Re: DHS expansion -further evidence the Backlot tour is Going bye bye

[momof2n2]

But, would we EVER be able to find a pin shop if it didn't have a hat on top of it?! Right in the middle of the park!

Ahahahaha!

This!

(Thanks for a Monday morning guffaw!)

 

[WDWChloe]

The Earful Tower would never go, it is near Creative Costuming, Imagineering, and Corporate buildings. Look at the map on Google. Also, I don't think I would classify it as a "trademark." Yes, you can get a great viewing angle from the attraction, but you can also see it from World Drive. Before the "Hat," Grauman's was the "trademark" for the park.

Wasn't the earful tower once the trademark or logo for MGM studios though?
I have a pin from the 90's with my name, Mickey, Minnie and Donald with Cinderella Castle, Spaceship Earth and the Earful Tower.

 

[thegib95]

Wasn't the earful tower once the trademark or logo for MGM studios though?
I have a pin from the 90's with my name, Mickey, Minnie and Donald with Cinderella Castle, Spaceship Earth and the Earful Tower.

That is what I was thinking too, That at least at a time the 4 icons Castle, Spaceship Earth, Earful Tower & Tree of Life.

 

[Spacedog1975]

I think they call it a "weenie" as opposed to a trademark. I'm pretty sure earful tower was it, and not the theater. The Earful Tower weenie is tiny by comparison to the other 3 parks, so I don't forsee the hat going away without a larger weenie to replace it.

 

[DCTooTall]

I think they call it a "weenie" as opposed to a trademark. I'm pretty sure earful tower was it, and not the theater. The Earful Tower weenie is tiny by comparison to the other 3 parks, so I don't forsee the hat going away without a larger weenie to replace it.

But it's not the size of the weenie that really matters, It's how they use it.

People had no problems with the Earful Tower as the weenie (complete with seasonal "hats", such as the Santa Hat over the Christmas season) for the decade prior to the BAH showing up.

And if you are ever in a BAH thread, the biggest complaint about the BAH as the weenie.... after the "It's not original/it ruins the view down Hollywood BLVD to the Graumans/ it ruined the giant Hidden Mickey" complaints... is that they stuck it there and it's just used as a covering for a pin shop.

Which weenie was ultimately used better?

 

[Spacedog1975]

But it's not the size of the weenie that really matters, It's how they use it.

People had no problems with the Earful Tower as the weenie (complete with seasonal "hats", such as the Santa Hat over the Christmas season) for the decade prior to the BAH showing up.

And if you are ever in a BAH thread, the biggest complaint about the BAH as the weenie.... after the "It's not original/it ruins the view down Hollywood BLVD to the Graumans/ it ruined the giant Hidden Mickey" complaints... is that they stuck it there and it's just used as a covering for a pin shop.

Which weenie was ultimately used better?

I'm not arguing in favor of BAH. As much as I love Sorcerors apprentice, I think it's pretty lame. I just think that if they replace it or remove it, it will be in favor of something larger. The scale of Tree of Life, Spaceship Earth, and Cinderella's Castle just don't allow for something on the scale of Earful Tower.

I love the Grauman's Theater. I love the references to the Pan-Pacific Auditorium.

I even do like the Earful Tower better than the hat (much because I really don't like the hat). Size does matter though, and it is far more likely that they will choose a new icon if they remove BAH than return to the Earful Tower.

 

[DRDISNEYMD]

I was driving in the back way on Sherberth road to the AK today when I noticed behind the auditions/casting building, Hollywood Studios backlot tour trams are parked/dumped in a field. Cows are grazing 25 ft away from the tram that is just sitting in the grass in pieces. It was not there last week.
This is far away from DHS and there is no way this is a place where it would be undergoing repairs. It "appears" to have been dumped there.
I am "hypothesizing" that they would only treat the tram this way if they were done with it.
As it seems this is a less than popular ride, my "guess" is that they are not planning on getting any new improved trams to replace it.

~Wow! Thanks for the update & great pics!!! I don't know what this means, but it looks like change may soon be upon us!

This opens up a whole new topic-- anyone care to start?

~Sorry beer dave, but I *love* that BA [TACKY] H! I hope it stays there forever! The Chinese Theater is gorgeous, but it should not be the park icon -- it is not Disney, it is a Hollywood icon -- to me this is no different than the Hollywood sign -- and the Earful Tower is just blah.

 

[monorailrabbit]

BAH = big *** hat?

 

[DCTooTall]

BAH = big *** hat?

 

[ParkCutie]

it brings me great joy that we call it the Big *** hat <3
it truly truly does!
hat should stay, park just needs to expand. no one will give a **** about the hat when there is something to do rather then just sit and look at it!
LOLOL love you fellow disney nerds!! <3


OH AND P.S DONT HATE ON THE HAT <3
LOL!

 

[ChrisnKim913]

BAH = big *** hat?

Genius

 

[bigmamimia]

We were at WDW last week for vacation and both my son (12) and I were very disappointed at the changes in Backlot tour since the last time we were there in 2008 or 2009. The whole tour is now on an audio track. We were with my niece who has Noonan's Syndrome and uses her stroller as a wheelchair so we sat in the front car reserved for wheelchairs. There was a driver and the person who in the past always did the speaking. He just sat there and stared at us. He was completely lifeless and may have even been asleep hiding behind his sunglasses. He had zero interaction with the guests. It was actually kind of awkward. Also the preshow were they have 3 or 4 people act out the boat taking on water scene was eliminated. We loved that ride but if this is the way it is going to be I certainly won't be interested in going on it anymore.

 

[It'sWDW4me]

The rumor was that they would keep the water tower but just move it somewhere else I've heard this from many people. Also I've heard rumors that the sorcerer mickey hat will be going good bye in DHS.

Could my dream really come true? I'll keep wishing upon a whole bunch of stars!

 

[rteetz]

Could my dream really come true? I'll keep wishing upon a whole bunch of stars!

Yeah I've heard this from multiple different places including the disunplugged team has reported this multiple times. One of the reasons the hat would leave is because of a new rumored parade that would need more space because of the route it takes.

Sent from my iPad using DISBoards

 

[DanBoris]

There was old trams (I believe) by the Epcot parking lot. I saw them while walking to the corrals during the Princess half. I remember thinking that they were from the backlot but looked like they may have been older versions. It was 4:00 a.m. so my memory is a little fuzzy.

Just checked the satellite view in Google maps and you are correct. I can't post a picture right now, but in the far south east corner of the main parking lot on Woodpecker Lane you can see some of the backlot trams. Wonder if these were moved to the location the OP pointer out.

 

[Z28KatCar]

I hope they are expanding and getting rid of that poor excuse for a ride. I used to love backlot tours now it just sucks!!!

 

[BuzzBelleMom]

Around my house, the Backlot Tour is known as "those 30 minutes of life I cannot get back"

 

[ChloroFiend]

The rumor was that they would keep the water tower but just move it somewhere else I've heard this from many people. Also I've heard rumors that the sorcerer mickey hat will be going good bye in DHS.

Sent from my iPad using DISBoards

**Rampant, unconfirmed, speculation follows***

In the latest Disney special on Destination America (Ultimate Disney World, I think), the Hat was nowhere to be found. Earful Tower was featured pretty front and center in the same way the other park icons were used. In past shows, you've seen the BAH and very rarely the Earful tower.

Now...why would Disney opt to do something like that in their latest puff piece? Kinda makes you think....

They also did discuss Avatarland for a while, so I'd say the chances of that getting canned are approaching 0.

 

[mapmakerj]

Those "latest" shows on destination america are really old. I have that particular episode in a boxed set of dvds that I bought at Sam's club a few years ago. The stuff on Avatarland was the only new part and was added for the airing on their channel.

 

[johnGorski]

Those "latest" shows on destination america are really old. I have that particular episode in a boxed set of dvds that I bought at Sam's club a few years ago. The stuff on Avatarland was the only new part and was added for the airing on their channel.

They did have stuff on FLE, TT revamp aswell.