That is exactly what the park it about. The magic and imagination of Hollywood. It's not like Universal, where you are supposed to see how the movies are made, or ride them. DHS is about the magic movies have and how they spark our imagination. The hat is a perfect representation of that magic.
Of course that is one of the things the park is about.
But the Sorcerer's Hat fails to capture that in its entirety.
What does the Sorcerer's Hat make you think of? First thing that comes to mind for me is Disney's works and Fantasia.
But I
so do not think of things like Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Gone with the Wind, Alien, Citizen Kane, Wizard of Oz, King Kong, or any other kind of non-Disney Hollywood classic when I see it.
As I have stated several times before, The Sorcerer's Hat puts a ridiculous amount of emphasis on Disney, which throws the entire park off balance. I should have rephrased/emphasized this before, but BOTH Chinese Theater and the Earful Tower were the icons simultaneously. The Earful Tower was just the one they used for marketing (Although the Chinese Theater was used in some advertising). The Chinese Theater and the Great Movie Ride symbolized the magic and imagination of EVERYTHING Hollywood. The Earful Tower symbolized the magic behind the works of Disney and the rest of Hollywood.
The park is a tribute to BOTH Disney and Hollywood, and the things that made them great. Here is the dedication to the park:
The World you have entered was created by The Walt Disney Company and is dedicated to Hollywood—not a place on a map, but a state of mind that exists wherever people dream and wonder and imagine, a place where illusion and reality are fused by technological magic. We welcome you to a Hollywood that never was—and always will be.
-Michael Eisner, May 1, 1989
The park was NEVER intended to emphasis Disney as they do now. The Sorcerer's Hat does just that.
And saying the park isn't about production is way off base. (Unless again, I'm reading you wrong) I actually regret not bringing this up earlier, but one of the things MGM/DHS was built upon was that it was a tribute to the golden Hollywood, yet at the same time, a "dream factory" where the public could not only learn the magic behind Hollywood movies, but learn the secrets behind Disney's creative process up and close. At the end of the day, the guests would find themselves in better appreciation and understanding of movies that made the entertainment industry as great as it is. The removal of the actual production has proved to be disastrous towards the park's overall theme.
This isn't the Disney MGM Studios anymore. Its the Disney Hollywood Studios. The park is different. The icon is different. And the spirit is different.
As I stated earlier, the park is in theme schizophrenia. The Great Movie Ride still well symbolizes the old theme and intent of the park. TOT symbolizes Hollywood's golden age very well without putting an emphasis on Disney, as do Muppets, and other select areas of the park. The rest of the park has dwindled into a mish-mosh dumping ground for things. Has it changed? Sure. Doesn't mean it changed for the better. The Sorcerer's Hat contributes to this problem.
If you don't mind me asking, what do you think the park is supposed to embody now?