DHS Sorcerer’s Hat Will Be Disappearing Early 2015
For the past several weeks, Disney has (somewhat) been conquering and dividing many hot button issues within the Disney fan community. First up was the Frozen takeover of the Norway Pavilion that ignited an internet firestorm. Now we have news that Mickey’s Sorcerer’s Hat will be no more.
Since the hat’s arrival in 2001 for the 100 Years of Magic celebration, it had been another topic which split opinions between old-school Disney fans and their millennium counterparts. The hat was a solution to the issue that Disney ran into with the new owners of the Grauman’s Chinese Theatre. Disney lost licensing rights once the theater was sold and the new owners wanted a percentage of all merchandising where the Theatre was included. With Disney not wanting to share merchandise revenue, they decided to come up with a new symbol… Mickey’s Sorcerer’s Hat. It was to serve as the park’s icon, replacing the under-whelming Earful Tower.
Rumors had been swirling for years of the hat leaving the park. In recent weeks, they begun to heat up when the hat went missing from newly printed DHS park brochures.
Cast members were notified of the removal on October 24th. The news was then confirmed by Disney spokesman Bryan Malenius.
“Work continues on bringing new experiences to life at Disney’s Hollywood Studios and we look forward to sharing more information at a later date.”
There is no news yet whether the hat will be completely removed or just moved to a different part of the Walt Disney World.
With the hat gone as early as January 2015, DHS now loses its visual “weenie.” Unless Disney has other plans, the park will revert back to its original view of the Chinese theater. That’s good news to many us of who remember Disney MGM/Hollywood Studios before the giant hat graced the park.
This news all comes at a time when Hollywood Studios has already announced other closings and rumors that the park is in-line for a major overhaul. Toy Story additional ride tracks, Cars Land, Star Wars Land and others have been mentioned as possible expansions for the Studios.
Along with the hat removal, Disney also announced that The Legend of Jack Sparrow will also be leaving on November 6th. Within the past few weeks, Disney’s Hollywood Studios has shuttered The American Idol Experience and The Backlot Tour.
