Nrthwnd Posted January 3, 2015 Share Posted January 3, 2015 The Chinese Theater was the "Castle at the end of (Hollywood) Main Street" in this park, when it first opened. And it was a striking icon to see. The Sorceror's hat was supposed to be temporary, and it wasn't removed when it (probably) should have been. Give the removal a chance, visit the park again, and see a different perspective down that street. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnychen Posted January 3, 2015 Share Posted January 3, 2015 Here's a photo I found on the google before the hat. Pre-hat photo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nrthwnd Posted January 3, 2015 Share Posted January 3, 2015 ^ Great! Thank you. I was looking myself to try and find any photo of the opening day setup with the Main Street and the Chinese Theater. And it looked spectacular at night, with all the lighting they gave it, too. Oh, and just because, my last visit there was 1991. The year the Muppets 4D debuted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodie Warrior Posted January 3, 2015 Share Posted January 3, 2015 ^Wow. I like the look of that. The theater definitely blends in with the Hollywood theme better than the hat did, although I never really had any problem with the hat. The giant stage in front of it covered it up the past few years, anyways. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nrthwnd Posted January 3, 2015 Share Posted January 3, 2015 I am also sure that they will be giving the theater facade a much needed upgrade in lighting effects after the hat comes down. Or...they're already doing it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrownStreak Posted January 3, 2015 Share Posted January 3, 2015 Because Mickey is missing a finger, it looks like he's flipping us off due to the angle of the hand Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonGeorge Posted January 3, 2015 Share Posted January 3, 2015 Because Mickey is missing a finger, it looks like he's flipping us off due to the angle of the hand I think Mickey is a 4 fingered cartoon character, much like most Matt Groening characters. Well, this doesn't include God, who has 5 fingers on The Simpsons. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robbalvey Posted January 3, 2015 Share Posted January 3, 2015 (edited) The Chinese Theater was the "Castle at the end of (Hollywood) Main Street" in this park, when it first opened.And it was a striking icon to see. The Sorceror's hat was supposed to be temporary, and it wasn't removed when it (probably) should have been. I've never been a fan of the Chinese Theater facade. I always just thought it looked like blocky concrete boxes with Chinese food containers on the top of it and was a poor choice for a flagship building at a park. That being said, I'm totally indifferent to the hat as well, but I think it actually serves as a better icon for the park than the theater does. I know from one Imagineer I spoke to years ago told me that the main reason why they decided to keep the hat was that it resonated with people more than the theater did. Quite simply, more people knew what Mickey's hat was than they did the Chinese Theater, and therefore were actually taking photos in front of it, like they would the Epcot ball or the Castle, where they didn't in front of the theater. Not sure how much truth is in that story, but it actually seems to make a lot of sense to me. Personally, I'd be ok with them demolishing both of them and doing something new, but given that the Chinese theater artwork is on the website for the TMC re-do of Great Movie Ride, I'm pretty sure that's staying. That's not to say that the theater will be the thing we see at the end of the street, though. I'll be VERY curious to see how that whole area is transformed. Edited January 3, 2015 by robbalvey Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeansproutMidget Posted January 3, 2015 Share Posted January 3, 2015 I honestly don't mind the hat. But, when I went to MGM in 2013, you were either the person who just walked right by the hat OR the person to stop, take a few pictures, take some selfies, and keep on moving. I guess the hat only works its magic on some people. Also, am I the only one who still calls the Studios 'MGM' instead? I feel so old-school... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robbalvey Posted January 3, 2015 Share Posted January 3, 2015 ^ I still call it MGM as well. Not even on purpose, but just accidentally as that's what I knew the park as for so many years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hockeydad Posted January 3, 2015 Share Posted January 3, 2015 I will actually miss it. I thought it was always a really cool icon to get a photo-op as you entered the park. I actually don't remember the park any other way. While Cinderella Castle and Spaceship:Earth are truly iconic, is there any possibility that the Tree Of Life is next...since it may not be seen as "iconic"? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeansproutMidget Posted January 3, 2015 Share Posted January 3, 2015 For some reason, I feel as if the Tree of Life is: A. Too big to replace B. Has too many photo oppertunities. I've seen at least a billion pictures of different angles of the Tree of Life on instagram. But, maybe it could be next, honestly. I'm not saying it couldn't happen. Maybe. But also, that tree is GIANT. How would they remove it, much less how would they PAY for it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cfc Posted January 3, 2015 Share Posted January 3, 2015 I don't think you can compare the Tree of Life to the Sorcerer Mickey hat. The tree's been a central part of Animal Kingdom since the park opened, while the hat was an "add-on" to the Studios park. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodie Warrior Posted January 3, 2015 Share Posted January 3, 2015 I will actually miss it. I thought it was always a really cool icon to get a photo-op as you entered the park. I actually don't remember the park any other way. While Cinderella Castle and Spaceship:Earth are truly iconic, is there any possibility that the Tree Of Life is next...since it may not be seen as "iconic"? Um...are you kidding? The Tree of Life isn't going anywhere. ^And lol Disney has enough money to do anything they want. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hockeydad Posted January 3, 2015 Share Posted January 3, 2015 I guess I just got to thinking a little too much...probably just because it seems like this park has only ever been "half-accepted" by anyone I've ever known. I've always loved it because I'm just a huge animal lover...but it seems like many others consider AK a "Junior Disney Park" just because there is less to do there than the other parks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jedimaster1227 Posted January 3, 2015 Share Posted January 3, 2015 For some reason, I feel as if the Tree of Life is: A. Too big to replace B. Has too many photo oppertunities. I've seen at least a billion pictures of different angles of the Tree of Life on instagram. But, maybe it could be next, honestly. I'm not saying it couldn't happen. Maybe. But also, that tree is GIANT. How would they remove it, much less how would they PAY for it? 1. It is THE icon of the park, so it isn't going anywhere. 2. It is getting a major overhaul with new lighting to complement the park's soon-to-debut nighttime atmosphere and hours. 3. There is no reason to remove the Tree of Life. It is central to the overarching story of Disney's Animal Kingdom. The Sorcerer's Hat at Disney's Hollywood Studios was added later and in terms of the story of the park, actually doesn't fit. Not that the story is overly cohesive for the park but the hat's removal certainly won't hurt the park... It can only make way for better things--there has to be a reason it is being removed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SFSTLMO Posted January 3, 2015 Share Posted January 3, 2015 I could see the Sorcerer's Hat being moved to the All-Star Movies resort. I think it could fit in with the rest of the resort quite well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DoinItForTheFame Posted January 3, 2015 Share Posted January 3, 2015 Also, am I the only one who still calls the Studios 'MGM' instead? I feel so old-school... No, no you are not. I still call it MGM Studios, and not even on purpose. That is what I knew the park as for so long that I don't even think about the new name when referring to the park. Also, in regards to the hat being removed... I'm not actually sure how I feel about this. I never knew the park pre-hat so aside from pictures I am not sure how it "feels" in the park without the hat. The hat was such an icon for the park that I kind of see it as a negative loss. Everyone knew the hat, and associated the hat with the park. When I think of the park the first thing I think of is the hat, and the second thing I think of is ToT. I know I took the time to take a picture of the hat or with the hat every time I was in the park. Regardless of how I feel, I sure hope they do something amazing as the "main icon" for the park. Just looking at photos, there is now "WOW" factor without the hat there, like there is with the castle at MK or the tree of life at AK, or Spaceship Earth at EPCOT. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodie Warrior Posted January 3, 2015 Share Posted January 3, 2015 I vote for Elsa's ice castle to replace the hat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nrthwnd Posted January 4, 2015 Share Posted January 4, 2015 ^ In your dreams. (Actually, you'll have to go to Tokyo Disney Sea, to eventually see that, hee hee.) Maybe they could file the edges and corners of the Chinese Theater and make it less "box like"? Like Gigantic Mah Jong tiles! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hockeydad Posted January 4, 2015 Share Posted January 4, 2015 I could see the Sorcerer's Hat being moved to the All-Star Movies resort. I think it could fit in with the rest of the resort quite well. That I could definitely see that happening at some point, but I still couldn't see the Chinese Theatre as the entrance icon. There's just no "Wow" factor, imo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeoplemoverMatt Posted January 4, 2015 Share Posted January 4, 2015 Where is it written that a park must have an entrance icon? Sure the whole "four parks, one world" thing got people thinking of icons but perhaps that is best left to the past? WDW is obviously thinking far beyond some "icon" for this park and it's probably best that we all do the same. I see the Chinese Theatre façade functioning very similar to how the Carthay Circle Restaurant functions at the end of the new Buena Vista Street at the re-done DCA. It's a nice thing to look at at the end of the "street" that leads into the park from the main gates, but that doesn't make it the centerpiece of the entire park. It is an iconic structure that embodies the park's theme in a very visual way. Isn't that what The Great Movie Ride does, both outside and inside the show building? Think about it. There's a reason Disney did the deal with TCM to restore the attraction. GMR may not be a "park icon" but it can serve as the centerpiece of a park whose theme is a celebration of cinema. Having a giant hat sitting right in front of it takes away from its ability to do that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thrillrider Posted January 4, 2015 Share Posted January 4, 2015 I could see them moving the hat to downtown Disney. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jedimaster1227 Posted January 4, 2015 Share Posted January 4, 2015 ^That wouldn't really jive with the Disney Springs plans. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
window Posted January 4, 2015 Share Posted January 4, 2015 Hallelujah!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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