Disney's MGM Studios Sorcerer's Hat Construction Pictures

[wdwmomof3]

It's gone.

That was quick!

 

[JLW11Hi]

I certainly don't think the watertowe should be the centerpiece. It's a cheap knockoff of the WB tower in my mind.

I believe the water tower is a replica of the one in their studios in Burbank. They just put big Mickey Ears on it.

The water tower was more identafiable in the early years of the park. Since you can barely see it anywhere except on the tram tour (which has gone waaay down in popularity) I think its purpose has greatly diminished in importance. That, and icons like the hat, theater, and Tower of Terror are so much more impressive and grander than the simple little water tower.

 

[Disney_Dreamer]

So quick question...with the tearing down of the wand, is the spaceship earth ride open right now?

 

[jmvd20]

So quick question...with the tearing down of the wand, is the spaceship earth ride open right now?

No, the major refurb at SSE is still in progress. I think it will be closed until early November.

 

[Spyne]

So seeing the wall is gone from the hat, anybody have pics? Also, has anybody seen the new lighting for it at night? How's it look?

 

[Joe Cos]

Seeing Spaceship Earth completely wandless today nearly made my heart skip a beat. It was great. "Ding dong the wand is gone, the wicked wand, the ugly wand... Ding dong the ghastly wand is gone!" :lol:

I dont know what all the fuss is. I actually liked the wand over SSE. It gave character to an otherwise plain structure.

 

[TestTrack]

I dont know what all the fuss is. I actually liked the wand over SSE. It gave character to an otherwise plain structure.

You don't post much around here so I will cut you some slack :lol:

 

[Joe Cos]

You're new around here so I will cut you some slack :lol:

There is no slack to cut. In my opinion the wand adds color to SSE, you might feel different. Either way its not worth a big discussion on somthing so trivial.

 

[CrashNet]

There is no slack to cut. In my opinion the wand adds color to SSE, you might feel different. Either way its not worth a big discussion on somthing so trivial.

While I agree Joe Cos (and welcome to the community by the way), a quick search and you will find quite a few threads suggesting otherwise here, particularly in the past couple months.

 

[scottb411]

Hat

I believe the hat is here to stay because it is included in all of Disney's promotional material for Disney MGM where they show the 4 icons of the parks (Castle, SSE, Tree of Life, Hat).

I think they need to tear down "Movie Ride" and this will open up the park to have a better hub like Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom. The layout of MGM is awkward and the placement of the movie ride creates a lot of those problems.

I agree they should remove the pin trading and make this area strictly a meet and greet area and an area for stage shows (like Cinderella Castle)

I like the hat.

 

[jalpcm]

Holy MGM, I can't believe I forgot about that! My above post is still true--I think the hat is a nice enough structure that could just be moved elsewhere--but the fact that it's a pin stand has always been a huge problem for me. That's just wrong. I know pin trading is popular, but really, do the majority of guests do it? No. I know I don't, and can't imagine I ever will. So in other words, of all the guests who head up Hollywood Blvd to the hat--the park's new "weenie" as well as its icon--most of them are disappointed by what's under it. Every other park's weenie contains or leads to something spectacular--that's the job of the weenie in the first place. The Chinese Theater used to do this at MGM. But the hat doesn't come close to serving the same purpose, and for that alone it's a giant misstep.

I totally agree. When I first visited the "hatted" version of MGM, my intial reaction from a distant was "WOW, that's pretty cool, I wonder what's in there." Then the complete disappointment set in when I realized that the only thing it housed was a pin trading station. I really was expecting something spectacular, just as Disney did with its other three parks. I really like the hat, I just wish it was the entrance to an attraction, restaurant, or show.

 

[jt04]

There is no slack to cut. In my opinion the wand adds color to SSE, you might feel different. Either way its not worth a big discussion on somthing so trivial.

You mean "added color". Sorry to break it to you but they removed it.:lookaroun

 

[MysticOrient]

MGM Hat - Wand

Maybe the hat is blocked off because they're going to put the Epcot wand up, too!! :ROFLOL:

 

[TestTrack]

There is no slack to cut. In my opinion the wand adds color to SSE, you might feel different. Either way its not worth a big discussion on somthing so trivial.

To some of us the look of a park's icon is not trivial. I don't believe Disney would feel that way either considering the work being performed on the hat, SSE and the castle.

 

[cooleo]

I think the issue is not that the icon shouldn't, in general, be at that location (although let's be fair and say that SSE is at the front of the park--saying it's "at the end of the entrance" is cheating a bit, don't you think?). The problem is that the hat in its current location blocks the carefully framed view of the Chinese Theater. That's apparently why the hat is there in the first place; no one is claiming that's an accident. But that's the problem. So I don't think anyone is saying, "The icon for the Studios shouldn't be in the center of the park." They are saying, "It's a shame that this vista of 'the Hollywood that never was and always will be' is gone." Previously the whole street was of a piece. Now it's Hollywood, a big plastic hat, then if you walk around the hat, Hollywood again.

I do understand your missing th awesome view that was there before the hat was placed where it is. I too loved the look of it & have many pictures of it. Unfortunately, as I am sure you are aware, they had to block the view of the Chinese Theatre. That being said, the hat looks good, performed its purposes (Icon, hide theatre) & is in the center of the park as it should be. I understand them not putting a ride or something else under the hat. I think space would not have permitted it. As was also stated in this thread, I think the park layout was not planned as well as it could have been, thus putting us where we are with the park icon being in a relatively confined space.

 

[Slowjack]

I do understand your missing th awesome view that was there before the hat was placed where it is. I too loved the look of it & have many pictures of it. Unfortunately, as I am sure you are aware, they had to block the view of the Chinese Theatre. That being said, the hat looks good, performed its purposes (Icon, hide theatre) & is in the center of the park as it should be. I understand them not putting a ride or something else under the hat. I think space would not have permitted it. As was also stated in this thread, I think the park layout was not planned as well as it could have been, thus putting us where we are with the park icon being in a relatively confined space.

Yeah, the layout is pretty nuts. Even the way the front entrance is aligned to the parking lot, it feels like you're slipping through a side door to get in. And if you head for the Tower or RnRC first thing, you end up walking to the center of the park and then back almost to where you started.

Anyway, back to the hat...I guess I would just like to see an icon that represents Hollywood and not just Disney. Originally the idea was that you didn't get Disney-specific until you went through the studio arch. That idea is lost now, which is okay, but I still think the icon should speak of Disney's version of Hollywood, not just Disney. I'm not sure what icon would do that, though. Maybe at some point they'll replace the Great Movie Ride altogether and can design that whole area better, with a new centerpiece attraction that can act as an icon without legal restriction .

 

[ToTBellHop]

I like the hat. I would've been more than happy to see it as the entranceway to a new Animation pavilion. My problem with it as an icon is that when I look at the park icons at the other 3 parks, the level of detail and the scale is so much more impressive than the hat. To me, MGM has never had a particularly inspired icon (the Chinese Theatre is nice, but it's not original), so maybe that is something they can fix with the name change of the park.

 

[Tom Morrow]

The refurbished lighting package on the hat looks pretty good. The stars on the hat illuminate and the ears sparkle and "twirl" again. I've only seen it from a distance though, so I haven't gotten a chance to see how it looks close up yet.

 

[mkepcotmgmak]

i think it would be cool if they can't use Grauman's Chinese Theater - to take the hat down and build a mountain range that spans the length of Grauman's and put either the "HOLLYWOOD" white individual letters on the side of the mountain or "HOLLYWOODLAND" because that's how it was way back in the 40's... just my thought!

 

[UltimtMickeyFan]

Here are a few pics of this somewhat new lighting package. I cant say that im very impressed and see much of a difference though. I still cant understand why they had to put up a refurb wall for what they did. Judge for yourself...

Looks like alot of lights still burnt out inside the swirls to me, but a few LED's were added.

Here are LED's that apparently replaced the older strobes.

More LED's

No new lighting added in here, these are the same par cans that have always been here.