubt it would be visible from EPCOT, considering the distance involved.

Google Earth gives a good overview. Moving the hat from the lower left to the lower left minus 150 yards is not going to affect EPCOT, four thousand yards away at the top right.




hatwp.jpg
 

Fievel

RunDisney Addict
Ok...but the bigger question remains...if and when they move the hat, will they restore the giant hidden mickey?
 

mickeysbrother

Well-Known Member
The sorcerer's hat is from Fantasia, which most children haven't seen. And the hat itself looks cheap and out of place, which is off-putting to adults. I think it would be better overall for the hat to go, restoring the area to its former Hollywood Golden Age atmosphere. Hollywood and Sunset Boulevard have an amazing atmosphere, among my favorite of all the parks. But I think the hat really throws a huge wrench in that.


I agree totally. Every year it was a wonderful sight to see the chinese theater in the back ground. Until that god awful hat showed up... It just ruins the atmosphere and should not be there. It was a marketing ploy that's it.
 

stelledelmare

New Member
I have no problem with the hat itself. I think it as an icon is fine because I'll be honest and say that I can't think of what else they would use for an icon (assuming that they didn't go with Grauman's or the Tower again). But I do think that the location should be changed. I do think that it throws off the atmosphere of that strip with Grauman's in the backround. Maybe they could move it to somewhere around near where Fantasmic is. Nothing says that it has to be front and center. The Earful Tower has never been front and center but it was the icon for years. That way the hat would be tucked away out of the direct line of the street but you could still get close to it like you can with the other park icons. Also I think that it should serve a better purpose than to be a merchandise shop for pins. Maybe they could do something inside of it such as projecting around the inside, some of the animation from that sequence from Fantasia. Not sure if that's the best idea but I think it would be a cool idea. Because all of the other icons serve a better purpose, imo. SSE is a ride. ToL contains a show. The castle is almost like a portal that serves to transport you into Fantasyland (and it has Cinderella's Royal Table). But the pin trading feels out of place among all those other purposes. I feel like the true spirit of the parks are in the attractions and the atmosphere, merchandise comes second to most of the guests.

Just my opinion but that's what I think could be done. I am in no way assuming that it will be changed at all. I personally would like to see it moved to a different location if they don't come up with another icon but it if doesn't get moved it's not as if I'll boycott the park.
 

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