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The
Sorcerer's Hat
MGM SYMBOL
HONORING 100 YEARS OF DISNEY MAGIC
A commemorative icon marking the 100 Year of Magic at Walt Disney World
Resort. The big hat completes the WDW concept of having an icon for
each of its four theme parks..
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 The
hustle, the bustle the glamour of Hollywood circa 1950; that is the
pounding beat of Hollywood Boulevard at the Disney-MGM Studios! Here,
guests will come face-to-face with famous (and some not-so-famous) directors
and stunning actors and actresses. As you stroll down the boulevard,
be sure to take some time exploring the wonderful shops and keep an
eye on the crowd è you never know who will be stepping out into
the sunlight (and spotlight) to make your visit extra special. You°ll
laugh, you°ll cry, you°ll do lunch over and over in this Tinsel
Town of yesteryear!
The Sorcerer's Hat at Disney-MGM Studios in Florida's Walt Disney World.
A month before POPULAR MECHANICS was born in Chicago, the Windy City
was host to another notable blessed event. Elias and Flora Call Disney
had a son they named Walter. And, as POPULAR MECHANICS is celebrating
its centennial throughout 2002, so is Walt Disney World (WDW) honoring
what would be Walt Disney's 100th year. Disney's 15-month-long birthday
party is already well under way at WDW under the banner "100 Years
of Magic."
To commemorate the company founder's centennial, there are a number
of special attractions at the 47-sq.-mile central-Florida resort. Among
them are parades at each of WDW's four theme parks, interactive shows
and displays of memorabilia.
But the cornerstones of the 100 Years of Magic are both located at the
resort's Disney-MGM Studios. There, a new attraction called "Walt
Disney: One Man's Dream" allows park visitors to learn about Walter
E. Disney, from his birth in Chicago and his formative years in a small
town in Missouri, to his journey to California and the formation of
his company. Facts about the man behind the mouse reveal that he was
a high school dropout and lied about his age so he could drive an ambulance
during World War I. Also, he and his brother, Roy, mortgaged their homes
and risked all they had to get their animation studio running. The attraction
features several archival film and audio clips of Disney through the
decades and gives humanity to the name that has become synonomous with
perennial childhood.
Also at Disney-MGM Studios sits the icon for the centennial, a huge
blue sorcerer's hat. Centrally located in the theme park, it is a 122-ft.
representation of the cone-shaped hat that Mickey Mouse wore in his
famous role, the Sorcerer's Apprentice, in the full-length animated
feature "Fantasia." This hat is made of fiberglass and weighs
156 tons. Like Mickey's it's blue and adorned with golden moon and star
shapes. As the symbol of the 100 Years of Magic, the hat is tipped back
by a white-gloved, four-fingered hand and is flanked by stylized renditions
of Mickey's recognizable ears. The big hat completes the WDW concept
of having an icon for each of its four theme parks. As for the other
three, Magic Kingdom has Cinderella's castle, Epcot has the giant golf
ball-like Spaceship Earth and Animal Kingdom has the sculpted Tree of
Life.
For those who need to know such things, the big sorcerer's hat is size
606-7/8. Because the hat is 100 ft. tall, it would fit a 350-ft. Mickey
Mouse.
It's only fitting that Walt Disney World has chosen one of Mickey Mouse's
most memorable screen roles as the symbol for Disney's centennial. After
all, Walt Disney is quoted as having said, "I only hope that we
never lose sight of one thing--that it was all started by a mouse." |
