The Art of Disney’s Theme Park Icons

Iconic by Default

Some of Disney’s theme parks are tightly tethered to their icons; try imagining EPCOT without Spaceship Earth. However, for other parks, the icons might seem like an afterthought. They randomly choose the tallest ride in the park as an icon simply because it’s the best option. That leads us to the final category: Iconic by Default.

Pixar Pal-A-Round

Disney California Adventure Park

Even though Disney California Adventure is only a few steps from the park that Walt built, Anaheim’s second gate is far from a typical Disney park. Disney’s other theme parks emphasize worlds of fiction and fantasy; when it opened, California Adventure was basically a CliffsNotes version of The Golden State. California Adventure’s early logo and marketing showed off its icon at the time: Grizzly Peak. This 110-foot-tall mountain was inspired by California’s state animal and its scenic national parks. Grizzly Peak has much more to appreciate and could fit into the Fabricated Wonders category, but—alas—it’s no longer the park’s icon.

Disney has diluted California Adventure’s identity over the years as a multi-billion-dollar effort to correct the park’s early shortcomings. Despite its name, California Adventure lost its heavy California theme—so the California-esque Grizzly Peak is no longer an accurate signifier of the park. Grizzly Peak still exists, but it is out of the spotlight and often shrouded by overgrown plants.

By default, due to rapid change and a lack of options, the park’s icon in recent years has been the Pixar Pal-A-Round Ferris wheel. Pixar Pal-A-Round is in a picturesque location by the water and is among the tallest attractions in the park at 160 feet. This Ferris wheel originally opened as the Sun Wheel but now features a large Mickey Mouse face. It’s not ideal or revolutionary; it’s Iconic by Default.

Grizzly Peak is more unique to the park and is closer in quality to Disney’s other icons. It is California Adventure’s most intentional visual anchor, but Disney has made it more irrelevant as the park evolves.

Earffel Tower

Disney-MGM Studios and Walt Disney Studios Park

When Disney-MGM Studios first opened, the park’s icon was the Earffel Tower: a fake water tower with a pair of Mickey ears. It fit the park’s studio backlot theme, but it was removed in 2016 to make room for Toy Story Land.

Walt Disney Studios Park in Paris has its own version of the Earffel Tower. That park is being transformed into Disney Adventure World with a refreshed entrance; by the looks of the concept art, the Earffel Tower seems to be safe in Paris.

The Sorcerer’s Hat

Disney’s Hollywood Studios

The park formerly known as Disney-MGM Studios has had a few iconic landmarks—for better or for worse. The park’s Chinese Theatre facade has arguably been its most recognizable landmark, being located in a typical spot for an icon at the end of the Main Street-style entrance. However, even that iconic facade was covered up at one point.

To honor the 100^th anniversary of Walt’s birth, Walt Disney World Resort held the 100 Years of Magic celebration in 2001. For this, Disney introduced The Sorcerer’s Hat, which was plopped right in front of The Great Movie Ride and the legendary Chinese Theatre recreation. The 122-foot-tall structure was inspired by Mickey’s role in Fantasia and lasted until 2015.

The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror

Disney’s Hollywood Studios

Since the removal of the Earffel Tower and The Sorcerer’s Hat, the icon of Disney’s Hollywood Studios has defaulted to The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror. As the tallest attraction at Hollywood Studios, Tower of Terror has stumbled into being an icon. Truthfully, Tower of Terror is an attraction first and an icon second, so it doesn’t quite fit the Hidden Attractions category from earlier. However, it is still incredibly well designed.

Tower of Terror lives up to its name by being the tallest Disney icon at a towering 199 feet tall. The Hollywood Tower Hotel creeps over the glitz and glitter of Sunset Boulevard with a twisted golden-age look. The building’s backside was famously designed to blend into the skyline of the Morocco Pavilion where it can be seen all the way at EPCOT.

Tower of Terror may be Hollywood Studios’ backup icon, but is a star in its own right—for now. Once The Muppets take the place of Aerosmith, The Twilight Zone will be the only non-Disney property at the Walt Disney World Resort. So, who’s to say what Hollywood Studios’ icon will look like in the future.

Iconic Memories

When a Disney park has a less-than-stellar icon, it reveals just how impactful the top-tier ones are. From storybook castles to a geodesic sphere, Disney’s icons are a snapshot of the wonder experienced at theme parks and the lasting memories formed there.