A DHS park icon that has stood the test of time!
The Walt Daily
The Chinese Theater of Hollywood Studios
Hey everyone, Disney's Hollywood Studios has had its share of park icons, but the one that has stood the test of time is the Chinese Theater. When a new Disney park in Florida was being developed to represent the Hollywood that never was, but will always be, an appropriate icon for the theme had to be built to showcase the Hollywood that dreams were made of. Grommet's Chinese Theater in Hollywood, California, which was built in 1926, was an icon in its own right. Not only hosting big premieres, but also bringing a piece of the far east to locals with bells, pagodas, and plenty of authentic artifacts from China. It even hosted the Walt Disney premieres for flowers and trees of the Silly Symphony series and Mary Poppins. This was the icon that Imagineers felt would capture the time and vibe that they were going for at Disney MGM Studios. Although Disney wasn't given the rights to use the Grommet's name for the Chinese Theater, they were able to use the original blueprints by architecture firm Myer & Holler, who became known for their opulent designs. Unlike many Disney buildings that are built using forced perspective, typically to make the building appear larger than it actually is, the Chinese Theater is built to scale. The roof alone stands at 45 feet tall and weighs in at 22 tons. Another feature that Disney took from the original was a courtyard of cement, hand, and footprints of Hollywood stars. The original was created on an accident by a Sid Grommet himself stepping in to wet cement, but then it was realized that formalizing the process into a ceremony that could be covered by the press was a great promotion. Disney also wanted to create the cement ceremony tradition, the first of which was original Mouse Kater, Annette Funicello. Of course, you'll find other big Disney celebs like Mickey and Minnie Mouse complete with autograph, foot and glove prints, and even C3PO and R2D2. Eventually, however, the courtyard became full. And although the tradition would continue for many years, there were a lot of imprints that were never actually installed because of the cost to excavate the existing cement. One last thing? At the original Grommet's Chinese Theater in Hollywood, what Disney icon had the honor of living in imprint in the four-court? It wasn't Walt Disney or even Mickey Mouse. It was actually Donald Duck. "It's horrific if you're even good. You're anyone at all for sure. You'll be thankful to me, be thankful, you'll see for me, I'm just good. Go out and try to lock, you'll make me Donald Duck, hooray for what I need for." [Music] (dramatic music)