Walt Disney World to begin removal of Sorcerer Mickey Hat on January 7th at Disney’s Hollywood Studios
The giant sorcerer hat has been an icon at Walt Disney World’s Hollywood Studios for over a decade… that’s all about to change. As part of the park’s ongoing upgrade and renovation, the 122-foot-tall Sorcerer Hat at the end of Hollywood Boulevard will be dismantled starting January 7th.
Since 2001, the sorcerer hat has served as an icon at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Removing the epic hat will restore the original view of Hollywood Boulevard and the Chinese theater, which is making many mouse fans very happy. Not only will this restore the view of the Chinese theater, but it will once again make for clear view of the ultimate “hidden Mickey”. The hat debuted in September 2001 as part of the “100 Years of Magic” celebration that marked Walt’s 100th birthday. Originally, it was to be temporary but ended up being “permanently temporary”. The famous hat will soon be no more, perhaps leaving the Eiffel Tower as the park’s new icon. Below is a photo pre-hat.
For many years, a large temporary stage has frequently been erected in front of the hat for special events like ESPN weekend, Star Wars Weekends, and most recently Frozen Summer Fun Live.. Reports suggest a new permanent stage for such events will replace the hat, though Disney has not officially announced these details.
The hat also serves as a pin store location. The merchandise from this shop will be relocated to Sunset Ranch. So for those of you looking for pins, make sure to head to Sunset Boulevard.
The famous hat will soon be no more, perhaps leaving the Water Tower as the park’s new icon. Some of new pins and merchandise have already begun using the water tower as the icon.
There’s no official word on exactly how long the removal process will take, but our guess is a couple of months since it took the wand approximately 3 months to disassemble. Officials say the hat is not scheduled to reappear elsewhere on Disney World property.
The hat now will join The American Idol Experience, Studio Backlot Tour and the Legend of Jack Sparrow as former attractions at the park. With the Backlot Tour has closing, it leaves much room for future expansion that will likely to be announced later this year. The Great Movie Ride will soon be receiving some much needed love as well. Turner Classic Movies (TCM) will begin sponsorship of the attraction, updating its pre and post show films.
So many changes are happening at Hollywood Studios right now it’s hard to even speculate on what will really happen. But follow closely as we will bring you the latest on the happenings throughout the park.
For more updates and information visit the official Disney website here.
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