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The Sorcerer's Hat was a structure and the thematic icon of Disney's Hollywood Studios, the third of four theme parks built at the
Walt Disney World Resort The Walt Disney World Resort is an entertainment resort complex located about southwest of Orlando, Florida, United States. Opened on October 1, 1971, the resort is operated by Disney Experiences, a division of the Walt Disney Company. ...
in Bay Lake,
Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...
, from 2001 to 2015. The structure was inspired by '' The Sorcerer's Apprentice'' segment in
Walt Disney Walter Elias Disney ( ; December 5, 1901December 15, 1966) was an American animator, film producer, voice actor, and entrepreneur. A pioneer of the Golden age of American animation, American animation industry, he introduced several develop ...
's 1940 animated film, '' Fantasia''.
Mickey Mouse Mickey Mouse is an American cartoon character co-created in 1928 by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks. The longtime icon and mascot of the Walt Disney Company, Mickey is an anthropomorphic mouse who typically wears red shorts, large shoes, and white ...
's gloved hand and ears underneath the hat are visible emerging from the ground. With its opening on September 28, 2001, it replaced the Earffel Tower as the park's icon in marketing material. It was used as a venue for pin trading and sales, and also served as a backdrop to many special events and shows. '' High School Musical'' Live culminated several dances from various
Disney Channel Disney Channel is an American pay television television channel, channel that serves as the flagship (broadcasting), flagship property of Disney Branded Television, a unit of the Disney Entertainment business segment of the Walt Disney Company ...
shows, which performed several times daily in front of the hat. Disney characters made meet-and-greet appearances around the hat throughout the day.


History

Built in front of The Great Movie Ride, the Sorcerer's Hat debuted on September 28, 2001 as part of the ''100 Years of Magic'' celebration at Walt Disney World Resort. During the celebration, interactive kiosks were installed underneath the Sorcerer's Hat where guests could learn about Walt Disney's life and career. When the celebration ended in early 2003, the kiosks were removed. On May 20, 2011, the Sorcerer's Hat served as the venue for the grand opening ceremony for Star Tours - The Adventures Continue. The Sorcerer's Hat originally was going to be built outside of the park, in the space cleared for David Copperfield's Magic Underground Restaurant that ultimately was not built. Originally going to be twice the height, with two Ferris wheels as ears, and Walt Disney: One Man's Dream underneath, the plans were changed when the retail side of the park decided to fund it, reposition it at the center of the park, and repurpose it as a pin trading station. During the time of the hat's removal, Disney's Hollywood Studios was going through diverse changes to improve their census. For example, The ''American Idol'' Experience, the Studio Backlot Tour, and The Legend of Captain Jack Sparrow attractions recently closed during the same few years. Imagineers were also planning to update The Great Movie Ride at the Chinese Theatre due to its new sponsor,
Turner Classic Movies Turner Classic Movies (TCM) is an American movie channel, movie-oriented pay television, pay-TV television network, network owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. Launched in 1994, Turner Classic Movies is headquartered at Turner's Techwood broadcas ...
. In October 2014, Disney confirmed that the Sorcerer's Hat would be removed by early 2015. Removing the Sorcerer's Hat was an idea the company thought about when trying to find a way to attract a bigger audience. Although the hat brought together the magical, beneficent energy of Disney itself, several people thought the design and placement was never a good idea. Many fans complained about its obscuring design, hiding the park's replica Chinese Theatre located directly behind the structure. The structure's removal began on January 7, 2015, and was completed on February 25, 2015. Once the hat was fully taken down, a stage was placed in front of the Chinese Theatre to host incoming ''
Star Wars ''Star Wars'' is an American epic film, epic space opera media franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the Star Wars (film), eponymous 1977 film and Cultural impact of Star Wars, quickly became a worldwide popular culture, pop cu ...
'' fireworks and other short shows from 2016 to 2020.


Other versions

Another version of the Hat is part of the Roy E. Disney Animation Building at Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, California, which previously held Roy E. Disney's office. At Walt Disney Studios Park, the Art of Animation building has a hat resembling the one in Burbank. The Sorcerer's Hat also appears in one of the longest lasting shows at the park. '' Fantasmic!'' debuted October 15, 1998, telling the story of Mickey's dreams and nightmares of his adventurous sleep. The night-time show features assorted Disney clips and films, including ''The Sorcerer's Apprentice''. Through the water projections, Mickey appears with the hat, controlling the brooms to continue the chores his master left for him. He moves around the stage quickly, changing outfits in quick transformations. By his second-to-last outfit, he officially wears his red robe and sparkling Sorcerer's Hat to produce the
fireworks Fireworks are Explosive, low explosive Pyrotechnics, pyrotechnic devices used for aesthetic and entertainment purposes. They are most commonly used in fireworks displays (also called a fireworks show or pyrotechnics), combining a large numbe ...
for the grand finale. The hat symbolizes a celebration of magic after Mickey defeated the nightmares and dark thoughts in his sleep.  


In fiction

The Sorcerer's Hat was originally the hat of Yen Sid in ''The Sorcerer's Apprentice'' segment in
Walt Disney Walter Elias Disney ( ; December 5, 1901December 15, 1966) was an American animator, film producer, voice actor, and entrepreneur. A pioneer of the Golden age of American animation, American animation industry, he introduced several develop ...
's 1940 animated film '' Fantasia''.
Mickey Mouse Mickey Mouse is an American cartoon character co-created in 1928 by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks. The longtime icon and mascot of the Walt Disney Company, Mickey is an anthropomorphic mouse who typically wears red shorts, large shoes, and white ...
, as the Sorcerer's lazy
apprentice Apprenticeship is a system for training a potential new practitioners of a Tradesman, trade or profession with on-the-job training and often some accompanying study. Apprenticeships may also enable practitioners to gain a license to practice in ...
, puts on the hat to attempt to use magic to perform his chores, but the magic grows out of Mickey's control. The Sorcerer's Hat appears in the movie '' The Sorcerer's Apprentice'' in the
post-credits scene A post-credits scene (also known as a stinger, end tag, or credit cookie) is a short teaser clip that appears after the closing credits have rolled and sometimes after a production logo of a film, TV show, or video game has run. It is usually ...
, where Horvath retrieves his hat from Balthazar's shop. The Sorcerer's Hat appears throughout season 4 of the Disney-produced television series '' Once Upon a Time'' as a powerful artifact, capable of stealing powers from magic users. Queen Elsa's parents wanted the Hat to take away her ice powers, and
Rumpelstiltskin "Rumpelstiltskin" ( ; ) is a German fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm in the 1812 edition of ''Children's and Household Tales''. The story is about an imp who spins straw into gold in exchange for a woman's firstborn child. Plot I ...
wanted the hat to free himself of the control of his cursed dagger.


"Piece of Walt Disney World History"

Walt Disney World The Walt Disney World Resort is an destination resort, entertainment resort complex located about southwest of Orlando, Florida, United States. Opened on October 1, 1971, the resort is operated by Disney Experiences, a division of the Wa ...
's merchandise later released a black, zip-up hoodie with different icons of each park in silver. Made in the late 2010s, the hoodie held the Sorcerer's Hat in the middle-left of the back. Now, the jacket with the hat can be bought only through online, secondhand stores. The newer jacket displays the same design, but holds the Tower of Terror in replacement of the hat. Pieces of the hat were sold as part of the pin series "Piece of Walt Disney World History". The pins had a series size of 1,500, cost , and were released on January 7, 2016.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sorcerer's Hat, The Disney's Hollywood Studios Walt Disney Parks and Resorts icons Hollywood Boulevard (Disney's Hollywood Studios) Buildings and structures completed in 2001 Buildings and structures demolished in 2015 2015 disestablishments in Florida Former Walt Disney Parks and Resorts attractions 2001 establishments in Florida Fantasia (franchise) Hats in popular culture