Sorcerer Mickey Hat icon to be removed at Disney's Hollywood Studios

Oct 24, 2014 in "Sorcerer Mickey Hat Icon"

Posted: Friday October 24, 2014 3:59pm EDT by WDWMAGIC Staff

The changes at Disney's Hollywood Studios continue to come thick and fast, with more closings and changes taking place ahead of what is expected to a major redevelopment of the park over the next few years.

The Hat under construction in early 2001

Something that has been strongly tipped for the last 5 years will be sure to please many of you - the Sorcerer Mickey Hat icon is set to be removed in early 2015.

Originally placed in the park ahead of the 100 Years of Magic celebration in 2001, the 122ft tall Sorcerer Hat Icon was intended to be a temporary addition to the park, but much like the Wand at Epcot, it became a permanent feature.

Once the 100 Years Of Magic celebration came to an end, fans looked forward to the sightline of the Chinese Theater once again returning to the end of Hollywood Blvd.

Legendary Imagineer Bob Weis famously brought a huge cheer to the Premier Theater during the park's 20th Anniversary celebrations when he hinted that the hat's future was not destined to continue.

Nearly 15 years later, it looks like the Sorcerer Hat icon will finally take its place in the memory books of the park.

Early concept art for the Sorcerer Hat Icon

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dmatt87Mar 02, 2017

I really miss the hat, it thought it was iconic. Really glad we got our picture in front of it during out honeymoon in 2011!

Matt_BlackMar 02, 2017

Jericho hasn't been on TV for two weeks, so I'll admit this is my way of coping. If this past week's RAW didn't break me, then surely the commercials for the WWE/ Jetsons crossover did.

Cesar R MMar 02, 2017

Matt, you really love that single reaction gif?

Cesar R MMar 02, 2017

Agree. I wonder how long until we get a Pandorian version of disco yeti.

Cesar R MMar 02, 2017

I think the real legendary thread is still the "unmagical" thread about katiebug's BS story about her precious.

Baron Von CapybaraMar 02, 2017

Can i get in on this list of Hat Haters. It is one of the worst things Disney ever did ( worse than the cake castle)

JenniferSMar 02, 2017

Is it a big list? Am I at least somewhere near the top? I'm a bit of an over-achiever, so these things matter to me.

Matt_BlackMar 02, 2017

http://i.imgur.com/BVbv7ZY.gif

HMFMar 02, 2017

Actually, there is one thing left over from the hat. or was last I checked. On either side of the hat were a bunch of plastic stars which matched the hats aesthetic. after the hat was removed the stars stayed for some reason. I personally think it's a stupid unnecessary reminder of the hat. Have they been removed in the last few years?

donaldtooMar 02, 2017

^^^^^This Here's the way I see it... From day one, WED/WDI (or, more specifically, Walt) set the bar high. VERY high. And yes, I'm aware Disneyland's opening day, and for a little while beyond, was less than stellar...but, once they got it all dialed in, it was nothing short of miles above anything similar that came before it. It was superior. Even after Walt passed, the guys that were left behind, and had worked with Walt over the years, did their best to maintain that VERY high bar. I was a little over 4 years old when Walt passed, and my first visit to a Disney Park was to Disneyland as a 6-year-old in 1968. I have visited both Disneyland and WDW many times over the years, and I have a pretty darn good memory of the height the bar used to be set at. Bottom line, those of us that have been around long enough to remember the original height of that bar are gonna' be disappointed as we've seen it mostly, and in some ways shockingly, lowered over more recent years. You'd think they would be actually trying to set the bar even higher...yes, wishful thinking, and I don't blame WDI so much as I do the bean counters, and such.

GoofyernmostMar 02, 2017

I agree, anyplace other than where it was would have been wonderful. But, it was where it was, and it is now happily gone. I miss the Earfful tower. Gone but not forgotten, just like many old favorites that had to be taken out to make room for new stuff. Neither Walt nor I would have wanted the place to be a museum.

DisneyJayLMar 01, 2017

I don't miss the location though. I wish they could have done something with that. That hat become Iconic.

Mike SMar 01, 2017

One can only hope that James Cameron made a similar contract with Disney that J.K. Rowling made with Universal that effects can only be broken for so long and have to be fixed.